Can't decide whether to paint or not to...

Aloha everyone! I just started getting into routing and carving. This is something I just recently finished for our future Tiki Room/Bar. I can't decide if I should paint the routed out sections or leave them natural and just shellac the whole thing. Maybe use some bright colors on the mask part? But leave the rest bare? I'm afraid that if I paint it, it will look like something from a "party store", though. Any suggestions or comments would be welcome.
Mahalo!

Nice! I vote for just shellac.

Use it as a stamp & paint, print wall paper.

On 2012-05-05 09:28, Will carve wrote:
Use it as a stamp & paint, print wall paper.

Ha! That would be a huge stamp! It's about 2'x3'

that looks great as it is.......I love the design

Another option is colored stains. Leaves the wood grain and gives a noticeable but subdued coloration without the garish Party City look

I would use wood stains as the look of the wood grain coming threw is
a nice finish.

Maybe like a the Minwax "golden oak" stain? http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/stains/minwax-wood-finish#Colors
Would that need a poly coat or something afterwards?

I vote for stain and shellac...that looks awesome!

On 2012-05-05 13:21, Masher88 wrote:
Maybe like a the Minwax "golden oak" stain? http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/stains/minwax-wood-finish#Colors
Would that need a poly coat or something afterwards?

Yes, seal it afterwards, Maybe a flat finish for this carving?

Finishing isn't my fave...

I just slap like 4 or 5 coats of golden pecan on my tikis & call it a day.

I've never even done a panel piece...

[ Edited by: pjc5150 2012-05-05 19:56 ]

golden pecan is my go to color on most of my woodwork too.

I've been doing some experiments with paint, it's hard to get right. For your panel I'd go for something like Howland's fantastic outrigger
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=18289&forum=7&vpost=314917

I think there is enough contrast in the carving that it would work with just the shellac ... looks nice!

I like the idea of paint. Look at Lake Surfers stuff for inspiration. Color can take a good carving and make it great. Router work is cool but in my mind you loose much of the hand-crafted aesthetic - adding paint may help.

Well, I got some Amber Shellac at the Home Depot. I put on 2 coats with a light sanding in between. I'm currently waiting for it to dry then I'll post a pic of how it came out. I don't know if it should have a clear coat or not...we'll see. I agree about the router vs. hand carving, but I'm really new to trying to make tiki. I've never considered myself an "artist" what-so-ever (my brother got all those genes), so making tiki is a whole different experience for me. I'm in construction, so power tools come natural to me. I routed a few mouldings last year for our tiki patio (dubbed The Popoki Lounge), and they came out pretty nice. So far, it is fun to do and I'm relatively satisfied with how it's going.

Here's the finish

dude, that looks good!

That was the way to go.

Thanks! Yeah, I like that 70's shellac look. Like it was in my grandma's basement...

Wood stain - lightly applied on the "high" bits with a small rag, using the shade of your choice.