Faceups Paints for Face-ups

caligraphy ink looks so scary to use on dolls. I disliked the fact that I can never remove them from my uniform when i've stained them as well from my stuff that i use to contain them hahas.

so to be on the safe side, i dun believe it's advisable XD

 

OK I want to do my own face-up but I do not know the right materials to buy. I read a lot up on it but sometimes I need visuals otherwize I end up buying the wrong thing. I get lost a lot haha. But I am an artist so I know about a lot of the products and I am also positive that I will have no problem with doing the face-up wel. I just want to make sure that I am doing it right. I reeeeeeeally do not want to mess up my doll. I am sure you can understand that. Haha. Is there like a step by step tutorial on face-ups. I mean I have watched a few things on youtube that helped a lot. But like I said I am so scared of messing up. Thanks to all the help in advance!!! XD

 

Have you seen this live journal post ? Number seven has alot of helpful tips on face-ups and whatnot. It really helped me out.

from what I know, and it's not much, sc is a type of sealant. When you seal your doll with it BEFORE you blush or face-up it then the colors, paints, and glosses you apply are much easier to remove. When you apply sc after it seals those colors in. It prevents smearing and smudging and just helps protect your art work. *At least that's what I've seen. Also sc helps the colors hold while applying if you're using pastels.

You need a mask of some sort but the one time I used it I was outside during pleasant weather and stayed as far from it as I could get once I'd sprayed it. That is NOT a really great way to do it. I wore a cloth mask but that's not really good enough. I just don't think I use it enough to matter, but then you never know. There was a girl who had to go to the hospital because of her use of sc. :X So just be really careful. That's all my knowledge over super clear. Hope it helps!

 

Does someone want tos end to me in a message what I should buy to start doing face ups? I dont have anything at the moment, and seeing as how (i'm kinda lazy) I've read through this, but so much information cant sink in so fast. @_@

It'd be so much easier for me if someone could message me with stuff I need to buy and get for it. XD;; I'm better with directions >_>;;

 

I am a noob who is hopefully getting a doll this summer so a few questions.

Whit what do you usually gliss your doll's lips and eyes? And what kind of stuff is that? Can you name any particular brands that you have noticed to work well? Any of them are sold in Finland (or ebay)?
And about removers. Can you name any brands that remove the whole faceup (over MSC, too) without being bad for the doll (and if possible, to hands)? And what do you usually use when you just need to take the upper makeup of? Is just water and soap good or what?

And then just a general question about faceups: how long do they last? Let's say you've coated it properly and try to avoid it getting dirty, but may touch it sometimes? Like normally? Weeks, months, years or what?

Sorry I'm a curious noob, but hey we all need to start somewhere.

Thankyou!

 

Pokemon,
gloss: any acrylic gloss medium/varnish will do for this (no matter what brand, but if you really care for a name, do you get Liquitex products in Finland? Of all my acrylic mediums this is definitely the most glossy).
To remove the faceup most people here seem to use Winsor & Newton brush cleaner. Or try this Mr. Clean Magic Eraser dry (takes less) or wet (takes more faceup away).


By the way, has anybody ever tried to fix the faceup with normal pastel fixative? Or with W&N's watercolor fixative?

 

Hey,
I've been having a great time doing Warhammer model painting with my boyfriend, and what we've been using is this Really nice paint called 'Citadel'. It's acrylic, water soluble (most acrylics are though, right?) and it gives great color/coverage without being near as thick as most acrylics.
Has anyone tried this for Resin?
We've only been working on pewter and plastic models. Do you think resin would stain more easily than the plastic?
If not, is there a chance I could use the same cleanup supplies? (This stuff called 'Simple green' Literally destroys the acrylic paint, but it leave the Plastic undamaged. If it's okay, it might be good for getting off stubborn face ups too.)

Any input?

 

Citadel paints are pretty good for faceups. I use Vallejo, which is also a nice formulation of minis paint. What really sold me on Vallejo was the little dropper bottles it came in.

Just make sure you have a good coating of matte on the doll before you paint, as with any other acrylic.

