Pastels and Pencils: Post photos and reviews of what you use!

Daku, you've gotten a lot of great replies, but (just for future reference) all your questions are also addressed by threads linked in the Customizing Thread Index Sticky at the top of this subforum. ShadowedForce already pointed you to the Wiki, but don't forget about the Stickies at the tops of DoA subforums, too -- sometimes new members don't think to look for information there. See how many threads are linked in this post, for instance: http://www.denofangels.com/forums/s...ustomizing-Thread-Index&p=6093458#post6093458

 

I invested in a 120 piece Paris set, and a 24 piece iridescent Sennelier set. On a scale of 1-10, one being softest, I read it was rated a 3-4, but I'm really wondering about the quality as well. I had originally bought a really cheap set of pastels at Hobby Lobby, until I realized how 'cheap' they really were, plus they're harder too, so anything is better than those at this point.

I also invested in a nice watercolor pencil tin set by Faber-Castell.

I buy most of my supplies from Dick Blick or Jerrysartarama. I got a great deal on my pastels, plus 4 free items. :3

Thanks for posting those links. I found exactly what I needed from one!

 

Very glad I found this! I'm pretty happy that I invested in two set, one is a 120 piece Paris set, and the other is a 24 piece iridescent set. Should arrive tomorrow!

 

I use Sennelier (a set of 20), they were really soft and vibrant compared to other pastels at the art store. I still use a cheaper brand Mungyo (12 set) for a couple colors. I also have a couple individual Rembrandt pastels, but for some reason one of them is very waxy compared to all the other pastels.

 

I love my Faber Castell pastel colors but those are a German brand. I think every Pastellcolor without oil can be used savely, some will be more vibrant then others. ^^

 

I also use Schmincke and Sennelier pastels. Their color palettes are quite different, but I think the pigment quality and softness between the two brands are quite similar (the pricing is also similar ).
In particular, Sennelier reds are really vibrant and awesome, and Schmincke has a really wide palette of realistic fleshy tones. And if you ever need a good pigmented black, go for Schmincke, you won't need 50 layers for the black to look really black

 

I will post pictures when I got acquainted with doing faceups, but for now this thread already is an interesting read!

Except for the MSC and some new brushes I already own everything needed (I'm an artist), so I'm quite happy I won't be spending even more money haha (well MSC is super expensive to import already).

 

I use faber castell water color pencils for doing face ups (although im still not good at it)

 

I too use faber Castell watercolor pencils

 

I personaly use Derwent (watercolour pencils), but I also know that many face up makers use Durer from Koh-i-noor brand

 

For a long time, I used Staedler and Derwent because they were what I already had. After a discussion on this forum, I decided to try Faber and Castell... and my God of Art, it was like going from brown corn syrup to real maple.

 

I like Faber-Castell watercolor pencils. Some art supply shops sell them individually. You can also try online shops like Dick Blick to pick out specific colors for chalk pastels and watercolor pencils. If you live in or near a college town, they will probably have an art supply store on or near campus. They are usually reasonably priced and you can pick individual colors. Don't forget to use sealant safely before and after you apply watercolor pencils and chalk pastels. Good luck!

 

Can someone recommend on a good pastels brand for faceups? The ones I bought in my local art shop are really light and weak. If anyone ever found a good brand on ebay, can you link me?

 

There are tons of threads on this in the Customization and Maintenance subforum.

 

Vicemage - Thank you!

 

I use derwent as well but I used to use some offhand ones I bought for a craft store and thy worked very well

 

I use faber castell and prismacolor those are the best for me.

 

So here's where I keep all my supplies!



Princeton Art & Brush Co. Mini brushes. Very soft, hold plenty of pastel and a perfect for little details (2-20/0) I also have a 4 flat brush from the same company but full sized.



My acrylics. Wonderful color quality



However I prefer my gouache because I don't need thinner and like the texture/workability better



As it reads. I love these pencils to death. They're not grainy and come on watercolor like with barely any water added



Art Spectrum pastels. Absolutely love. Come very soft out of the box, bright colors wonderful.



Rembrandt pastels. I got more for a better price and they are basically the same quality as the AS pastels except I have to shave my Rembrandts at first time use because they're not as soft.



1. Great for removing face ups! And cleaning brushes you left out with paint on them..

2. Love this as a sealant! Cheaper than MSC bigger tooth but I think it comes on shinier than MSC.

3. MSC. I don't know if I have to say anything. I LOVE this product

4. Gloss medium I use for lips and eye creases. I love it, but I'm sure there are cheaper alternatives.


And that's it!

Oh and I also use magic eraser, hard eraser, nitrile gloves, q-tips and occasionally cotton balls

 

I will go to Customization for more ideas, but this is a good start. I have some of the Derwent. I think they are amazing.

