My painting techniques

To paint my faces I start with a small dot of red paint and then add water to dilute it down. This is how much water to paint I start with then add a tad more water once it is blended to a consistency.

When first trying this take a scrap piece of wood to see how thin the color is, always remembering you can layer the colors to darken them up.

I used watered-down unbleached titanium paint over the face before I began adding color. I only do this when painting Butternut wood as it tends to darken even with no paint and a clear sealant.  Once I’ve given the paint ample time to dry, I began to add the watered-down red.

I paint over the whole facial area with the watered-down red. I only do one layer in the beginning. I will add more down the road, but not before I start adding some of the shadowing to the bags under the eyes.

For the shadowing on the eyes I mix dark blue, black, and white, and as always it will be extremely watered-down.

Once the colors are mixed together it will look like a watered-down bluish gray. Before applying each layer always make sure to mix the colors together to get a strong consistency in color. I applied the color to the bags under the eyes and also the thin area right underneath the eyebrows.

I then apply 2 to 3 layers of the watered-down red to the cheek area and the tip of the nose. After all, Santa is flying around in the cold night air.

From this point it’s up to each carver to decide how dark the bags under the eyes will be. The darker you want them the more layers of color you will apply. The same is true for the cheek and nose area. Each layer will strengthen the color. You can also add some of the red to the bags to soften the contrast from the rest of the face. I don’t paint the lower lip until after I have done the dry paint on the mustache and beard area.

as always, 

"Good night and May God bless"