- Mel

 

I've only done about 3 faceups. My lips are always "bumpy". I've bought "liquitex gloss medium & varnish" and have tried to use it. But it just seems to change the paint to a lighter shade. I am using "golden basics" paints. I have pretty good brushes I think. But when I paint the lips, they ae not smooth.
I am using pastels for the rest of the faceup. They seem to work fine. They sometimes look blotchy.



It's hard to see in this pic, but the lips are "bumpy".



Here too. Also the blush looks blotchy, like when you put blush on your face when your moisterizer is still damp. (Hope that makes sense LOL

Any info greatly appreciated
Mary

 

As far as the lips go, you need to have the paint really thin even if it makes it lighter. You do many thin layers until you get the color you want. Personally I have not had luck with paint on lips, I always use pastels. Those too you need to use many layers to get a good color. As for the blush being blotchy, that can be from the pastel itself. Depends what brand you are using. Also if the MSC isn't applied well underneath that could cause uneven, blotchy blush.

BTW I love your Yan. She's adorable.

 

Mary,

to get a smooth result with acrylics is quite difficult and takes much practice. You need thin acrylic color to work with and as adding medium will thin the color, making it more transparent and lighter in value, I'd actually recommend to you using fluid acrylics instead of the soft or hard bodied acrylic color.

 

Okay, well, that's why I asked to be sure.

Can retarder ruin your paint? What should be my retarder:paint ratio?

 

Now that I don't know, MadnessHearts. I use a floating medium when I attempt (read: fail at since I have no talent for it) faceups, and I just sort of glob it with the paint til I get a nice smooth consistency...

Hopefully someone else can answer this for you!

 

i use anita's paint extender and it works very well. just mix in a few drops to the paint.
i made a supply guide for pullip, but most applies to BJD as well. there's photos and info here

 

This was TREMENDOUSLY helpful.

I have a question about the paints, though. Do any acrylic work? The ones I have are the golden paints in the tube.

Also, is it necessary to use the Mr. Super Clear? Is that to seal afterward, or to seal before?

As a side note, in the latest issue of Haute Doll, there's a how-to on face painting, but it doesn't go into what to use specifically.

 

glad i could help ^^
I use your basic acrylics. I'm not sure if any don't work, but I use some of the cheaper ones and they work fine.

MSC really helps. Pastels won't really stick sometimes or go on evenly if you don't spray before starting and after blushing alot. When pastels stop sticking, spray another coat. Pastels can also stain the resin so you should really spray a coat first. Plus they smudge so there's the reason to seal after.

I used a HD tutorial for eyebrows but not rigidly. Mostly use it as basic guidelines.

 

Sorry if others asked, but I got some art supplies for the face-up and I wanted to double check if they were ok to use on the dolls for face-ups and maybe even body blushing.

I bought Liquitex's BASICS Acrylic Set and Soft Pastels from Loew Cornell. I'm pretty sure the liquitex ones are good, but are soft pastels ok? Or do they have to say/be chalk pastels?

And for the body blushing, I can pretty much do it like the face-up right? clean, apply some type of sealer, than apply pastel/paint, and seal? ( I do know about putting several layers of sealing)

Oh, and I saw a helpful tutorial on Youtube D: link I'm pretty sure linking this is ok, but if not I'll edit

 

where the best place to get face up paints?? can it be any type of acrylic paint or is there a certain kind made especially for dolls?

 

DickBlick.com is great because they have all the necessary stuff and it's cheaper.
A lot of people like to use Liquitex Soft Body Acrylics, but I think any decent brand should be fine (I've never done a faceup...).
This thread might be helpful to you.

 

Some people also swear by the Mr. Paints which can be found on leekeworld if I'm not mistaken. I use liquitex.

 

(since I didn't want to start a new thread)

When doing a face-up, do you seal the face first before applying the color? If so, what do you use?

And my art store carries like...5 different types of pastels: oil (which I know is a no-no), soft, artistic, color, and one other I can't think of right off hand. @_@ Which would be the best to use?

Also, what type of gloss do you use on the lips?

And (finally @_@) is there somethig *other* than MSC, that I could use to seal? Or is that just the best/safest road?

