Swirl finishes, "Dragonfly style !" (56k warning for pictures !)

[Dragonfly]

There are some great looking submissions in this thread. Good work!

I discovered that it takes at least some minimal amount of artistic talent to use this method... which makes me feel inadequate.  Here is my first attempt with the acrylic paints:



I first sprayed the box with a coat of Duplicolor etching primer to give a good foundation for the paint. Let it dry thoroughly.

I did not thin the paint as much as Andy suggested and used the end of craft stick (like a thin popsicle stick) to push the paint around.

I used hot glue to make the stand on which the pedal parts are resting. One craft stick on edge glued to a second wooden stick flat as a base.

regards, Jack

Jack...thats going to look KILLER when you get it clear coated and sanded...one heck of a good "first try".

[Dragonfly]

Dragonfly:
Those look killer! Nice work I dig the copper/black one. Knobs on the top/back side?
Why is it that the bottom plates always turn out better than the top? (not your's per se) Murphy's law?

John

Thanks...the copper/back one and the silver/black/purple one use the same layout as the red/white/black one posted earlier in the thread.

RE the bottoms...

ONE surface is much easier to make look nice than FIVE.

I'm working at it though ! 

[amz-fx]

My two have a pretty bumpy surface that is needing a LOT of top coat. How about everyone else? So far I have 3 THICK coats of brush on poly!

Those are nice; I like the chaotic look.  I guess it depends on what you consider to be "bumpy".  Mine is not glass smooth but not really what I would call bumpy...  it does have a bit of "texture".

I also discovered that light colors will take over when you're pushing the paint around so go easy with light colors. I may pick up a small stiff brush to try in my paint manipulations.

@Andy: Are those metallic copper and silver acrylics?  I thought about buying some of those when I was at the craft store. They look great.

@Barcode80: Love the orange & black. Very organic!

regards, Jack

[Dragonfly]

@Andy: Are those metallic copper and silver acrylics?  I thought about buying some of those when I was at the craft store. They look great.

regards, Jack

Yep...and thanks !   The metallics are a little tougher to get a good coating with, but they work just fine and look great. Not what I would recommend using for a first swirl, but after youve done a few and found your "method" of work, try them...they look great ! The main thing seems to be that their consistency is a bit different, and you have to make sure that theyre thoroughly mixed and evenly spread. The copper, especially, can get very thin on the box around the edges, and when it does so looks REALLY bad. Still, it looks so good when you do it right that its worth using.  Silver seems to work well though.

======================================================================================

Best things about this whole process....

1) its cheap
2) no harmful chemicals
3) not super messy
4) colors are really bright and look amazing
5) if you dont like how things are going, rinse the box under water and start over !

[moro]

Here's my latest attempt and the first that'll get used for an actual pedal.



All the colors are bleeding all over the place as usual. This time, I used very little water, so I'm not sure what's going on. I do like how it turned out though. Especially the bottom.

The pic is a little blurry because it's still early over here and I'm not getting very good light.

[greigoroth]

Love the bottom Moro!

Dunno, maybe you need a different brand of paint to get it more D-fly like... but I still think that bottom is great!

[theblueark]

Both the "hard edge" swirls and the "bleeding" swirls have their merits methinks.

The bleeding ones really come off like marble or some other natural rock patterns. I really like how the black bleeds at the top of moro's 

And the bottom totally looks like part of a really pretty rock.

[SteveB]

Man, you guys are really taking off with this stuff!

Has anyone had bad results drilling a pre-painted box? In other words, apply the paint & clear, & then drill the holes? I've tried drilling holes in boxes that I had painted ahead of time, & sometimes the paint would chip or peel off as it was being drilled.

I know some of you have seen this one, but this is one I did way back in 1996 using enamel model car paint dripped on the box. As you can see from the chipping, it has endured a lot of gigging!

Not nearly as cool as the new stuff I'm seeing on this post.

Steve

[Barcode80]

My two have a pretty bumpy surface that is needing a LOT of top coat. How about everyone else? So far I have 3 THICK coats of brush on poly!

Those are nice; I like the chaotic look.  I guess it depends on what you consider to be "bumpy".  Mine is not glass smooth but not really what I would call bumpy...  it does have a bit of "texture".

I also discovered that light colors will take over when you're pushing the paint around so go easy with light colors. I may pick up a small stiff brush to try in my paint manipulations.

@Andy: Are those metallic copper and silver acrylics?  I thought about buying some of those when I was at the craft store. They look great.

@Barcode80: Love the orange & black. Very organic!

regards, Jack

*blush*

thanks jack! when i get a chance to take some pics i have a new one that i think is very nice looking.

[ambulancevoice]

i love this, it reminds me of what cells and shit look like under a microscope

[amz-fx]

@moro: I like that bleeding look... the paints never started to look like that with the acrylics that I was using.  Most of mine were the Anita's brand that Andy used, except for the lightest color.

I used very little water to thin the paint...  very little.  I put just enough to cover the surface of the paint when it was in the small plastic mixing cup, then stirred it thoroughly. It takes several minutes to get the water mixed properly into the paint so keep stirring...

regards, Jack

[petemoore]

  I ended up pulling the surface film 'glump' out of the water [takes only seconds for Testors to start setting up], then dipped...looked bad, but...did some more swirling right on the box for cool crackle look !
  Maybe I'll try this current hog camera again...EATS new Eveready Alkaline + batteries in mere seconds !

[sixstringphil]

Are any of you getting bad pitting in the acrylic before the clear goes on? On my last effort (pics coming soon) I used less water and got more defined lines, but there were little pin sized holes everywhere after it dried. When the clear goes on and fills them in, they look like specks in the paint. (Might look cool in a few places, but definately not the desired result!) Anyone know what I might be doing wrong?

[jmdfd415]

Are any of you getting bad pitting in the acrylic before the clear goes on? On my last effort (pics coming soon) I used less water and got more defined lines, but there were little pin sized holes everywhere after it dried. When the clear goes on and fills them in, they look like specks in the paint. (Might look cool in a few places, but definately not the desired result!) Anyone know what I might be doing wrong?

This happened to one of mine.  I think that since you are using less water and the paint is thicker it may be holding some air under it and the air comes out more slowly and dries and gives it little like pin holes.  Thats just my guess I could be wrong though.

[amz-fx]

You whipped air into the paint emulsion when you stirred up the added water. The trapped bubbles then tried to escape as the paint dried and left pinholes.

Stir with a flat stick and try to mix the paint without folding air into the mixture.

regards, Jack

[Barcode80]

for the pinhole stuff, it helps if you mix the water and paint, close the lid, then let it sit overnight. lets the air rise to the top.

[jmdfd415]

here is my latest creation

[Barcode80]

here is my latest creation

[cheeb]

When I saw that, I immediately thought of this comic character from my childhood. It was like the pedal and this character were one and the same in my head. Weird. I haven't thought about this guy in years.

http://www.comicvine.com/madcap/23635/

[ambulancevoice]

here is my latest creation

wow
thats like something youd see in an art gallery or on some ones wall!