Custom help!

[wiccanpony1]

Hi guys Im trying my hand at making a custom M/H 
I have the ideas down and I have the hair and outfit to hand but what is best to use for the face up???
what paints do you guys use?what sealer do you use?
thanks in advance x x

[PrincessKnight]

I used this tutorial!
Part 1: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33865920@N03/7004852204
Part 2: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33865920@N03/7160881212

[kissthethunder]

I have a question. The artist mentioned they used pastels and not paint. how does this work o.o

[PurpleCheeseStick]

I have a question. The artist mentioned they used pastels and not paint. how does this work o.o

What do you mean? How do the pastels stay on or how you mix them, all of the above..? I'll just try to answer your question very generally.

Pastels are a lot like chalk except much much finer and higher quality, of course. They're very easy to mix together in a similar way to say, eye shadow for example. The artist mentioned she just put a little bit of each color on a piece of sandpaper to mix together, similar to how you would mix paint, and then used brushes to apply it to the face like you would use a brush to apply foundation in makeup or such. Most pastels that are of a decent quality carry a lot of pigment so it definitely would "soak" into the vinyl I guess, to a point where you would at least have to wash off the darker colors with a touch of water. That said, this stuff is very easy to brush off and smudge so you have to be very careful when applying it. However once you seal it it stays put and after a while, and several coats of sealant, you can usually gently touch it with your finger pad and have your finger come away clean, because the sealant helps it stick to the doll/whatever surface it's on and keeps it from being too easily wiped off, the same way sealant helps keep acrylic paint from chipping and such.

Not sure if I answered your question at all and while I haven't tried pastels on vinyl yet I definitely have worked with them before and sealed them before as well. They're tons of fun, one of my favorite mediums, actually. 

[Chance]

I used this tutorial!
Part 1: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33865920@N03/7004852204
Part 2: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33865920@N03/7160881212

Thank you for these! 
I've been looking forever for someone to mention what happens if you bend or squish the head after doing a faceup. I figured it would get messed up in some way, but I haven't seen anyone else write a warning about that, so I wasn't sure... Considering how squishy Monster High heads are, you'd think it'd be mentioned more often!

[kissthethunder]

Purple cheese that was incredibly helpful!!! Thank you!

[PrincessKnight]

Yep, PurpleCheese is right - it works exactly like eyeshadow

Mr Super Clear sealant is also amazing stuff.

I used acrylic model paints when customizing ponies and I know some people also use them for dolls, but I've gotta say, I much prefer the pastel/watercolour pencil route for dolls. Its much 'softer' looking and it's also far easier to control a pencil than a minuscule brush.

[PurpleCheeseStick]

and it's also far easier to control a pencil than a minuscule brush.

TRUER WORDS HAVE NEVER BEEN SPOKEN ASLIKLRDSFGSLDRKLDSKFSD  paint brushes hate me

[wiccanpony1]

How well do pencils hold up over time? Do you use oil oir water based pencils? sorry about all the questions

[PrincessKnight]

I'm not too sure how well the pencils hold up unfortunately. I've only finished one doll and that was fairly recently. I assume that as long as they're sealed properly it should hold up just fine.

I just used plain old Faber Castell watercolour pencils. It'd be nice if I could afford a slightly better brand but they seem to work fine. The pastels I used were Faber Castell chalk pastels. This was a Ghoulia base though, so I am curious how well they will work on dolls with darker 'skin', like Cleo and Nefera.

All this only applies if you like the softer, more 'ball-jointed-doll' look, though. If you were after something that looks more like a factory MH you'd go the acrylics route, and I'm guessing that would be very similar to pony customizing.

Anyhoo- Most important thing to remember is to to the hair reroot before you re-paint the face, else all your hard work may be ruined  , eep.

Update: After looking on other forums, I've found out that Derwent watercolour pencils are apparently the best brand to use. Steer clear of any cheap brands - they won't work at all.