 

Yep, definitely farbell or prismacolor, I've tried other brands and never works so well

 

Even though it might not be the most helpful, I thought I'd throw in what I own and what I do and dont recommend out of the bunch.

MSC Flat- Obviously I love it. It's the go-to brand for a reason. I have long nails and worry a lot about accidentally chipping my faceups when I'm handingly my dolls and I've had some INCREDIBLY close calls that ended up fine thanks to the stuff.
Reeve's Soft Pastels- I know people have had luck with them, but I'm not one of those people. For 14USD for 36 sticks, it's worth a try if you can get your hands on them (especially at half price from JoAnns). For me, it takes like 3 layers just for the blush to be noticeable, and I really prefer a heavily blushed look. Also, a lot of the darker colors go on EXTREMELY patchy.
Fantasia Watercolor Set- I've never heard f anyone else using this brand, and I can see why. In a way thats kind of hard to describe, they go on very patchy and "waxy", despite not having any wax in them. Even on paper they're only half-decent at best and don't blend well with water. I got them to work, but it's an arduous and frustrating process. I'm switching to Prismacolor VERY soon.
Sculpty Gloss Glaze- I, uh... don't think this is supposed to be used for faceups... but I use it... On a somewhat related note, whenever I used this to gloss the eyes on my vinyl dolls, the eyes... peeled off? Probably not the best sign.
e.l.f. Makeup Brushes- Unconventional, but the best for applying blush in my opinion. I use the Pro line or whatever it's called, and they're like 3 bucks a brush. They have a dollar line that I use on my face and they work fine for that so I'm sure they work fine for faceups too.
X-acto Pencil Sharpener (pictured below)- It may seem odd, but I can't recommend enough a good pencil sharpener, especially if you're not a fan of using paint for eyelashes. This thing gets my terrible pencils to a needlepoint and it's never broken a tip ever. It's a game-changer.
Golden and Liquitex acrylic paints- I only use black Liquitex and white Golden. The only reason I prefer Liquitex to Golden is because I can buy smaller tubes, which I prefer to the thinner paints in a bottle. Convenience aside, I prefer the formula of Golden just SLIGHTLY better.

That about sums up the supplies I have, besides some no-name brushes and glues and the like. I hope this was helpful to someone (probably not).

(sorry the pic is so big, I don't know how to fix that...)

 

I'll list my supplies here too, along with a few things I've picked up, and brands I don't suggest.
I'm FAR from professional at them, just an illustrator whose trying to develop a new skill. xD

Sealent: Citadel Purity seal. I can buy it in town so it saves me a lot of money. You'll REALLY wanna pay attention to the label, spray to close or in a cold area and you'll get a 'frost' While I've never had this happen noticably on a doll, it did happen when I sealed some figures I was customizing. I haven't had any trouble removing it other than having to clean the sculpt a few times. I do NOT recommend Testors clear coat. It works, but it yellows and collects dust very quickly. =0 Makes for a grubby lookin' doll

Pastels: Mungyo. I have Rembrant, Generals, and Mungyo. Generals works, but its more binding than pigment, as an artist I had a hard time using it for normal drawing. It works if you want something light, but you could also do the same thing with a small amount of pastel chalk. Mungyo has a ton of vibrant colors and comes in a bunch of different packs, it's also avaliable on Amazon. =D

Brushes: Artist's Loft: Pretty much any 'student' quality brush that isn't that obviously inferior plastic bristled kid stuff works for blushing with pastels.

Gloss: Liquitex High Gloss I use it on lips and sometimes one coat around the eyes. I haven't had trouble removing it, it says it's permanent but I think as long as you seal (obviously) it'll come off.

Watercolor pencils: PRISMALO I was lucky enough to get a VERY nice set from a teacher in high school who wanted them to be put to better use than sitting in a closet. But I've also used Artist's Loft

Sharpener: Prismacolor: It's like the best sharpener I've ever had, it doesn't eat all of my pencils.

Eraser: White plastic I used this type of eraser in my life drawing classes, I've corrected many an error with shaky watercolor pencil with a small tipped push eraser. I always seal before finishing up with penciled details, otherwise it rubs of the pastel when you erase.

Arylic/water color: I've used Apple barrel, Artist's loft, and Liquitex acrylics with no issue.

Here's a photo of what I use. (Not a very good one, but you can spot the packaging.


I've always wanted to ask if Prisma color pencils were ok for face ups? I know their not water color, but if sealed more than once do you think you could use them? And what about Citadel paint? I think I've seen BishonenHouse use those paints for face-ups but I'm not sure and always assumed they were oil based.

 

Where do you get those itty-bitty Princeton brushes?