Untitled - Ron Baileys Carvings

Introduction
It's been my experience in past and present carving endeavors that
pictures speak volumes. I have gained most of my carving knowledge from books
whose craftsmen show step by step carving and painting techniques. I have finetuned, and in some cases, have come up with my own approach to a specific
technique. I live for these discovery moments, or revelations, that occur
when carving fish. Every time I learn something new it thrills me to no end.
I purposely stayed away from airbrushing in this demo, because some
individuals have not acquired these skills as of yet. All paints used in this demo
were acrylic bottle types, commonly referred to as hobby paint. Two brushes, a
sea sponge and a spray can of granite style paint were used to complete
this project. Basic tools needed in this work are: a good eye for detail, an
adventurous personality and an overall view of natural environments.
It is my intention that everyone in the group gains something from this
project. With practice and patience, novice and journeyman carvers can
successfully attain good results from these techniques. I am amazed how much
talent there is in this group of carvers and fish enthusiasts. With our talents it is
very possible to write and publish our own carving book. (Available in hard or soft
cover versions, a great addition to anyone's cocktail table!)
In conclusion, I am proud to be a member of this group and to be fortunate
enough to demonstrate my talents and artistic vision to the group. Woodcarving
is a lonely man’s craft. It is time consuming, peaceful and very rewarding. Thanks
for keeping me in the loop and the carving world around me.
Keep those tools and minds sharp.
All the best,
Tony.
Coldwater Base
1. Standard glue-up of oval and free form shapes using MDF (medium density fiberboard)
plywood. My intent is to create a gentle slope with depressions or pockets carved out for rocks to
sit in.
2. Grind away using Kutzall and Foredom Typhoon bits to achieve the sloping hill and rock
depressions. Sand dune lines are carved in last.
Warm water/Slate Base
3. Free form slopes are ground down using a Typhoon bit. Study your mud base reference
photos, and try following contours using sloping effects while intentionally leaving gouge and pit
marks in the base.
4. Base has been contoured and depressions have been carved for the slate and rockwork. Place
rocks onto the base and trace the rock outlines onto the board before carving these depressions.
Painting the base
5. Base is sealed and primed. There is no reason to prime with white or gray paint. Just lay the
base onto a piece of cardboard and spray light coats until satisfied with the look.
I like fleck stone paint for it's fast drying time. They are all good brands.
Rock Shapes
6. Rocks are cut out using band and scroll saws. They are shaped, sanded, sealed and doweled
for ease of painting and attachment to the base. Use your rock examples for shape reference.
Granite
7. Dab your sponge into primary pools of color, this being black, white and Paynes gray. Make
sure your sponge is saturated with all three colors, and they are blended on the sponge.
Pounce lightly or heavily to gain the desired effect.
8. Dipping into the secondary color pallet, squeeze or pour out equal amounts of yellow ocher,
burgundy, metallic gold, and raw umber. Repeat the previous step until achieving the desired
look. Leave plenty of white and black spots showing. This adds to the granite look.
9. Try using a heavier hand while pouncing. Don't be afraid to experiment with color, pressure,
and hole size. Add more white or gray, to soften the marbling effect. Test paint on a white paper
plate before applying to rock.
Marble / Agate
10. Base coat the sealed rock with white, and let dry. Using a Nylon 1" flat brush, paint the rock
with black airbrush paint. It should be glossy, not runny, or dripping. With the black paint still
wet, dip the brush into thick white paint, and paint concentric circles around the rock. You are
looking for marble bands at this point. Start feathering out into shades of gray, moving out from
the white bands. This technique works with all colors.
11. Using a No. 03 fine point, or rigger style brush, dip into a runny white paint. Starting from the
thickest part of the white banding, jiggle, and roll the brush when applying the chain or heat
lightning effect. Practice on black card stock until comfortable with the process.
12. Finished rockwork using sea sponge and wet on wet techniques. Apply a heavy coat of
polyurethane spray. A reaction should occur from the spray poly and acrylic paints mingling. This
will enhance the granite look.
13. Top View. The base was designed to imitate a cold-water creek environment.
A twelve-inch Brook or brown trout will be positioned onto the display via a metal caudal fin
attachment.
Slate
14. Four individual pieces have been carved in a stair stepping technique to simulate gray slate.
Grinding bits, and cut off wheels of different thickness have been used in shaping the rock pieces.
15. Close up shows horizontal and vertical layering effect. Rock should appear craggy and worn.
Vary the amount of pressure applied to the cutoff wheel. Don't be afraid to take chunks out here
and there.
16. Paint all rocks white and let dry. Apply a runny black wash into the cavities, made from mixing
5 drops of black airbrush paint to 2 tablespoons of water. Saturate the cracks with the wash and
vigorously wipe away with towel or rag. Leave some lighter areas showing.
17. Close up shows how rubbing harder in certain areas will give the rock a worn distressed look.
Final step is to sponge a mixture of Paynes gray, white and black onto the rock. Use the wipe
away technique until satisfied with the rocks appearance.
18. Finished slate rock, base and tree branch are sponged with a mixture of green oxide, cad
yellow and white acrylic paint. The algae effect is finger rubbed to soften the sponge marks.
19. Close up view. Wow! Doesn't that look cool? I can't wait to carve the fish, and put him in this
fast running stream environment. I hope everyone was inspired by the techniques on base and
rock carving. This is just my interpretation of stuff I see all around me. Keep your eyes open and
take lots of mental pictures.
20. Close up view…of the deep dark mysterious environment of the lurking bass or walleye. I
hope some of you out there will attempt putting your own twist on the MDF bases. Carving should
a fun, and uplifting experience for novice and pro. I really enjoy the discovery aspect that carving
brings.