If you use artist grade acrylics on your dolls...

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anjsmiles Angie
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If you use artist grade acrylics on your dolls...

Post by anjsmiles Angie »

I am always reading things others are saying about the paints they use and have seen it often mentioned that some people are using artist grade paints such as Liquitex Soft Bodied paints and Golden Liquid Paints to paint dolls. If you have tried these or use these please share with us your methods and show photo samples of your work. I am interested to see how they compare to other brands in terms of ease of use and cure time. I am also interested in how durable they are in terms of fading and rubbing off.
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KeishaJay
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Re: If you use artist grade acrylics on your dolls...

Post by KeishaJay »

I use the artist grade paints because they come in bigger bottles than the pre-mixed "reborn" acrylics. I was never much of a painter when I was younger, but I took a ton of art classes in high school so I know plenty about mixing paints. I bought my paints to match genesis colors, so I can use any tutorial that's out there for the heat-set paints. The process is identical. It's just getting the colors right that can be tricky sometimes. I've only ever used these kinds of paints, so I can't really compare brands though. I did just recently buy some Baby FX paints for ethnic skintones, and the pigments are beautiful. I won't need to buy them again though now that I know what I need to mix. Retarders and linework mediums are your friends when working with acrylic paints, especially with darker ethnic skintones.

In terms of fading, I have had acrylic-painted kits sitting on shelves for years waiting on hair, assembly, what-have-you, and I've never noticed any faded paints. I will tell you that I have experienced AA/biracial skintones rubbing or scratching off, but sealing them with either acrylic or heat-set varnish does the trick there. I've yet to see a light-skinned baby have any issues with scratching.

I can't say enough good things about air-dry paints. No fumes from baking, and they can look just as beautiful as genesis. If you know a thing or two about mixing colors, I say go for it. Just be extra careful with your blues and reds (they need to be very thin to avoid going too dark), and you shouldn't have much trouble at all with a switch. There is no single-step backtracking though, not after the paint has dried/cured.

Here are some examples of my work:

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cookielover
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Re: If you use artist grade acrylics on your dolls...

Post by cookielover »

Great subject...thanks, Ruth
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anjsmiles Angie
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Re: If you use artist grade acrylics on your dolls...

Post by anjsmiles Angie »

KeishaJoy, lovely work! I especially like your Zenya. How long do you wait for your paints to cure before sealing them?
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KeishaJay
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Re: If you use artist grade acrylics on your dolls...

Post by KeishaJay »

Thanks so much. I loved that Zhenya too. It really depends on the skintone how long I wait. The light ones I can just put on the shelf without worrying about scuffing either way. I usually wait 2-3 days for the darker ones to set before I seal. My Baby FX paints say that if the paint is dry and resists rubbing, it's cured. If that's the case, it only needs 1-2 days, if that, to cure. I don't know if that's the same for all paints or not, but I've never had an issue with sealing uncured paint. Some kits (LDC, Blick, and Auer in particular) I don't even feel like I need to seal. The paint just sinks in so well to that vinyl that a sealer wouldn't protect it any better than it already is. These are also the kits that need extra care with blues so they aren't over-painted.

I will warn you about using heat-set sealers though. I have yet to see it myself, but some acrylic paints yellow/orange drastically if you heat them before they've cured completely. Be very careful with that as well if you plan to use heat-set sealers. Heat-set matte, for instance, works FAR better than air-dry. Air-dry matte has only ever made shine worse or done nothing to it when I've tried it.
Brooke
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Re: If you use artist grade acrylics on your dolls...

Post by Brooke »

I don't know about artist grade acrylics, but for me it is Baby FX all the way. Well, I will admit I've used artist acrylics to modify the colors in Baby FX a bit when I want a certain effect, but just a touch. If you use them be absolutely sure you use the "artist grade" and not "student grade". Student grade is terrible.
anjsmiles Angie
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Re: If you use artist grade acrylics on your dolls...

Post by anjsmiles Angie »

Oh it is Baby FX all the way for me too Brooke! However, they have been out of several colors lately and production has been slow so I was just curious if I ever had to seek an alternative what people think about the artist grade paints like Golden or Liquitex etc.
anjsmiles Angie
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Re: If you use artist grade acrylics on your dolls...

Post by anjsmiles Angie »

I posted several photos and some info on my blog today.

http://lildumplinsnursery.blogspot.com/ ... begin.html

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Elisabettas Babies
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Re: If you use artist grade acrylics on your dolls...

Post by Elisabettas Babies »

I have been using artist grade acrylic paints for the past ten years. They can be mixed regardless of brand, I have unlimited choice of colors and my tubes last forever. Pigment saturation and colorfastness are ideal.
anjsmiles Angie
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Re: If you use artist grade acrylics on your dolls...

Post by anjsmiles Angie »

I remember you saying that Elisabetta! You have always been one of the pioneers of the acrylic paints!
Can I ask which type of acrylic you like best as in fluid, soft body, open, etc?
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