Doll Manicures and Pedicures

well, no matter what you decide to use on your doll, you should never paint or otherwise color onto bare resin. beforehand, you should always seal your doll with msc or testors dullcote, or any of the other listed sealants. after it dries (usually 15 to 30 minutes) it is safe to paint over and will not stain your doll.

 

ohhh okay thanks i couldnt see which forum this should go in so i thought general would be okay

sorry


thanks for your advice everyoe

 

Ah. Interesting thread. I'd like to paint my vinyl dolls nails a slightly darker pink than her skin is. Anyone know much about vinyl as opposed to resin? To be honest once it's done it will probably be a permanent thing (Not really into garish colours or strange stuff like black nails etc).

 

I painted my boy's fingernails, I did one coat of clear nail polish the a coat of black acrylic the another of the polish. It worked pretty well, came off alright... messed up the left hand and had to repaint. didn't have too much problems.

doesn't look totally great, I didn't want to redo it and my hands shake so it might not have been any better, used a tiny paint brush, next time it'll look much better.

did his toenails to0, in pale purple.





EDIT: lol, having problems with the pic... sorry!

 

I've had my boy for over a year now and anytime I do something I always spray MSC... But at the moment I honestly don't have any and wont have any for awhile. x_x; Do you think a coat of clear acrylic, black acrylic and then gloss would be okay? =x I mean.. So far anything I have done it just seems that non of the pigments should directly touch the resin... But if I put a clear coat first (instead of msc), would it protect the resin? Just wanted to know if anyone had tried this and knew. =x
(I know shironami2376 above did, but not sure whether it worked as it has been recent and hasn't had time to really do damage?)

 

Acrilics deffinatley. You can take it off and it gives the doll a more realistic painting

 

I am just wondering how smart it would be to put nail polish on my boys fingers? I know some nail polish removers will harm the resin but what will nail polish do?

 

most if not all nail polish types will stain yer doll..
the darker the nail polish the bigger stain..

 

ok thanks! Glad it wont eat his resin now I just have to decided if i want them that way forever...

 

...Really don't risk it. Just get some acrylic and gloss. Some nail polishes will do more then stain.

 

I used some O.P.I nail polish on my MSD back in the day when I was a BJD newbie. It was on her nails for about a year, I didn't coat before applying it or anything. When I removed the nail polish her resin is still fine, no stains and no resin damage.

Now that I know better I would go using any nail polish on my dolls, but to be honest, I would use the O.P.I again because it gives a really nice look to the nails and I know it doesn't damage them.

 

i searched for a topic on nail polish but couldn't find one.

this may seem like a stupid question, but how can you paint your dolls "nails"?
can you use actual nail polish?

thanks

 

I read somewhere that folks had done just that and had no problems, but the idea makes me cringe. I had a hard enough time getting the chipped acrylic paint off of my second-hand purchase!

I'll hunt around, see if I can't find anything for you. I love the thrill of the chase!

 

ok, thank you so much~!

 

I'd suggest acrylic paint as opposed to actual nail polish.
What ever you do though make sure to seal with MSC or similar before you do apply any paint to help prevent staining should you decide to remove it later.

 

I would not recommend using nail polish at all. It has nasty chemicals in it that damage resin and strong pigments that stain quickly and bleed into the resin. It may look nice the first month but after that the stains will spread and change the colour of the finger tips. It's much safer to buy acrylic paint

 

ah ok, thanks guys!

 

Here's a few threads on the very same topic:

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1468&highlight=nail+polish
and http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=237969&highlight=nail+polish

 

I did a hand blush and manicure with acrylics and gloss to my boy ♥ I used to cover them with nail polish gloss, but it's hard to remove, so now I use tamiya gloss, it's much better

 

That looks great, thanks for the tip!

 

When I had Bratz dolls I would paint their nails with little kid nail polish the kind that just peels off.It worked well and looked nice.

