Things You'll Need:
- Colored Pencils
- Acrylic Paint
- Leather dye
-
Step 1
There are different methods you can use to apply color to your gourd. Acrylic paints, colored pencils and leather dye. My personal favorite way to enhance my gourds are with leather dyes. Leather dyes are an alcohol-base dye usually used for staining shoes, purses, etc. Leather dyes adds a transparent color to the gourd surface without covering the natural mold patterns. They come in a variety of colors. Always wear plastic gloves so that you won't stain your hands.
-
Step 2
Application: First and simple application is to just cover a plain gourd with the leather dye. Dye can be applied directly from the bottle using the daubers that come with the product. You can also thin the dye with rubbing alcohol to achieve a softer, paler hue. The dauber holds a lot of dye so tap it on the inside of the bottles rim. Keep the dauber moving over the edges of your color so they don't have a chance to dry as you work. Experiment! Nice effects can be achieved if you give your gourd an all-over coat of one color and, while it's still fresh and damp, dribble another color over it. This can make unpredictable color blends when the colors touch-just like watercolor painting!
-
Step 3
If I am applying the dye to a wood burned design on my gourd, I will use a brush to apply the dye to the area. Once you have "colored" your gourd, you will want to protect it. You can use polishes, waxes or polyurethane; depending on the type of sheen you want. I like a soft matt finishes and use a water-base polyurethane. You can buy this in most craft stores.
-
Step 4
Make sure to clean your brushes and daubers thoroughly if you are using the dye or acrylic paints. If you are using the colored pencils or acrylic paint; color and shade like you would on any surface.
