Body Blushing Preparation?

It's probably a good idea to re-coat your doll before blushing to help the pastels stick, though you may not need to. You certainly won't need to resand it to start blushing. If you want to remove the previous coating beforehand is up to you, but wouldn't be nessesary, I'd think.

 

I know that there's been a ton of posts on body blushing, but it's mostly just been about where to blush and what to use -- I'd like some kind of help on the actual procedure. Like taking them apart, coating. I mean, it's one thing to put a head on something to dry or to coat, but with all the pieces that a doll come in? How in the world would you set that up? If anyone actually has a walkthrough on blushing from start to finish, mostly on the technical aspect of doing it, I'd be really helpful to me.

 

To be honest, I've never disassembled any of my dolls to body-blush. I just spray on a light coat of MSC over the front of the body, blush it with a human blush-brush in a small size, paint the nipples, and spray MSC again.

I don't do really super-intensive body-blushing, so I can see why some people might want to take their dolls apart if they were going to blush the knees or something, but I've never found it necessary.

Good luck!

-- A

 

i blushed Nero and this is how i did it (kind made the process up but it works fine for me!):

1. unstring

2. wash, let them soak in some lukewarm water for a few minutes. maybe some soap if you want (note: i didn't do the head)

3. take the parts out and let them dry, don't use anything to dry them with unless you want fibers underneath your coating!

4. get an obscene amount of disposable chopsticks and a lump of styrafoam, and some wire and something to hang it on would help too :wink:

5. take each piece and coat it once (or twice) with whatever coating your using (i used testors, do at least 2 coats, preferably 3 after the blushing!) and let them dry on the chopsticks

what i did was basically poke the chopstick through the inside of the parts and moved it around until i had it fully coated. and for other parts like the hands and feet i used wire. i strung them onto some wire, hung the wire up horizontally between 2 things, and sprayed all those surfaces. i stabbed the chopsticks into the styrafoam to keep them up so i didn't have to hold each piece until it dried.

6. once they're all completely dry, take them back inside (you should always spray outdoors!!!) and blush them however you would like, i used some crushed up pastels and mixed them till i got the right color. if it turns out too light, do one of 2 things

a) coat again and put another layer of color on top

b) darken whatever color you're using to blush until satisfactory

i just do the second one since i'm not too patient ops:

7. coat 2-3 times again after blushing with the chopstick method. make sure to let dry between coats! and once you're completely satisfied and sure it's dry restring!

i would suggest that once you have a part blushed, before you coat it again go and look at it again in different lighting conditions. make sure that you're happy with it before you coat over it.

hope that helped and i'm sorry i don't have any pictures!

hope it works out for you and it's easier than it sounds! (at least with pastels, i've not yet used an airbrush)

~Dottie

 

Does anyone else have more tips? Unstring? Don't unstring?

 

I definately unstrung my girls [because i was blushing the joints]
I'd have to say the best tip I have is not to skimp on coating. It wears off in the joints, and mine started probably the week after i did it~ just because i only coated once after the blush. So don't go through all the work, and then skimp on the coating x_x

I had problem with the nipples too~ because i'd blush and get one perfect [i don't paint them, because in my opinion that doesn't look natural, i just use pastels] and i do the other~ but in the process, one rubs off, and i can never get them even again x_x
So i'd say wear gloves too. I didn't the first time, because i thought it was just one of those "extra precautions" that people TELL you, but don't really do any good~ and trust me, gloves make a huge difference.

 

I was wondering is you REALLY absolutely NEEDED to unstring the doll. I'm saving to get my first, and i'm going to do everything for him myself, except for eyes and wigs.
But I don't want to unstring him. I'm a klutz of doom. I opened a cd case and said cd flew across the room, i drop everything, and I cronically loose EVERTHING.
I think stringing and sueding are going to wait unless he absolutely needs it, but i want to extensively blush his body.
I'm totally enamored with the dollies, but i'm utterly terrified of hurting him when he gets here, if i can ever save up enough money. ><

 

Well... you don't need to blush them, most owners leave the bodies unblushed. If you do decide that you really want to do it, though, including blushing the joints, you'll need to take him apart. But don't stress, it's not nearly as hard as it sounds.
There's a tutorial on the Luts page on how to string your doll, it's really great, step by step. Just do it in a big area - put a sheet down in the middle of your living room! Print the guide, and take it slow. You'll be fine. ^^

 

Hello Friend ~ I am incredibly LAZY, so tried body blushing today while the dollfie was strung together ~ worked GREAT!

Just bent the part I was blushing, painted it, let it dry, then bent the part the other way, blushed, let it dry, etc. Painted the front body of the doll, let it dry, turned it over, painted the back body of the doll...

