Dragged finishes

[Not your average framer]

I'm thinking about producing some new handfinished moulding display chevrons and with this in mind, I found a small scrap of 21mm x 12mm pine PAR in the bin, so here's a quick dragged finish. Not many seem to use this technique, although it is a common finish on many popular factory finished technique mouldings.

I produced the picture by placing the sample in my document scanner and this has some limitations, but at least the colours are reasonably similar to the sample. The white lines are a little stronger on the sample than they look in the picture.

Dragged finish demo.jpg (425.08 KiB) Viewed 13210 times

There are many different techniques which are used to create dragged finishes, but basic idea is exploit a textured grain produced in a painted surface with the bristles of a brush to form part an overall finish employing additional layers, or techniques.

The grain that you see in this example is not the grain of the wood, but purely the trail left by dragging a suitable brush through wet paint. Once you have learnt the technique, it is quite quick and easy to create finishes like this. But as with all handfinishing techniques, practice is essential to success!

Hopefully, I'll get around to doing some proper display samples in the next weeks, or two and therefore post a few more pictures to illustrate the technique. Does anyone else do dragged finishes?

[prospero]

Does anyone else do dragged finishes?

Yep.

It's an old technique. As Mark says, it takes a bit of practice. I find the trick is to work fast. Slap it on all over with a big brush and then work it along the grain using a dry brush. You need to work it while the paint is drying. Once you start dragging, don't apply more wet paint or you'll get blotchy sections.

[Not your average framer]

I do dragged finishes in two different ways. The normal method and an alternative technique where the dragged finish is a clear finish where the brushed grain is filled with an opaque wash.

This works well when I want to have a dragged finish over a metallic finish such as black over gold, but your technique has to be exactly right to make a black over gold finish look as it should.

I have my own way of doing this and can layer several dragged finishes to produce some rather spectactular grained effects, such as black over gold, with intermediate layers grained with silver and red.

[Trillian]

I really like this finish Mark, does it end up being very textured, or are you able to keep it relatively flat? Also, do you do a wax or varnish seal as a final coat, or leave 'as is'?

[Uncle Sumo]

Looks great!

[johnwphotography]

When scanning 3-dimensional items in a flatbed scanner you will get a better result by placing and tucking in a cloth above and around the object to reduce the shadows and maintain contrast. Remember the scan runs to the edges of the glass giving uneven all round shadows. Leaving the lid up,best to look away when doing this, will give a black shadowless background which looks great on screen and would work well with that textured image. Most scanners cope well with up to 10mm depth of field

[Not your average framer]

The resulting finish is fairly flat and and not a particularly thick finish either. Any texture that remains after filling the texture of the dragged finish with the final contrasting colour is barely discernable, but it might not matter very much if there was more discernable texture remaining.

In general, I like my finishes to be quite subtile and understated, but that's just me! If the texture, or the courseness of the graining was more pronounced, but the overall result looked to be professionally executed and of a pleasing appearance, then I would say that would be fully satisfactory.

I would not expect any two handfinishing framers to produce exactly the same results as each other, we all are unique individuals and this will also be reflected in the things which we create. Also the uniqueness of each finished item is part of the appeal of handfinished workmamship.

I would like to emphasize that the final result has more to do with getting the technique right, than it has to do with how long it took to create the finished result. Try to avoid thinking that taking your time, or being too fussy will make you a better handfinisher, it won't! it is very important to be able to work quickly.

Professional results come from practice and the more you practice, the better your technique will become and the faster you will be able to work. Please take note that maintaining a high work rate is an important requirement to ensure adequate profitability. Also choosing barewood mouldings for the right combination of price, quality and appearance can futher enhance you potential for profitability.

In this particular case I would say that a final wax, or varnish finish could be optional, as the materials used are extremely durable, without any further treatment. As this recession has taken it's toll, I have tried to create finishes which are quick and easy to produce and highly durable without needing any extra protection.

[Trillian]

Thanks for the extra info Mark

[prospero]

Here's a little technique that can work well. Get a stiff brush and charge with paint. Then run your fingers over the bristles so that little drops flick onto the surface. Same as doing fake fly doings. But instead of leaving the specks to dry, get a dry brush and stroke the moulding along the grain so that the specks get pulled out in long streaks. Timing is important. Don't let them dry before stroking.
You have to get just the right dilution and just enough on the brush for the best results.

