Week 23: Refining the Graphics

After last week’s experiments with painting laser cut wood I started to look at different ways to fill the pores of the woods I want to use. After receiving advice and reviewing my options my choice came down to two possibilities: grain filler and liming wax. Liming wax had the benefit of being resistant to paint, which means that should any of the acrylic get onto the surface of the wood it could easily be sanded off. However at the same time finishing wood with liming wax leaves it with bright white highlights across the surface, something which would look passable on the ash but stood in stark contrast to the dark brown of the walnut. With this in mind I decided it would be a safer choice to use grain filler and take as much care as possible when applying the paint. Below is a test I performed to see what grain filler would look like when applied to ash and walnut. You can see the white marks where the filler sits in the pores.

In addition I spent some more time this week developing the guide itself, aiming to make the design language more consistent. I adjusted the wording of some of the instructions so that they were all phrased in a similar way and used a layout grid to make the overall composition a little neater. These were all small adjustments but as I move towards making the final product they will all greatly benefit the overall design.