Anyways now that I have moved onto bjd's I was wondering if it is possible to paint your abjd's with real nail polish ,sure you could use paint but nail polish
seems much more fun.
post your opinions.

 

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1468&highlight=nails


I don't think using real polish on BJD's is a good idea..
Just seal the hands with MSC then use acrylic paint or pastels.
I use pastel mixed with gloss

 

some people have reported that they have used it with no ill effect but personally I wouldn't risk it, some nailpolishes stain human nails, also nailpolish may soften the resin as the thing that keeps nailpolish liquid is basicly the same kind of stuff that removes nailpolish, when I want to remove my nailpolish but I dont have remover on hand I just paint over a layer of fresh polish and it wipes off and takes the original layer with it

 

hmm... I may have to do more research

 

Hi~
I've been interested in giving my girl a manicure, and was wondering if there are any tutorials here on how to do that? I've only looked through the first five pages, so I might have missed it. ^^;;
Thanks for any help~

 

BUMPING this topic.

I'm kind of interested in this as well.

 

Well for how i do it (not a tutorial...) i use a Q-Tip, get it wet, and rub it on my pastel, then rub it on the nail. Nah, i don't spray MSC usually before. But i do after. Then i get white paint and do a fine line on the tip (if it's french) otherwise leave it. I gloss them when i'm all done.
I'm sure there are other ways XD and I do more steps when it's a commission.

 

this might sound like a stupid question... but im allowed right >.> - is n00b-
could u use nail polish with a small brush? or is there reasons u would really not want to do that?

i ask cuz i was thinking about maybe a black, or purple for one of my girls, and a blue perhaps for one of my others.

 

Many, many resources here in DoA saying don't use nail polish. Use water-based acrylic paint.

 

thank you for the reply, i wasnt sure and it proves how much of DoA i still have yet to look threw.

 

Generally any human product is a no-no when it comes to dolls. Humans skin is very oily so the products we put on us help that oil balance.
With nail polish, i imagine it'd stain about as badly as sharpie. No experience with it. But as said, water-based acrylic paint is what most people use. I just use chalk pastels, since I suck at using a paintbrush.

 

cool, i think i might try it with some of the paints i got, im not the best with paints, but its more for the patients.. and for the sake of my girls i think i can wait out layers lol

 

I couldn't find a post on doa, I'm sure there is one but I am just no good using the search on doa

Any way, I want to paint my girls finger nails, now i have never done anything other then change eyes, wigs, and cloths. So its my first kind of painting thing. So what can I use to do her nails, can you use real nail polish? And when I want it off how do you take it off? I would think nail polish remover would eat her skin. Thanks for the info
Julie

 

Do not do not do not use real nail polish please
It's the same as doing a faceup, really.

Remove the hands.
Clean them with mild dish soap and water.
Let them dry.
Spray with a sealant (Testors Dull Cote, Mr. Super Clear, etc.) and let dry for at least 24 hours.
"Paint" the nails with acrylic paints or pastels.
Seal again and let dry for 24 hours.
If the colour isn't dark enough, it's best to do it in layers, with a layer of sealant in between.
Seal a couple more times to make sure it doesn't rub off (hands get a lot of .. well, handling), and then put the hands back onto your doll. Remember to ALWAYS let the sealant dry FULLY between coats, or it's going to end up goopy and sticky.

Does that help?

 

You don't have to let MSC dry for 24 hours. It only take 10mins to 1/2 hour to dry completely. You should also do 2 or 3 coats for the base coat for the best protection and most even cover. At least 2 coats for the top layer unless you gloss over the paint, the gloss should be enough protection from chipping

Acrylic is the best paint. Any kind will do. Also get some clear acrylic gloss to give it some shine

To remove it you can use Windsor and Newton brush cleaner, 100% rubbing alcohol or acetone free nail polish remover (as long as it isn't a strong colour like blue and is scent and conditioner free)

 

Ok so I went to hobby Lobby and got a sealer. Its Tree house studio clear acrylic high gloss sealer. It's suppose to be ok for plastic, procelain ceramics, glass, models and stuff like that. Do you think its ok to use instead of Mr.super clear or something like that?

