my 1st slingshot

this is the first sling shot i have ever made. I have no knowledge in wood carving but im currently loving this. I used a big knife to carve the fork out a mango tree branch and used a hobby knife to carve the skulls in. I'm still looking for the right knife to use on carving , my hobby knife easily chips off against wood. sadly i don't know how to varnish this ,it was as smooth as marble after I sanded it but after applied varnish(to make it darker) it got all lumpy and plasticy. even now as I use it and apply force my finger prints get embedded in the varnish. <br><br> im currently carving up my 2nd 1.I'm trying to make it look like dragon scales or something and i need your expert advice <img src="http://illiweb.com/fa/i/smiles/icon_smile.gif" alt="Smile" longdesc="2"><br><br>what paint do i use to color wood without covering its natural pattern/texture?<br>how can i protect the wood? make it harder and keep it from getting dirty or at least make it easy to clean.<br><br><br>and yes the band I'm currently using sucks , I'm still trying to find that exercise band that everyone is talking about.<img src="http://illiweb.com/fa/i/smiles/icon_biggrin.png" alt="Very Happy" longdesc="1"><br><img src="http://i10.servimg.com/u/f10/18/03/49/60/ryansl10.jpg" border="0" alt="">