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Painting incised letters can be troublesome. Not the actual painting but the fact that some woods have an 'open grain' - in other words, the fibres are more separated, more straw-like. The upshot is that paint will 'wick' through the open fibres out of the cut trenches and into the surrounding wood, becoming unpleasantly visible.
The Oak that I am carving here is one such wood and in this video I show you how I seal the ends of these fibres to prevent this wicking effect.
| 17 June 2020 08:30
Justin - The wicking of paint into the end fibres is a real problem. The only preventative things to do would seem to be using thicker, fast-drying paint (but which can fill the root of the cut if you are not careful) and sealing the ends of the wood fibres. And, of course, some woods (like Oak) have a more open structure that others, which exacerbates the issue.
Even with my best efforts, I'm often not 100% happy with the result close up and I really only do it to make the lettering clearly visible at a distance - not so much in this case but signs etc.
Happy to hear from anyone who can advance this cause!
| 16 June 2020 22:27
Hi Chris, Great project, but I cant help but notice there are v subtle shades of wicking in the finished piece,slightly losing that beautiful crisp flowing line you achieved from the tool.
Sealing the incised letters as youve shown elsewhere on this site has been v.useful but I still get a bit nervous painting over that cleanly carved line! I sometimes use "riggers" the long brushes for watercolours to follow along flowing curves and carefully holding to the edge. Painting incised letters is quite a journey.
