Guide to Wood Carving a 2D Man or Woman From a Thin Board

Here is a simple wood carving craft that can be accomplished by a wood carver of any skill level. Carve a 2D man or woman figure from a piece of wood lath. This easy wood carving craft takes between ten minutes and an hour to complete, depending on the quality of the product desired and the skill of the wood carver. This wood carving craft is great for beginners to attempt.

For this easy wood carving craft, you will need:

Wood lath (wood 4-6 inches high, 1-2 inches wide, and a quarter to half inch thick.)

Saw

Carving knife

Pencil

File

Paint or permanent markers

Craft preparations:

Using the pencil, sketch a man or woman on the piece of wood lath, using the flat end of the lath for the bottom of the shoes. A rectangle works for the pants. A long sleeved or sleeveless shirt with the arms flat against the body is the simplest position; short sleeves require an additional carving detail. A woman with long hair let down is the easiest to carve; a man requires additional carving out of the neck. When your outline is drawn, take the saw and cut the wood above the top of the head/hat.

Carving the craft, easy method:

Carve away the wood between the hands and the toes. Carve around the hands and toes, and along the sides of the legs. Carve from the shoulder to the end of the wood. Then carve around the head. Your carving is ready to be painted.

Carving the craft, detailed method:

Follow the above carving method only with more attention to detail. With the knife, round all the sharp edges such as sleeves, trousers, and head. Define areas such as between arm and body, between legs, etc. Then take your file and smooth out all the rough carving edges. Your carving is ready to be painted.

Use paint that works well on wood and let the craft dry overnight. Standing the craft upright on a piece of duct tape folded over double-sided on cardboard will allow you to easily paint and dry the entire craft. The cardboard provides a drip surface, as you will want to paint the shoes after you stick the craft to the duct tape. An alternative to paint is to use permanent marker or colored pencil. Although not as good as paint, these provide a finish that is OK. Pen, although slightly better, takes forever to color with and tends to dent the wood.

You now have a simple wooden man or woman which you can proudly feature or gift to friends and family.

Source/original article: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2257497/simple_wood_carving_craft_2d_wooden.html?cat=24

Written by MrDave

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Advice On Painting Wood Shutters

House shutters provide an exceptional curve appeal that can come in handy if youre ever going to try and sell. This is especially true of wood shutters. However, outside of aesthetics shutters need attention every few years as they are prone to damage from constantly being exposed to the elements whether wind, rain, or shine.

A good time to paint wood shutters is when you are painting your home. Either way, if youre just painting the shutters heres some tips on how to get the job done.

Tools: sand paper, outdoor latex or oil paint depending on what was previously used, wood horses (for propping up shutters during painting), paint brushes, paint pan, a sponge, dish detergent and water, a ladder. NOTE: When using a ladder its best to have someone assist you, especially if you are carrying the shutters down from a second story window. Also, you may need other items if repairs are necessary. These may include a paint scraper, wood filler, and primer.

1.Remove the shutters from the house. Its a good idea to remove them all at once and plan to paint them together as this will save time. If you go in this direction make sure you mark which window they came from and which side, as some may have settled differently than others and only fit back in their original spot.

2.Assess the shutters and make repairs:
Use a paint scraper to remove chipped or pealing paint.
Test if any part of the shutter is rotting.
If so clean out the rotting wood and purchase a product at your local hardware store and follow instructions for filling the hole.
Lightly sand of the rest of the shutter, which will give the top coat of paint better sticking power. There are products on the market that will do the same thing as sanding but with less effort.

3.Cleaning: After youve made repairs wash the shutters with dish detergent and water scrubbing with a sponge on all sides. Rinsing with a garden hose will expedite the process.

4.Use an out door primer on any spots exposed from repairs. Prime the rest of the shutter.

5.Painting:

Consider lighter colors as the sun will affect darker shades more.
When painting its important to keep the top coat even and make sure you reach every nook and cranny. If not the elements could damage the shutter sooner than you like.
You may need more than one coat. More than one will add to their shine and effect on your home.
Turn shutters over periodically to make sure paint isnt dripping and leaving streaks or marks.
Stand each shudder up to dry and reset them on the house.
NOTE: In place of painting, consider spraying as this will save a lot of time and painstaking work with a brush.

Good luck!

Jakob Barry writes for Networx.com where you can find more information about painting estimates .

Looking for an easy arts and crafts project? Learn how to start a wood painting with expert tips in this free craft video. Expert: David Clemen Contact: www.davidclemenart.com Bio: David Clemen has a BFA in Fashion Design from Virginia Commonwealth University, a One Year Graphic Design degree from the Art Institute of Atlanta. Filmmaker: Reel Media LLC

How to Renovate Wooden Furniture in a French Painted Antique Style

Being a bit low on funds post-university it was hardly realistic for me and my boyfriend to get all new stuff when we moved in together. One of the ways I was able to spruce up our flat on a budget was to reinvent some of the furniture we already had from our parents’ houses and to make it into a matching bedroom suite of lovely distressed french style painted furniture. To date I have done up our bed (previously a toxic orange shade of pine), a large wardrobe that had previously been painted bright blue for my brothers room! and a small matching chest of drawers that I also fitted out with new handles. All of these were no hope items you would have been able to get in the local YMCA! and now they look fantastic.

Firstly a quote from my good old granddad Ron comes to mind! “your paint finish is only as good as your surface preparation and undercoat” not very catchy i’ll admit but it does the job and he does know his stuff!

With this in mind I purchased some wet and dry paper (the black kind) and some sugar soap powder from my local diy shop and got to work, rubbing down the original paint or varnish surface to provide a key. I didnt go to town on this as I was not looking to achieve a modern polished effect but I rubbed down all over to roughen the texture to allow the paint to adhere. After this was done I washed the furniture down with sugar soap and then again with fresh water and then allowed to dry.

Because I wanted an antiqued finish, I then used an old candle and rubbed wax on to all the edges of my furniture. This may sound strange but the idea is that the paint won’t properly stick on these areas and when the whole thing is dry you can flake away the waxed areas to reveal the wood underneath. This gives an aged distressed sort of look. It works best if you try to imagine which areas would have experienced most wear and tear if your bed/ wardrobe was 100 years old and apply the wax to these. For example handles, edges, finials etc.

When the surface was completely prepped I started with a medium sized brush to apply an undercoat in white to my items. After this I chose a matt eggshell finish wood paint to provide a finish that would be more durable and dirt resistant than emulsion but still give that chalky finish. I think that a gloss or satin paint would be too modern looking and ruin the overall effect. I also think that this effect works best in vintage pale looking shades of cream, sage green, mushroomey taupe or pale dusky blues/ pinks. Anything too ‘chemically’ or bright in colour will also look completely wrong. I chose an antique cream for the wardrobe (also adding vintage brass handles from ebay) and a pale sage green for my bed. Once painted all there is to do its scratch away at the waxed areas to distress the look of the finish et voila! French chic for practically no money. ooh la la indeed!

Written by hannahB
Recent graduate with a degree in History and Masters’ in Eastern European studies.