Paint for custom heads

[fossilfuse]

Need some help with head paint. Sorry if this is posted somewhere else. I bought some custom heads a year ago. Yes it has taken me this long to start to do something with them. I would like to maintain a Mego flat or dull tone to the paint, but smooth (no brush strokes). I have read throughout the forum that Citidal acrylics are the best. They are not very accessible. Any substitutes? The cheap acrylics I bought make inconsistant color and require multiple coats. Second part of my question, should I stick with paint brushes and many coats, or should I consider air brushing? Thanks in advance for the comments.

[jessica]

30 or 40 layers of paint wash, dry inbetween each coat. It won't show brushmarks, but you've got to be patient...and just a little crazy. Good luck.

[ctc]

>Any substitutes?

You can get similar stuff online. Try here:

Reaper Miniatures :: News

>The cheap acrylics I bought make inconsistant color and require multiple coats.

I found some cheapie stuff at the dollar store that works great through an airbrush, but is useless for brushing on.

>should I stick with paint brushes and many coats, or should I consider air brushing?

I'd keep both options open, depending on the paint you've got and the effects you're looking for. And when you're done, seal it with Testors mat varnish.

Don C.

[fossilfuse]

Thanks for the comments. Jessica, what type of paint do you use and do you airbrush? Your paint jobs are awesome.

[jessica]

Thank you fossilfuse. I use whatever cheap stuff I find at Michael's (a mixture of dark brown, whatever flesh I have, and a dab of red) and a medium sized brush (it's about 1/4 of an inch wide, and round, if you can believe that) for the skin but it will take forever. You can't see any progress until you get beyond your 10th layer paint wash, since my paints run as thin as colored water. For the eyes I go with the smallest paint brush I can find. Size 00/10 I think...

[fossilfuse]

That's funny, I bought my paint at Michael's as well. I bought Apple Blossom (I think). Do you add water to thin the paint?

[jessica]

It's better to add bottled water, but I use tap if I don't have any on hand. Just make sure the watered down paint doesn't puddle in the crevices (stay away from the eyes most especially) because then the paint will be uneven. Of course the paint likes to puddle on the edge of the neck too. As long as you swipe the paint around before it dries, you're good. I use a hair dryer inbetween layers because I am not the most patient of chimps.

If you have an action figure that already has a nice colored flesh on it, use that as a reference. Try to match that skin tone as much as you can with your little puddles of paint. When you think you've matched the skin tone the best that you can, then you can water it down and start painting the head.

Forgot to add that I also use some matt acrylic to mix with the paint, so that I don't have to seal the paint later. I really don't like doll shine because your figures can't look real in a photograph. I've also tried talcum powder in the paint too...but I think watered down matt works smoother.

During painting. As you can see it looks pretty hopeless:


Finished product. Mego never added a blush, but I like all my figures to be as lifelike as possible.

[PNGwynne]

What would you recommend for retouching vinyl heads (changing hair color, fixing rubs, etc.)?

Is there a brushable paint that will bond with vinyl?

[jessica]

They sell paint specifically made for plastics at places like Pepboys or Kragen. You can spray that into a puddle and brush it on. I don't have any handy at the moment, so I don't know what you could use to thin it down with. Acrylic paint does fine on paint rubs for me. But I think it devalues your Mego if you augment it with paint.