Sorry for so many questions, but I'm going to be doing my first face-up soon and I don't want to do anything that would harm the doll. ^-^;

 

@Kitsunia: There are definitely more types of sealant you can use, like the thing Lolita Minako mentioned and there are usually stuff you can get at a normal crafts store. I heard that Testor's Dull Coat is usable. People use chalk pastels and I'm pretty sure soft pastels are ok, but I'd stick to chalk pastels to be safe. I'm not sure about the gloss, I think you can just use Liquitex's medium gloss, the type you paint on.

ALSO, you need to spray on a layer of the MSC or whatever every so often and not just before you start and finish.

Of course I have never done a face-up before but these are info I gathered by looking things up and watching tutorials on youtube and stuff.

 

I'm about to embark on painting my Lupins head cap, I have the brushes and MSC and I was going to use acrylic to paint the hair mould. Today my dad gave me a huge lecture on how acrylic paint can burn plastic. But it set almost plasticy right?
I took art at college where I used acrylic all the time and I've never heard that before. I'm pretty sure he has no idea what he's talking about as he's the type of person who thinks he knows everything about everthing and is mostly wrong but it's really planted a small seed of doubt in my mind. I've heard lots of people say they use acrylic paint for face ups.
Can anyone set me straight?

 

Firstly, make sure your acrylic paint is water-based. If it's oil based it may STAIN your dolls, but I don't know if there's any validity in saying it will BURN them (although extensive staining will definitely be a big ouchie to look at, so to speak). I primarily work with pastels and watercolor pencils, so while I'm not the biggest expert I'd venture a guess that you should be okay. Resin is technically plastic, but its physical properties are different from it.

And if I'm incorrect someone PLEASE inform me of it, the last thing I want is to ruin someone's resinbaby by being wrong.

 

I've read you can use any type of gloss on face-ups, so I've gotten and used Golden:gel medium regular gel (gloss).
But it makes it look...more like when you put white petroleum on cracked lips. The thick, gooy look, even when it's dry and mostly clear. Should I be mixing water or something into this? I was expecting more of a clear shiny overcoat out of it then this.

 

Thanks Mamo. Don't worry it's all my decision to go ahead with painting the cap.
I've heard that Oil Pastels will stain before. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be using acrylic, I'll keep an eye out for anything oil labeled on them. Thanks!

 

Acrylic paint is safe; lots of people use it for face-ups (me included). You just have to seal with MSC, testor's, or whatever sealant you're using before the paint goes on, or it can stain (my sister's poor dolly got stained this way).

 

Golden acrylics are very high-quality, you should be able to thin the medium all right with water. Why not test the results on something else before you use it on your doll? You can put acrylics on just about any surface, you know: paper, wood, plastic, fabric, etc.

Instead of smearing it on, try applying it with a mostly-dry brush - just a hint of shine is all you need.

 

I tried to look it up first but couldn't find any information, so does anyone know, wether I can use [FONT=Arial,Helvetica] 50 585 Schmincke Acryl Firnis [/FONT]for face-up?
I want to us eit on the lips to make them glossy, but am not sure if it might stain? O_O

 

Hey y'all, I have a question about materials. ^^
I have some water based acrylics and chalk pastels sitting around. The pastels are "Pro Art" (got them at Pat Catan's) and the acrylics are various brands, mostly the 50-cent ones bought at JoAnne's and another brand called "Apple Barrel Colors." Would these permanantly damage my poor doll?
(I'll be getting him around May; I'm not asking last minute with the brush hovering over his face. xD *scary*)

 

any acrylics are safe to use, abc included, since acrylic paint is not oil based (:
check your pastels to see if they are oil pastels or chalk pastels, if theyre oil then theyll damage it ^^; if chalk then you're safe.

 

Heheh, another question. ^^;
At Hobby Lobby, they have three kinds of Liquitex: the heavy body ones (really thick) the "Basics," and another kind I can't remember which are a more "liquidy" consistancy (spelling?).
Which would be the best ones to get? I looked for the ones in the little tubs and couldn't find them, but I think a (slightly pricier) art store down the street has them.