 

If you mean for painting gloss over the final paint to make her nails shiny, then that'll probably work. You still need a flat (not gloss), preferably spray sealer like MSC, Testors Dullcote or Model Masters lusterless flat to seal her hands before painting, to prevent staining. Hobby Lobby carries both the Testors and Model Masters sprays.

 

Thanks for all the help everyone, Amyangel I'll have to go back to Hobby Lobby today but now I know I'll get the right thing.

 

ive actually used some matte medium instead of msc just for nail painting...one coat of matte medium, the acrylic paint of choice (mixed with the matte medium) then coated with gloss. the first doll i did this too had black paint on his fingernails for almost a year until i finally cleaned it off and it did not stain at all. didnt chip off either^^

 

I'll interject a slightly OT question here: Is there any soap recommended that you don't use? I'd assume that dishsoap is ok, but... assumptions = bad things, nine times out of ten.

Also, I've been having a hard time with all this talk of sealers and such. ANY acrylic matte sealer will do, or just specific ones? Also, if you were to use a gloss on the fingernails (or lips, etc) would you then put a coat of MSC (or other sealant) over that, or just leave the gloss as the final coat?

XD I hope that's understandable.

 

This is just my opinion, but I always use light-coloured dishsoap and stay away from anything green or blue in particular just in case there might be some staining from the dye.

 

I also tend to stay away from the "moisturizing" dish soaps that are coming out in the U.S. Resin doesn't need to be moisturized with whatever oil or lotion they're adding to those.

 

The gloss has to be the final coat, putting matte sealant over it will make it matte. VampireAngel13, I hadn't thought of matte medium, that would be much easier for small places like nails than spraying the whole hand! I may have to get some.

 

CrimsonLover- Yeah, I also would suggest not using nailpolish. There are alot of oils in it like Hellsing said, and alot of chemicals that may be very harmful to your doll's resin. And nobody wants to be crying after that happens. O.O

Also, lots of nailpolish removers have acetone in them. Which is a very big dolly No-No. (Think of eating rat poision. It would pretty much have the same "OH NO!!!" effect.) This is why I don't usually use nailpolish on my own nails that much.

I'd also love to learn a bit more about nailpainting for dolls too. If anyone has any links or tips, please post a reply. ^^

 

It's just like a faceup. Spray some sealant so it doesn't stain, apply either the pastel or acrylic paint (whatever you choose to use), spray sealant if it's pastel (I don't if it's acrylics, but you may want to) then gloss with acrylic gloss. You can add pearl-ex powder or something similar to the paint or gloss if you want shimmer. Don't use anything on the hands or body that you wouldn't use on the face.

 

so i gave my E-anne a mani/pedi last night. I used my prismacolor pencils and then gloss sealant. as you can see the pencils gave it a very grainy look. i was trying to go for a natural look or a french tip kinda thing - i dunno. i am going to try again with acrylics. i dont know if id be brave enough to use actual nail polish tho.

and as for the green nail... no she didnt slam it in the door, it was supposed to be green for good luck ... but it looks more like green for... turd? *snicker*

 

I don't have my girl yet but I would like to do her nail. I would like them to look natural but I'm not sure about how to do it or what I need (colors) and I don't have anything like MSC so what could I use to protect her nails from the color staining and how to give them a glossy look.

 

I would like to do my doll her nails when she arrives, but I want them to look natural.
So i was wondering

-What do I need (colors,...)
-How to do it exactly
-Do I need to seal the nail before applying colors and how to do it without doing her whole hand.
-What can I use to make then shinny and what to make them matt.
-...

