Have admired the technique on figures and bust. How does one pull this technique off? I can't eem to get the hang of creating wood grain on a rifle stock, etch. I paint in artist oils. Does anyone have any tips please?

Terry Martin-Member of the Atlanta Military Figure Society

Thanks for the tip Nap! Greatly appreciate your suggestion!

Best of Everything, Terry

Another approach, especially useful on many small-scale surfaces, is to 1) prime the surface; 2) paint it a light buff with a flat acrylic paint; 3) use AK Interactive watercolor pencils to draw the grain; and 3) overcoat with a thin wash or a clear paint (I use the clear Tamiya paints noted in the videos).

All the points noted in the videos above apply, regarding drawing on the lines. One thing to keep in mind is that there are different cuts of wood, meaning different orientations of the saw blade to the grain. With plain-sawn or laminated would, you can end up with more parabolic grain patterns than the straight-ish grain direction illustrated. Think many WWI propellers, for example.

Yeah, I do as Russ describes: prime the surface, apply a buff-I use Vallejo's Model Color Buff-then I use a siena or burnt siena oil, and a straight-edged brush, to draw a little of the oil across the buff color. I vary the colors for different kinds of wood. Although I must say, my application is mostly for things like plywood fuselages on WWI German aircraft, planks, tables, etc. But the basic technique is the same.
If it's a piece with a molded or sculpted grain, I'll use the buff or other light, tannish color, and washes to pick out the grain.
Hope that helps!
Prost!
Brad