Step 13: A large soda straw makes great open circles. Using black I can touch the straw into the paint, test on my palette then touch to the carving. Since my fish’s face is curved my straw made a 3/4 circle.
Back to the brush handle for a black iris dot in each eye.
Step 14: I had a pack of chewing gum on my table and cut a small, 3/8″ wide strip of cardboard from it. I can use that cardboard as a stamp to make easy, quick lines of medium green along the large, outer gill.
Step 15: And the acrylic painting steps are done! Only once in this project did I use the brush to make a specific, controlled brush stroke and that was when I dry brushed the red to the gills.
Step 16: Its time to allow the carving to dry well and then apply two light, even coats of spray sealer. Some sprays are polyurethane, some are acrylics, I had not found much difference between the two so I use whatever I have at hand. This one is a gloss acrylic.
Spray outside, holding the can about 12″ from the carving. Several light coats do better for me than one heavy coat. Let this dry well, at least one hour, over night is so much better.