Comment

Comment by Habanera Hal on September 14, 2011 at 2:03am

Hi John!  Thanks for the comments.  The snakeskin effect is fairly easy, a little time-consuming.

First thing after you get your surfaces smooth and ready for paint, lay down your base color(s).  For this one, I used a metallic lime gold and then shaded the edges in with a metallic bronze.

After it dries, stretch mesh material over the surfaces.  You can find mesh at fabric stores, use counter-top pads, or those fishnet stockings you keep in your drawer for those "special" occasions. Make sure that the mesh is tight to the surface, particularly around rounded and angled areas like the neck.

 

LIGHTLY spray several coats of your scale color(s) over the mesh.  Try to shoot straight on and not at an angle so the paint doesn't get under the mesh. I used ALSA Corp.'s "Killer Cans" Burning Ice (color shifts from green to purple) which required a flat black base coat first.  When dry, remove the mesh.  I then created a sunburst effect around the box and edges of the neck with automotive taillight tinting spray, and finished with clear.

 

The texture on the box was actually the result of a mistake.  I had about 1-1/2 cans of the ALSA paint left over from when I painted my chopper a couple of years ago.  When I sprayed the neck with the half-can, everything went smoothly (literally) and I got a nice level surface.  When I sprayed the box with the "fresh" can, I guess there was something wrong with the nozzle and the coating came out thick, weird and blotchy.  I was really ticked until the wife looked at it and commented that the uneven spots made it look more natural, which was good because @ $40.00 a can, I was reluctant to order more.

 

Here's a good tutorial: Painting Snakeskin Effects

 

Comment by Uncle John on September 13, 2011 at 2:41pm

How did you do the snake skin?