Supplies What Materials for Faceups?

Here are some of the materials I use...

- Mr. Super Clear
- Liquitex acrylics (medium viscosity)
- Liquitex retarder
- Liquitex matte and gloss varnishes
- Alphacolor soft pastels
- Derwent watercolor pencils
- Prismacolor colored pencils
- Tiny brushes (I use Volks and Loew-Cornell brushes)
- Foam applicators and small stiff paintbrushes (for pastels)
- Loose eyeshadow (for makeup)
- Craft knives (for scraping at paint)

I can't think of anything that I tried and was utterly displeased with, but I think the bottles of Mr. Color paint are impossible to open. I have one bottle of the stuff and I've used it all of one time because no amount of hot water or rubber jar openers will make the lid budge.

That should cover you for most purposes, and you won't necessarily need everything on the list, but it hopefully at least gives you an idea of where to start. ^^

Happy faceupping!


~Kalmia

 

Hiya

I use Liquitex too, acrylics and glosses, but my pastels are high grade colour from Inscribe... good quality brushes from size 00000 up and fine liner brushes, I always coat 2/3 times before and after with MSC UV then pop gloss on. I cant remember where my water colour pencils were made but bought them from a art shop... Ver sharp craft knife with point for eye opening and fine grades of sanding paper from M3. I use cotten buds alot aswell as makeup foam applicators and for blushing use brush and sometimes cotten wool pads for smoothing...

Hope that helps...

 

I use Windsor & Newton "Galeria" artists' acrylics and their Acrylic Flow Improver (similar to the Liquitex retarder) to paint with, and a blend of Volks and Inscribe pastels for blushing/eyeshadow. I seal faceups using Windsor & Newton All-Purpose matt varnish for arts & crafts, which comes in a 400ml aerosol. (I've never seen MSC available in the UK, but I've used the W&N matt varnish on customised Barbies in the past with good results.) I also use Fimo Gloss Varnish to finish off lips and nails.

I paint using a 0000 fine sable paintbrush for fine detail, together with a no.1 rigger (good for eyelashes) and a no.2 filbert (for pastelwork).

 

OK, so I am going to be re-doing Anastasia's faceup, because the faceup I paid DoD to do has mostly come off, and only 6 weeks after having her ( ) So right now it looks...terrible

I've got MSC, pastels, acrylic paints, brushes

Anyways, for the lips gloss, I don't know what to use. I was thinking that clear nail polish would work?

Also, is there anything else I will need other than the

MSC

patels

acrylic paints

brushes

???

Please let me know

 

It looks like you've got just about everything you're going to need, except a gloss.

I have heard about people using nail polish for lip gloss, but I use Liquitex Gloss Medium and Varnish.

You also might want to have toothpicks, q-tips, water and acetone handy to clean up little mistakes as you work.

 

I'm just going to list everything that comes to mind. You won't necessarily need all of this--these are just the things that I use for my own faceup work. ^^

Things you have:

- Paint
I use Liquitex Soft Body. It used to be called Medium Viscosity, and you may still find it under that name.

- Pastels
Chalk pastels, of course. Most things will do. I use fairly inexpensive ones and they work beautifully.

- Brushes
I prefer natural fibers to plastic, as they produce a smoother line without bristle marks. 20/0 is what I use for most purposes.

- MSC
Naturally! The one and only!

Other things:

- Liquid extender/retarder
To thin the paint so it goes on smoothly. For most purposes, I use 2 parts paint to 1 part or so extender. Certain applications may require thinner paint (i.e. translucent lip lines), so 2/1.5 will work better in those cases.

- Varnishes
Cheshiretiffy mentioned gloss varnish, and I use the same kind. I also use a matte varnish for certain applications.

- Cotton swabs + toothpicks
Seconding this, too, although I don't use acetone with them. I keep a bit of clean water handy to dunk the swabs into if I need it. If it doesn't come off with just that, soap and water or a bit of rubbing with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser does the trick.

