Paints! What to do???

I was wondering, what paints I should use when doing face-ups. I seen professionals use acrylic paints and so do I, but it always flakes after it dries. I use the "Reeves" brand, but I've never done face ups before. Is there something that I am not using or doing improperly, because I just do the paint "dry" ,no thinners.

Please and Thank you, Cherubis.

 

PS: Im getting desperate , I even considered using SHARPIE ,of all things to do her face. Help

I use heavy body acrylics and use retarder medium to thin it down. Applying light coats and letting it dry between coats. Once i'm satisfied, i give the head a spray of matt clear and finish off with a gloss varnish on the lips and blush on the cheeks.

You're going to be doing very light coats and thin lines plus sealing it off with a sealant, so you shouldn't have to worry about flaking. Also, another option is to use watercolors. The one face-up that I've done, I used watercolor pencils to lay it out, acrylics to darken it up and finish it, pastels for the blush, then sealed. Find the method that works best for you.

 

Do NOT use sharpies. From what I've heard, they will bleed into the vinyl and can't be removed. It's one of the worst things that you can do.

Are you sealing before you paint? It might be flaking off because without the sealant your paint (which does need to be thinned) isn't adhering to the vinyl.

Okay, thats great thank you! Just one more thing though, what thinner do I use? I bought one that made my extremely thick paint, become oily and it wouldn't stick to her head. It's call "Mona Lisa" by "Speedball". Any suggestions?

Almost all of the acrylics I've used in the past are water based. Usually just 1/5th or less of water to the paint, and adjust as needed. (BTW, the acrylics I've used are: Apple Barrel, Citadel and one other brand I can't think of right off the top of my head) Most usually have something printed on the side indicating what to thin them out with... I also use a few drops of the same paints in a tablespoon of water for "Inking" too, but that's more for the miniatures that I've painted before.

 

definitely DO NOT USE A SHARPIE!!!!! Vinyl soaks up the ink and the solvents in them like a sponge, and nothing you can do will get them out.

 

Ever.

 

A good clear base coat is a good thing. It does make it easier to remove flubs and any other oopsies..

 

Sorry for the long wind, but I hope it helps a bit..

Being a model builder that uses an Airbrush more than a paint brush, I tend to use acyrlics.

 

Paints that I tend to use are Vallejo & Citadel, but on my model side i tend to use Tamiya.

 

I haven't sealed any of my girl face ups, as I do not tend to seal any of my finished kits and what face ups I've done I do not over do as I belive that because the girls are a large scale, shadows & light create any effects I am after.

I DID IT! Her face is simple and may have a few mistakes, but I love it. Thank you so much for all your help guys!

 

EDIT: Okay, never mind, it's not completely done, but I would love techniques for her eyebrows and eyelashes.