I did light blushing using an airbrush...a paint brush with pastels/makeup would have worked just as well on a prepared (MSC) body. (Have had very little luck keeping pastels/makeup on a non-Mr. Super Clear prepared body. The slick resins don't grab the color very well). Some resins are rather matte, and don't need preparation though, just depends on the doll.

Have taken the dollfies apart & blushed them also...but todays method worked just as well for me...I didn't miss so many spots, like the insides of bent knees, etc. This way, I could see everything I needed to paint...

Have FUN!.

 

Hi

I've just strung my Lune yeah I know I should have waited but I couldn't help myself ^___^

My question is... should I untring him to coat then blush him or can I coat and blush him strung?

I will take off the head for his faceoff... but I don't want to go through all the trouble ti unstring him completly... Since I want to do his pects, hands and some articulation blushing... What should I do?

 

You can't coat him when he's strung. It would end up chipping around the joints if you coated him strung! Blushing him when he's unstrung would also be alot easier.

 

Seconded I think you get a much more even coat if you unstring as well, because you can turn the parts over easier.
Also, you won't have to go over the parts that may be hidden in the ball joints (do you know what I mean? like upper thigh)
-ashlyn

 

There is a blushing map posted on the first page of the "Face-ups and blushing for dummies... can anyone help?" thread.

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12356

 

Hi there,

I am planning on sanding my Soony (and one of my Yukinojo's hands - the rest of him is seam-free), then spraying them with MSC and blushing their bodies with pastels. I may add some tattoos using watercolour pencils, too, haven't decided yet.

I am wondernig whether these operations can be done while the dolls are intact or whether it's better to take them apart and then put them back together when it's all done? I will need to get more tools if I'm going to have to take them apart and string them back together... (Right now I only have one - a Luts stringing tool. Will need some hemastats or something I think).

Thanks!

 

Well, I'm sure you could sand, coat and blush them without unstringing them, but I think it would be better to do so.
With sanding, it would be awefully difficult to have to manage the whole doll if you just wanted to sand one hand, as on your Yukinojo, and for your soony, you wouldn't easily be able to reach all her seems without unstringing her.
And for spraying, you wouldn't be able to coat all of the parts fully without unstringing. i.e., if you coat your dolls wilst their knees are strait, you wont be coating parts that are only visable when the doll is sitting.
Finally, with blushing and tatooing, I think it might actually be easier to do that while the dolls are strung. I've been blushing my siblings dollfie whilst he's unstrung, and it's trickier to make the blushing correspond on seperate peices than if he were strung.

I hope this helps at all ^^U

 

I know I found it easier to sand my Soony apart, as she's quite big, and the seams took that much longer to sand down. I can't imagine holding her entire body while working on one part.
Coating, I think, is best apart as well, since I'd think that the sealant might gunk up the joints a bit? Don't quote me on it, as I'm not entirely positive...it just seems like common sense to me.
Blushing kinda falls with the coating. And it's easier to blush accurately that way.

Hope it was a little helpful...
And I'm jealous of you having the stringing tool. I think I need to order one when I snag a body for my Na-Nu-Ri...or a Shiwoo...whichever comes first. heh.

But yeah, in summary, I just think it's alot easier overall to take them apart.

 

Unstring them.

Always unstring them. You get better coverage for spraying, neater finish on sanding and with blushing you can handle the pieces a lot easier than you can handle the entire doll, especially an SD size.

Some people won't, but seriously, everything lasts a lot better with the good, even coverage of taking them apart.

(someone who disassembled the doll to spray, blush and tattoo.)

 

Alright, well, I'm going to try to get some Testors tomorrow, which means I can finally body blush and deal Deshemel. Which brings up a somewhat stupid question..

Do I have to totally take him apart to blush him, or should I just decapitate him? I'm mainly wanting to seal his torso and one of his forearms because of the scars he has.

While I'm asking questions, is it possible to only partially restring a doll? Say, if the arms are fine but the legs seem wobbly.

 

I prefer taking them apart to blush them, so that the Testors doesn't get into the joints and strings. Plus, it's less awkward to deal with the individual body parts than blushing the doll as a whole.

As for the restringing, generally there's a seperate string for the arms, so you could tighten the legs without doing anything to the arms. If the legs aren't too bad, you can probably just pull the strings up through the head and tie a knot in the excess.

 

First off...MSC. Does anyone know of anywhere in the UK that sells it? As far as I know aerosols can't be shipped by air so buying online from abroad isn't really an option right?
I've found a few places that sell Testors dullcote, but from the threads I've read it seems some people get very mixed results from it (some saying it goes gummy etc). Is or isn't it a good alternative to MSC? If it is that makes my life a lot easier :O

Secondly, I want to blush my doll's body but don't want to dive into it completely blind, does anyone have any detailed info/pics of examples of blushing (the hands and feet in particular)? so I can get a better idea of how to go about it properly without making a total pigs ear of it.

