Then the object should be sanded with fine sandpaper until there are no traces of paint left. Usually folk paintings are found on dark wooden background according to a German tradition which looks beautiful since the traditional colors for the designs are rich reds, browns, yellows, greens and sometimes blue, with highlights of white. To get a rich dark background a quick drying wood stain can be used. Pick one that has a bit of a shine to it since that makes the wood even more exquisite. After the wood stain is dry, the painting process can be begun.
Some people prefer to use oil based paint, but the water based works just as well.
Try to get a paint that won't dry too quickly because one of the techniques, which make folk painting special, is the blending of the colors. The paintbrush should be of high quality and you should have one medium sized and one small sized brush. To start off with the painting, you should probably try to follow some sort of pattern. Even experienced folk artists make a pattern at the beginning and then transfer the pattern to the wood with the help of carbon paper. Then the colors can be painted on.