Face-ups with Watercolours?

Watercolours definitely wouldn't stain the resin or anything similar -- what you can do with watercolour pencils you can do with water colours! You may have problems with watercolour applied in large areas spotting/running a bit with msc if applied too liberally, however. But I'm sure if you did REALLY light coats one after the other it'd be fine

 

Be careful. Some watercolors will stain. Check the label for information. If you're using Winsor & Newton paints, look for a little "St."

 

In typical timing for me, I signed up for a watercolors class about two weeks before deciding that I want to learn how to do faceups. So now I have lots of watercolor supplies, but no money for acrylics. Could you use watercolors for faceups? If you didn't dillute them much, for example, but added very LITTLE water and left them opaque? I have gum arabic, so I could also keep them from drying out. Has anyone used watercolors for faceups?

 

I have used them on resin before, but the main problem isn't the colour so much as how much it moves about. Also, it doesn't stick to resin very well.

having said that, I have never used it for a face-up.

 

Yeah, the watercolors kind of... 'globe up' into droplets and just sorta.. fall off.
Other than that, it shouldn't mark the resen in a bad way, so you could try it if you like, though I doubt it would work very well. ^^

 

I use water color. I think they are eally easy to work with. It wont hurt the dolls. Just don't use too much water and it should be fine. ^^

 

There's a method where you can use the watercolour as if it were a pigmentation and you mix it with an acrylic medium as binder. It'll then stick to the resin better, but I'm not sure of the exact mixture or how long it might take to dry.

 

It does bead up at first, but if you keep layering it on thin (and not too watery) it stops beading up (just keep it moving). I'd still coat it before painting though to avoid staining, becasue some darker watercolors WILL stain. (at least it does on a DD vinyl head). I bet with an underlayer of coating it would stick even better really...*I have not tried it yet though* You can even do "blushing" by layering it on VERY thin and light (not as good as pastels though).

This was my first (crappy I know XD; ) face-up that I did for Tomoyo, all watercolors:

so, yes, it is possible. ^^

 

Almost all of my girls have watercolor face-ups now. I use tube watercolors, so they're very opaque to begin with and water them down according to whatever look I'm going for (darker or lighter). I like the ease in clean-up a lot. I do find that after coating, the watercolor will bead up if the surface isn't wiped down first. So I coat, wait for it to dry, then wipe the area down with a water moistened q-tip to prime the area for painting. It seems to help cut down on the beading.

 

if you have watercolour pencils or block (dry, not liquid) you can shave it and blush like you are using pastels, just make sure you blow or brush off excess before coating or you get freckles (Corpse was really not happy with his purple freckles, I thought they were kind of cute).

 

I used watercolours on my girl's faceup as well. Tube watercolours are good, as you can thin them just enough to be handled easily but still keep a certain opacity.
I had no problems with them sticking to the resin - but then, I did spray 2 coats of MSC on at first to protect the resin and provide tooth for the pastel blushing to stick to.

 

Thanks so much everyone. I have tube watercolors, since I had to buy them for my watercolors class. I'm thinking of using, instead of water, gum arabic to thin them out, since it should make them a little easier to work with - slower drying and everything. Anyone know if it'll affect the resin? I'm almost ready to go! I have:
Testors DullCote
Tube Watercolors (Newton-Windsor)
Brushes (larger and tiny for eyelashes and brows)
Pencil and white eraser to block in eyebrows
Pastels for blushing
Magic Eraser
Newton-Windsor brush cleaner
Gum Arabic
Can anyone think of anything else I might need?

 

If you're using pastels for blushing I highly recommend using make-up brushes over q-tips- they work soooo much better!

I also keep an old toothbrush on hand for removing face-ups- it really gets all the paint out of their lip creases.

And I like to use a white water color pencil for determining where eyebrows will go- it's white so it blends well and the watercolor wipes right off!
:-)

Your list looks really great- good luck and have fun!

 

I think Leechy uses mostly watercolours/aquarelle paints for her faceups.

 

I use watercolours , spray the head with MSC , I use them with the liquatex medium and its perfect

 

I've just done my 3rd head with water colours. They come in a tube and I used water to thin. Did have a bit of beading, but it stopped after I wiped the surface, as already explained. I used blusher & eye shadow as I don't have pastels and they seem just fine. I'm not brilliant at the face ups, but I found acrylics harder to remove when I went wrong so I really like water colours.
Look forward to seeing the finished results.

 

I agree. I've done bunches of face-ups now, but I still have goof ups. The water color is so much easier to wipe then the acrylic, even when thinned.

 

It's kinda too late xD.. But I used watercolour to fix the skin tone difference between my dollfie's head and body, because they're from different companies.

Here's a before and after image :3.

BEFORE


You can see how differnt the skin tones are in this picture.

AFTER

That's how much I had to paint it.


Thats how it looks on her body.


So, I found watercolours to help alot with making the skintones match, not to mention making her look a bit more realistic. :3

 

Did you seal afterwards? Because watercolors are water soluble, unless you used a medium-thinned acrylic.

