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Hey everyone!
I’ve had some pyo critters hanging around for nearly a decade. I’m just now putting a base coat on a kirin.
I’m starting with a brushed on gloss black acrylic.
I prefer working over black backgrounds…
So couple of questions.
Do you primer at all?
Preffered method of painting, airbrush, brush, both?
Preferred paints? I enjoy createx paints when I can get them and auto air is my fave.
Thanks!You don’t need to prime. I usually wet the sculpture with water and a brush before I paint them, though. You don’t have to but I find it makes the gypsum a little more receptive to the acrylic paints, which is what primarily use. I’ve never airbrushed, but I know several on the forum do.
Primer isn’t really necessary for these pieces, though I echo the suggestion of giving them a quick wash before painting.
I have a personal airbrush at work I can use on my PYO’s, but I only use it to cover large smooth surfaces or to get a good ombre. Kind of a pain to take apart and clean out anyways.
As for recommended paints, Golden is my most preferred for these pieces. Americana, the premium version of Craftsmart, and Martha Stewart paints have also worked well for me. Liquitex is ok in my opinion… I’ve had mixed results with it.
People have used water colors and stains to paint their PYO’s as well. Oil paint is the only type I know of that isn’t recommended for these figures; I think it’s because it doesn’t allow the gypsum to expand when it gets really warm.
Tight angle brushes are also massively helpful. Not the most common kind of brush but well-worth the investment.
Hope this helps!I don’t prime them, and I don’t really wash them either unless they feel particularly dusty or gritty.
My paints are every brand under the sun, from (one single solitary bottle of) Golden to Liquitex (I like that they sell big tubes, and have several of those for the most basic colors I use all the time, like white, black, blue) to whatever-was-on-clearance-at-Michaels. 🙂
Most of my PYO painting is done with very small brushes! The widest one I’ve ever used was maybe a quarter-inch across, and it’s just for laying on big swaths of a single color for pieces that call for it (e.g. the fur of my black PYO wolf).
I also use Pearl-Ex powders, either dry-brushed on over paint or mixed into clear varnish, on various pieces, especially for interference color or metallics. Metallic paint can look like silver-flecks-in-a-colored-base (especially cheap brands) and adding the Pearl-Ex enriches the metallic hues, as well as allowing me to layer and mix them more subtly. Dry-brushed Pearl-Ex has a ‘dustier’ look; varnished Pearl-Ex has a deep, almost ‘wet,’ sheen. It’s a great way to mimic the natural iridescence of things like feathers, but it can take some experimentation to get it to cooperate.
Interested in buying or trading for: GB Pebble Sitting Red Fox in dark grey, Lap Dragon Test Paints (Water Sprite, Glacial Pearl, Opulence, Pastel Rainbow, and many others - see my Classifieds ad), Blue Morpho OW, GB Pebble Loaf dragons in blue/aqua/teal, and Griffin Test Paints (Black Rainbow or Frosted Jade).
I too use some various paint brands. One of my favorite brands, especially if you like metallic, is Jacquard Lumiere Acrylics. They are rich in hue, nice and shiny, and go on like a dream! Just don’t load up too much on the brush and blot it if necessary. It’s good for semi-dry brushing as well. I Love them! I also use Sargent Art Liquid Metal Acrylics for their Silver and Gold colors – those are my go-to if I want a really great metallic gold or silver that look like it could be the real deal. I’ve also used Golden Interference paints and a few of the specialty color shift paints in the Craft or Americana line at Michael’s. I use Liquitex quite a bit as well. If I want to put on an overall base coat color – or a mix of them – I will use the Liquitex Acrylic spray paints and spray on my base coats. You just don’t want to spray too much at a time and not too close. That’s my answer to not having an Air Brush. It works well for me.
Good Luck!
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*** Come visit me on deviantArt at http://ela-hara.deviantart.comI am a big fan of the pearl-ex powders but also use store liquid acylics.Powders can be a bit tricky but once you learn you can layer and get multiple color effects.I do use mainly black with powders,it serves as a base and the paint on which I apply my powders.I do not mix them with liquids myself.Some folks use ink,never tried that yet myself.Good luck and have fun.Hope to see your work soon.
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