Our wood pieces are created on hardwood like Luan, typically 3-5mm thick. It is very porous material and as such, coloring it with something other than acrylic paint can be tricky— but not impossible! We work with alcohol inks because it allows the wood grain and texture to still show through, but any form of color generally works once you get a feel for how the wood responds. As with anything, we recommend you try a little test spot on both paper and the back of your piece to be sure.
Some tips and tricks we’ve learned along the way:
- Tip: Be patient, go slow, and give yourself grace! Creating art should be enjoyable and bring you a sense of accomplishment. It should not be something that makes you feel bad.
- Because the wood is porous, fluid colors can and will bleed depending on the direction of the grain. (Acrylic paint does not have this same issue.)
Trick: With alcohol inks, each color will create a barrier. Once a color is in place, the next color that touches it generally will not bleed. Start with boarders and outlines, then fill the inside areas.
- Tip: Go with something that has more pronounced color and heavier pigmentation or it’ll get lost in the wood. Water color paints do work but it takes multiple applications (with complete dry time between each) to build up the saturation.
- Acrylic paints aren’t as blendable as fluid inks if you don’t have a painting skill, but they are much more forgiving. If you want to create art but don’t want to get too challenging, acrylics are a good bet.
Tip: Working in small sections at a time will give you more opportunity/ability to blend colors that will appear as shading, color transition, etc.
- Wood stains are readily available at Walmart, Lowe’s, etc, and there are a variety of colors to choose from.
Tip: If you’re not familiar with working with fluid colors, it’s easiest (and much more foolproof) to simply apply an all-over coat to your piece to add a rich, pretty tone.
- Clear coats are a quick and easy way to add a shiny coat to you piece. You can purchase it in spray cans at Walmart, Lowe’s, etc, typically for under $10.
Tip: Clear coat goes on like spray paint. Just read and follow the directions on the can to avoid drips!
Alcohol inks
Pros
- Crisp, vibrant colors
- You can purchase alcohol ink pens that work like markers, with a chisel tip on one end and a fine point on the other, to give you better control and ease of use.
- Blendable when wet-on-wet (that is, add your next color right after you’ve applied the first so that they can blend together). If you decide to add a color or need to blend after the fact, simply wet your edges with the original color(s) and you’re back to wet-on-wet!
- Inexpensive. You can purchase sets of 12-35 pens on Amazon for around $10-25. Make no mistake, there are a lot of expensive sets and you can purchase pens individually, but there really is no need to go the more expensive route if you do not create ink art on a normal basis. (Disclaimer: Cheaper products are sometimes made cheaply. Seek out reviews if you’re not sure, and never remove the caps from alcohol ink pens over your art piece or anything else you don’t want stained! Ask me how I know this….)
Cons
- Bleeding
- Learning to blend can be tricky. We recommend practicing on plain paper for a while before moving to your art piece.
- While somewhat forgiving, ink is ink.
Water-based markers (like Crayola) and permanent markers (like Sharpies)
Pros
- Moderately inexpensive and readily available from Walmart, Amazon, etc.
- Both chisel tip and fine point available to give you more control
- Water-based markers allow some of the wood grain to show through (less so with permanent markers)
Cons
- Limited color options
- Not truly blendable
- Bleeding
- Permanent markers are not as forgiving as water-based markers
Acrylic ink
Pros
- Mid-range pricing (depending on brand and store) of paint and brushed, and you can buy individual bottles or tubes of paint to keep the cost down
- Readily available from Walmart, craft stores, Amazon, etc
- Easy to use, less skill required to accomplish a nice result
Cons
- You will lose all the character of the wood. Acrylic paints form a solid barrier.
- It is harder to create shading, blending, etc, if you don’t have a painting skill. You’ll get a more “flat” result.
Liquid dyes
Pros
- Crisp, vibrant, saturated colors
- A moderate selection of colors available at craft stores
- Blendable with skill
- Wood grain remains visible
Cons
- Can get very expensive, and you’ll want to use quality brushes
- Hard to blend without the skills
- Not at all forgiving
Wood stain
Pros
- Easy
- Fairly inexpensive and readily available from Walmart, Lowe’s, etc
- Pretty, allover tone
- Wood grain remains visible
Cons
- Messy
- Without knowledge of how stains work, you may have to settle for an all-over application, as opposed to applying stain to individual sections/spots of your piece
Clear coat
Pros
- Easy
- Inexpensive and available at Walmart, Lowes, etc
- Simple but pretty effect
- Wood grain remains visible
Cons
- Risk of drips or blobs if not applied properly
- There is no color application
Please note, this is just shared information based off what we’ve found to work and not work for us. Unfortunately art is not a perfect science. We cannot guarantee any of the information above will be successful for you, nor are we responsible for any alterations you make upon receipt of your piece. We encourage you to try new things with the full understanding that no piece can be refunded or exchanged if any alterations have been made.