Cute Turtle Segmental

[FrankEV]

First let me say that, we...here on the East Coast of Central Florida..., weathered huricane Milton with all being OK.  Never lost power, no damage other than a lot of rake-up branches and leaves from neighboring trees.  Others here in Florida did not fare as well and I know a number of our SSV members may be amoung them. Our thoughts, prayers, and best wishes for a quick recovery, go out to all who may have been affected.

 

Now to the post! This project was completed over the past week while waiting for Milton to arrive. 

I purchased a digital download (JPG) of a printable cartoon clipart wall décor of a Cute Turtle off ETSY.  I imported the image into Inkscape and converted it into a scrollable segmentation 12” x 10” pattern.  The conversion was mainly a manual trace.  The Inkscape 'trace bitmap' command realy does not work well to produce this kind of pattern.  

This piece is also for my Lady’s soon-to-be Grandson.

I used nominal 3/4" x 12” wide premium pine and cut the pattern with Pegas #1 MGT R blades.  I used Intarsia techniques to shape the pieces and after painting, the pieces were mounted on a 1/8” thick BB ply backer with the edges painted black.   Painting was done using my Air Brush with Artist Acrylic Air brush paints with some detail brush work.  I’m still not able to do very fine detailing with the Air Brush.  The painted and assembled piece was protected with multiple coats of a Clear Gloss Acrylic Finish spray.

Comments and critiques are always welcome.

 

[daveww1]

very cute

[Mike Crosa]

Very nice.  I have a brother in St Petersburg and he came out all right.  Water came up the driveway about 12 feet but that was it.  They have power.   

[rjweb]

Frank, that looks good, RJ

[jerry walters]

WOW Frank, you did it again.  

Jerry

Thanks for the update on hurricane Milton.  Glad all is OK with you and your loved ones.  I'm certain some of our SSV members did not fair as well.  Our prayers and thoughts go out to all.

[Peter N White]

Very good work on turtle kiddies will love it for sure.

[ChelCass]

I love him, he is just tooooooo adorable.

 

[heppnerguy]

I love how you painted this. I too have a air brush but really have not used it. Can you give me some idea where I can read something to get me started  to understand what I need o know to have a reasonable start with mine?

  I would so like to be able to do something even close to your wonderful ability, after a lot of practice of course.

 

This is a fantastic project you listed here

Dick

heppnerguy

[FrankEV]

2 hours ago, heppnerguy said:

.... I too have a air brush but really have not used it. Can you give me some idea where I can read something to get me started...

 Dick, 

Unfortunately I don't know any specific instruction material, because I just dove in and experimented and practiced.  AND, I'm still learning.  I'm also fortunate that my son, who is a model car maker, uses an Air Brush and was able to give me some helpful hints. 

If you are one who likes video instruction, I know there is a lot of YOU TUBE vidios on the subject. 

Here are a few tips I can offer.

There is a saying: "Cleanliness is next to Godliness".   Well. I can't emphasize enough that keeping your AB pen/gun clean between and after use is the most important thing about using an air brush.  For water base paints, hot water works well as well as AB Cleaners.  A fine set of needle brushes is a must.  Learning how to disassemble -clean-reassemble the pen/gun is also a must.  And thre will come a time that you will need to replace the nozzle...count on it and maybe order one to have on hand when the pen/gun stops working altogether.

For painting wood, I would stick with Acrylics.   Cheap craft acrylics actually do work, but  you get what you pay for.  I have gone to buying Createx Acrylic AB Paints.  They go a long way.  For either, you will need use an acrylic reducer to thin out the paint to a milk like consistecy before spraying, or the pen/gun will clog up very quickly.  I also use either a White (for light colors) or Black (for dark colors) sealer (primer) prior to applying the finished colors. An clear acrylic spray sealer csn also be used to seal pourous woods.  Buy Opaque colors, not Transparent colors.  

Adjusting air pressure is a learning process.  For large area coverage of one color, the pressure will be higher (20-30 psi).  For shading and detail work you will only want very low pressure (5-7psi).   And always, test spray to eliminate any 'spit' before shooting the actual work.   The tricky part is learnig how to use the trigger, while moving the pen/gun, to start and stop paint spray...practice, practice and more practice.

