Need Help Painting Leather With Acrylic Paint...coverage Issues.

[The Grizzly]

Hello folks.

I've been making some coasters and wristbands here lately and painting my designs with acrylics. I've been buying the better grade bottle acrylics from hobby lobby and they give a nice finish. My problem is with coverage....and perhaps I'm doing my painting a little backwards.

For example, a black coaster with a white skull and crossbones in the middle:

-First I case and tool my leather design to completion.

-I dye the entire piece (black in this case). I let the dye dry and buff the surface with a cloth.

-Next I start painting my skull and crossbones with white acrylic, straight not thinned at all. I find that I have to apply quite a few coats to get good even coverage where no black shows through. In doing this, the finish winds up being a bit textured/rippled due to heavier concentrations of paint in spots and lighter in others.

Should I only dye the parts of the coaster black that should be black, then paint the undyed leather? Would this give me better coverage without so many coats of paint and also allow me to get a more even finish?

Would thinning the acrylic down some help with coverage and gaining a smoother finish? What to thin with...just water?

Thanks for any help you guys can be!!

[ClayB]

The quick answer to your questions (in my opinion) is yes, yes, yes, and yes. I would just dye the background black, not the parts you want to be white. Paint the parts you want white with acrylic paint. I always thin down the paint (with water). It goes on smoother, and allows you to build up to the color you want. I'd like to be able to see a little of the leather through the paint, not have thick, heavy paint coverage. I've also been taught to never use straight white paint. Add a drop or two of some other color to the white to dull it just a bit. Straight white is just too "white". While it may seem strange when you really want white, the mix will still look white on the leather. Once the paint is dry, spray an acrylic sealer over the project.

[The Grizzly]

Thanks Clay!

A drop of another color in the white? Hmmm any idea what color to use for this?

Also, another issue I had with spraying my finish...I used a gloss clear lacquer in an aerosol can. I lightly misted on 2-3 coats. When I came to check on it, it seemed that the paint tried to "pull away" from the leather in places...not like it came of, but sort of shrunk...or washed out...or something. It's hard to explain what happened. Could it be that I just didn't allow enough time for the acrylic to dry before finish coating it?

[Hennessy]

Thanks Clay!

A drop of another color in the white? Hmmm any idea what color to use for this?

Also, another issue I had with spraying my finish...I used a gloss clear lacquer in an aerosol can. I lightly misted on 2-3 coats. When I came to check on it, it seemed that the paint tried to "pull away" from the leather in places...not like it came of, but sort of shrunk...or washed out...or something. It's hard to explain what happened. Could it be that I just didn't allow enough time for the acrylic to dry before finish coating it?

grizz, your first coat in black , background only, clay said it all.i'm guessing its acrylic all th way.acrylic n oil based dyes dont overlap[they clash] your finish lacquer may also clash with acrylic,ive heard of people clear acrylic finish then lac over that overkill i think

[ClayB]

Pretty much any color mixed into the white will work. I usually use a drop or two of some shade of brown, but blue would work too. Anything to just cut the white a little bit.

I'm not sure what happened with your finish. I use a spray acrylic finish, usually matte. Not sure if the gloss varnish would react differently. Acrylic paint should dry fairly quickly, but if you had used several heavy coats it might take longer to dry completely. Working with colors and finishes takes a lot of experimenting to find out what works for you and what doesn't. Keep at it!

[The Grizzly]

Thanks so much! I gotta keep experimenting till I find out what works for me! Can you recommend any good aerosol acrylics? Someone recommended Deft in another thread, but I didn't know if it was lacquer or acrylic.

[Spinner]

Deft makes a good wood finish that is water based that works well over acrylics (Deft Clear Wood Finish) or for something from Tandy, they their Super Sheen in a aerosol can...also water based so it will work over acrylics. Resolene is good too but doesn't come in aerosol form so you'd need an airbrush to apply it (cheap set up at Harbor Freight will run $80-90 and includes a compressor)

Wood lacquer is solvent based and will pretty much eat through an acrylic paint job that isn't completely cured. Curing takes longer than drying and is what makes acrylics semi-solvent resistant.

Most lacquers, especially spray lacquers have acetone, toluene, acetate and at least one petroleum distillate = bad news for water based colors & finishes.

[The Grizzly]

Thanks for the suggestions! Would you recommend going aerosol or getting a brush on acrylic sealer?

[ClayB]

Spinner gave you some good information. I'd recommend using a spray sealer. If you brush or wipe a sealer such as super sheen over acrylic paint, you will probably move some of the paint around. There are a lot of acrylic sealers out there, most of the companies that make acrylic paint also make a sealer. Feibings also makes one that is available at Tandy that I've started using and it seems to be good. Once you've sealed the paint, you can then add additional finishes to make your project more water resistant.