u/Ashamed_Branch5435

Really enjoying doing this one! Doing it on the light board with white gesso has really sped up my process, so this one is going a lot more quickly than others I've done.

I have tried a different method for doing my PBN on this one. It is my second one I'm doing on a light board. The first one I did a light, watered down white gesso coat since I knew the white would block out the numbers on the front side but the light board would shine in through the back to illuminate them. It worked but I still had issues with seeing the numbers under the paint.

This time, I went with a total white out - undiluted white gesso, three thicker coats. When it was dried fully, I sanded it a bit to make the surface smoother in the hopes of getting less streaking & possibly paint faster since i wouldn't have to be fixing streaks as often. After this, the whole thing was invisible from the front, even with my head lamp on. Just a wall of white. I popped it on the light board & boom, there was the image & lines & numbers, perfectly visible. The only spots that have been tricky to see are the ones that would be tricky no matter what bc the cell is so small it's hard to read the numbers. The reference sheet definitely helps.

I am very happy with how this is coming along. I have not had any issues with numbers or lines showing through the paint & I am painting faster than I was before this. There is still streaking that will require another coat or two to even out but it is moving faster to put down the first coats with the smoother, sanded surface.

The only thing that has tripped me up a bit is the colors that are very close shades of one another bc the back lighting through the gesso does modify the way the colors look until I turn off the light board. Which makes it hard to know at first with one coat which color is which. I've dealt with this by doing all of the first similar shade in an area, letting it dry, then returning to do another coat or two. The additional layers help make it easier to see where that one ends and the second similar shade starts. So I just paint one similar shade fully to complete those cells fully, then go back to paint the second similar shade fully so I can tell them apart while painting.

Anyway, this is a fun one to do & I'm going to hang it in my sewing & craft room when I'm done!