Some advice on painting and symbols?

[Sunshine]

I know each customizer is an artist, and artists have their own tips and tricks and secrets they'd rather not share...

But I really would love if someone could help me out with one, big, thing that I've always wanted to learn how to do...

Does anyone have any advice on painting custom symbols that look like REAL mlp symbols? I mean, the real ones were like "silk screened" kinda on, right? Like a rolling paint over a stencil... is that basically what it comes down to? My free-hand skills will of course have to improve to get the kinds of details that some of the symbols have on them, but... I mean... I just don't know how to paint a symbol that doesn't look like a giant painted symbol.

Any advice on what type of paint (brand, thinned out, mixed with, etc), brush, technique? I've got a Baby Tiddlywinks (NBBE) who's absolutely adorable, but unfortunately has huge blue ink marks all over, and I wanted to customize her, and instead of making a completely OC, I was hoping to kind of make a "real" MLP type custom...

I just need some help? Also, what's the best way to not make my base coat of paint on the body look so... "painted"... ?

Thank you for anything you can share with me!!

[sunnydaze]

When in doubt you can use a stencil too!  I've used a stencil that I cut out to get the same shape over and over it saved a lot of the headache of trying to draw the same shape repeatedly.  The best advice is to thin your paint and make use of layers to get a good coat without streaks or brush strokes.  I've found that sometimes painting a base colour is fun too then you get a unique outline outside the symbol you've painted and it sometimes helps make the symbol pop out better on the pony...

This one used a stencil and lots of thin layers
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This one is free hand but with a base coat of white then I painted metallic purple blue and green before I added the glitter.
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I hope that helped but pratice and experimentation are always the best learning tools!


I forgot to address the 'shiny' issue the best matte finish we've all found is called testors dullcote it's in an aresol can that you can buy at Micheals or other craft supply chains. I leaves almost no sheen left on the pony but can seal a full body repaint to look like it started that colour. If I'm looking for shine inthe symbols I seal with gloss like in the glitter application I mix glitter in the gloss and layer on. for symbols I want matte i use the dullcote spray.

[CarnationTwirl]

For symbols I've been having luck with thin coats and gently sanding down any rough edges with ultra fine.  I use acrylic, higher quality is better but you don't need to break your bank on them.  I thin it down with acrylic medium and use a wet brush.  A good brush is the most valuable tool.  I'll sometimes trim them down a bit to get them to fit my needs (and because cheap brushes will get frustrating loose hairs- but I don't feel bad about hacking up a cheap brush)
That's what I do in FBRs too, thin the paint with acrylic medium, multiple layers, sand down any roughness, then finish it off with clear medium and sand it till it's all glossy.  Practice really does make perfect, and I feel I'm improving with each and every paintjob.  I mix the body colour in a batch so if I have to touch up I can do it easily enough and not worry about colour matching.  Toothpicks are good disposable paint mixing tools- using them instead of your brush to mix a colour is worth it.
Try to paint from lightest to darkest whenever possible, because it's a bitch to try and cover dark.

Some people have had great success with decal paper (also called waterslide transfer paper) and printing out properly scaled designs.  It's way up there on my list of things I'd dearly love to try but just can't justify the materials expense on right now.  And matching colours if you're doing replicas is likely a bit trickier since something is always lost in translation from computer to printer to real life.  However.  It may be an avenue worth exploring.
I strongly encourage you to go ahead and take chances, make mistakes, and get messy.  Exploration of methods is so much fun.

[sunnydaze]

One of the other things I do is to draw the design a few times on a small notepad to help determine butt placement to see if it's going to be too big or too small then you can adjust the design to allow for details.  I also second a GREAT brush is the best tool. I say replace them often becasue as soon as the hairs/bristles start to fray or spread apart they are done.

[shadowlark]

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OMG She's beautiful! I want a Canada pony!!

[berylliumpone]

Good advice, I found it very helpful, too.
One question, though...Carnation, what do you mean by sand exactly? Like sand paper, or some other thing?

*edit* Also, does anyone have an opinion of the Krylon sealant? That's the stuff I have.

[okiegurl1981]

I've tried the Krylon sealant and it left my ponies super sticky.  I wouldn't use it.  For a true matte sealant I use Testors Dullcote.  I use an airbrush to do my full body repaints with, but before I got that, I used makeup sponges.  They're great because they don't leave brush strokes in the paint! For glitter symbols, I'll paint a layer of just plain acrylic paint that matches the color of the glitter I'll be using, then do a layer of metallic paint in the same color as the glitter (with the base color of plain acrylic I don't have to do one million layers with the metallic paint), then I'll mix the glitter right into some glossy sealant, and paint it on. 

