I have had a lot of questions about what tools I use when I do a face-up.
So I thought it would be interesting for all of you do show you just exactly what I use.
What Pastels I use, what brushed I use, which sealants and all the other stuff I use.
Thus, I decided I'd do a little series of blog posts to tell you all about the all the lovely items that help me do my magic.
Sealants
A sealant is so very important when you are dong face-up's. It what prevents your doll from getting stained and it secures the face-up on your dolls head.
So Yes, A good sealant is very very important.
You can not just go and use any sealant on you doll. There are sealants out there that will hurt and harm your doll and its resin. So before you go and use any sealant please do some research on the sealant you want to use and see if it is resin friendly.
In this post I will talk to you about the two sealers I use on my dolls. Please know these are not the only ones you can use, there are more safe sealers out there, but these two are the ones that I prefer to work with.
Mister Super Clear
Or MSC for short. This is the sealer I use with every thing I do. Whether it is face-ups, body blushing, tattoo's. Everything I paint on my doll is sealed with this sealer.
I must say on forehand this sealer is not cheap. But I know this sealer is safe and I like the way it looks on both resin and ABS. (yes you can use this sealer for ABS dolls too, Yay) I'd rather pay a little more for my sealers and know they are safe than pay less and have my dolls and those of my customers ruined.
Please do take care of your health and use the right safety masks when you use this sealer. I'd advice to either spray outside or in a good ventilated room non living room where the vapor of the spray can be lead outside very quickly. I normally use my shed. This stuff is harmful to your lungs when you don't take the proper care.
How do you use MSC?
Make sure your doll is clean and dry before you spray go and spray it. Also keep in in mind that the weather outside is not to damp when you spray outside, the damp air will get underneath your sealer and it will not dry properly.
I spray in small quick tuffs, covering the doll is a thin and even layer of sealant. After that, it's just waiting for it to completely dry before you go and do anything else.
You can use multiple layers before you start your face-up if you want to be sure you're doll does not stain. I usually only need on consistent even layer.
When you sealer had completely dried you can start working on your face-up, tattoo or whatever you want to do.
Some people prefer to do the entire face-up in one go. I myself seal my work two to three times during the face-up to save the work I already did so I can not remove or damage it by accident. It is completely up to your own preferences whether you seal in between or not.
One thing that is important though is to always give your work a finishing seal. This secures your work and it prevents it getting damaged very quickly.
Both the last sealing layer and the in between layer go onto your doll the same way you did the first sealing layer.
Now I all this information might all be very serous and overwhelm you a little. I am sorry for that. But I think it is very important that you are well informed about it.
Mod Podge
There is a second sealer I use, Mod podge on water base. I only started using this sealer very recently as it became available in my country not so long ago, but I must say I already love it to bits.This sealer comes in a liquid brush on form. You could say it's safer to use than the MSC sealer, but I found there also is a little downside to using Mod Podge.Mod podge has a more smooth finish and more compared to MSC. But when working with pastels you want that tiny griddy toothy finish of the MSC as it accepts the pastel more easily that a smoother finish. But there is also a plus to using mod podge. It is stronger and that MSC is, this causes your work to chip less quickly then when using MSC.
All this combined is why I only use mod podge as a final sealer and only for tattoos or body blushing.
When starting either a tattoo of blushing I start with a layer of MSC to protect my doll. Then I do my work, sometimes seal with an extra layer of MSC just like I do with a face-up. But when I am done and I need to seal all of my work safely I take my bottle of mod podge and, wet my brush and apply the mod podge in even smooth brush strokes.
Let it dry for a good day before you do anything else with it though. It does take longer to cure than MSC does.
But if you take the time to let it dry properly, in the end you will have a hard finish that is perfect for body blushing and tattoo's that will last you along time to come.
Another fun fact, this sealer also comes in a version with glitter, this is so cute to use when you want a little sparkle in your work.
Now you know all about what sealants I use. I hope this information has been of use to you.
If you however have any questions please feel free to contact me, I am willing to answer any questions you have. And remember.... There are not stupid questions!
Next time I will be talking about Pastels. So keep an eye out for my next post in these series!