 

Exactly what type of paints do you use? Normal acrylic?
and Thinner....can I use any normal thinner I find at micheals or a hardware store?
Or do I HAVE to use Mr.Thinner? Or heck do I even need to HAVE thinner?

For Paints, can you use acrylic? Or is their a specific type of paint you should use for the face-up of your doll?

 

You can use regular hobby or artists acrylics. For thinners, there is acrylic flow medium if you just want to thin the paint (it doesn't dry as fast as just using water), and for paint-removal and cleanup, most recommend using Windsor & Newton Brushcleaner. Some people also use acetone (from the chemist) or even nailpolish remover, however the acetone can melt some resins, and the nailpolish remover can stain and smudge even if it is colourless, due to the other chemicals in it. W&N Brushcleaner is the safest option.

Mr. Thinner is intended for use with Mr. Color paints from Volks. I am not 100% sure than Mr. Color paints are acrylic, due to the strong smell. I wouldn't use it with regular acrylic paints.

 

Liquitex , I find, is very very hard to come by here in the UK
But, I found these...
http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/productdetail.asp?productcatalogue=291743
http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/ProductDetail.asp?ProductCatalogue=291744

They are Liquitex, but not SoftBody... Are these good?

 

If you do not put Mr. Super Clean on the resin before you paint it with acrylics, can you still easily remove the acrylic paint if you want to change the face up?

 

I was wondering if the acrylic paint by Daler and Rowney (not the ink acrylic) would be safe to use on face-ups for dolls. I searched it on the forums and only found acrylic ink and I don't believe it means the same regular acrylic paint, does it?

Anyways, I'm talking about this paint:
http://www.rexart.com/media/ste123900100.gif
Except my set has 12...

I was just wondering because I'm paranoid about face-ups right now.
^_^
Anyways, thanks in advance.

 

I was wondering if kaiser color paints are okay to use?

 

Has anyone tried Golden brand acrylic paint on a faceup? I found that it creates a fantastic range of colors with regular painting, but I don't know how it would be on a doll.... (sorry if someone mentioned this already!)

 

Yep! Golden brand airbrush paints are great for fine lines! I tried it on the recommendation of SDink and LynR and it's got a wonderful consistency, very smooth and thin, but still has enough pigment.

 

Does anyone know what are the best acrylic paints to get a -very- matte effect.
I have noticed a few acrylic paints are way too glossy for this kinda use.
Brands would be good, etc.

 

Would anyone know if Mr. Color is a good paint to use for face ups? I have a doll coming in(not very soon though XD) and I wanted to know if its good acrylic paint. As far asI know Prismacolor soft pastel and watercolor pencils are good to use.

 

This stick has been VERY helpful. I have resin soul doll and i wanted to do some very detailed red tats on his face. Ive seen people saying Liquidex is great. Any tips for a newbie? Its around the eyes mostly so a fine haired small brush would be good? should i stencil it out first with a water color pencil before layering the paint?

 

but will the paint leave stains on the eye area?

 

Not if you coat the head with sealant, the way you're supposed to do before applying any paint or pencil.

 

>is it alright to put msc uv coat on a doll that already has a faceup?
im not sure if luts coat their dolls with UV msc

>how can you undo and wrong paint stroke when using acrylics, pastel or colored pencils?
i guess this is bound to happen since im still new at this and i have shaky hands.

thank you

 

before painting, i also sprayed it, but it was ok to remove the face up...but then I sprayed msc after painting...and i felt unsatisfied with the eyebrows...ut since I sprayed if after face up, it was hard to remove the eyebrow...

 

For those of you in the UK who do not have an art supplies store or craft hobby shop near to you, but have a Games Workshop store, the paints and inks are all acrylic and are perfectly safe to use on resin (they're used for metal, plastic and resin kits from Games Workshop and Forge World). Their cans of matte varnish are perfectly suitable as a base and as a protective coating, and the little pots of 'Ardcoat are basically a high gloss acrylice varnish which is perfect for doing lips.

