This timber is fairly easy to reproduce as long as you remember to er on the pale side. The figuring is fairly rounded and is achieved in two processes. The base colour is a chalky white. The figuring color is made by mixing Raw Umber, Burnt Sienna and Titanium White. If possible, try to have a sample of real maple to hand, as it will aid you in matching the ratio of oil colours. Also remember to mix a little glaze to make mixing easier. Once the correct tone is achieved, add a little more glaze until it flows smoothly from a small sable brush, but do not over thin it. With this glaze, draw an elliptical shape in the middle of your sample board. Take the hog hair softener, and from the middle of the ellipse, draw the softener through the glaze toward one end and then do the same to the other side of the ellipse. Continue this process, drawing more elliptical shapes, followed by softening until the board is covered. You will notice how the ellipses stretch lengthwise get closer across the board.Leave this to dry. Once dry, go over the same figuring again, this time with a very fine sable, and only outlining the outside edge of the previous figuring. Do not soften. Leave to dry. Once fully dry, cover entire board, sparingly with the glaze using a barrel fitch or similar and using a mottling brush,wipe away most of the glaze at 90 degrees to the direction of the grain. When you have done this to a degree where the board still has a lot of lightness, soften firstly in the direction of the mottling, and then in the direction of the grain. After this process, you should end up with a board which resembles the characteristics of Maple. Do not expect to achieve an exact resemblence if you've not done any wood graining before. It takes time and patience, but if you persevere your efforts will achieve good results.
The two samples shown here are Rosewood (left), and Oak (right).
These two examples are too complex to describe within a paragraph or so,
but they are both done using the same techniques as the Maple sample at
the top, except that between the base colour, which is white, a glaze
coat is added to achieve the lightest tone seen in the wood. This coat
does not have to be even, as it will add to the character. After this,
the figuring is done in two stages as before, but remember that the grain
in these examples, and other timbers form, and look different. Study
of real timber is the essence of how to recreate painted wood grain,
in both figuring and tone, and this is how I learned. The Rosewood is
mottled using the same technique as the Maple, but more of the glaze is
left on as shown in the example. The Oak, on the other hand, is finished
differently. The final process is created by darkening the areas between
every other figure line and is done mainly in the heartwood area, as shown
in the example.