- Pastel applicators
Cotton swabs can work (and for certain applications, they're ideal), but for broader areas of pastel color, foam applicators are almost necessary. I also use a few brushes for pastels, including a 1/4 Loew-Cornell mop brush for broad areas and a 3/0 Liquitex spotter for dusting pastels into tiny areas and crevices (like lip and eyelid creases).

- Craft knife
Not many people mention this one, but I think it's extremely helpful. For scraping off little bits of stray paint or sharpening edges or whatever... I use it for a lot of things. If you use one, scrape lightly to avoid taking off the MSC beneath.

- Colored pencil
Just one in a light flesh color. When I'm testing an eyebrow shape before painting it on, I'll very lightly pencil it on, make sure it looks good from all angles, then apply the paint and pastel over it. For black eyebrows, I use a gray colored pencil instead. Be sure to check your pencils to make sure they do not have oil in them!

I think that's it! If I'm forgetting anything, I'll come back and add it on later. ^^; Good luck, and happy faceupping! :wink:


~Kalmia

 

Looks like you've already got some great advice but just thought I'd throw my two cents in too. I use Testors Dullcote to put 2 undercoats on. (Of course that's after I've wiped the old faceup off with acetone and washed and dried the head)
Then I do the lower lashes, eye rims, eyebrows and lips in watercolor pencils. I also draw a guide line for the brows as Kalmia suggested, but I use my white watercolor pencil.
Then I add blushing with pastel chalk. Once I'm done I give it 2-3 more coats of Testors. Once that's dry I gloss the lips with Liquitex gloss medium.
Qtips and a bowl of water are handy to wipe away watercolor boo-boos. And I use a small brush for the watercolor details and a larger brush for blushing.
Everyone seems to have their own way of doing faceups so after a few times you'll develop your own "routine". Good luck!
And randomly... I keep hearing about this happening to DOD dolls! My next boy will be a DOD and I think I'm going to just order him without a faceup. Sorry that happened! But you will probably enjoy redoing it. I have really grown to love working on my boys faces!

 

This will be my first time doing a faceup, and I just want to clarify that I bought the right stuff today.. I have my prismacolor colored pencils on hand for fine lines and such. I ran a search and didn't find any specific answers to these questions.. if these have been answered somewhere, please direct me there.

I bought a very fine paintbrush, and some pastels.. I've never worked with pastels before, so I didn't know what to expect. I made sure to buy some that were NOT oil based. They're in a chalk state right now. I know to shave some off into a powder for blushing and such..

I was wondering, how do you get the pastels into a liquid state? Would you just add water, or do you need something else for it to work right?

I bought a can of Testors dullcoat at my local michaels, actually the last one they had in stock.. I was going to get the winsow and newton brush cleaner, but the only one they had in stock was a giant 32 oz bottle.. Though there was a place for the 4 oz bottle. I'll go back and check next week.

Now, I'm first going to try painting my juri head. And if everything goes well with that, I plan on altering my el's faceup. The faceup is the one he came with from luts. Now, another question.. For el. The only part of his faceup I want to alter are his eyebrows. I was wondering if just removing the eyebrows and redoing them, then spraying over everything with testors dullcoat would effect the coating he has on right now. :/

My main questions:

1: how do you get chalk pastels into a liquid state?

2: can I spray testors over an already coated official Luts faceup to alter just part of it, or do I have to redo the whole thing?

3: Any other tips and warnings you'd like to give for an experience-less faceup aspirer would be appreciated. ^^;

Thank you for your time and any help that might be offered. ^^; Greatly appreciated.

And now for pictures of what I bought!!(It seems like an awful small amount of supplies.. is this normal for a first time faceupper? @@;; Of course, the winsor and newton brush cleaner isn't here, I'll be getting that in a week or so)

All the materials..

Closeup of paint brushes and blending tortillons(Are the latter necessary/useful?)

Closeup of testors.. (Is that the right one? The fact that it said lacquer scared me..)

Finally, closeup of pastels.

