Touching up eyes/drawing on new eyes *Updates with pics!!*

[LadyAmalthea]

Hi, I hope I'm putting this in the right place, but I am hoping some seasoned customizers can help me get the best results possible on a couple of projects I'm trying to pick away at.

I have a few ponies with chipped up eye paint, both the colored iris and the black pupil part. I'd like to fix them, but I don't know what the best technique is. Also, I have a pony that looks like someone got too happy with the acetone while trying to remove some marks on her head, and took most of her eye off.

I have a rare opportunity to go to the craft store (alone!) this weekend (I live 45 minutes away from the nearest one, and it's not feasible to drag 3 little kids who are too young to wear masks out anyway), and I need to make the most of it! Is there a certain brand of acrylic paint that you use for eyes, also a specific brush? Or do you use a certain marker?

Some other projects on the agenda: dyeing a pony, and reglittering another, both for the first time. Any tips for a beginner are welcomed and greatly appreciated!

**Updates with pics down in the comments!

[tailrustedtealeaf]

I think most artists use many different brands of paints and brushes. I just have the cheapo Michaels store-brand acrylics and they've suited me just fine thus far. The more important thing is proper color matching to blend in. Try to keep in mind that acrylic dries a bit darker than it applies! You may have to mix up a special blend and let patches of it dry first to properly assess your paint. Some acrylics are mixed for canvas, some are meant as craft for wood or plastic, you may wanna grab one of the craft kinds, but I think mine (meant for painting) suit just fine.
My suggestion as far as brushes go is to get the smallest brush you can. I found it much easier to do small details with shorter bristles as well, so I've cut one of mine to be about half as long. I suppose you could cut some of the bristles where they attach to the brush to get even smaller, too.
Don't forget some sort of sealant. The eyes have a sort of gloss to them, but it doesn't hurt to pick up matte varnish while you are there if you think you may customize in the future. I have a Liquitex brand gloss varnish that works ok, but you may find other people report better brands or say Liquitex doesn't work for them. Chemical reactions and all that.
I don't think markers (unless it's paint markers? Which tend to be quite thick) are like, archival? And will probably stain the pony and surrounding paint.
I've not reglittered or dyed a pony yet, but take a look at the Rit Dyemore (for plastics) to get the wheels turning!
As an aside, I know dyes have been reported to bleed, but is this on the normal RIT or the one for plastics? Just thinking...

[Ponybookworm]

Re: Dyeing a Pony.  First, remove all traces of glue from said Pony. Glue does not dye!!! Second, get Rit Dyemore: this works well with dyeing Ponies. Make the solution weaker, as though this will take longer, in the long run it's worth it to do it slowly rather than make the solution too strong & make the Pony far too dark!!!
Start with a Pony who's white, light-coloured or on the way to the colour you want (if you want green you can use blue or yellow for example). Set aside a pan, big enough to hold the entire Pony, which you don't use for cooking, & a pair of tongs with a plastic handle. Also set aside a jug & a large bowl. A spare glass bottle will also be a huge help if you want to keep the dye solution. In your large bowl put cold water (in warmer places like southern US States this may need ice), while in your pan you put enough water to cover the Pony & not let them touch the sides or the bottom, then add a capful or two of the Dyemore & stir in as you heat it up to a mild simmer. Keep the dye solution at this temperature throughout. With the Pony's head separated from the body, & all the hair removed, place the Pony in the dye solution with the tongs, filling the head & the body if you want a consistent dye job. Use the tongs to stir the Pony about, & check the Pony periodically. Keep checking both the head & the body so you don't get mismatch. When you think your Pony is the right shade, tip the dye solution out of the Pony back into the pan & place the Pony into the cold water bowl.
NOTE: 1/ if dyeing a Pony red, grey or black, you WILL need to repaint the eyes!!!
2/ HQG1C blanks work very well for dyeing, & glitter blanks take less time than plain.
3/ Don't just rinse the Pony!!! Also rinse the pan, the tongs & the jug (for transferring dye solution between pan & glass bottle) in boiling water to take out as much dye as you can. This will prevent dye contamination.

