A large part of any project seems to be the research that goes into the processes and techniques needed to achieve it. Now that I've decided to paint the box, my next step was to find out how to do that and get a really authentic look to it. The history of Chinese and Japanese lacquerware (urushiol-based lacquer)
is a long and impressive one. When done right, the result is not only beautiful, but the lacquer itself cures through oxidation and polymerization to form a a kind of natural plastic that is extremely robust and can last over a thousand years. The process of applying it is long and arduous and includes lots of noxious and toxic vapors even if you can find the authentic ingredients and complete step-by-step instructions. Not to mention that, if you don't know what you're doing, getting it on your skin can result in "urusiol-induced contact dermatitis". And having read enough about exotic tree resins from sou-east Asia I decided that there had to be a better way that I personally could achieve good results.
There are all kinds of commercial lacquers out there both acryllic based and nitrocellulose. But the first thing their labels mention is about how to paint a car. Somehow I don't think this is what I have in mind. There are water-based lacquers too. But the general consensus is that the finish they produce is relatively fragile. If I am going to put all this effort into something I want it to last. So moving on......
Then I came to "Japanning". Oriental lacquerware was quite popular in the late 17th and 18th centuries. Due to the high cost of importing both the goods and the materials, Europeans developed imitations of their own that were effectively a different technique of lacquering based on shellac. I finally located a plain-spoken practical source on how to do this. The Handbook on Japanning: 2nd Edition by William Norman Brown, D. van Nostrand, New York, 1913. Although most of the book is about applying japanning to metal as an enameling technique, the fir 11 pages are all about applying it to wood. From the first step of preparing the surface, to priming and then application, it leaves out nothing. Complete with exact recipes not only for the varnish itself but for exactly how to put which pigments in it to achieve the color you like. The language is stilted and pedantic and I will have to take some time taking it from antique book to studio notes, but with a little effort all the information is laid out one step at a time. I have painted icons before and am familiar with this technique of sizing and gesso-priming a surface. It will take patience and care, but I think it's well within my scope to be able to turn out a creditable outcome.
Showing posts with label decoration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label decoration. Show all posts
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Friday, June 21, 2013
Box Project 2 - Bits and Beginnings
My first step with the box is to get it to the point that it can be glued. Right now its covered in pealing shards of veneer. some of it has come off with the slightest touch; some of it needed a little help from fingernails and a palette knife. The rest is proving to be stubborn. I can tell from the brown/amber crystals here and there when the pieces pop off that it was all originally put on with hide glue. This may prove to be a blessing in disguise because I know from the research I did for the glue book that hide glue will let go with steam. So probably tomorrow I will address the issue with hot damp towels and a steam iron. The Phillip can glue the very loose pieces back together.
That being said, I've turned my attention to how I will eventually decorate it. Neither Phillip nor I have the time, patience or (probably) skill to redo the veneer entirely. But in my researches I have found that many of the boxes like this were decorated with paint in a technique called "penwork".
It comes in two varieties, polychrome and monochrome. Often it is decoration in gold or color on black. Sometimes it is similar decoration on gold or ocher and sometimes a combination of the two with side panels in a decorative motif in monochrome with a figural panel on the top in polychrome or vice versa.
But as you can see, it isn't limited to that either. There is also red backgrounds and verdigris green. Unlike Medieval and Renaissance boxes referred to as "polychromed wood", these boxes seem to be done in a process more akin to Russian Palek boxes. A box is covered first with a primer, then several layers of black lacquer. Then the design is put on in metallic paint and painted over with colors. The whole thing is then covered with several layers or clear lacquer. (http://www.russianamericancompany.com/lacquer-box-making/) This is a lot more robust and durable than regular polychroming which is paint over layers of gesso. I think I can make a decent stab at pretty design work that, while it may not be up to Palek box standards, may be nicely done nonetheless. Time to dig out my air brush and see if it will suit the lacquer.
And while we're on the subject, how about those brass hairy paw feet. I know I can do them as I already made feet like that for another box and I still have all the molds. All-in-all this may take what seems like forever, but if I'm careful and do it right it could turn out splendidly. Be that as it may, I still have to be about the very tedious business of removing that veneer. But its dreams like this that keep me going.
That being said, I've turned my attention to how I will eventually decorate it. Neither Phillip nor I have the time, patience or (probably) skill to redo the veneer entirely. But in my researches I have found that many of the boxes like this were decorated with paint in a technique called "penwork".
It comes in two varieties, polychrome and monochrome. Often it is decoration in gold or color on black. Sometimes it is similar decoration on gold or ocher and sometimes a combination of the two with side panels in a decorative motif in monochrome with a figural panel on the top in polychrome or vice versa. But as you can see, it isn't limited to that either. There is also red backgrounds and verdigris green. Unlike Medieval and Renaissance boxes referred to as "polychromed wood", these boxes seem to be done in a process more akin to Russian Palek boxes. A box is covered first with a primer, then several layers of black lacquer. Then the design is put on in metallic paint and painted over with colors. The whole thing is then covered with several layers or clear lacquer. (http://www.russianamericancompany.com/lacquer-box-making/) This is a lot more robust and durable than regular polychroming which is paint over layers of gesso. I think I can make a decent stab at pretty design work that, while it may not be up to Palek box standards, may be nicely done nonetheless. Time to dig out my air brush and see if it will suit the lacquer.
And while we're on the subject, how about those brass hairy paw feet. I know I can do them as I already made feet like that for another box and I still have all the molds. All-in-all this may take what seems like forever, but if I'm careful and do it right it could turn out splendidly. Be that as it may, I still have to be about the very tedious business of removing that veneer. But its dreams like this that keep me going.