Customising Hints, Tips and FAQs

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

Thank you. I never really gave Super Sculpey a thought- probably because it doesn't come in as big a package as I buy. I'll have to buy some when I go to the store next time. According to the link- I'll try Premo, too. Thank you for the links as well. I'll read those thoroughly as soon as I can. 

[tyrantqueen]

Thank you. I never really gave Super Sculpey a thought- probably because it doesn't come in as big a package as I buy. I'll have to buy some when I go to the store next time. According to the link- I'll try Premo, too. Thank you for the links as well. I'll read those thoroughly as soon as I can. 

You're welcome. I think you'll like Super Sculpey a lot, it is a pleasure to work with (in my opinion)

I do know that Super Sculpey is preferred by professional sculptors- Shane Foulkes uses a 50/50 mix of Super Sculpey and Sculpey Firm.
You might want to check out Sculpey Firm too- it's very hard but takes detail very well.

And there are other polymer clays on the market, besides Polyform ones. Forest Rogers sculpts with Kato Polyclay, which I have not tried but heard good things about. There's also FIMO, Cernit etc.

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

I never really experimented with the different brands/varieties. I only remembered the name "sculpey" and bought that when I had my first pack and never considered anything else. It is also new to me to mix clays- but it sounds like a great idea.

[Goldensamuel]

Anyone have any tips for repainting figures? i have been wanting to repaint a few old hollow bin figures for awhile now, but i don't really know what type of supplies are needed, and i also don't know any painting techniques. I would love some advice.

[tyrantqueen]

I would recommend acrylic paints, preferably hobby or artists acrylics (craft acrylics suck, because they are poorly pigmented) When I was first starting out, I bought a big set of Liquitex paints, which included lots of colours (perfect for a beginner artist)

This was the set I got:



I recommend looking at this site for tips http://www.how-to-paint-miniatures.com/miniature_painting_welcome.html
It is aimed at painters of miniature models (like Warhammer 40k etc) but you can use the same techniques (dry brushing, dark washes, etc)

I think the best way to learn is, however, to just pick up a brush and get lots of experience. Practice on some old, unwanted figures and enjoy yourself

[Megalosaurus]

Hello.

I want to remove all the paint of my CollectA Psittacosaurus & Styracosaurus. What solvent and tecnique should i use to achieve this without ruining the plastic?

Thank you.

[paleoferroequine]

Hello.

I want to remove all the paint of my CollectA Psittacosaurus & Styracosaurus. What solvent and tecnique should to achieve this without ruining the plastic?

Thank you.

I don't know why you want to remove the paint. If you are going to repaint the figure usually the existing paint is not thick. I just cover it with a base coat of light colored acrylic paint and go from there. I have found that whatever removes the paint may cause the vinyl figure to remain sticky. Not worth it. Unless someone else has found something that works I wouldn't remove the paint.

[tyrantqueen]

I'd agree with Paleoferroequine on this one. Just paint over the factory paint, there's no need to remove it. You're just adding extra unnecessary work for yourself otherwise

[Chimera778]

I have a fair number of Apple Barrel and Americana brand acrylic paints....do you think these will be good on plastic?  If not by themselves, will using some sort of sealer when done keep these paints where they should be?

[tyrantqueen]

I have a fair number of Apple Barrel and Americana brand acrylic paints....do you think these will be good on plastic?  If not by themselves, will using some sort of sealer when done keep these paints where they should be?

They'll be ok....although the brands you mentioned (Americana and Apple Barrel) are craft acrylics, and therefore poorly pigmented compared to, say, artist's acrylics. But if you're just starting out, and need practice, they're fine. All acrylic is fine on plastic. You probably want to use a matte varnish when you're done painting, to seal the paint and protect it against scratches and knocks.

[Chimera778]

This question is for for tyrantqueen, or anyone else who uses Liquitex, Vallejo, Citadel, or any of the other acrylic paints that come in small containers.  How long do they last?   It seems like that would not last to long, especially since some of the dino models can be large, and the bottles tend to be .5-.75 ounces.

