How to Add Fine Brush and Pencil Details to Airbrushed Woodgrain Effects

Creating the illusion of woodgrain in paint requires great skills of observation. You'll find amazing complexity in the study of woodgrain patterns. This is the first step to generating a convincing illusion of woodgrain in an airbrush project.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Black paint
• Detail brush
• Stabillo pencil

1. Put some black paint on a lid or palette. Dip a fine brush into the paint trying not to overload. Emphasize some random lines in the base coat by painting over them in black paint. Use curves rather than straight lines as one would expect to find in nature. Compare and match your lines with an actual wood grain sample.

2. Create knot holes with the detail brush and black paint. Paint a roughly circular pattern and make rings around it, echoing the same shape, a few times. Repeat this process in a variety of places on your surface.

3. Use a stabillo pencil to add more details. This offers a lighter shade and more porous effects as it does not cover the surface completely but shows some surface texture. Repeat the process of outlining some of the vein patterns left by the initial airbrush application. Continue to compare your marks with that of actual woodgrain for accuracy. Wipe off any errors.

4. Darken some of the knot holes you've created, but not all. Use a random and uneven distribution for a more convincing and natural illusion of woodgrain.