 

Testors is a good substitute for MSC. The ONLY thing I've noticed difference wise is that MSC flat has a stronger "tooth" to it once its on the doll, the texture is stronger and it tends to accept pastel better, which is ideal for blushing. I have also blushed with Testors and noticed no problems, just make sure you let it dry first. It seems to have a longer "setup" time than MSC. after about 5 minutes MSC is good and ready to go (weather permitting) but Testors I usually have to let sit for 15-20 mins just to make sure its all dry. So far I haven't had it gum up on me. I DID use Citidel coat (which I believe IS in the UK) and that DID gum up on me over time. It was great at first, but within a week or two it gummed up and got very dirty quickly. MSC definately has the longest "lifespan" but several layers of Testors should have a similar effect.

As for blushing I have some pictures I can post of my dolls Frankie and Georgie after I blushed them awhile ago. It doesn't go into great detail, but you can definitely tell where I choose to blush my dolls. Let me know if you need more shots, but for now, here are hands and feet

The following is how I chose to blush my dolls. There are other methods, but I'm a big fan of the kool-aid dipped look. I have done it other ways for friends. Please let me know if you'd like some other refrence shots... I think I have some of "normal blushed" hands that I've done.

 

You could buy the MSC in JunkSpot I bought my there and didn't have problem ^^
There is a tutorial about body blushing in Dollicieux that can be helpful
http://www.dollicieux.com/vol1iss7/artist.html#tips

And some body blushing topics with picture
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107502&highlight=body+blushing
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61410&highlight=body+blushing

You can searche more if you need to ^^

 

Thanks guys

Roxyk630: Those are great thanks, the more shots the better though if that isn't too much trouble ^^

I'll get some Testors in that case since it seems to be infinately easier to get over here. Just wish payday would come sooner so I can get started


Sadi-chan: That tutorial's exactly what I needed, ty!



[edit] Oh I know what else I was gonna ask. Clear nail polish, I've read a couple of posts where people have used this in the place of gloss for lips & nails, does it work well or am I better sticking to some proper gloss?

 

I'd Stick with Acrylic Gloss Medium. I've always used that and never had any problems. With Nail Polish you run the risk of having trouble removing it unless you use Acetone. If you use the Acrylic Gloss Medium you can remove it with Winsor Newton Acrylic paint remover and brush cleaner.

PS: I'll try to post some pics tonight. I posted several of them in the request boards when people asked for blushing shots. If you get time you may take a look there.

 

...does it matter what kind of pastels you use. I have never done this before and I figure I will try it, but I need to know if I should order the pastels or if I could just pick them up at a local art store. Thanks, Kait

 

I just bought some soft pastels, it doesn't say anywhere on the package that they have oil in them so is it ok to use them? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Should be fine, what brand are they? I use Rembrandt pastels for mine.

 

Whew, that's a relief. I think the brand is Loew Cornell. They were the nicest pastels I could find at Michael's art store.

 

Soft Pastels, or "Chalk" Pastels, are the way to go. It's pretty easy to tell the diffence between chalk and oil as if you scrape the top of a chalk pastel, you'll get a fine powder... oil you get a clumpy mess. Rembrant soft pastels are fine, thats what I use and it's what a friend of mine uses for face ups. They are very high quality and don't have oil in them.

 

Lucky I got soft pastels, so hopefully I will be ok. I'm really nervous though, considering I've never done this before. It is ok to use Testors Dull Cote instead of MSC right?

 

Yeah, you can use testors. I honestly prefer MSC, I think that pastels go on smoother and less blotchy, but testors will work too if you use it right. Make sure you shake it for at least a couple minutes to make sure all the chemicals are mixed evenly, and let it dry completely before putting any pastels down : )

 

ok, thank you so much for your help, knowing that makes me a little less nervous.

 

Don't be nervous! It's not very hard^^ I was worried I'd do a horrible job my first time too, but if you mess up you can just wipe it off and try again^^

 

It's a good thing too, I have a habbit of messing up a lot before something is done right. By the way I love your avatar!

 

Ok sorry, one more question. When I take her apart before I clean and coat her, do I need to take the hooks off her hands? If so how would I go about doing that?

 

You can leave the hooks there. I don't know what kind of doll you have, but most of them have permanent hooks that aren't supposed to be removed at all. The Testors, MSC, etc won't hurt them so don't worry about it.

 

I have an Angel Elf Soo. I didn't think they were going to come off, that's why I was kind of worried Thanks again!

 

Sounds as though you're doing all the right things. And remember the most important part:

*you can always take it off again*

 

I was wondering if the coating must be applyed before you do body blushing.
I did my friends doll with pastels and a bit of water...and i know that it will wash away with water and a bit of soap, but will it stain the doll due to no first coat?