I've used stencils for symbols before.  My G3 Styling Firefly's symbol was done using a homemade stencil.  Basically, I sketched out the lighting bolt on paper, covered the front and back with clear shipping tape, and then cut out the symbol with an xacto knife.  Tah-dah!  Instant stencil, and because it was made from paper, it bent with the pony's curves!  I held it in place with painter's tape, and used a pencil to sketch the symbol on the pony.

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I'll second what everyone else has said about brushes.  A good quality brush is your best tool.  I usually sketch out the design on paper first, to make sure it looks right, and I can get the placement right on the pony.  Then, I'll either lightly sketch it on the pony with pencil, or take some tracing paper, sketch the symbol out, flip the paper over and trace it, then place it on the pony and go back over the symbol again.  Doing this does like a carbon copy on the pony, so I have a guide to paint it.  This method is really great when doing a symbol on both sides like the G1's had.  Thin out your paints, and work in several thin layers, and be sure to let each layer dry before doing another. 

[Sunshine]

Wow - thank you all SO Much for all the great advice... I'm SO excited to get started on my next custom now with all these new tricks...

And oh, my, gosh - the customs you are showing me look absolutely factory done! They are simply amazing!!

Can I go off topic and ask you okiegirl - how many hanks of hair did it take to rehair the G3 Styling pony?

[sunnydaze]

Wow - thank you all SO Much for all the great advice... I'm SO excited to get started on my next custom now with all these new tricks...

And oh, my, gosh - the customs you are showing me look absolutely factory done! They are simply amazing!!

Can I go off topic and ask you okiegirl - how many hanks of hair did it take to rehair the G3 Styling pony?

you are welcome!

Those stylin ponies used to take up to 6 hanks of hair but that all depends on how much you get in a dollyhair bag now....

[Ligress]

I would also like to thank you the people posting here, I never thought of sanding a symbol!
*puts on note-taking hat*

[isabelleakamori]

I'm no painting/drawing talent. In the past, when I wanted identical symbols on both sides of the pony, I drew or printed symbols (mirrored!) and went over the outlines with a soft, gray drawing pencil, then rubbed it onto the pony. It gives a light outline that you can then paint over.

I don't use this 'technique' anymore, but it helped me a lot getting used to painting on ponies in my early days

Also: decent quality paint helps, as does patience. If something does not work today, try again tomorrow. Some days just don't seem right for painting.

[Zaphy]

I've been able to use Krylon sealant, but only with a VERY VERY VERY LIGHT coating, so light that it probably doesn't do anything to protect your pony. I've tried putting like a regular amount on but like okiegurl said it leaves your pony super sticky. I've been looking around for Testors ever since.

[CarnationTwirl]

Good advice, I found it very helpful, too.
One question, though...Carnation, what do you mean by sand exactly? Like sand paper, or some other thing?

*edit* Also, does anyone have an opinion of the Krylon sealant? That's the stuff I have.

Over the paint I use sanding film I picked up from my local hobby shop, they do lots of scale model railroads and such.  Anyways.  It's an assortment pack of small plastic sheets and measured in microns, from 44 all the way down to .5  The ultra fine only has the slightest bit of roughness and doesn't feel like sandpaper at all.  Best 10$ investment ever.  The "roughest" sandpaper I use (not including when I have to scrap everything and start over) is 600g wet/dry, and that's only for body prep.
Don't apply any actual pressure to your piece when doing fine sanding, the film does all the work.  Go too rough and whoops! Big ol' scuff.  You just want to glide it over until it's nice and smooth.
High quality paints put up with wet sanding a lot better than the cheap stuff- cheapy paint comes right off with water actually.

[kaoskat]

I don't have anything to add, but good luck with your pony!

[berylliumpone]

Over the paint I use sanding film I picked up from my local hobby shop, they do lots of scale model railroads and such.  Anyways.  It's an assortment pack of small plastic sheets and measured in microns, from 44 all the way down to .5  The ultra fine only has the slightest bit of roughness and doesn't feel like sandpaper at all.  Best 10$ investment ever.  The "roughest" sandpaper I use (not including when I have to scrap everything and start over) is 600g wet/dry, and that's only for body prep.

High quality paints put up with wet sanding a lot better than the cheap stuff- cheapy paint comes right off with water actually.

Alright, I'll try to see if my Michael's has something like that.
I have Liquitex (not bought just for ponies--if I had, I wouldn't have gotten heavy body) and I have flow-aid. I have been putting off painting my ponies as I am having clay-sanding issues, so I have yet to see if this works.
I do have two cheapy Martha Stewart metalics, though. Does anyone know a good brand that has glittery/metallic paints?
My dad has some Dullcote gloss spray...is that usually a no-no? I can just pick up the matte next time I'm at the store, but I'm just wondering.