 

I can help for one thing, I think.
You don't need to get the pastels into a liquid state. To make pastel dust, I just rub it onto a piece of paper and then put my brush into it and blush away. If your head is already coated, then you don't need to coat it again. After you've blushed, or if you want to add another layer of blushing to get it darker, then you seal it with the testors...
So no liquid. That's only with paint

 

be careful with the coloured pencils, a lot of them use oils to bond the pigment, if they are normal coloured pencils this is likely to be the case so give them a read, if they are watercolour pencils they will not have any oil and are perfectly safe. remember anything with oils stains!

also be careful with watercolour pencils, when I worked on my hound I did purple shading with the watercolour pencils but didn't brush him before sealing, there were tiny particles on his face I did not notice and when I sprayed the testors the pencil + liquid = paint! he suddenly had purple freckles over both cheeks (I thought it was cute but he was reeallly not impressed)

 

I'm going to be getting a Yder special soon (hopefully) and the sleeping head will not have any make up on. I want to practice faceups on the head, but I'm not really sure what materials to buy.

1. What brands of paints and pastels do you use?

2. What size brush do you use, or a better question, what is the smallest brush that is made? XD

3. Is Testor's Dullcote available at Joann Fabrics or Micheal's?

4. I have a list of things I think I'll need, am I missing anything?

Testor's Dullcote or MSC
A very tiny brush
Acrylic gloss
Acrylic or watercolor paints
Watercolor pencils
Chalk pastels
Paint thinner
Eyelashes
Brush cleaner for removing the faceup when I mess up. XD

5. What do you use to attach eyelashes? Eyelash glue?

Thank you for your help!

 

1. I use liquitex medium concentrated acylic paint and unison soft pastels, though any chalk type pastel and acylic paint would work.
2.The size brush I use is always around 18/0, 20/0, and 0000 for eyelashes, lip lines, and eyebrows(a liner brush). The brush I use for lips is a 10/0 filbert. I really don't know what the smallest brush is, sorry.
3. You can't get Testors at Joanns but you can get it at Micheal's in the models section in the store.
4. Brush for Blushing(q-tips and cotton balls work too, but personally I find it easier to use a make up brush to apply blushing), paint palette, and glue (can be Elmer's glue or Aleene's Tacky Glue, both work fine, there isn't special eyelash glue or anything for applying eyelashes for BJDs), and toothpicks for applying eyelashes.
5. see number four

 

This probably has been asked before, but if one wants to give their Harang a new faceup, does one actually have to go buy the pastels and stuff from a doll co? I've never done it before, but his faceup's half gone (don't ASK...) and I've got lots of acrylic and oil colour around. I thought I'd ask before I used it, though.

Also: any tips for good sealery stuff? The only one I've really heard of is Mr. Clear (is it Mr. Clear?) and I don't know if I can subsitute. Is a sealery thing really necessary?

Thanks in advance!

lain

 

I have a question. is it possible to use regular chalk for blushing?

you know the kind used for sidewalks/blackboards etc....

I ask because NONE of the craft stores in my area has any that are oil free!!

 

Hope I'm not hijacking the thread, but ... where do you buy brushes so small? I've checked several art stores in my area and I've only seen as small as 000 and 0/30 -- how do the sizes work, anyway? Does it go 0, 00, 000, 0/10, 0/20, etc, or are they completely unrelated? (It's totally ok if you don't know, btw. XD)

Also, out of curiosity, is it all right to apply a base coat of MSC and then, after doing the face-up, do a protective coat of MSC UV-Cut?

 

Ask for 'soft pastels' or 'chalk pastels.' The ones you don't want are oil pastels. They're rather plainly labelled. And you can tell by feel; chalk pastels are soft and dry, while oil pastels feel... kinda oily. And smudgable.

 

Ummmmm....have you tried Michaels? or Joann's painting section? Maybe even a hobby store, since I've bought some of mine there too but they aren't as small as the ones I found in art and crafts stores. (Hahahaha, that reminds me, the smallest brush I've ever seen sold on an online store was a 000000 brush lol!!) If you can't find them you could try buying them online. Hmmmmm heres a store that sells my personal favorite Loew-Cornell 7350C 18/0 brush. Though I bought mine at my local Michaels store.

