“SUNSET” PAINTED SAW

Painting a scene on a vintage saw is not as difficult as it may seem and it’s a great way to preserve an old tool that may just be collecting dust, especially if it has sentimental value. I chose a sunset as, to me, it seemed the easiest to execute.

Materials

A hand saw (Older is better)

Sandpaper

Spray primer

Spray clear lacquer

masking tape

Kraft paper

pencil, various brushes, straightedge

Jar lid of appropriate size

Acrylic paints (Orange, Yellow, Brown, Red, Black and White 

Sand the saw blade thoroughly to remove any rust, and to rough up the surface. Mask off the handle and give the blade a couple of coats of primer.

Cut a piece of Kraft paper the same size as the blade and lay out a basic rough outline of your scene.

I started by drawing a horizon parallel to the cutting edge using the straightedge.

I used a jar lid to draw the sun sitting on the horizon. 

I pencilled in a tree-line on the horizon considering it will be reflected in the water so I tried to make it symmetrical, top and bottom.

I then drew in some trees and cat tails in the foreground.

Re- mask the handle and use the reds, oranges and yellows to put a streaky wash over the entire blade, using more yellow where the sun will be. If you make a mistake, just do it over. Use the same 1” brush, starting with lighter colours and then darker. You can always go over anything using white to lighten it up. Hint: Once done, wet your brush and blend the colours to make it more realistic.

Again, using the straightedge and pencil, draw the horizon. Draw the sun using the jar lid. Paint the sun bright yellow. Use a small brush and brown/ black paint to draw the tree line Don’t worry about detail as this is in the distance.

Pencil in, then paint the cat tails and trees in the foreground using a black hue. Take care and use fine brushes as these will be in full view. Practice on some paper first if you are unsure.

Do final touch ups then, when dry, spray the entire saw, handle included with clear lacquer.

Hang it in a conspicuous place as a great conversation piece.