Realistic Wood.

[Guest]

Just how do you go about creating realist wooden tool handles. I've tried various colours and tried to paint in a grain and add highlights, but no matter how hard I try they simply do not look realistic.


Any thoughts or ideas please also colours used and type of paints would be of help

[spanner570]

Alan, I find it best to cut off the plastic handles and make real wood replacements. Then all you need to do is paint the 'real' wood with diluted acrylic paint in whatever colour you choose. Please don't varnish it...save that for aircraft propellers!


If you don't fancy making your own, get some fine sand paper and gently stroke the plastic handle, going along, not across the object. This will give you a nice grain effect ( you won't be able to see it yet though!) A fine wire brush gives good results on larger pieces.


Using a well diluted dark brown colour, paint the wood and wipe it off straight away. This will leave just the dark grain lines. When dry, coat the handle with your chosen colour, again well diluted. This will give you the colour you want without obliterating the grain....


Putting the last coat of paint on thick will look awful, so try a bit of scrap wood first.


The golden rules are...


Go with the grain with your sand paper, not across.


Always use well dilute paint, you can always go over the wood again. But too thick, and the piece is ruined from the start....


That's my take on it, but I'm sure others will have their own method and will no doubt be along to add their help.

[Guest]

I do it this way...


Paint the tool handle a sand or tan colour & allow to dry. Then paint over with Burnt Umber oil paint. Leave for an hour or so & then using a stiff brush, run that lightly along the length of the handle so that most of the oil paint is removed. This will leave faint lines of Burnt Umber which simulates the grain.


That's what I did here on a Jagdpanther & on my Tiger I

[Guest]

I do it this way...
Paint the tool handle a sand or tan colour & allow to dry. Then paint over with Burnt Umber oil paint. Leave for an hour or so & then using a stiff brush, run that lightly along the length of the handle so that most of the oil paint is removed. This will leave faint lines of Burnt Umber which simulates the grain.


That's what I did here on a Jagdpanther & on my Tiger I


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by the way, I love that barge tiger. Cheers

[Guest]

by the way, I love that barge tiger. Cheers

Thank you guys certainly will try your methods on my next model build.

[Guest]

yes, oils over acrylics is the best way of recreating wood! Usually I use some beige-yellowish main colour and burnt umber/burnt siena/raw umber/ raw siena oils or mixture of them to do the wood grain. Here is a short tutorial I made some time ago:


1). First i spray Mr.Surface 1500 and then the main colour






2.) I add a second colour afterwards, I'm trying to do uneven coverage and mask the different planks.






3). Third and fourth colour for additional variation, for simple tool handles you may use one or two colours and skip this step






4). Then it comes the oils I liberally mix the colour until Ilike it






5). after a while I clean the oil with a stiff brush or sponge






6). I add additional variation with a toothpick






7). leave it for few days to fully cure






8). Spray with a mix of clear orange and clear yellow










and a picture of my current build:

[monica]

what a result you do get from your method,looks so real,


I do have a longboat coming up to do,will have to try this way,thank you for showing us,

[Guest]

That really is cracking work, the effect is superb.