Finishing Touches

[pop-girl]

I normally seal with Dullcote and have never bothered with primer.

I don't prime
In my experience, krylon products, and even the "for plastic" sprays generally stay tacky, or have some sort of adverse effect with the pony plastic (I had one I sprayed with the "for plastic" specific spray, that never did dry)

I think most of the "for plastic" paints are designed with ABS plastics in mind and not PVC/Vinyl - that's why they don't work with ponies.

[Diamond]

I use Dullcote and also Mr. Super Clear UV (mostly known in the doll world) It works fine too I don't normally prime. But pastels will stick well to acrylic too  - thats how I use them They also stick decently to pony plastic in general.

I was reading about that, but it sounds hard to find, where do you get it?

I don't typically prime, but I use acrylic and not pastels.  If I were to prime I'm very lightly sand the whole pony and use a good coat of artist acrylic paint.  A lot of gessos are cheaper grade acrylic and are more brittle and tend to not adhere as well.  Good acrylics have more flexibility which helps them stay adhered to sure a soft surface.

Interesting, the gesso I use is top of the line and when dry feels nothing like my acrylics.  It has more tooth and a chalkier feel but I do see your point about being flexible, ponies are squishy!  I did follow you suggestion and sand my recent gal after the disaster with the spray primer and the gesso took very nicely to her.

I prime with Armory white primer, and seal with either Armory or Testors dullcoat. All spraycans. Lately I've been using Armory instead of Testors, cause it's a bigger can, doesn't smell as strong, and ive had better luck with it. Don't get me wrong, I love Testors, but I had a few customs come out a bit shinier than I'd like with the last can I bought, so I switched back to Armory (found in gaming-type hobby stores.)

Hmm we have a few hobby stores by us, not close so maybe I shall call and see if they carry that brand before making the trip.

I don't prime
In my experience, krylon products, and even the "for plastic" sprays generally stay tacky, or have some sort of adverse effect with the pony plastic (I had one I sprayed with the "for plastic" specific spray, that never did dry)

Thanks for that feedback jupi, I would rather not ruin some of the imps work if I can avoid.

I normally seal with Dullcote and have never bothered with primer.

I don't prime
In my experience, krylon products, and even the "for plastic" sprays generally stay tacky, or have some sort of adverse effect with the pony plastic (I had one I sprayed with the "for plastic" specific spray, that never did dry)

I think most of the "for plastic" paints are designed with ABS plastics in mind and not PVC/Vinyl - that's why they don't work with ponies.

Thanks Pop, guess I will be returning that can if I can find a receipt.  Hmm unless it will work on model horses.  Where is my test horse?

[coinoperatedgirl]

I'm another Dullcote fan.  I hate the tiny cans versus the price (recently commissioned to repaint a mannequin, and I don't even want to know what that's going to cost in Dullcote) but there's not much I can do about that except be sure to use the coupons at the Hobby Lobby and A. C. Moore near my house.

I don't prime with an actual primer, but when working with ponies that are hybrids (head from one, body from another), I start with an aibrushed coat of Createx opaque white to make sure that the finished colors are the same for both parts.

[CarnationTwirl]

I'm always trying new things when it comes to ponies, but I think I've nailed down my G4 FBR method.
The body gets sanded with some 400 grit wet dry sand paper to give it some tooth.  The heads usually take to my primer fairly well.  I then prime with a paintbrush and the incredibly cheap ghetto dollar store variety craft acrylics.  To save time I make it close to the colour I want to actually have.  Something about this paint sticks miraculously well and it dries nicely even on stupidly humid days.  The drawback being that it does add a certain texture, even when painted on thinly, also getting it wet will start to wash it off.  That said, it's my go to bottom coat.

For finishing, I've tried many different kinds of finishes.  I'm still trying to nail down the best one, but I am liking clear acrylic spray.  'Rustoleum painters touch 2x clear gloss' is a good sealer for protection.  I once botched something and had to strip a piece I'd already sealed with it and it took forever.  So I use that first for protection.
I've also started using 'Krylon Make it Last!' and I've been getting surprising results.  It's actually very matte and a good bit cheaper than dullcote.
Of course, it's always humid and rainy here so I have to constantly use a hair dryer in conjunction with my spraying.

[Pythia]

I use dullcote - the only problem I've had is that I've noticed if I have to handle the pony a lot afterwards, to rehair or something, sometimes I seem to get darker patches where it seems like the oil from my skin seems to rub off.

[RobinHoodFan]

I don't typically prime, but I use acrylic and not pastels.  If I were to prime I'm very lightly sand the whole pony and use a good coat of artist acrylic paint.  A lot of gessos are cheaper grade acrylic and are more brittle and tend to not adhere as well.  Good acrylics have more flexibility which helps them stay adhered to sure a soft surface.

Neat idea! I may try that next time. I use professional grade acrylics. Never even thought of the gesso quality before!

[tikibirds]

I used to use mod podge bit not the matte version

[RobinHoodFan]

I'm noticing alot of you use dullcote to seal..which, is fine by me and glad to know that is what works in the end, super! ....BUT....when pastelling, one needs to spray seal between each layer to build up the color....and that can get VERY pricey with dullcote. Normally on my model horses I use Krylon  for teh between layers and dullcote for my final layers. Since Krylon may not play nice with ponies, what would you suggest I use between the layers when pastelling?

Another question...if a pony goes tacky in areas due to whatever sealer as used, would re-sealing it in dullcote fix the problem?

Anyone ever try the spray modpodge?

[Diamond]

I have seen some folks list the spray version of mod podge as a final sealer RHF, I guess we are just gonna have to try a test pony and see what happens.

[LeighAnnApanites]

I used the mod podge spray and it left my pony sticky. I was not pleased. It might work for in-between layers, though. After I resealed the pony with dullcote I haven't had any problems with stickiness.

[Uninu]

I use Army Painter Anti-Shine Matt Varnish or Games Workshop/Citadel Satin Varnish. I used to use Mr. Super Clear Matte, but after it became harder to obtain I stopped. I often use pastels on my ponies so a spray varnish is a must.

I never bother to use a primer, I tried it once but didn't find it to improve the quality of my paintwork.

[Diamond]

Interesting to see the mix of things folk use.