Wood effects with paint and stains

Here is my experimentation on different surfaces of wood and finishes i have used to see which i will use in my final piece for my 3D piece.

Here i started off with a plank of wood from one of the crates i would be using for my final peice. I sanded down half of the plank and the other half i have left in its original form.

I started off by using a seperate piece of wood to the one i would be using for paint to try out a base coat of wood stain. I tried 4 of these stains as seen in the image above but in the end i realised that if i was painting the wood it would be pointless to use stains as they would not be shown even if the wood were to be sanded back and it would be a waste of time and materials.

Here i left the section un-sanded and painted it black, this i liked but i felt it was a little too basic and was a bit boring with jast a basic colour and it didnt show any techniques in painting or wood work.

This section i also left un-sanded and gave it a black base coat to act as a primer before i went over it in red. I then decided to try something different to give it a ruggid look, a worn look and this looked good because i did not sand this down before hand and that is why this exapmle has worked so well.

This section i had sanded and painted blue as just a base coat but left it as it was. This idea was linked to my own guitar at home but i found this to be too basic and boring even though it does look to have a smooth finish but it still looks too basic and i am starting to prefer the worn look, like i had with the red overcoat over the black primer layer.

This section was sanded down again like the blue before it but i had painted it in a sun set form of colour, starting light and getting gradually darker as it wend down. I then decided to rough it up a little by taking the sand paper and rub it down to create a worn look like it did with the red and black example. This worked better than the red and black example as it had been sanded down before hand so i would take this into concideration when choosing my final colour and effect.

This was just the wood left after being sanded down. It looks nice and natural but it looks boring and doesn't show enough techniques with media for my liking.

This was another basic sanded and painted coat but in green instead of blue. Again i thought t would look good but when compared to the other examples it looks too basic and boring as well and again I prefer the rough and worn look to a basic layer of paint.

This layer was another basic layer but with white. This idea would be my least favourite as its just plain and boring and marks easily with the colour so this would be my last choice in my final piece for the paint and finish.

This is one of my favourite designs as the paint is worn down and rough, it was awhite base coat which was then painted in a dark red or burnt red. This looks good as it was sanded down before painting giving the paint a smooth surface to work into so it spreads evenly and has an even coverage over the surface.

This is then where i have taken a guitar outline and traced it to be then traced onto each section in different colours so then the guitar outline can be clearly seen. This piece can be used to show my experimentation but can also be shown as a final piece from the 3D work shop and a fine art piece showing different painting techniques and different textures and drawing techniques to show certain sections on top of certain colours. 

Over all i would choose a sanded down surface to then paint over with a basic colour like the white as its simple and colour spreads better over it. I would then use the sunset colours i used in one example or the same technique but with two other colours. Then I would use sand paper to sand back the wood again to reveal the wood and base coat with a little bit of the top colour coat shown through.

Carving in wood experimentation

Here is my carving experimentation where i have used carving tool from the wood work shop on a slab of MDF to carve out a set of lyrics i would think to use. This process was very time consuming, more than i thought it would be if i am honest.

Then i painted over it in black to be then sanded down so that the lyrics would stand out in black when the the black had been sanded back.

This is the finished outcome of my experimentation where the black has been sanded back so the black wording stands out and the wording is engraved. If i were to do this again i would maybe use a different font and maybe a set of of colours rather than just the one.

Guitar pic experimentation

From my design idea and moodboard i decided to experiment in the ceramics work shop and make some guitar picks to show how i was linking in different media and trying out different techniques. First i traced around the size i wanted for the pick and then used this to draw onto the copper which i had cut out in 3D with machinary. 

Then once i had cut out the shapes i would sand down the edges to smooth them down and make the shape of the pick smoother too.

Once these were all cut out i drew on them with the pen i used in my earlier experimentation to draw on lyrics which i had gathered from people in my primary research from family members and friends.

Then using the heat gun i heated the picks but accidentally i heated some of them too much and stained them, this actually turned out to be a great mistake as it gave the picks a great finish, a sort of burnt red and black finish along with the copper when sanded down.

Ceramics work / experimentation

Here are images from my time in the ceramics workshop. Here i have used a special pen and special ink that is used to write or draw onto metal such as the copper i was using, this is then heated with a blow torch to heat the metal so that the acid bath which the metal soaks in reacts with the chemicals and metal to eat away at the area around the writting so that when i took the copper out of the acid and rinsed it off it shows the lettering is raised from the copper sheet. This is then sanded down and then run over with black polish to reveal the out come in the image shown at the bottom.

This is from using the paint brush and ink using the same process as the pen but it has not worked as the writting has not stayed so the sheet has just dissolved in the acid. In future i shall just use the pen to make sure i get the best results possible as well as to make my art as higher quality as possible.

Design ideas

This idea was to create a guitar body with 2 layers of MDF, 1 for the main body and the other layer on top where the lyrics are sat. The lyrics would be engraved by hand carving tools along side the aspects of art on the guitar and then it would be painted and glossed, then the 2 layers would be put together and hung up to be displayed at my final show.

This was an extension on my guitar body idea where the body would be made of MDF and the 2nd layer on top would be in copper and the lyrics would be written in and then processed to make them look as if they had been embossed on the copper in different fonts and sized lettering giving me more freedom in the style of writting i would use, instead of using the hand carving tools. The body would be painted like my first idea but it would then be sanded down making it look aged and worn like it had stood the test of time so to speak.

This idea would be to to create a large plectrum or guitar pick as shown in the image with engraved lyrics onto it, then make smaller picks with different materials such as copper and plastic and writting on the lyrics people had given me in my primary research to show how i would link in my research with my final pieces.

This idea would be to use an old crate which i would gather from my dads work or where i could find them to take apart and use the lats to create a portrait with acrylic paint. The lats would be sanded down to make them easier to paint on, then once paited on i can then re-arange them to make the piece look creative and one of a kind.

This idea is to cut out the letters of the initials of my favourite band shown in the image above then i would cut out another shape to put behind which i would then engrave lyrics into and then paint the background one colour and then create a patern on the lettering to make it stand out after i sant the pieces down.

This piece started out as an idea of cutting out the spaces where the colour would be in one slab of MDF and then behind this layer another layer of MDF painted in a colour with the lyrics etched in to it with it hung at the final end of year show. Then my idea expanded into where it would be a screen print where i could use the cut out shoen in the image above to then make a print screen which i could then use to print my design out onto t-shirts and other fabric. The pice would be of me in the green and then 3 of my class mates on the course in different colours. The piece is inspired by a pop art piece i found of the Beatles which shows only distict features in black or colour making them stand out so you could tell who is who. The spaces where the colour would be shown would also have lyrics inside chosen by my class mates showing their likes and personality through the chosen lyrics. 

Guitar art mood boards

Here are my moodboards based on guitars and picks. Over these moodboards i have used a range of media such as fine liners which i used to draw up these guitar base designs. These designs i liked as they were simple but intriguing and full of different scenes, every time you look at the designs you see something new or a different part in the design. 

In the guitar pick and the acoustic based moodboard i used media including; pencil which i used to draw out the outlines of the imageryand then i used fine liners and water colour paints to add in tone and colour as well as definition to the sheet. 

Over these moodboards i could have used a wider range of media such as collage, acrylic paint or shading pencils. If i were to do this again i would add in more media and maybe some more definition.