defining contrast in cnc carving

[Mickey_Smith]

Holy Cow!!
I love your work. Keep going

I normally prefer solid wood rather than plywood. There are numerous reasons for this. However, for newbies, plywood is good for practice. However, the plywood is engineered wood and is made up of layers of sheets, due to which the grains change from layer to layer, making it splinter. For your next CNC work, Oak is great.

Don't forget to give a sealer to the bare wood. In the end, some boiled linseed oil or paste wax is great for finishing.
Make sure to apply the lighter color first than, the darker shade.
First, try painting in a newspaper and then go for a final paint on the wood.