The sizes of brushes go down from whole positive values to values smaller than 0 and is labeled by how many times smaller than 0. But I'm not sure sooo ummm you could try getting a second opinion on this since this is just what I've observed. When brush companies use the multiple zeros method (ie-0000 brush) on a certain set of brushes they never switch over onto the 0/number method (ie- 0/20) because they are in a way, different methods to measure the size of the brush (just like how mm and cm are kind of....) . I hope I'm making sense .

Yup, its alright to do that. I do that when I'm running low on the MSC, but you might not be able to get the pastel color intensity if you do this, because the single layer of MSC can only hold so much pastel.

 

I've been reading some threads on painting faceups and have some questions. I know that acrylic paints are commonly used on lips and eyes, but can watercolour paints be used instead? I'm trying to budget my spending and I already own watercolour paints, so if I can use those instead of spending more money on a set of acrylics, that would be great! I'm also wondering what type of gloss I should get?

New question! What's a good website that I can order Mr. Super Clear from? I thought I had found one, but the site doesn't seem to be active anymore :P

I'm trying to make a list of all the things that I'll need to do a faceup on my doll when she gets here, and if anyone could point out anything that I'm missing it would be very much appriceated.

Variety of brushes
Chalk Pastels
Paint
Paint Thinner/Retarder
Watercolour Pencils
Mr. Super Clear Flat Spray
Brush Cleaner
Blue Sticky Tack for Eyes
Magic Erasers for cleaning resin/removing faceups

I've also been reading a bit on sueding joints and saw a few links to a Japanese site that supposedly has patterns for cutting out the suede, but the link doesn't seem to work anymore. Can anyone point me in the direction of a site that has sueding patterns specifically for a Luts/CP Girl body?

Thanks a million everyone!

 

yes to watercolors, just experiment, sometimes they bead up on the surface.

Acrylic gloss is what you want.

I don't think there's any patterns anymore for sueding. You might see if you can find the thread on Pliver, Genie might have a link in there. I just cut out a pac-man shape, cover the joint with glue, shove it in and let it dry. You can shift the pliver around via the mouth of the pac-man shape. When it's dry, take a pair of embroidery scissors and trim off the excess. If you're feeling particularly dexterous, then carefully take a very very sharp exacto and trim the edge where the joint meets the suede. :3

 

Personally, I don't like watercolor paints for faceups. If you can find somewhere that sells Liquitex paints though, they might have a basic paint pot set, which should be more than you need for faceupping (I only use straight acrylics for eyelines, and the lip crease, and mix it into some gloss for lip toning).
http://www.dickblick.com/zz007/17/
(the third picture, it's only a few bucks at DB)

And as far as sueding, it's not very hard if you just guess and check as you go along. I just cut two at a time every time I cut a shape, so if I have one that works well, I don't have to make another for the other side.
Generally speaking, a lot of BJDs can take these shapes for sueding;
(the ones at the bottom can be applied to a lot of different parts, just by adjusting the width and circumference, like batchix said, a pacman shape)
But it's best to expiriment with which ones work best for your doll.


Also, this isn't necessary, but I'd also pick up some 90% Isopropyl alchohol and a cheapo tooth brush, for faceup stripping, if you'll be needing to do that.

 

There are certainly some very helpful threads on face-up tutorials. I've read the ones I could find and here's what I assembled for my first non-airbrush face-up attempts (which are proceeding more along practice lines for now):

