“Painted” V-carved Objects

This technique relies on Computer Aided Design tools. I use Vectric Aspire for this purpose. The tool calculates the path taken for a V shaped cutter to move along a (or a pair) of closed curves.  Once machined, I varnish the carved wood surface, then paint the machined area, usually with latex. The only care required in doing this is to make sure that all the machined recesses get painted. No need to worry about the edges. Once dried, I sand the surface. All the paint for the non machined areas is removed in this process, leaving only the machined recessed areas painted. All the edges are crisp. The photo above shows the steps in this process for a trivet featuring a stylized butterfly.