Why one color on panels?

With a good quality artist oil paint you should be able to shift from a painted to stained effect on your panel. I’ve seen many multi colored carvings. Done a few myself.

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

I’m envisioning a “fog” idea—what I’m seeing is the muted fall leaves, being used as camouflage by the hunter and the deer taking form as they slowly appear from the fog, still partly hidden and mostly just form and shadow appearing… I guess this is just what you wrote…. my vision was still foggy, I guess, as I read your description.

My interpretation of reasoning would be comparing a black & white photograph with a coloured one: there is nothing like a b&w portrait; colour seems to rob it of so many qualities, concealing the beauty of lines, texture, etc.. or perhaps it limits our imagination.

Many beautiful photos, however, take a b&W image and will colour in specific areas to highlight, to add emotion and impact and just as a creative tool.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and of the artist….

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

I’ve always preferred stain to paint, because I like to see the figure of the grain, but on wood like Basswood it doesn’t have much figure, so maybe paint would be fine. When it comes to painting, I think you know what you’re doing. I haven’t had much practice with paint. I’ll have to show you a screw up that I did this summer on an caricature relief of Elvis on Pine. I was just going to stain his hair, but I should have sealed it first, because it bled into his shirt collar. I guess I’ll have to finish him with some paint.

This is before I botched up with the stain. I also ran into trouble with his hair on top of his head, I ran into some punky wood. I’ll show another image later of the goof up

_

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

I wish I could “goof-up” like this, Dick.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/

Thanks for the input everyone! Debbie I have done b&w photos many moons ago. Loved the effect. The leaves on the border will be like fall, but not bright colors as I would like to have it work with the scene I’m trying to pull out of my brain and hope I can put it on this panel. I have alot of options. All one stain. Color the leaves and stain the ground a differant color then the deer then the fog in the background. Now I don’t know if that would look better then just forgetting the whole idea and just staining it or not. This is such a big piece to ruin. And what should i use as far as satin or semi gloss for the finish? My doors everyone voted gloss. But satin I think is the way this time…..Ahh decisions decisions!
Krum

-- Cathy Krumrei (Krum) http://www.TheCarversCorner.com

As always, I believe satin will help amplify the shadows, which is the main thing in a relief carving. Maybe a matte finish would be better yet.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

I can’t help you on the staining dilemna but I am intrigued by the transition of colour fading into the neutrality of fog and form.
They way my vision sees it, the leaves would be a very subtle colour, almost fog-like but defining the season.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)