TexasWoodcarving.com

  Finishing the wood carving. First, I apply three coats of Enduro-Var. Enduro-Var is a water based urethane made by General Finishes. This seals the wood and provides a slight amber color. Next, I use Shaker maple tinted General Finishes water based stain to add color and depth. This is a meticulous process of brushing on and wiping off the stain to get the desired color and shading effect. The edge is stained slightly darker. The banner will overlap the edge and it will look better this way, if  seen from the side. The banner was sealed with a water based sanding sealer. Then, I applied as many coats of acrylic paint as it took to get an even black while still being able to tell that it is wood underneath. It took many coats of gold in the lettering followed by some touch-up of the black around the edges of the letters. Once the point was done, I applied three coats of General Finishes water based, clear, polyurethane top coat with a satin finish. After carefully measuring the positi

  The carving of the face is completed. Here we see the refinement of the wind. With the shape just right, there is a lot of undercutting to create the strong shadows and visually separate the wind from the concave background. The undercutting is done and the background surface is cleaned up. To create the effect of a deeper, darker background once the finish is applied, the concave background is stippled. Here is a close up of the stippling effect on the background. Next up, carving the letters on the banner that will go over the carving. The lettering is done and here is the banner temporarily clamped to the carving to get a good look at how it will go together.