Clipper can link you to a video showing you how to use Rit Dyemore on an HQG1C blank.

[LadyAmalthea]

I'm glad I made this thread...this is all very helpful information, and I probably would have made some mistakes without some of these tips!

@TRTL: Thank you! I didn't even think about sealant...good call. If you are only putting it on the eyes, how do you keep it from getting on the rest of the pony and looking glossy? Or doesn't it?
Good to know about the marker...I suppose I should have guessed that it might spread into the plastic, given how it looks on the hooves of every pony that had the luck to be initialed by every Sharpie-wielding kid in the 80's. I'll stick to acrylic craft paint and fine brushes.

@Ponybookworm: Thank you, you have no idea how valuable this dyeing info is to me! I bought regular Rit dye a few days ago, but think I'll be returning it and using the Dyemore instead. I saw that at the store and debated, but went with the regular because they didn't have as big of a color selection and I wasn't sure I could get the right shade of blue I was looking for with the Dyemore shade they stocked at Walmart. The craft store will likely have a bigger selection though. So I do have to remove the hair...darn it. I figured I would, but was hoping to get away without having to rehair if I didn't have to. Do you think if I coated the mane heavily with Vaseline, it would keep the dye off of it? Not the biggest deal in the world, I guess...but the pony has the exact mane colors I was after (well, one does, and the other does except for the stripe, and I figured it was easier to rehair only a stripe than the whole thing, although I'm not entirely sure I'll be able to rip only the stripe out without removing the entire mane anyway, so it might be a moot point). Also how do I keep the whites of the eyes from taking the dye? (If it helps, I'm trying to dye white ponies a very pale blue.)
As a side note, for a future project, I'm wondering if using a Firefly-pink colored pony could be dyed to an Applejack orange? You mentioned being able to build on a color that's 'on the way' to the one you want, do you think that would be too dark? Wish I just had pony-plastic samples I could use to play around with dyes before potentially ruining a pony!

[glitterball]

Go to one of those cheap stores (UK: the Pound Shop or I guess the Dollar store in the US?) and buy a set of nail art tools - the ones where they look like pens but instead have a metal ball at the end - I find these VITAL in making near-perfect circular dots for eyes!

Practise with all the different sized  ones to see what resulting dot you get.

Have fun!

[SunPony]

For eyes I use acrylic model paints and very very small brushes that are made for painting models/miniatures.  I use Vallejo brand paints which I think I got at Hobby Lobby in the past (now I order them online).  I've also used Citadel and Games Workshop brand paints for eyes.  Sometimes I use the cheap craft-type acrylics that are readily available at any typical craft store, as well, but less for eyes and detail work and more for painting larger areas.

For re-glittering you have to get the tiny tiny glitter!  I forget what kind of glue/paint is recommended for that, hopefully someone else will chime in on it.

[tailrustedtealeaf]

Get the sealant you can paint on, at least for gloss!

[rybett]

Touching up eyes I sometimes use a toothpick.  For glittering I LOVE Folk Art holographic glitter paint.  Dries clear and shimmery.  I repaint the symbols in whatever color and then a couple layers of the glitter paint.  Less messy than glue and glitter.  Also, you can mix in glow powder and shimmer and glow time.

[Ponybookworm]

I'm glad I made this thread...this is all very helpful information, and I probably would have made some mistakes without some of these tips!

@TRTL: Thank you! I didn't even think about sealant...good call. If you are only putting it on the eyes, how do you keep it from getting on the rest of the pony and looking glossy? Or doesn't it?
Good to know about the marker...I suppose I should have guessed that it might spread into the plastic, given how it looks on the hooves of every pony that had the luck to be initialed by every Sharpie-wielding kid in the 80's. I'll stick to acrylic craft paint and fine brushes.

