1 Intro
2Starting out
3 You and me together again at last
4Product Design
5Rubber mold
6 Be a Sculptor
7 Marbleizing
8 Getting Ahead
9Paint techniques
10 Foam carving

Dan's World                                                                               Page 9

Painting: The art of protecting flat surfaces from the weather  and exposing them to the critic, Ambrose Bierce. (1842 - 1914)

Many people have asked " what is the secret to getting that antique bronze look you use on so many of your pieces?"

These kittens are made of  concrete but this process will also work on plaster castings also.

Here's the tell all low down on how it's done.  

  The secret is to use two different types of paint. Make sure your castings are thoroughly dry. First I sprayed the raw casting with black lacquer. Black lacquer should be available at your local hardware store or automotive supply. Give your raw figure two good coats. (note: I did  not mean your own naked figure. I mean the statue) Use gloss lacquer not flat lacquer or primer. The first base coat you apply may soak in and leave a blotchy  surface.  So give it a second coat.

Pretty ugly aren't they.  They certainly don't look like much at this point.  I'll grant you that but watch the magic when the next step is accomplished.

  I used black for the base coat in this instance. You can use other colors as a base coat to achieve interesting effects. When I want to produce a finish with more richness and variation in the color I will paint some sections such as the ears and front of the body with dark brown and leave the rest of the body black. You can take this even farther and apply a third or fourth  base color to the piece, highlighting certain areas with different colors.  Keep the tones muted and relatively close in color. Some really exciting finishes can be done in this way.  It's all up to your artistic ability.

Here's the secret that punches up the detail in a piece like this.

Thin out your wash coat!

 Thin a water based exterior latex paint with 50% water for the wash coat. Next apply the wash. This is a blue-green latex in this case.   Because this is a water based paint and the previous coat was lacquer  the blue green will wipe off easily and not disturb the black undercoat. Coat the entire piece with the blue green wash. You will have to work quickly from here on.  You do not want the wash to dry before you get a chance to wipe  it off. The thinning of the wash with water will help with this issue. Working  indoors or in the shade will also give you more time to do the wiping down.

  . .

OK. Go to it.   Rub a Dub Dub. With a clean soft rag start to remove just enough blue green color to let the back base color show through. Carefully wipe over the entire piece.  Use your own judgment as to how much of the wash to rub off.  Rub lightly in some areas, harder in others.  If the wash starts to dry before you finish wet the rag with water and complete the process. This should only take a few minutes. When I am done I rub the eyes of this figure with my finger to give them a little shine.

   Yahoo!  It worked. It worked!
   When you have completed the wiping process you will end up with something like this.  Each piece will be slightly different.

Don't be ascared!!
Don't be afraid to try  different colors.
  

Experimentation is the fun of being in this business.  Even strange color combinations can look good.   Try reversing the colors. The base coat can be a light color and a dark wash can be applied over top.
  All of the creativity is not necessarily in the sculpting.  With a little trial and error your statuary may end up with a signature color that you become known for.   

So now you know how to do it. Let's see  some really fantastic paint jobs!

           Next page  10

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  We do it all for you: models, molds, castings.
To have a limited run of your statuary produced call 610- 391- 9277 or  e-mail

Dan Kijak   4308 Shankweiler Rd. Orefield PA 18069

610-391-9277