Reverse Antiquing?

[Bard Skye]

Does anybody have any ideas on how I might get a lighter color down in the details of my tooling?

I have a figure that I'm tooling which is supposed to be black. Of course, all the detail just dissapears into a profile until your eyeball is right on top of it.

I was considering (carefully) painting a resist like Super Sheen down into the cuts and bevels, but this could be rather problematic with the finer detail.

Could Super Sheen be applied like an antiquing stain, with a sufficient amount wiped off the higher areas to allow dye penetration?

Please Help!

Skye

[drphil]

Does anybody have any ideas on how I might get a lighter color down in the details of my tooling?

I have a figure that I'm tooling which is supposed to be black. Of course, all the detail just dissapears into a profile until your eyeball is right on top of it.

I was considering (carefully) painting a resist like Super Sheen down into the cuts and bevels, but this could be rather problematic with the finer detail.

Could Super Sheen be applied like an antiquing stain, with a sufficient amount wiped off the higher areas to allow dye penetration?

Please Help!

Skye

Hey Skye,

If your cuts are small enough you might try Stohlman's "dry" brushing technique. You can find more in his "Figure Carving Finesse" and in his "Coloring Leather" I think those are the two that show it. Maybe it was the "How to Color Leather" book? I will have to check when I get time. Anyway this technique is good for putting the dye on the "top" of the fur on animals and really any textured surface if fine enough. So you can have a hair effect that shows natural leather underneath and the color of the hair on top. It is basically taking a brush full of dye and then using it till most of the dye is out and then using the remaining on the figure to color the "top" of the figure. It makes really good effects for different animals and such. I am not sure it would work on larger spots though, like an inverted carving. For inverted work I would think you would have to use the resisting technique.

Oh, I also wanted to add that Super Sheen would probably not work like an antique where you can wipe the excess off. I would not try it. It will be applied anywhere it is wiped. Not sure if you could use something like a deglazer and clean it off the raised surface later on leaving the Sheen behind in the crevasses

Edited October 12, 2011 by drphil

[particle]

Someone posted a photo of a black holster a while back - they had rubbed silver paint over the tooling, then wiped it off - very cool effect! Is this something along the lines of what you're looking for?

[Bard Skye]

Hey Skye,

If your cuts are small enough you might try Stohlman's "dry" brushing technique. You can find more in his "Figure Carving Finesse" and in his "Coloring Leather" I think those are the two that show it. Maybe it was the "How to Color Leather" book? I will have to check when I get time. Anyway this technique is good for putting the dye on the "top" of the fur on animals and really any textured surface if fine enough. So you can have a hair effect that shows natural leather underneath and the color of the hair on top. It is basically taking a brush full of dye and then using it till most of the dye is out and then using the remaining on the figure to color the "top" of the figure. It makes really good effects for different animals and such. I am not sure it would work on larger spots though, like an inverted carving. For inverted work I would think you would have to use the resisting technique.

Oh, I also wanted to add that Super Sheen would probably not work like an antique where you can wipe the excess off. I would not try it. It will be applied anywhere it is wiped. Not sure if you could use something like a deglazer and clean it off the raised surface later on leaving the Sheen behind in the crevasses

That dry brushing technique sounds promising. I remember using it when I was dabbling in ceramics.

Considering that the figure is a black boar's head, what you describe would be perfect.

And you're right about the Super Shene. I just got through playing around with some (on tooled scrap), and the thinner the remaining layer, the happier it is!

Thanks for the input.

Skye

Someone posted a photo of a black holster a while back - they had rubbed silver paint over the tooling, then wiped it off - very cool effect! Is this something along the lines of what you're looking for?

This idea has promise too!

(I *love* this place!)

Makes me wonder if some of the lighter stains might be used with a resist, as well.

Just a question of how well they'd cover black.

Thanks.

Skye

[leatheroo]

I have used the "paint and wipe off" over black and it gives a nice result...in your case a copper paint would be nice.

[drphil]

Here is the page from Al Stohlman's "Coloring Leather" p. 19. Thought this might help. Since it is for educational purposes only, and is just a small section I think it is probably ok to post. It is interesting to note that in other sections of this book and the Figure Carving Finesse book he uses other colors to their fullest and then dry brushes other colors on top. So you can do moon light and the such. He does a few horses with a lighter or darker color and then dry brushes another color on top. Looks pretty cool and give nice life to the texture.

[Bard Skye]

Here is the page from Al Stohlman's "Coloring Leather" p. 19. Thought this might help. Since it is for educational purposes only, and is just a small section I think it is probably ok to post. It is interesting to note that in other sections of this book and the Figure Carving Finesse book he uses other colors to their fullest and then dry brushes other colors on top. So you can do moon light and the such. He does a few horses with a lighter or darker color and then dry brushes another color on top. Looks pretty cool and give nice life to the texture.

Very Cool!

Thanks for the page.

Serves as a nice little refresher to remind me of what I learned all those years ago.

Now, I just have to apply them to leather instead of ceramics.

Thank You!

Skye

[Bard Skye]

I have used the "paint and wipe off" over black and it gives a nice result...in your case a copper paint would be nice.

I'm going to have to give that a try, too.

Copper, eh?

Sounds like that could look pretty B-A!

And I've seen your masks. You're a Leather Goddess, for sure.

Oh my, that sounded a bit kinky, didn't it?

Thanks.

Skye

[Tina]

I have used "white aniquing" on black with excellent results.

I use FolkArt's white acryllic paint (ex: from Joann's) and FolkArt has a medium to mix with the paint called Floating Medium. This medium allowes the paint to stay "open" (not drying) loonger. You just paint it on and then wipe of the excess paint with a damp paper towel or similar. Of course I have 2 layers of resists on the leather before the antiquing, just as usuall :-)

Edited October 13, 2011 by Tina

[GoldenKnight]

You could check out the Tandy Hi-Liters. I have done swivel knife cuts in black (and other colored veg tanned leather), used a coat of Bag Kote or Resolene, let it dry, then applied an application of gold or silver Hi-Liter, let it dry a little, then take a lightly damp cloth and rub off the excess. Every time, it comes out really cool.

[Doc Reaper]

I am guessing that you want the high portions dark and the low portions light? Use a firm make-up sponge (not soaking) to dab on the high parts. Remove excess with a clean dry paper towel.

[lightingale]

One of the dog collars that I sell the most is the one pictured below. It's black leather, and "antiqued" with Eco Flo Gold Frost. They also sell a Silver Frost.

[Bob Blea]

Really nice effect lightingale! I've got to try this on one of my notebooks!

Bob