portrait question

[tracyguy]

Hi there I was wondering if anyone knew what was the best plywood to use in protrait making. Can you use anything or is birch plywood the best.

hope someone can help

Thanks

Martin

[Mick]

Martin., I always use birch ply for my portraits, it has some grain but not a lot. Sometimes you can work the grain into the picture. I have used oak ply for scenic pictures. Oak has much more grain to it. I believe that a lot of grain takes away from a portrait, especially if it is of a person. Just my opinion.

 

Mick

[tracyguy]

thanks Mick I will try and get myself some birch ply.

[Travis]

Just note there is a difference between birch plywood and Baltic Birch Plywood. Baltic birch is the most commonly used (as well as finnish birch) for scroll saw portraits. The big difference is that baltic birch ply is void free. You can find BB ply at stores that sell cabinet grade plywood or online. Regular birch plywood is most often sold at home improvement stores and can sometimes provide disappointing results.

 

I think most like baltic birch plywood because of the light color and non-distinct grain pattern. It really shows off the portrait well. But any kind of cabinet grade plywood works well. I've cut some with oak that really looks nice. Some like maple. People like poplar ply and mahogany for puzzles.

[tracyguy]

Thanks Travis I think i will try and get myself some baltic birch ply and see how it goes from there. I will let you know soon I hope