The MLP Arena
Creativity => Customs => Topic started by: Astor on December 05, 2019, 02:41:40 PM
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I have trouble getting the eyes to look the same and the cutie mark. I draw where the eyes are suppose to be with pencil first and then when I do the paint it doesn't seem to go on smoothly, like it'll apply to thick and the cutie mark as well. What brush should I use for the eyes and cutie mark to make it look better? :huh:
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It's partly the sort of brush you use, but are you thinning your paint down? Oftentimes this is the culprit. The key to getting smooth application is the thin it out with thinner or even just a bit of water. The thickness of milk is ideal, and make sure you let your paint dry well between coats.
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It's partly the sort of brush you use, but are you thinning your paint down? Oftentimes this is the culprit. The key to getting smooth application is the thin it out with thinner or even just a bit of water. The thickness of milk is ideal, and make sure you let your paint dry well between coats.
How much water should I add? Just a tiny drop?
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Enough to make your paint the thickness of milk. I cannot give you concrete measurements, it depends on the amount of paint, the age of the paint, etc.
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Thank you! I'll try it out next time I make a custom
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One thing that has helped me is to have at least one pony that is just the eternal practice canvas.
Paint and remove the paint, again and again till I feel confident that I can get it right on the custom that I want to finish.
This can help you with getting better at working with the paints, brushes, the curves of the pony and even try experimental designs.
After all practice makes perfect. That is why people like Darkhorse have such an iconic style and each custom is so consistently excellent.
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I second what everyone has said! The supplies you use play a part but mostly it comes down to practice, practice, practice. That way you'll learn how much you need to thin the paint and how the paint and your brushes behave in general. Eventually you'll learn to control the paint better (and still there may be surprises and - sometimes - happy accidents! :D ) Simply learning to control your hand movement takes some practice, as painting on a curved pony is very different from drawing or painting on a flat surface. After thinning your paint to the desired consistency, make sure to do some practice strokes on a scrap piece of paper or the corner of your palette. If the paint doesn't flow smoothly enough to give you even strokes at this point, you should adjust your paint some more before touching the pony! The paint shouldn't be lumpy but not watery either.
What kind of brushes are you using? For G4 ponies you'll need tiny brushes. I personally like miniature painting brushes (such as The Army Painter or Citadel) and I know some people use brushes intended for nail art. Size 0 is probably going to be the largest brush you'll need! ;)
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Eye painting has to be one of the most tedious of making a custom in my opinion!! I'm currently working on a pair of teeny tiny ponies and have just finished the eyes for both ponies - it has taken me a week to paint four eyes!
I've never been a great painter so almost always sculpt cutie marks out of polymer clay, unfortunately can't avoid painting eyes. Not sure what everyone else does but I leave the original eyes on the pony and paint over the top where possible. Good quality, tiny brushes are vital to achieve the tiny lines and details. As everyone else has already said, practice makes perfect. I find that being patient and holding my breath also helps! :lol:
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I suppose this is sort of cheating, but for eye detail I use fine-tipped art pens, then seal the eyes with glossy polyurethane. For even smaller detail, toothpicks are a good idea instead of brushes.
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Practice!
I often trace on the symbols and eyes using a water colour pencil on to the pony first, so I get the position and size correct. I then paint over the pencil marks :) You can use a damp cotton bud to remove any pencil that is left.
Drawing them out on paper first is also helpful so you get some practice in before working on the pony itself.
Love pkw xxx
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Take your time, practise, & cheat a bit if needed. I hate painting fine details, so I dip a pencil in paint for that. And yep, the right thickness is essential for fine details.
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Thinning down the paint does the trick.
I'd rather do 3-5 coats of paint than just one. Especially with white this can build up to 10 coats (at least for a full body repaint, for a symbol or eyes it's normally done in 6 coats max). You'll see brushmarks for the first few coats. Just ignore them, let dry and paint the next coat.
If your brushmarks are very thick, wait until the thinner parts are dried, but the thick brushmarks are still wet and brush over it with a soft and dry-ish (wet brush wiped dry, but not actually dry) brush to smooth it out. This will make the coat more even.
I also use paintbrushs up to a size 2 for eyes and symbol, but only because these tend to have a better tip and are actually finer than a 1 or 0 size if you handle them with care. Try what feels more comfy for you and practise.
In the end you won't even think about it and just paint lashes and eyeliners without hesitating. ;)