1. Mr Super Clear or Testor's Dullcote (lacquer for base coating and covering completed parts)
2. Soft pastels (chalk pastels or conte crayon ... nothing oil-based)
3. Acrylic paint
4. Acrylic gloss (for giving shine to lips and areas around the eyes)
5. Coloured pencils or watercolour pencils (no oil content - handy for a particular eyebrow effect)
5. Very tiny liner brushes, 18/0
6. A somewhat larger brush with flat-round tip or ball-round tip for applying blush - these are very soft
7. 100% acetone (for cleaning botched jobs - got mine from a beauty supply store)
8. A knife for shaving dust off pastels (alternatively, paper or fine-grit sandpaper)
9. A thinning agent for acrylics (to help them flow on more easily - water or flow medium or retarder)
10. Mixing palatte (can be a plate, little cups, or cheap plastic trays from a craft store)
11. Clear-drying glue for eyelashes (Elmers, Tacky Glue)
12. Gloves to prevent skin oils from getting on resin (I use latex from the drug store and thoroughly wash them inside and out to get rid of powders)
13. A way to hold body part at a distance so you can spray lacquer coats (I've seen Dechanique use her stringing gadget for this ... I use a length of dowel with lots of rubber bands wrapped around to stop the head from sliding)

For starters.

Lisa

 

I've worked with watercolors, pastels, etc,
and I am interested in what other people use.
I've seen some amazing results with acrilylics
and other paints. If it isn't too much bother, do you
mind posting all the materials you would use on your children's
face ups? I'm kind of iffy about acrylics, because my art
teacher told me that it never, ever comes off..... -_-;;;
Is that true?

 

acrylics never come out of fabric, however on most plastics they can tend to peel, but ive never heard of this happening on a dollfie, probably because of the sealant (mr.super clear) also before you paint ur dollfie u should seal it before hand

 

hi guys,

i bet most of you are artists or art-orientated creatures. so am i. but i want to learn more and more, and have just started preparing myself to do my first doll's faceup.
can anyone help??
the most imporatant bit is the materials. i've no idea what's best in terms of brushes (companies, how thin the brushes should be and for what, etc.), pastels, paints. i'd very, very much appreciate any help regarding the names/sizes/applying methods etc. of all the materials needed.

i've seen info on eyebrows etc., read advice on how to paint but still don't know WHAT to use, except for the fact that i need pastels, acrylic paints, Mr. Super Clear (?)....

please do share your experience. i don't mind buying off the net should anyone tell me what i really need...

thanks so much!!!

cureilona

 

First off-- DOD faceups are a pain in the butt to remove. Secondly I have some questions

Everyone keeps saying acrylics but they don't mean regular acrylic paints do they? I have some "Winsor & Newton" acrylic paints but those are for my pottery and canvas paitnings.. are they okay?

And, before you even paint do you have to seal the resin? Like spray on a layer, paint and then spray on your other layers? and hmm I guess that's it.

Also, I saw somewhere on here that Isopropyl Alcohol is good for removing faceups.. Somehow I think it would hurt the resin. I have 70% here and I'm hesitant to use it.

 

I use normal acrylics, those kind you use to paint canvases. I have Dawler-Rowney, so W&N should wor just as fine. I think they leave a lot nicer mark than watercolorpencils. I use isopropylalcohol to remove face ups. It works well, and doesn't stink like (non aseton) nailpolishremover. And yes, you should spray one good layer before painting, it protects the resin and the paint is a lot easier to remove when you want to change the face up ^^

 

You've got to spray a layer before you paint to protect the resin from staining. It's really important to do, especially if you use acrylics, because if you don't you're basically asking for nasty stains that are hard to remove ):

Then spray copious amounts over, to protect from chipping and fading ^_^

I use normal acrylics for painting on canvas, but I find that watercolour pencils are easier to work with for me. And I've heard isopropyl alcohol recommended everywhere, but after it took me over two hours to remove the default faceup of my Dana, I'll swear by non-acetone (AND NON TINTED!!!!) nailpolish remover. Tinted nailpolish remover WILL STAIN. You may not notice it at first but it stains over time, I've heard! ^^

I hope it goes well 3

 

I use 99% Alcohol and it does not damage the resin. Acetone is quite toxic and actually poison to humans.

 

seventy percent should be just fine. every once in a while, i notice a white residue if i leave the alcohol on for a bit, but it wipes off just fine. i suggest rinsing the head in cool water once you're finished using the alcohol, if you're nervous. that's what i always do.

and-...ALWAYS, ALWAYS spray a layer (or two, or three) of sealant before you start your face-up. staining is a real bitch and i've had it happen to me. even products that should be fine and not stain resin can and will if left to their own devices for too long.

good luck! be sure to show us the results!