You realy need some sort of spray booth with a exhaust fan to create a negative pressure.  Dry AB spray overspray dust will get on, and stick to, everything...very hard to clean up.  I don't recommend spraying outdoors, so the spray environment is important to obtain quality work.

Then there is color mixing.  Start with using stock paint colors for like Xmas items...Red, Green, White, Gold, Blue, Yellow,etc.  Then you will need to experiment with mixing colors to get pinks, mint greens, varios blues, tans, etc.  There are color wheels and charts you can buy at hobby shops that give you mixing instructions.   I have gone to using color concentrates that give me infinate choices, but I still don't always get the color I want.  And remember, wet and dry colors will be different.  Oh, and don't mix a lot or you will waste  lot of paint.  You will need a lot of very small plastic mixing cups and many of the small coffee stirrers.

The use of masking tape and masks made from a pattern will also help with applying the spray in the correct place on the wood.

Here is a web site for AB materials and parts you might want to look at: https://spraygunner.com/

Here is a pic of my painting station mess!

The white flex duct goes to an inline exhaust fan and then to a dryer type vent on the outside wall.

Hope this was helpful and not discouraging.  Jump in and get started.

 

 

 

 

[barb.j.enders]

10 hours ago, FrankEV said:

 Dick, 

Unfortunately I don't know any specific instruction material, because I just dove in and experimented and practiced.  AND, I'm still learning.  I'm also fortunate that my son, who is a model car maker, uses an Air Brush and was able to give me some helpful hints. 

If you are one who likes video instruction, I know there is a lot of YOU TUBE vidios on the subject. 

Here are a few tips I can offer.

There is a saying: "Cleanliness is next to Godliness".   Well. I can't emphasize enough that keeping your AB pen/gun clean between and after use is the most important thing about using an air brush.  For water base paints, hot water works well as well as AB Cleaners.  A fine set of needle brushes is a must.  Learning how to disassemble -clean-reassemble the pen/gun is also a must.  And thre will come a time that you will need to replace the nozzle...count on it and maybe order one to have on hand when the pen/gun stops working altogether.

For painting wood, I would stick with Acrylics.   Cheap craft acrylics actually do work, but  you get what you pay for.  I have gone to buying Createx Acrylic AB Paints.  They go a long way.  For either, you will need use an acrylic reducer to thin out the paint to a milk like consistecy before spraying, or the pen/gun will clog up very quickly.  I also use either a White (for light colors) or Black (for dark colors) sealer (primer) prior to applying the finished colors. An clear acrylic spray sealer csn also be used to seal pourous woods.  Buy Opaque colors, not Transparent colors.  

Adjusting air pressure is a learning process.  For large area coverage of one color, the pressure will be higher (20-30 psi).  For shading and detail work you will only want very low pressure (5-7psi).   And always, test spray to eliminate any 'spit' before shooting the actual work.   The tricky part is learnig how to use the trigger, while moving the pen/gun, to start and stop paint spray...practice, practice and more practice.

You realy need some sort of spray booth with a exhaust fan to create a negative pressure.  Dry AB spray overspray dust will get on, and stick to, everything...very hard to clean up.  I don't recommend spraying outdoors, so the spray environment is important to obtain quality work.

Then there is color mixing.  Start with using stock paint colors for like Xmas items...Red, Green, White, Gold, Blue, Yellow,etc.  Then you will need to experiment with mixing colors to get pinks, mint greens, varios blues, tans, etc.  There are color wheels and charts you can buy at hobby shops that give you mixing instructions.   I have gone to using color concentrates that give me infinate choices, but I still don't always get the color I want.  And remember, wet and dry colors will be different.  Oh, and don't mix a lot or you will waste  lot of paint.  You will need a lot of very small plastic mixing cups and many of the small coffee stirrers.

The use of masking tape and masks made from a pattern will also help with applying the spray in the correct place on the wood.

Here is a web site for AB materials and parts you might want to look at: https://spraygunner.com/

Here is a pic of my painting station mess!

The white flex duct goes to an inline exhaust fan and then to a dryer type vent on the outside wall.

Hope this was helpful and not discouraging.  Jump in and get started.