They have a new range of "Foundation" paints that are VERY HIGH pigment, so they do need some serious watering down before use. Saying that, for certain colours that you may use a lot of, if they have a base colour in the foundation range suitable, you could buy that for doing the base layer, but again, serious watering down is advised.

Their brushes are pretty good too, BTW.

Another brand I could recommend is Vallejo paints from Italy. They are high pigment paints that come in a eye-dropper like bottle, and do need some thinning out, even for miniatures, so you will definitely need to do so for face-ups. Because they come in a dropper bottle, you only need to put a tiny drop on your palette at a time and then thin out to the consistency you need.

Finally, a tip from someone who have been painting 3d minis for 21 years - the best palette you can ever have is a simple white bathroom wall tile. Nothing beats it. Seriously. Ceramic is the best material to mix acrylic paints on - plastic is horrible, and wood just soaks it all up. Even an old white side plate would make a better palette than what you can ever buy in a craft store.

Phil.

 

Thanks for that Phil. All good to know.

I had always used a plastic palette that I have for when I'm painting on canvas but I shall give the bathroom tile idea a go for faceups.

The best varnish I've found is Humbrol Hobby Spray. I've been using that for quite a while now and it gives a great base and finish.

 

So I'm having trouble finding Liquitex paints in my area. Is there a suitable alternative short of ordering online?
I found some paint's from a company called Jacquard that are similarly packaged. Does anyone know if that would work?

 

This is great info.
Wondering if you can use Jo Sonja Folk Art paints thinned down? I have tons of those!!!

 

Hey ^^; I;m new to whole bjd scene and i'm wondering what people use to paint their dolls to get such beautiful skin colors! I envy you all

So I'm hoping someone can give me a brand name or a link to getting hold of face up paints, [the doll's head will coming to me, white.]

 

Do you mean the resin colour or the colours used in the faceups? Tinted resins are available from various companies, but if you wanted to change the colour of the head, then you could dye it or airbrush it. There's a wealth of information on all of this in the stickied threads at the top of the forum here. There's a whole section on faceup materials and what to use

 

A lot of professional faceup artists use Liquitex brand acrylics, and I believe Rembrandt soft pastels are the best. Any acrylics and soft pastels will work, but those are the really nice ones.

 

the advantage of liquitex is they are artist quality, which makes them easy to paint with and less likely to fade. YOu need the little jars of craft paint, which are runnier, not the tubes, which are heavy bodied. Not sure where you are in the uk, not al art shops stock them but some of the better ones do, and they are readily available on line too.

 

What wonderful rescources! I'm so glad I joined this forum!

Could anyone tell me what you use to thin down your acrylic pants? When I used to paint my warhammer miniatures I just used water. Maybe I'm too paranoid, but I don't want to take any chances with how delicate most BJD resins are. So I just thought I'd ask. Better safe than sorry, right?

 

If anyone is still around answering questions to this thread, I have one.
I've only used watercolour pencils so far and can always erase the lines (for the most part) when I make a mistake.
Is there anyway to fix tiny mistakes when using acrylic paint without washing off all your work or a big patch of it at least?
I wash entire doll faceups with rubbing alcohol but always wash off the rubbing alcohol with soap. I wouldn't want to use rubbing alcohol or any dangerous chemical to erase a tiny mistake on the faceup without washing it off after. Do you know what I mean?

Anyway I just wanted to know if there's any safe advice for taking off small mistakes with the acrylic paint.

 

There's always water if you're fast enough. Paint thinners like Mr. Color Thinner will wipe it off too. For spot treatments, I use a qtip and soak a tiny bit of it in mr color thinner, then I just rub where I need to erase

 

Hi all!
I'll be starting my very first faceup in a little while and I'm looking around for paints etc.
I came across these cute little sets of "ZM Acrylics" on the Volks website and wanted to know if anyone had any experience with them?
I had a search on the forum already and am drawing a blank. Can anyone help me out here?
Thanks a bunch!

 

They're OK, but very tiny. It might be better just to buy some tubes of Liquitex or something comparable. I spent the same price for smaller tubes of paint that don't last as long as a good tube of paint. =_=