 

I use Windsor and Newton acrylic brush cleaner to remove faceups. . .it cuts right through MSC. Sometimes too well, which is why I'm redoing a whole faceup now. . .(T_______T

 

Any of the suggested products for removing the face up should not hurt the resin, as long as you just wipe at it (never soak the resin) and rinse it thouroughly with water afterwords.

 

I know there are alot of threads already. But i cant seem to find exactly the answers im looking for.

This is the stuff i have already.
brush cleaner and restorer
clear varnish matte
tacky glue
18 watercolour pencils
2 brushes
msc uv cut flat

I guess what im trying to ask is.. what stuff should i use for a faceup? exactly.
I dont really want to work with acrylics.. im not good with paint. >.> but if i have to ill try. How do i use the pencils? just draw it on? Im not sure what varnish is for, but i saw it on some thread and so i bought it while i was at Michaels >.>

And i know i need msc right? Where would one get this stuff exactly. Its not sold in the us is it?
Okay so i got msc uv cut flat. thats setteled

can you use people makeup on em? like eyeliner? Im really curious as to if eyeliner would work on dollies.

Anyone got tips? or an idea, what colours/medium i should use for it?

 

Varnish is used mainly for shine - on the lips or around the eyes (to get that dewy eye effect). MSC is sold in craft shops occassionally, but most people seem to get it online. I know that the Volks USA online shop has some, and I believe that Pla Japan sells them too.

 

Ah, i didnt know there were more than one type of mr. super clear. Which one should i use? >.> Thanks for the site. ^^

 

flat, or UV cut flat is what's usually recommended. the only difference i know of is that the UV cut is just that -- formulated to cut UV radiation so face-ups won't fade easily.

 

Personally, I'm using pastels, eyeshadow foam brushes, watercolour pencil, black acrylic paint (with extender to thin it), MSC flat small, brushes and a new gloss. I need to find a really glossy gloss still.

Way I plan on doing it is grinding up some pastel, smudging it where I want it (eye hollows, cheeks) then paiting the eye liner, doing the eyebrows, painting the lips with the pastel dust mixed with a little water, then spraying and glossing and hoping it works.

 

You can use eyeliner?

Should i get pastels? I thought pastels has oil in it.

 

some pastels do. you want to look for 'soft' pastels or chalk pastels. i like rembrandts, but then again, i wanted something that was as high pigment-quality as i could get without bankrupting myself buying actual pots of pigment. a way to tell if the pastels are oil based or not is to look at the images provided on the cover of the set (if looking at sets) -- do they look soft and chalky/powdery, or oily/crayony? can you see the tooth of the paper through any random strokes? if you can touch them, does it leave eyeshadow-like powder on your skin or an oily lipstick-like smear?

i believe what jemisard meant by eyeliner was painting (with the acrylic?), not using actual eyeliner. most eyeliners have oil in them to help them adhere to human skin.

going back to pastels, believe it or not, Reeves is actually a fairly good brand, so if you can't afford to invest in individual pastels (at 3-5 bucks apiece), a nice set of Reeves is worth the money.

oh, right! in addition to brush cleaner and restorer, you might want brush soap as well, just for actually cleaning your brushes. that was something i didn't think to put in my mental kit, and have since been really glad i had a bottle of under the sink (i use Pink Soap but i know there are a lot of different kinds out there).

foam eyeshadow brushes rock! you can in fact use human makeup applicators as long as they don't have aloe and vitamin E in them (and man was it a pain to find applicator sponges that DIDN'T for some reason), if the head you're working on isn't bitsy (if you want to use them for fine details).

 

I need help in doing face-up. but I need to know what items are needed. ^_^ And I have a lot of questions to ask. Hope someone is willing to help me out, please. >.<

1) I saw 2 kinds of MSC selling in Volks website. One is just MSC another is MSC UV. may I know what is the difference?? ^_^ and i heard that MSC is poisonous to inhale. Is it true???