I know a coat of msc or testers is applied afterwards to protect it....but should it be done before body blushing occurs?

I used chalk pastels and water with a fine paintbrush and cotton balls.

thanks.

 

the body will take the pastels a lot better if you coat beforehand, so I suggest doing it.

 

ok thanks alot ^^

 

... that the coating gives it better "tooth," just enough roughness to grab the pastels. You know, like nice pastel paper. I tried it without, too, and got so frustrated (but I wasn't smart enough to think to use water!). Then I realized that as soon as I coated the first layer, the next layer was magically better.

Live and learn! I'm very new at this, so it's all a big experiment.

 

lol. Yeah im new to it to. So I guess you can say that it acts as both a primer and a sealant. Good to know.

Lol...yeah the water thing i figured would be good to apply the colour and then possibly blend. It was my first try anyways and i didn't want it to be permanent.

My friend loves it though so now I HAVE to find the stuff and seal it lol.
Although that means I'll probably redo it...


thanks alot ^^

 

And if this is in the wrong place I am sorry ^^

Also I did look and try to find someone who had asked this question already and I didn't turn anything up..But body dye.

Alright, when I get my doll it should be soon I'll be taking him apart to UV protect him as well as mod his arms to match the character he's going to me made after.

My question is this, what is the best way to have the parts dry? Should I stand them up or hang them up, or find someway to suspend them so they aren't touching anything..Also how long should I let the first coat dry before I go to put paint on his arms?

 

I hang them so they aren't touching.

 

I'm not quite sure about the answers to your q's but this page here: http://bjd-wtf.livejournal.com/2251.html#cutid1 has information and pictures about dying. Hopefully it helps. ^_^

 

Ah thanks much, I'll give it a look ^^

 

I know for myself, when I tried to do body blushing, I strung the pieces up on the clothes line out back. And, because I was working on the blushing, I did each limb on a single long string using beads to hold the parts apart (looked really funny, but also helped keep the limbs sorted). Some people have stuck the parts on sticks and had tempoary body gardens.

Dry time depends on what you're spraying with, the minimum time to let any of the standard sealers dry before continuing is ~15 minutes, and if you want to be sure to be safe give it closer to an hour. Thinly sprayed coats need less time to dry than heavily sprayed layers, but you'll need more coats that way. Note that you will get the best bond between base and later coats if the coats are sprayed about 45 minutes to 2 hours apart (at least for all sprays I've worked with). And bonding between layers is going to greatly reduce after a 24 hour break.

 

Ah alright thanks. So once I start stay on it until I'm done ^_^ I'm sure I can do that no problem.

Thanks much for the tips.

 

i put all the bits on cheap take-out-food chopsticks, and stick the chopsticks into styrofoam blocks.

like so!



victim i mean doll shown is an Orientdoll Il (mature mini, 40cm), but this method works for all sizes of dolls. it also works not just for coating pieces with MSC/Testors/ZK Powder spray, it also works for airbrushing and pastel mods and basic blushing.

 

This may sound pretty crazy, but it should work. You can lace thick strings through the arms, torso, head, and legs and tie them securely. You will then tie string onto the hooks in the hands, feet. You can then tape/strap/secure them to the ceiling or ceiling fan. (while it's off, of course) Then coat the body parts while they are hanging. That way, you don't really have to touch them while you coat them and are drying.

 

Heh that's wonderful. Though I'm not going to be able to spray in the house, I've got cats and my kitten likes to get into everything

 

Here, found the picture of how I did my body work (of course, next time I'll make sure I have better lighting, only the feet came out really looking good).



Glad my earlier tips look useful.

 

How are people keeping their doll's dust free when they are drying??

 

I usually wipe the doll down with a damp cloth or mr clean sponge before I apply a coat. This usually keeps the doll dust free. I also have found that when spraying the doll outside, even with open air, there seems to be more little dirt and dust particles that try to annoy you.

 

I also use the chopstick method, works wonderfully. I found a block of floral foam at dollar tree to use, very sturdy.

 

That's ashame - you'd think there'd be less crap to stick to drying parts. My main concern is that I live in a dusty house and I know well how dust is MAGNETISED to wet things.. It maddens me how easily dust is stirred up aswell... Raar to dust!

 

I know my friend would string them onto a hanger, you can get about four pieces on one hanger, that way you can take them outside to spray and then bring them back in to dry. It works really well, it's how I do all my coatings now. It works best with the hangers that have the extra hooks on the inside of them that way you can keep the pieces separate a lot easier.

 

Sorry to go over this again, if it has been covered, which it probably has, but I can't find it...teehee.

Do you do the body blushing with the doll whole or take it apart?

When you spray seal it afterwards, can you spray the doll whole or should it be taken apart? If whole will it damage the strings?

Thanks for any advice