That's a Rydel head, isn't it? Never thought of using one for a girl! Looks good!

Since I also own a painted head, the only time I notice a real difference is in certain kinds of high-ambient light, where the resin reflects a lot of light but the painted areas tend to have a flatter look.

 

Yupp I did :3. Yes, I know xDD .

Yeah xD Well, my sister got me the doll for Christmas, and she got the Rydel head and a Volks body.. soo eh -A-. But thanks xD 3 I like that head aloooot better than Volks heads xDD. No offence 8D..

Yeah, I kinda noticed that a bit too with my girl. Luckly, when I'm taking pictures of her its usually during the day or when there is still natrual light, but I have to use the flash. So that's not so much of a problem :3!

 

i use my schoolar pencils and aquarela to make a make up, but i change too much of make up, so gve good results.

 

Looking at my acrylic box, I only have 6 colours.
And black isnt one of them.
So when I came to doing Lucifer's new face-up I did it with a black watercolour paint I had lying around.

Tried thinning it down to get a smoother surface but nope! doesnt work. It doesnt stick to the resin. so I had to use it in the thick state it was in.

My question is does watercolour last? Or will I wake up in a weeks time to find it all chipped off?

 

Watercolor doesn't really chip; it has a slew of other problems.

It's a water-based paint. You might as well be painting with chalk.
I needs a porous surface to soak into, and even then would get washed away or smearing with the slightest dampness. You would probably find that sweat and oil from your hands would even mess it up.

Watercolor is in no way permanent.

 

I asked my mother, who is an artist, when I got my first dolls. Basically the resin of the doll is not the right surface for watercolour paint to be able to stay on and will easily come off, she told me. I use acrylics on my dolls, and black acrylic really isn't the hardest thing to get hold of, I have a huge tube of it...although I have to admit i had to buy it separately from my other acrylics because I couldn't find any acrylic paint set containing black

 

I use watercolors all the time, and have never touched any of my dolls with acrylics!

What I'd suggest is to, after spraying the base coat of sealant and waiting for it to dry (of course), use a Q-tip to lay down a soft tint of pastel blushing where you are planning on painting. I tend to use white, just because I like the look of it and it's easier than trying to keep, say black, in one solid and even shade.

I also take that color elsewhere, such as a light blushing of the pastel on the cheeks, to keep everything more uniform in appearance. For places such as the lips, I'd use a pink or tan pastel, for eyebrows it'd be the color of the hair, the eyes it would eyeshadow, and etc.

Hope that helped. It's all in one's opinion, though. I just find the pastel grabs it better, and I like how the watercolor doesn't look so 'big and bold' like acrylics do. If you like the appearance of acrylics better, then go with that!

 

I agree with Citrus. In the past I have used both. I prefer watercolor for it's softness with the use of pastels now. Coat the doll with MSC and have a go. Here is a pic of Finnvarrah (Elf Shiwoo) face done only with watercolor (needs to be re-done it's over 5 years old)


and Moria and Nigella (Sr Sharmin and Alice) with a combination watercolor and pastels that are recent.

 

Hello,

I've read that most people use acrylics to paint on faceups, but I was wondering if anyone's tried watercolours? I own acrylics and the medium so its not a convenience thing, but I just feel a lot more confident with watercolours.

I'm not thinking of using them for blushing or anything like that, but painting on eyeliner/eyelashes and eyebrows.

Has anyone tried it? People use the pencils so I just wonder.. why not the paints?

Thankyou!

 

i have no idea if that works, ive never heard of anyone trying it either, but if you decide to take the chance id try painting the bottom of the foot or something where it wont show or matter as much if it stains..... just cuz if it does stain or look bad and you have a hard time removing it it would be a shame ruining a head, feet are cheaper

 

Most watercolor is meant to be transparent, so sometimes it doesn't work as well. However, gouache is a watercolor that can be made to have the consistency of acrylic paint, so I don't see why it couldn't be used. Just make sure to seal well because even if it's watercolor, it sometimes actually stains worse than acrylic paint does.

 

Since watercolors work by absorbing into the paper, I don't think it would work well. You'd likely have it bead and roll off the head or start flaking as soon as it dries. There's no reason you couldn't try if you have the materials, though.

 

I think I'll just be normal and use acrylics, lol. I think Akkhima's point of it needing to absorb made me re-think it, acrylics probably works because its essentially plastic, it coats the resin, same with pencils and pastels, they just leave a residue on the surface. I think thick black watercolours would probably work, but I might as well just use acrylics, and at least feel confident that it's a tried and tested method.

Thanks for your input everyone!

 

i tried using watercolor guache (the watercolor in a tube) on my obitsu gretel head, and it seemed to work as well as acryllic. it washed off fine when wiping face up, and it left no stain. my acryllics were the cheap craft kind and i didn't like the texture of them,and i had no retarder to use. my thinking was that the guache would be thinner,therefor more delicate in appearance. i don't know how they would be on resin though!

 

I use watercolor more often than I use acrylic. It works very well for me, and it doesn't stain. Just don't water it down, and use it just like you would use acrylics. :] It goes on much smoother and is more easily removed if you make a mistake.

