BANGALORE: During my recent trip to India (i live in the US), I looked around at craft shops for plain wooden boxes to paint on. I did not find any but I did find some cute gift boxes made of bamboo possibly, but with no scope of personalising.
I love painting rangolis on these boxes, although it is a tedious process. I do not prime the wood with a wood primer before getting started, but I do sand-paper it thoroughly before starting the paint work.
I will add my tips to ease your way as I outline the instructions for your benefit.
When you sandpaper the inside of the boxes, make sure you scrape more from the surface near the box hinges
Do not give extra coats on the surface connecting the lid and base. Doing so could make the paint stick and peel
Always paint the narrow frame top that connects lid and base in the end, and leave it to dry more than you would possibly dry the rest of painted sides
For intricate designs like the rangolis, using a zero size paintbrush. It helps- to stock more than one. A Size Zero paint brush though
Stick to simple designs for a start and move on helps you handle more intricate designs as you progress with a few more boxes
If you wish to spray paint them, try as much as possible, to use the paint outdoors
Spray paint may not need more coats the way hand painting would need, but you need to use masking tape extensively for the hinges and latches
Cut large plastic covers in rectangles and place over newspapers when you spray paint
Paint about three boxes simultaneously. It helps save time, because by the time the painted surface of your first box dries up, you are done with the third box
When you use a brush to gloss the painted boxes, make sure you use single strokes and do not rub the glossy finish
Keep a container of water handy so you can drop the gloss brushes in it quickly
Make sure you wash the brushes with soapy water after each session of painting
Rangoli patterns can be used on plain cardboard cartons too. The next time you paint a wooden box, try and practice a few patterns on paper or download designs from the net and then go confidently toiwards your project.
Courtesy: Radhika Malladi, a scribe who blogs at http://www.imprintshandmade.com