Note that discussions are better held on rec.woodworking; this newsgroup
is primarily for photographs.

I'm not a finishing expert, but in general, it goes like this...

To get a "plastic" finish, you have to start with flat smooth wood, with
no surface grain texture. This is best done with some form of grain
filler, such as wood putty or liquid grain filler, alternating with
shellac sealer coats (sand, shellac, filler, sand, shellac). If done
right, the last shellac coat should be "flat". Make sure you use
dewaxed shellac, of course. Give it a final sanding (up to 150-220) and
spray your paint coat on top of it.

As usual, TRY ON A TEST PIECE FIRST !!!