 

-What do I need (colors,...)I'd use a peachy /skintone colour
-How to do it exactlySeal the hand with MSC. The either use soft (not oil!) pastel, or Acrylic paint.Liquitex paint is good.
-Do I need to seal the nail before applying colors and how to do it without doing her whole hand.
Yes! Your dolls hands will probably stain otherwise!
-What can I use to make then shinny and what to make them matt. Use Acrylic Gloss. Tamiya or Liquitex are good brands.

I did it, but I mixed grated pastel with acrylic gloss, then used it as paint.
I will re-do it soon, but I need paint first.


A search for nails or manicure will bring up lots of results.

*That mani was done super quick, hence the craptasticness

 

Well i did it first time but i can share my thoughts if youre curious ^^

I started by dealing the whole hand with MSC. Though i blushed the hand as well, i think its needed even if you go just for the nails.
Next i took a natural, little reddish colored pastel (but not too different from the skin. Just the color you see in your own nails ) And i applied it with a little brush. I didnt care about nail outlines, since the gloss will make the outline of each nail.
Next i took white acrylic and thinned it down with much thinner, because pure white would look very unnatural.
I painted the ends of the nails and the little moons as well, then the next step would be the glossing with shiny gloss, which i havent done yet...(no money for gloss waah x'''D)

The result:


Hope this helps a bit^^

 

Moniee - those look really lovely!

 

Thanks, this really helps a lot.

 

I'm planning on doing the same thing once I get my doll.
I think using a white (or very pale) pastel or paint should actually be good enough.
Looking at my own nails, they're paler than my skin tone, so I was thinking of taking an off-white acrylic paint and thinning it down a lot to do a glaze to lighten the nail bed, then use a slightly thicker (but still thin) paint do the tip and the moon (the white rounded part at the top of the nail bed)
You could probably do the same thing with pastel, by blushing the nail with the pale colour, then doing more layers for the tip and the moon.

I haven't got my doll yet, so this is all just in my head - I'm not sure how it would turn out, but that's what I'm planning on trying.

 

i dunno if someone has posted tutorials about that, but i must say, manicures on dolls are beautiful, i've actually seen them and they are very pretty, especially the french ones. I've been told that using real nail polish is bad go figure.

 

Back when Dollicieux (an e-zine) existed (only two years ago!), they had a face-up artist write this fantastic article on how to do doll manicures...Sadly, it seems to have been completely lost as Dollicieux has apparently taken down their archives.

If I recall correctly, the gist of the 'natural look' manicure went something like this:
Coat your doll's nail with MSC (or other sealant). Blush the nail with a mix of flesh & red/pink pastel. Seal. Paint a small crescent of white at the bottom with acrylic. Seal again and you're done.


For colored polish, it's a little simpler... Seal the nails with MSC, paint the nail with acrylic paint (instead of actual polish), and seal again so it doesn't rub off. If you need more than one coat of acrylic, it seems to stay longer if you put coats of sealant between coats of acrylic. But if you don't mind the color chipping, you can ignore that suggestion.

 

Bump for tutorial?

I'm thinking water-acryl, like the kind use for faceups, then a gloss like the kind used to lips.
Should I use MSC first and after, like a faceup?

 

ANYTHING you paint on a doll EVER is just like a faceup. Always. Seal first, to prevent staining, seal after, to keep it on. Acrylic gloss, just like on lips. If you wouldn't use it on the face, don't use it on the doll anywhere. They're made of the same material all over, so treat it the same all over.

I think we're so used to being told that as humans we require special cleansers for faces, different for rest of body, this kind of lotion here, a different kind here, something special for around the eyes... that we forget dolls don't have that variation. They're the same all over, so we can use the same materials on them all over!

 

If people want I can do a tut maybe tomorrow if the weather is goodx, and I have time ^^ It's quite easy, really.

 

I only have guys, so they have very very natural manicures.

I just brush pastel onto the nail area, then use a white watercolour pencil to make the little half moon at the base of the nail, then run it over the tip of the nail. Then I give each nail a coat of gloss acrylic. It barely shows, but looks really nice

 

I never thought of doing this before but it looks great so I might have to try it on my girl!