 

 

 

 

Frank,  This was more helpful than any of the YouTube videos I have watched.  Thank you.  I may resurrect my airbrush.  Like Dick, I have one but got very frustrated with using it and it has been packed away for a couple of years.

[barb.j.enders]

Now onto the post!

Good to hear that you came through safely.

The turtle is so cute!  You did a wonderful job on the painting.

[TAIrving]

Very cute turtle @FrankEV.  No doubt everyone will love it.

My brother in Palm Beach Gardens came through Milton with little damage, just branches down in the yard.  

[meflick]

Frank, first, glad to hear that you all had little to minimal impact from the recent hurricanes. Second, a cute turtle that the young boy is going to enjoy

[wombatie]

What a cute little fellow he is and he put a smile on my face, thank you.
You did an excellent job as always, well done.

Marg

[heppnerguy]

On 10/10/2024 at 5:33 PM, FrankEV said:

 Dick, 

Unfortunately I don't know any specific instruction material, because I just dove in and experimented and practiced.  AND, I'm still learning.  I'm also fortunate that my son, who is a model car maker, uses an Air Brush and was able to give me some helpful hints. 

If you are one who likes video instruction, I know there is a lot of YOU TUBE vidios on the subject. 

Here are a few tips I can offer.

There is a saying: "Cleanliness is next to Godliness".   Well. I can't emphasize enough that keeping your AB pen/gun clean between and after use is the most important thing about using an air brush.  For water base paints, hot water works well as well as AB Cleaners.  A fine set of needle brushes is a must.  Learning how to disassemble -clean-reassemble the pen/gun is also a must.  And thre will come a time that you will need to replace the nozzle...count on it and maybe order one to have on hand when the pen/gun stops working altogether.

For painting wood, I would stick with Acrylics.   Cheap craft acrylics actually do work, but  you get what you pay for.  I have gone to buying Createx Acrylic AB Paints.  They go a long way.  For either, you will need use an acrylic reducer to thin out the paint to a milk like consistecy before spraying, or the pen/gun will clog up very quickly.  I also use either a White (for light colors) or Black (for dark colors) sealer (primer) prior to applying the finished colors. An clear acrylic spray sealer csn also be used to seal pourous woods.  Buy Opaque colors, not Transparent colors.  

Adjusting air pressure is a learning process.  For large area coverage of one color, the pressure will be higher (20-30 psi).  For shading and detail work you will only want very low pressure (5-7psi).   And always, test spray to eliminate any 'spit' before shooting the actual work.   The tricky part is learnig how to use the trigger, while moving the pen/gun, to start and stop paint spray...practice, practice and more practice.

You realy need some sort of spray booth with a exhaust fan to create a negative pressure.  Dry AB spray overspray dust will get on, and stick to, everything...very hard to clean up.  I don't recommend spraying outdoors, so the spray environment is important to obtain quality work.

Then there is color mixing.  Start with using stock paint colors for like Xmas items...Red, Green, White, Gold, Blue, Yellow,etc.  Then you will need to experiment with mixing colors to get pinks, mint greens, varios blues, tans, etc.  There are color wheels and charts you can buy at hobby shops that give you mixing instructions.   I have gone to using color concentrates that give me infinate choices, but I still don't always get the color I want.  And remember, wet and dry colors will be different.  Oh, and don't mix a lot or you will waste  lot of paint.  You will need a lot of very small plastic mixing cups and many of the small coffee stirrers.

The use of masking tape and masks made from a pattern will also help with applying the spray in the correct place on the wood.

Here is a web site for AB materials and parts you might want to look at: https://spraygunner.com/

Here is a pic of my painting station mess!

The white flex duct goes to an inline exhaust fan and then to a dryer type vent on the outside wall.

Hope this was helpful and not discouraging.  Jump in and get started.

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for all the great tips. I do have a manufactures paint station made for the air brush. My daughter bought it for me several years ago and I have never used it. I now see the reason they make them, thanks to you. Lots of great ideas from you and I will print them out and keep them in my shop as I start to learn more about using it.

  Much appreciated. I am anxious to get back to trying to use my AB and this time, taking the time to succeed, hopefully.

heppnerguy