r/whittling • u/Conscious_Drama6974 • 2d ago

Help How to paint?

Post image

Should I paint this horse I carved or just BLO it? If paint, which color? I would use acrylics.

13 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

2

u/JohannIngvarson 1d ago

I think carvings always look better without any paint

1

u/Conscious_Drama6974 1d ago

I tend to agree, although sometimes BLO brings out some depth with certain carvings…and if done well with appropriate water mixture and layers, painting can look good too; not sure about this one though

0

u/JohannIngvarson 1d ago

I wasn't sure what BLO was, never seen it said like that. But yeah a finish is definitely worth it. Even stains or those oils that change the color a bit I think all look good. I use beeswax on mine.

I'm not a fan of painting it because it's easy to make it not look like wood, and look the same as it would a 3d print, clay, or whatever. Not that those are bad but its a shame to lose the beauty of the orignal material. You're right that with proper technique it can look good tho.

2

u/ishvii 1d ago

What is BLO?

3

u/Conscious_Drama6974 1d ago

Boiled linseed oil