I’m a new guy here, but have been lurking for a while.
Basically what I’m wanting to do is apply a couple of similar colors (maybe greens and blues) to create an abstract/washy effect similar to a resin tint… Or possibly mix a few different colors to make an abstract. I’m also interested in getting messy with some watercolors or watered down acrylics, maybe try my take on a “jackson pollock” splatter effect.
Seems like I’ve only seen these sorts of things done with resin, and any painted blanks are mostly I’ve fades and stripes. I know there are some limitations working with paints, but would like to see what’s possible and what’s been done.
Anyone have photos of different techniques of painted blanks?
I do that effect that I think you are looking for all the time. This one was done by 2 paint colours in the same cup, but not mixed together. That with an old brush only washed out partially after being used with black paint previously (intentional). Gives a nice effect when brushed on.
edit- a couple more pics- the blue one was done with a single colour with watered down base coat and then a thicker uneven brush layer of the same color on top, I think that would have looked better if I had done that one the ‘dirty brush’ method.
Im sure there’s plenty of other ways to get interesting effects. Im sure that there is plenty of inspiring painting methods on youtube that could work on surfboard foam.
Just normal water based acrylic on PU blanks, one brand of paint that I use doesnt even state that its acrylic, just water based stuff and never had any problem with it.
No problem painting over the stringer, sometimes I tape the stringer off, other times not, if you don’t put the paint on too thick you can usually still see the stringer a bit which is cool.
One tip is to seal with clear acrylic (spray) before laminating. One of my greens that I use (only colour that seems to) tends to bleed a bit while laminating if its not sealed. Also sealing can help prevent crystalisation especially around the stringer with red and black colours (no idea why crystalisation only seems to be more of a problem with those colours)
Leave the paint to dry overnight before lamination.
So i tested out a technique today using a scrap blank just to see if I could give the board a decent paint job.
The only way I was able to get the swirls and various tones (like a resin tint/swirl), was I basically added water to the acrylic till it was really just a tray of colored water, is there anything wrong with using a lot of water? It definitely gave it a cool look, but I just want to make sure I’m not going to mess up the stringer or foam by using a generous amount of water.
I have no problem letting it sit a day or two if need be. Thoughts?
Do you just add water? Or do you use the acrylic thinner? After my first attempt yesterday, I added a bunch of water and it just seemed to work better when applying it, but I haven’t glassed it, so I dont know what to expect next. I’m not too worried about some of the paint bleeding because I was just going for a streaky finish anyway, unless this will cause adhesion problems or looks REALLY bad.
Do you use an acrylic clear coat to seal it after painting/before glassing?
Last Question, It looks like there a visible cutlap, is that from the actual glass or was that painted in as well? Or am I just seeing things?
Make sure you are useing agood quality Paint. cheap Acylics won’t have as much UV protection as a better quality Paint. They will fade with time. Some faster then others. Nova Paints are a very good Acylic used by sign painters for out door work. For diluting I have done a mix of 50% water and 50% clear. Then mix that to get the desired viscosity for You can use a squeegee and also try a feather for some detail effects in your acid spash. You are smart not useing a buch of diffrent colors most screw up by getting the work to muddy by using way to many colors.
Ok, I ll go ahead and ask. If you want a resin tint look, why not just do a resin tint? They look way better with all due respect to the pro’s who responded. Mike
Well basically, I’m working with a surfboard factory to complete my boards. At the moment I do all my own shaping, and have them do the color and glass. I’ve had them do resin tints for me, and they do come out really nice. But, it adds 3-4 weeks for my boards everytime I want to do resin tints, and adds $$ as well. So for the time being and until I learn to glass my own boards and do my own resin tints, I just wanted to experiment with different techniques… If I can do the color and just have them do a basic glass job, I can get a board done in a week or 2, instead of 5-6 weeks…