2) May I know where can I get face-up remover? Is there any BJD online shop selling it? ^_^ After using face-up remover, do I have to wash with water?

3) I see a lot of people using watercolor pencils. How does it works? >.< Sorry for asking such a weird question. Do we dip the pencil in water and color it directly over our doll face or use paintbrush??

4) Where do we use arcylic paint for? Is it for the eyes or lips? ^_^

5) And I see most of the doll pictures with glossy lips. What do they use? ^_^

6) Pastels are only meant for blushing right? ^_^

7) Does sanding of dolls make the doll turns yellow easily?? I read from somewhere that it says that. Is it true??

Thats all the questions I would like to ask now. >.< Someone please help me~~ Thanks so much in advance~ ^_^

 

1) I've used the regular MSC (The one without the UV protection.). It holds up quite well! I'm impressed with it.

2) Have you tried acetone or acetone-free nail polish remover? Don't leave the acetone on for too long!

3) I didn't have to dip my pencils in water to get the effect I needed for Aria's eyes (I used Derwent Watercolors in ivory black.).

4) You can use acrylic paint for eyebrows, lower lashes and lips.

5) Clear nail polish should help in that area, but there are glazes as well as clear acrylic gloss. I haven't tried any of those.

6) Actually, I did most of Aria's first faceup with pastels. The lips came out a nice pinkish-color and the eyebrows will have to have a touch of acrylic paint. ^^

7) To be honest, I haven't heard anything on that.

 

Hello, I have a few questions. If these have already been answered in other threads, please feel free to just link me to the thread.

I was considering buying some of the Volks face-up products and would like to hear how they stack up against the other pencils, pastels and acrylics that people use. Is it worth getting them from Volks or no?

Also, what is the best all-around product for wiping a face, that will work on all kinds of resin without doing harm? I now have dolls from four or five companies and would prefer to get something that works well on everybody with no worries.

Finally, is there ONE good ONLINE source for all the materials? I'm thinking dickblick.com probably would have it all except maybe MSC which I can get from Volks. I do almost all my shopping online and would prefer to just bookmark one place for everything.

Thanks in advance!

 

Okay so here goes, the volks products such as MSC, their ceramic palette, Mr.Thinner and the shine pearl products are the only volks items I continue to actually use for faceup since everything else seems to me I can get an equal quality item for less money (for ex: Zoukeimura brushes and their pastels (I use Unison) and their acylics which is just liquitex paint anyway). Of course this is all in my opinion, so yea...
I swear by Winsor&Newton Brush Cleaner for acylics, it doesn't have a strong odor, doesn't soften the resin, and eats away at acrylic very fast.
Yea, I would say Dickblick.com for everything except MSC.

~Hope I helped a bit, and good luck !

 

Thank you, that's the kind of info I was looking for. Do you think the Shine Pearl products are worth getting some, or no?

 

Well it really depends on your taste, if you like the shiny pearlescent effect like me then totally, but if you just like that clear wet glossy look then you don't really need it. And if you don't use gloss at all, there really isn't any purpose for it.

 

Like the title says, what do you use for making face-ups? I've been practicing a bit and it works well on me, but I dont know much about materials to use. Please help.

 

I did a search but didn't find what I was looking for.

I just ordered a Cherishdoll Chubby without a face up. I really want to try a face-up myself to see if my degree in art has paid off. I made a list of things and wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

W&N Brush Cleaner and Restoer
Princeton Mini Brush 20/0 3050L
Princeton Mini Brush 10/0 3050FB
Blick Artist's Acrylic Retarder
Derwent Studio Color Pencil in Brown Ochre [for brows]
Liquitex Soft Body Acrylic in Light Portrait Pink [for lips]
Prismacolor Nu Pastel in Shell Pink [for blushing]
Testor's Dullcote

 

Here's are threads w/ some info on supplies that might interest you. Selecting and compiling a list of the basic supplies is something that I've been wanting to do also.
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75397
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98121

I also heard that Tamiya paint supplies are quite good.

Pastels, acrylic paint, air brushes--it seems the tools and methods are endless (and mind-boggling).