[tyrantqueen]

This question is for for tyrantqueen, or anyone else who uses Liquitex, Vallejo, Citadel, or any of the other acrylic paints that come in small containers.  How long do they last?   It seems like that would not last to long, especially since some of the dino models can be large, and the bottles tend to be .5-.75 ounces.

I've never had a problems with Vallejo running out (well, obviously, not yet...). I bought a multipack of vallejo model colour last year, and none of them are close to running out. You'd be surprised how much paint you can get out of a little bottle.

If you are worried about this problem, you can just buy bigger bottles of colours you use a lot, for example, Liquitex black and whites come in large bottles, like here:

[tyrantqueen]

Hi, I need some advice regarding crocodilian anatomy.

I own a cast of Terry Norton's nile crocodile. I want to modify it to be a Deinosuchus. From what I understand, Deinosuchus had a rounder snout, like that of a modern alligator.

Here's a photo of the snout from above



Is it feasible to modify the kit to look like a Deinosuchus? If not, does anyone have any recommendations for a good, large Deinosuchus resin kit?

Also, I want to do the modifying myself, not sending it to another artist to do. So, please don't post any replies saying "oh, just send it to X artist".

Thanks

[Megalosaurus]

Hello.
I'm a newbie in painting, and just start to make my firsts dark washes for a cheap figure, First the basecoat,ok. Then I just apply the black wash over skin folds and I love how it brings out the details. I couldn't resist to apply it to the whole figure, to expose all the details.
Is it allright? Or should I stick to only apply it only on folds?

[tyrantqueen]

Hello.
I'm a newbie in painting, and just start to make my firsts dark washes for a cheap figure, First the basecoat,ok. Then I just apply the black wash over skin folds and I love how it brings out the details. I couldn't resist to apply it to the whole figure, to expose all the details.
Is it allright? Or should I stick to only apply it only on folds?

There's no right or wrong way. Just see what you prefer to do. Personally I like to do it only in the skin folds, but your mileage may vary

[LGM]

Hi everyone, fantastic site.
I noticed reading this thread that some people asked how to prevent acrylics from drying too fast. I do lot's of acrylics on canvas and the method I use is to lay a soaked piece of paper towel on the bottom of my pallete and squeeze the paint onto it. The wet paper really slows down the drying process without diluting the paint too much. It's a cheap and easy version of a wet pallete which can also be sourced from a good art supplier.
If you want to keep the same pallete for the next day just wrap the whole thing in cling film and pop it in the fridge.
Hope this helps.

[tyrantqueen]

Hi everyone, fantastic site.
I noticed reading this thread that some people asked how to prevent acrylics from drying too fast. I do lot's of acrylics on canvas and the method I use is to lay a soaked piece of paper towel on the bottom of my pallete and squeeze the paint onto it. The wet paper really slows down the drying process without diluting the paint too much. It's a cheap and easy version of a wet pallete which can also be sourced from a good art supplier.
If you want to keep the same pallete for the next day just wrap the whole thing in cling film and pop it in the fridge.
Hope this helps.

You might also want to consider adding retarder to your acrylics. Although, I find the fast drying time of acrylics to be an advantage more than anything else.

[LGM]

Yep, retarder works well. I know what you mean about the fast drying time. I love the idea of painting something then being able to touch it ten minutes later.

[JakobVicent]

i was thinking about repainting some figures but first i have a question. when the dinosaur figures such as carnegie come off the assembly line, do they have a matte finish on them? I don't want my figures to have a noticeable finish on them if i do decide to repaint.

[tyrantqueen]

i was thinking about repainting some figures but first i have a question. when the dinosaur figures such as carnegie come off the assembly line, do they have a matte finish on them? I don't want my figures to have a noticeable finish on them if i do decide to repaint.

I'm not sure, but I would think it would make sense for them to have some kind of protective finish so they can stand up to play wear. But a lot of toys I've bought in recent years lose their paint very easily, (I'm looking at you Bullyland) leading me to question this. But it shouldn't matter because you'll just be covering it with paint anyway.

A matte finish is the kind of varnish you want in most cases. It will protect the paintjob and it's not shiny like a gloss varnish would be. The paint can scrape off very easily without it, even if you use primer. So you might as well protect all that hard work.