 

I use watercolor pencils all the time. I just rub the slighty wet brush on the tip of the pencil. It works like acrylics.

 

I've used the liquid watercolors (in the tubes) on a vinyl head, and now on my new resin doll. They go on fine so long as you do NOT water them down too far, and look good...or as good as anything I can do right now can, as it was my first face-up on a resin doll...*decided she hated it this morning and has been working on wiping it since...stupid blushing that doesn't want to come off* To do the tattoos my doll has on his back I mixed my watercolors with my acrylics to get the right colors and consistency, and I love how that looks now that I'm done with it.

And as someone else said...when using the watercolors...if you make a mistake, a lightly damp tissue/cloth/cotton swab/whatever can take the mistake off without having to remove the whole area.

 

I think people use watercolour pencils alot, not waterpaint itself, as it just beads up and rolls away. The resin isn't pourous enough to keep the waterpaint in. The pencils though are brilliant for eyelashes.

For the couple of faceups I have done, I have used water colour pencils and then pastel chalk. For tattoos I use the watercooour pencils and acrylics because I need them more vibrant.

 

I've used water color paints before, but like someone said before, it does take a few applications to make them look solid. As long as you uses water based paints your doll should be ok.

 

I used watercolors on my one and only face-up commission.

A note, guache and watercolor are completely different kinds of paint. While they both respond to water, guache will run at the hint of water and is not my favourite medium. It tends to dry to a chalky consistency.

 

So I know you can use acrylic paint, and I know you can use watercolor pencils.
But can you use Watercolor paint?

I'm fairly sure it shouldn't stain. It's probably safe to use.

But can you use it. Like would it be completely unmanageable, or run when you spray it?

I am interested since acrylic paints have given me nothing but grief >.<

I would love thoughts, comments, pictures, etc. Thanks so much!

 

Hi iSparrow I've wondered about this too, and i'll be attempting a face up using watercolours when my dolls actually get here XD

The only problem I can see is that obviously the amount of water you add determines lightness of colour in waercolours, not using a white paint, so a really pale wash would just run off. I'm also worried about absorbancy of the resin/ tacky-ness of the paint when dry. I think I'll be using the pains mostly for washes of transparent colour/ fine details.

A good watercolour pigment should be pretty waterproof once dried, but I'm not sure about MSC... They'd be pretty useless for hairs as well because of the transparency issue, Bu I was thinking more of blushing

 

if you use a thicker wc then its not a problem. You cant use the palletted kind, only the tube kind. cause the solid stuff will run when its watered down. the tube kind acts alot like acrylic before adding water.

 

That's good to hear! I have a high quality set of tube watercolors.
They are thick though, right out of the tube. You would still have to use some water right? Even if just a very small amount.

 

yes a small ammount. not enough to drip off. but like you would use to thin out acrylics.

good luck!

 

Hi - what is best to use. Acrylic or tube watercolour?
I am new to face up. So I have to find out, what is best.
Thanks.

 

acrylics is definitely easier with the same result

 

What about concentrated watercolors like Dr. Ph. Martins?

 

I've actually used pallet water colours without any problem with the consistency or colour strength. My biggest problem was that the paint won't stay stuck if you wet it again, which made it a bit of a pain to do eyebrows.

For that reason, make sure you've got a good sealant over it all, because if it wears away in some areas and your doll gets wet it will smear. Sealant-wise I've used MSC and Windsor & Newton Matt Varnish without any reaction problems.

 

What about Gouache ? I know it is a opaque watercolor ....just wondering does it work also?

 

I used watercolor paints to do Yuriko's eyebrows just the other day, black with a touch of brown added, and thinned out to about the consistency of ink. Worked beautifully for me.

 

I've used gouache with no ill effects, the only thing I would consider is to use a bit of a higher quality gouache and to spray a few good coats of MSC before doing the faceup just to be safe.

 

I have several tubes of watercolor and it's great to know that I can add yet another medium to doing a face up. Will definitely have to experiment for what I like best.

 

Does gouache stick well on the doll head surface? I tried to paint some on the head , but I guess I mixed with too much water or something , it didn't stick well on the head. And I am using winsor and newton designer's gouache.

 

Kind of OT, but have you tried using a fluid acrylic? Golden makes a nice line of Fluids that are high-pigment but low viscosity.

 

I use mine fairly dry, with just a few drops of water.... Winsor Newton is my favorite brand, they have so many pretty colors

 

Same here ! I like winsor newton alot ! and their colors are so pretty. But I have another question now . I know the gouache is not water resistant in some point, so will it be very easy to wash off ?

 

Oh no, I use it all the time! It's fantastic, I always use it over acrylics. Just don't add much water to your brush - just BARELY dab it, then dab it on a paper towel to get rid of the excess before you dip it in the paint. Then just apply it like you would acrylics. :3 It works much better and doesn't build up and get sticky like acrylics do. Goes on nice and smooth!

 

Would anyone recommend using Reeves Water Colour paints? They come in tubes and I got them as a gift, but I'm not sure whether I can use them for face ups.