 

Just a suggestion, but you might want more choices of acrylics for the lips. Lips I've seen have a darker color close to the "crease" and you can go wild with a lighter or darker shade doing vertical lines on the lips, particularly the lower one.

Have you seen this thread of how people's lips look? I found it extremely helpful.

http://denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77316

 

Ok, I got some pastels, dry, chalk pastels. (not many yet, getting more soon)
Brush cleaner, acrylics, teensie brushes, Mod-Podge gloss, some Testor's dullcote, and some cheap matte overcoat.

I got windsor and newton brush cleaner, as for cotton balls and Q-Tips, my mom has tons of those so I will just use some of hers.

Are all these materials safe and sufficient for using in faceups? Can I start, or what?

 

Yes, that all sounds safe, except the cheap matte overcoat... I'm not sure about that XD; I've never used anything besides Testor's, myself.

 

You might want to be careful with Testor's... It does have a tendency to yellow over a short period of time. :\

 

Yeah, well I think that is mostly due to outside conditions acting on the sealant.
The cheaper stuff I got is, "PLAID Patricia Nimocks Clear Acrylic Sealer MATTE"
It says it works on cast resin products.

I likely wont ever use it until someone confirms it's safe.
As far as Testor's yellowing, sealants tend to yellow, like paper, when exposed to certain chemicals for a prolonged period of time. Like, my dad smokes, so basically any paper not holed up in my room is yellowed in a period of a few weeks.


If I do faceup work it will just be on other peoples dolls, in a non smoking home, with pets, but they never go in my room anyways. It's practically a meat locker in there, since I am never home and my room is FORBIDDEN TERRITORY *hiiiisss* >.<;

As far as pastels, can anyone inform me if crushed watercolor powders work in a similar manner? I was experimenting with those on paper a while back, I have many more colors of those, and hell, they're water soluble to the max, I doubt they could stain a shirt, much less resin.

I've heard of people using watercolor stuff too.
How many colors do you NEED for Pastels? I've only got a simple set of twelve to work with right now.

 

Well, if you have some shade of brown and some shade of red or orange or something for pastels to blend, you're pretty much ok for natural colors. Actually, as long as you're pretty good at mixing colors in general, you're probably fine with twelve for pretty much any scheme.

It's helpful to have a variety, though. That way, if you run out of a color and you didn't have to blend different pastels to make it, it's a lot easier to get a match.

I don't know about watercolor pastels, but they probably work about the same. Since I haven't used them, however, I could be horribly wrong; someone probably knows, though.

 

I think as long as you can get your resin to have a "tooth", and you can get the powder to stick and go on even, you can use whatever you'd like! :3

As for colors, a variety of cool colors like blues, purples and greens work great for blending shaded/darker areas. Like Gemanic said, if you have any peaches, tans and reds, you can blend the dust together to make darker or lighter colors. :3

 

Well I have heard of people using watercolor paints and pencils with no issues before. Honestly, it's WATER color. It's as water soluble as things get, in the artistic world. It only sticks to paper made to absorb it. Which is, by the way, expensive. Very expensive.

I am going to get more pastels, I just want to know if I have enough for right now, It's all basic colors, a red, yellow, orange, green, dark green, blue, purple... etc.

By the way, is it better to also coat BEFORE face-upping?
I heard that Testors gives resin a nice 'tooth' as you mentioned. For blushing and such.

I was going to try applying that with a cotton ball, is that correct?

 

Ok! I think I have the appropriate materials but I wanted to ask one quick question I don't see here.

What would be a good 'stand' for the head while the MSC dries? I was thinking of a foam cone from the craft store...

What do you think?

Thanks!

 

I think most people stick them on the top of glue bottles. The only reason I would say you shouldn't use a foam cone would be that you can't spray the head on the cone, as aerosol melts foam.

 

Thank you!

So, I'm getting Aleene's Tacky Glue for her lashes....would that be suitable?

 

I use Aileen's Tacky Glue for my dolls lashes, and it's so much better than plain ol' Elmers.