What is a Wood Scapes
art Kit?
A Wood Scapes Kit is a style of art commonly referred to as "lathart".
This style of art is made up of strips of wood, or "lath" The
lath is similar to snow fence or sand fence. Our artists use two
different types of wood to express their art, spruce wood and basswood.
The spruce wood is rough cut with approximate dimensions of 1 ½"
wide by 24" long and ¼" thick. The wood is glued to a piece
of craft paper, and the result is a sheet of lath. The sheet of lath is
then pre-cut into different sized pieces, which make up your painting.
What difference between spruce and basswood?
The basswood kits are smoother and give a more finished appearance. The
basswood kits are made up the same way as the spruce wood kits. Another
difference with the basswood kits is that they are generally smaller in
size and lower in cost.
What's included in the kit?
When you purchase a Wood Scapes artKit everything to complete the painting
is in the kit. We include the pre-cut pieces, paints, a paintbrush, easy
step-by-step instructions, a frame, 1/2 inch wood mat, and much more!
How often are there new kits available?
Many of our customers have completed all of the Wood Scapes collection.
That is why we are always making new kits. We release new kits
approximately every six to eight months. When we release new pictures we
retire the older pictures. This creates a constantly changing product
line, and makes your kit a limited edition piece of art.
How does the assembly process go?
It's a simple four-step process. (1) Number the kit pieces, (2) Paint
by number, (3) Glue by number, and (4) Frame by number. When you are
finished, you will have created a gallery quality piece of art!
What do I do if I lose a piece?
If you lose a piece, no problem. Just call Wood Scapes toll-free at (888)
253-5478 or email Wood Scapes at staff@woodscape.ca and they will send
you a new piece.
Any tips for painting?
When painting the pieces from the color chart, you can run out of a
particular batch of paint in some cases. If this happens, go ahead and
mix another batch of paint. There is enough paint to do this. It is
helpful to apply the paint pigment across the grain rather than with it,
to achieve a thinner and more even layer of color. In the color guide it
will say something like: "1Sp for one color and then 4 for another
color." The "Sp" stands for "spoon" (included
in your paint kit), and the number designates the number of drops to be
added from the bottle. It is helpful to squeeze the first drop from a
bottle into a second cup before measuring your drops in your blending
cup. This way, if the first drops should run together, you will not have
to guess how much paint was released or start the color over. When
wiping your wood, you may achieve better results using a circular
motion.
When you come across a knot on a light piece of the painting, you can go
back over it with your brush, and using a paper towel, just dab the
paint off lightly. This leaves a little more of a paint film on the
painting, but you may prefer the effect produced. For the Spring Flowers
and The Swing kits, painting the flowers can be tricky. You can use a
cotton swab to dab the flowers. This prevents the paints used on the
petals from running into the stem portion of the flower. For the Spring
Flowers and The Swing kits, we suggest that you do not wipe the
flowers after painting them. This will prevent the color of the flower
color from mixing with the color of the foliage.
Any pointers on Numbering? Labeling? Gluing?
For the really tiny pieces, like in the snowflakes for the Winter
picture, you can put a few drops of glue on a piece of paper, then use
tweezers to pick out the pieces, dab them in the glue, then place them
in the picture. Some of the pieces can be quite small and marking the
part number can be difficult. Try putting the piece on a Post-It note
with the number written on the Post-It, to help keep track of them.
Any other suggestions?
Here's one more: You can, if you wish, apply a varnish or sealer to the
finished painting, BUT: Make sure you test it on another painted piece.
This will ensure that the sealer you are using will not react with your
artwork.