@Ponybookworm: Thank you, you have no idea how valuable this dyeing info is to me! I bought regular Rit dye a few days ago, but think I'll be returning it and using the Dyemore instead. I saw that at the store and debated, but went with the regular because they didn't have as big of a color selection and I wasn't sure I could get the right shade of blue I was looking for with the Dyemore shade they stocked at Walmart. The craft store will likely have a bigger selection though. So I do have to remove the hair...darn it. I figured I would, but was hoping to get away without having to rehair if I didn't have to. Do you think if I coated the mane heavily with Vaseline, it would keep the dye off of it? Not the biggest deal in the world, I guess...but the pony has the exact mane colors I was after (well, one does, and the other does except for the stripe, and I figured it was easier to rehair only a stripe than the whole thing, although I'm not entirely sure I'll be able to rip only the stripe out without removing the entire mane anyway, so it might be a moot point). Also how do I keep the whites of the eyes from taking the dye? (If it helps, I'm trying to dye white ponies a very pale blue.)
As a side note, for a future project, I'm wondering if using a Firefly-pink colored pony could be dyed to an Applejack orange? You mentioned being able to build on a color that's 'on the way' to the one you want, do you think that would be too dark? Wish I just had pony-plastic samples I could use to play around with dyes before potentially ruining a pony!

Pale blue (especially Kentucky Sky, which notoriously takes an age to dye) will not affect eyes as far as I know.
For the pink Pony to orange just slowly add yellow (again a weak solution), as like you said you don't want to wreck it. Make it weak, take it slowly, keep an eye on the project & you should get great results. I've dyed multiple times in the past with Rit Dyemore & it's now my most regular go to. When you feel a bit more adventurous then have a go at dyeing with several colours, rinsing everything between them, to see what you get from that. My G3 Halloween Babies & my G3 Easter Babies were both dye jobs, & they were dyed in colours I wanted Ponies to be dyed in but there weren't many (greens & orange, plus a yellow for fun). It was later I was inspired to make them Babies to go with themed G3 adults...
Yep, definitely remove the hair, or else it will dye too!!! Sorry xxx

[LadyAmalthea]

Great ideas, everyone! Thank you all so much.

@glitterball, that's a good idea about the nail art pen, I've never seen one of those for sale anywhere before, but then I've never thought to look, either. I'll add the dollar store to my list.

@SunPony, thanks, it's good to know specific brand names to look for, that have worked for others in the past so I'm not standing in front of a wall of paints wondering what the best thing is. I will be hitting Hobby Lobby, so hopefully they still carry these!

@rybett: Folk Art holographic glitter paint: duly noted! I'll give it a try, thank you!

@Ponybookworm: thanks again for the dyeing advice! So just straight-up yellow over the pink then...I'll try it!

I'll post pics of the finished results...as long as I don't make a mess out of them and ruin them (and then I'll probably just make a post to cry)!

[Griffin]

You've already got some great advice so I'll only add a few points: water down the paint until the consistency is nice and flowing. Do some practice strokes (on paper or preferably plastic) to get a good feel of your brush and the amount and consistency of paint needed. Keep water and some q-tips or clean brushes at hand in case you mess up. Don't be afraid of making mistakes, acrylic is quite forgiving and usually comes off with water if you're quick. If the paint has already dried you can try soap and a nail brush or toothbrush as they won't harm the factory paint. Good luck!

[LadyAmalthea]

You've already got some great advice so I'll only add a few points: water down the paint until the consistency is nice and flowing. Do some practice strokes (on paper or preferably plastic) to get a good feel of your brush and the amount and consistency of paint needed. Keep water and some q-tips or clean brushes at hand in case you mess up. Don't be afraid of making mistakes, acrylic is quite forgiving and usually comes off with water if you're quick. If the paint has already dried you can try soap and a nail brush or toothbrush as they won't harm the factory paint. Good luck!

Good tips, thank you! That's comforting to know that mistakes will come off easily...I won't be so intimidated to start now that I know this.

[glitterball]

Here is a random picture of the ball tool to look out for:

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they almost look like a set of pens 

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[LadyAmalthea]

Oh, awesome! That's different than what I had pictured in my head, so I'm glad you showed me the picture so I know what to look for. Thank you, I will try to find these!

[StillandSilent]

I used a small needle dipped in black paint for the eyes, but they are something I am struggling with as well.  They take a lot of practice