9/100 - Tree
Today some notes about process and materials. One of the challenges of painting on wood is that ink wants to bleed through the wood fibers, I've tried a good number of methods and materials to create a surface that takes the ink well and I have settled for clear gesso. The consistency is similar to school glue or thick acrylic paint but It dries clear. It's the same kind of stuff painters use to prepare canvas except it's not white.
I usually sand the wood with a fine grit sandpaper (600 grit) before applying two coats of gesso. Then sand it again when it's completely dry. It creates a rather nice paper-like substrate.
After trying a lot of black inks I settled on Montana brand water based acrylic ink. It has a nice matte finish, dries fast and its UV resistant. I use it to refill acrylic paint markers and also with a quill for finer lines as you can see in the GIF below.
I use a couple of coats of spray matte finish when I'm done to seal in the inks and make the piece moisture resistant.
Why do I go to all this trouble to draw on wood do you ask? Well, on one side I like the subtle look of wood grain as a background, on the other side I'm not a big fan of framing things. I do like when things are framed but framing seems like a big barrier to get things up on the wall. I've had things stored away for years before I framed them, it feels like an unreasonable obstacle. Besides, I also like how an otherwise insubstantial drawing turns into an object when done on a chunk of wood.
This tree is 2.5" by 2.75" and it's ready to hang on your wall (sold).