[Geoff]

Dragging: Is a technique of "dragging" a long haired brush or brushes through wet glazes often pigmented with colour which produce a series of lines. This technique can be used on many objects... frames... walls... cabinets etc, etc. I have used this effect on numerous occasions, not so much recently where it can look very good when done correctly. I would never use this effect on an open grained timber such as Obeche, Aesu? as, apart from their lightness, they are useless if you want to achieve a professional effect. You can of course spend lots of time using grain fillers or other mediums, gesso for example to fill their grain but, as already mentioned apart from those timbers being light they are, in my view useless in picture framing generally.
I would suggest using a timber such as Poplar. A great all round timber.

If you intend to use this effect on a profiled moulding, after sanding and priming the timber, I would use an eggshell paint ground colour. The ground colour can vary enormously depending on what you want to achieve but Umbers. Ochres/ Sienna's, Pinks make very useful ground colours. You can over the eggshell use either oil/water based scumble glazes, but a point to remember is that water based scumbles will dry out much quicker than oil based ones. This can be useful for items such as frames where you might want to turn these round quickly. Always make your glazes thin unless the job requires a different approach and when dragging...let the brush do the work. Once happy with the effect you planned to achieve I usually seal with a dead flat clear varnish, it tends to disguise small imperfections you might have encountered. This is just a brief intro to the technique and like with most things, the more you experiment, the more you will achieve what you desire.

Geoff Peach

[prospero]

Just done an interesting finish that roughly fits into the drag category.

A customer (who lives a long way off), wanted some canvases framed and specified a particular paint colour. A shade of grey from a firm called Little Greene. Not a flat colour on the frame, but slightly aged. Hmmmmmm....
Anyway, I ordered a tin of the colour in Eggshell. I thought I would put on a murky greeny-brown basecoat and slap the grey on top and see what happens. It's nice thick paint and by brushing it around to wipe off the high points it actually looks quite good. Whether the customer will like it is another matter, but I have to send him a photo later so I'll post up the same here.

[StevenG]

good man looking forward to seeing it

[prospero]

That's it.

I think it looks quite well. It actually almost paints itself. Just slap it on and brush it out. The high points naturally get scalped in the process.

[Not your average framer]

I don't know how I missed it, but I've only just noticed the last post. A nice choice of colours together with a nice stacked moulding combination.

[StevenG]

Gees - I missed that too and I was looking out for it.

Did you apply the usual wax too? I take it that's only one coat, brushed on and off (if that's the right way to describe it)

Oh, yes - I like it btw

[Not your average framer]

BTW, Prosperro's finish illustrates the other main method of creating dragged finishes. Both methods are equally valid and equally useful, but the end results can be used to acheive different effects.

Prosperro's picture shows the dragged finish over the base colour and in this case produces a softer less defined effect, which is particularly effective with light colours and is a popular finish on many modern mouldings. This method is less restrictive in terms of paint consistency and permits a greater range of artistry and expression.

The original picture (mine) uses the dragged finish under a contrasting colour used to fill the texture created by the dragged finish and any surplus contrasting colour is removed to reveal only that which remains in the texture of the dragged finish. This requires the right paint thickness and characteristics, otherwise it won't work. Also this a more technical approach and has less to do with artistry and expression.

Both methods require practice and experimentation to acheive consistent results.

[prospero]

The bit in the picture is just a corner sample. The three frames for the picture are still in the primer stage propped up in the shop - pending approval of the sample by the customer...... which it has had.

Lady came in today and saw the frames and remarked what a nice colour they were.

The paint on the sample is eggshell so it really only needs a slight buff with a duster. I won't wax it. It's nice paint btw. Lots of body. £25 ltr inc vat and delivery. Very nice colour range. Great for frames.
http://www.littlegreene.com/paint/finish/

[Geoff]

One of four simple dragged mahogany effect boards. These I will cut down and use as flats on frames currently ongoing. The effects were all made using scumbles over a white eggshell base coat.

Geoff

[prospero]

That's very nice Geoff.

That sort of faux woodgrain is quite an old technique, used frequently on furniture to turn cheap wood into something special.

Convert obeche into maple*.....



From a distance it looks more like an old maple frame than a new piece of real stuff. I did make one slight error though. I joined the frame first and then painted. So the 'veneer' goes continuously around the corner. Should have mitre lines showing.


* click image for bigger version.

[Not your average framer]

Another two photos. One is not a dragged finish, but it was great work, very nice to see and well worth including!

Both are very nice and superbly executed! Well done Geoff and Peter!