Sun burst effect with rit dye

[Lee Lobbestael]

Hey guys, I was wondering how you go about doing that sunburst effect on the back of bows with rit dye? You know, where one color fades into another? Looks awesome and wanna try it! If you guys got any advice I would like to hear it! Also I would love to see some pictures of this

[4est trekker]

I just lay the light color down first, then blend the darker color into it.  Then I backwipe with a little denatured alcohol if necessary to help blend the two together.  Here's an example on some arrows:

 

[hova]

thats perfect , im looking at doing some apple green rit dye on the wifeys white oak that im making now , and i wondered how i would darken the tips without having it be a clear line....


you never cease to amaze me 4est...

-hov

[John Cooper]

Warning: Dirty shop pics ahead!    

I can't take credit for inventing this process, but here's what my two steps look like.  

First you make bands of color:
   

then you draw the colors down to blur the line and end up with something like this.  
 

Try a practice piece first just to see how things work.

I use denatured alcohol supersaturated with rit dye.

[hova]

that is super sexy , even the messy shop is awesome...


now lets see that in green sunburst...lol...


-hov

[Lee Lobbestael]

Thanks guys! Those arrows and that bow look sweet!

[John Cooper]

Thanks!  I didn't even post the pic of my wife modeling it.  ;-)  Even before seeing this post, I was planning on picking up a packet of green rit dye to try on the next bow.  I would probably do black fading through brown to green then yellow.

~John

[Lee Lobbestael]

Would rubbing alcohol do the trick do you guys think?

[John Cooper]

I'm not sure.  Always test first.  I just like how fast DnA dries.  It's pretty easy to find at just about any store that has a paint department.  It's not expensive.  I just used some baby-food sized jars, dumped the powder in and barely covered it with DnA.  Where in Michigan do ya live?  If you were close, you could come over and I'd show ya how to do it.

~John

[John Scifres]

Rubbing alcohol works but it usually has a lot of water in it and will raise the grain.  I'd recommend the denatured.  It's cheap.

[Red4arm]

Wow sombodys shop that looks like mine!

[Lee Lobbestael]

John, I live in Brighton. Bout fouty miles east of lansing. Yeah that would be great!