just my line of aspiration. any pearls? No experience with this media- but am ardently seeking a mentor.
wow.

Pearls of wisdom? It really depends on what you want to do with a wood box. What medium you are using on it and the image you want to put onto it. I have been trying different little tricks to see which ones work the best for the medium I prefer to work.

If you are buying a premade box from a hobby store the big thing is to thoroughly inspect it. Check the wood on all sides for cracks, gouges, dents, and wood filler. Wood filler is a killer for my medium, oil pencils, because it hides holes and big dents but collapses under the pencil when it goes across it. Paint would probably not respond the same to wood filler but it does not absorb stain so will stay a cream color. So if you plan on doing an image with darker colors you might have a white spot where the filler is located. So the best bet is to try and find a box that is totally clean of blemishes.

Check the hinges, locks, and other metal pieces that sometimes come on premade boxes. You do not want a faultly hinge with a crooked shank that might break later. Open and close the box several times to check the opening so it isn't warped or too tight for older fingers to close or open. Check teh corners and any joints for too much glue that has been smeared onto the areas where you want to paint. Get sandpaper because in a lot of circumstances you might find the right box but it needs a little extra work to make it just right.

Premade boxes are a gamble or so I have found. Some are made with younger pine or balsa that is porous and tends to collapse under the pencil. If you have no choice but to purchase a premade box that has softer wood be prepared to do a gesso rub into the wood. That way it closes up the pores. Gesso rub on the wood is great for painting too because it keeps the wood from absorbing the paint and therefore you use less paint and get cleaner better colors. Think of it as primering the wall of your house before you paint.

I have no choice right now but to use premade boxes. All the ones that I have right now are made in china and purchased from a couple different hobby stores. It bumms me out because the quality of the wood varies as much as the styles. Recently though I happened upon two websites that carry american made premade wood boxes. The price is a little steeper but I am hoping the quality will be better. Along with the advantage of being able to advertise as a totally american made product I am starting to think these might be the better bet.

[link] - walnuthollow.com carries the oil pencils, wood boxes, basswood plaques, carving tools and woodburning tools problem with this site is that there is a $50 minimum order. Most hobby stores carry walnuthollow products if you want to just purchase a plaque, pencils or something.

[link] - azwoodman.com is a new site to me but I would like to order some of their premade woodboxes to work. They have some unusual shapes and look like they use an aged pine for their basic boxes. Aged pine would be less porous and harder therefore easier to woodburn, paint or draw on.

The box in this submission is a premade china product. I chose these because they have the same shape as a large old fashioned book. I have hard luck finding a good one in the store. I think there were about 20 boxes this shape on the shelf, my son and I went and checked every single one for blemishes and only found this One. It wasn't until I was almost done with the front painting of Madona and child that I discovered a wood putty filled hole towards the bottom. If I get another book shaped box it will be to take it apart to make a pattern to make them myself or hire a local retired wood worker to make a dozen or so.

So that is just the start points. Anything else?

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