My paint has bubbles?

[Storm.Runner]

Hey guys, I've just started my first custom and while painting her my paint has little bubbles. I've thinned down the acrylics with a little water to try and make it a smoother job, but there are still clear paint strokes and small bubbles in the paint. I'm only on the first coat, so it's to be expected, but how can I keep this from happening as I top her up and come to her final coat?
I think she started out as a TAF Sweet Scoops - the white pony with ice creams all over her? I'm painting her a sort of ocean blue.

[Lavender_Lace]

Little bubbles can happen from a few things.  I've run across them mostly when the paint I use has been shaken and sometimes just from the brush itself.  When I notice them while I'm painting, I find that blowing gently on the paint will pop them and the paint will blend into itself.  If that doesn't work, then I'll just pop them with the brush. 

As for brush strokes, the paint should be the consistency of whole milk and you'll need to do many coats.  I like using a really soft round brush for FBRs.  Or, some people have more luck doing a dry brush method with a stiffer brush and basically scrubbing the paint onto the body.  I used to practice on fakies and this poor melted Sweet Stuff before I figured out what worked best for me.

Also, I have a much easier time with artist quality acrylics than with craft quality.  The paints are much smoother and the pigments are more concentrated.

[Maniah]

Yep. Soft brushes, thin paint in many coats. The higher grade the paint, the better the paint job.  Not much more to say, as Lavender said it all

[Storm.Runner]

Thanks Lavender and Maniah ^^
I can't afford much until my student loan comes in and that'll go on food, riding lessons and accommodation mostly, so the paint I have is pretty cheap but it seems to be coming out well. After three coats, my pony is looking alot better though there are probably going to be the odd bubbles, I'll have to check her over before turning in as I won't be able to get the exact colour match again as it was a mixer and I'm almost all out.

As for the rehairing, I'm a little worried about the paint blocking up the hair plug holes. What can I do to stop this happening?

[Lavender_Lace]

One thing you can try if you still have brush marks is gently running over the paint with rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball once it's dry.  It will remove a small amount of the paint, but if it's a super chunky brush mark, it will smooth it out and then you can add another thin coat to even out the color.   You can also use sanding film (the kind for model cars) and then a light swipe with alcohol on brush strokes in between coats if the paint is really dry. 

For the plug holes, unless there is so much paint over them that they're disappearing to the point where you can't tell where they are, you'll be able to tell where the hole is and be able to root right through the paint.  Just be careful when you're doing it so it doesn't chip. 

You can also take a needle to the holes before rooting to loosen up the holes and make it easier to see them while rooting.  If you have an exacto knife that has the x on the top where the blade goes, just stick the needle in there to make a tool.  If you don't have one, you can just try to use the needle by itself, or stick it into a pencil eraser as far as it will go and make a handle that way. 

[Arkillian]

I think craft stores have acrylic paint thinners. It's best to thin with those as water breaks down the composition of acrylic to a degree. If you get a medium and mix that with your paint it'll apply thinner and smoother. If the paint is really cheap though there's no stopping it from drying on contact with fresh air though :/ I used a matt medium with my first pony to minimise the brush strokes by making it less chunky and it worked well. More expensive paint is better, but it's good if you have cheaper paints already and want to use them.

With indian ink, I found that you can get bubbles in that if you shake it first and have a bristly brush. I've never seen it with paint though. I'm thinking it might be the water doing that cause it doesn't neccesarily bind to the paint. I'm not sure how that side of paints work, but I do know that acrylics don't thin the same way guache and water colours do.

[MrsDavis]

Hmm. I've never gotten bubbles in my paint before, though I haven't painted on ponies yet. I've painted a lot on plastic farm animals and things like that though, so I'm assuming same principle.

I think the ladies here all have great suggestions. Definitely try using a different brush and seeing if that helps. Also, you might have made the paint too thin.

Hope it works out for you!

[Storm.Runner]

Thanks guys I've done another repaint as she came out darker than I'd hoped, and so far it's a beautiful smooth finish. One more coat and I think her FBR will be finished, I'll definitely be using these tips you've all given me in the future though