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I’ve loved Windstone dragons for years but have never been able to afford one. So I’m really excited about the PYO dragon.
Is there anything you wish you knew when you painted your first PYO? I’ve been reading up on the forums for tips, but more info is always welcome. 🙂
I’ve done only one PYO, and she was fairly simple – mainly a practice to get the hang of painting on gypsum. My advice: don’t go too crazy with the details the first time, but try to blend/make it pretty. Also, it’s always a good idea to plan out your color scheme beforehand!
Good luck! I’m looking forward to seeing what you paint!
[i]Keeping an eye out for fantasy gryphons and test paint dragons.[/i]
Hi and welcome. My first pyo was also the dragon and it turned out better than I thought. Do you already have yours or supplies yet? I just posted all my advice in this other thread for starting painting a pyo if you haven’t seen it yet. http://windstoneeditions.com/forum/tips-tricks-and-shenanigans-appreciated All that I wrote there pretty much sums up everything I could think of for getting started. There is other good advice posted there from other members too. I would just say besides what is posted there that very small (narrow) tipped paint brushes come in very handy for small spots and q-tips and a cup of water also come in very handy if you get paint on a spot you don’t want. Also clear coat (varnish) before you antique if you want to antique after painting as I made the mistake of trying to antique before clear coating and then when I wiped it off, ended wiping off the under layer of paint. After you varnish the whole thing and let it dry a day or so, you can then glue the eyes in with a white craft glue or super glue but the white glue works pretty well! If you have any other questions, let us know!
Looking for rainbow or pink & teal grab bags!
Hi Kim! Thanks for all the advice. My PYO is on its way (in the mail now) and I bought three bottles of paint, a set of four brushes, and some glossy spray finish to get started. I had no idea you should clear coat before antiquing, so thanks for that tip! Not sure if I’ll try antiquing on my first PYO.
I plan to do a silver to blue gradient and got advice from someone else that I should paint the whole PYO black to start, then dry brush the colors on. Is this a good technique, or is it better to just directly paint the PYO?
I plan to do a silver to blue gradient and got advice from someone else that I should paint the whole PYO black to start, then dry brush the colors on. Is this a good technique, or is it better to just directly paint the PYO?
It depends on the look you want to achieve. My advice is try on the non-display side to see if you like it. That way, if you need to start over, it’ll be on the hidden side (I speak from experience…)
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http://www.sarahjestin.com/feedbacklists.htmIf you paint lighter colours, it can be better to paint a white base. Dark or metallic colours some people use a black base for. I personally don’t paint a base colour first. I just paint it with the colours I want to use and do about 2-4 coats of paint so the colour is smooth. Again on the other thread some people mention thinning the paint so you can do a few thin layers but I personally like the paint a bit thinker and do about 3 layers. I use a Golden glazing liquid with it to thin it a bit and prolong the drying of the paint but you can also use a retarder which does a similar thing. Some people use water to thin it but I don’t as I don’t like the watery look and not sure how the paint would hold up long term if it’s too watered down. You just have to see what works for you but you definitely should get a glazing liquid or retarder as acrylic paints dry super fast and it’s a pain when you are trying to blend colours!
Looking for rainbow or pink & teal grab bags!
Perhaps since you were using a metallic (silver) you were suggested to use a black basecoat- metallic tend to come out better on black. Is the blue going to be metallic also? Then black may be the best bet. If not, white covers easier.
I’ll suggest the same thing I suggested elsewhere- pick up a couple cheap ceramic blanks, even those cartoony ones at Walmart that are less than $1. You can practice both methods of base coat then, without stressing about ‘ruining’ your PYO. (many people here have successfully washed unwanted paint off a PYO in progress under running water gently).
Drybrushing can make a more seamless blending, but you can achieve great results wetbrushing also. Do you have any experience painting? If so, stat with what you know and are comfortable with.I plan to do a silver to blue gradient and got advice from someone else that I should paint the whole PYO black to start, then dry brush the colors on. Is this a good technique, or is it better to just directly paint the PYO?
It depends on the look you want to achieve. My advice is try on the non-display side to see if you like it. That way, if you need to start over, it’ll be on the hidden side (I speak from experience…)
Oh, that’s a very good idea, thanks dragonmedley! 😀
If you paint lighter colours, it can be better to paint a white base. Dark or metallic colours some people use a black base for. I personally don’t paint a base colour first. I just paint it with the colours I want to use and do about 2-4 coats of paint so the colour is smooth. Again on the other thread some people mention thinning the paint so you can do a few thin layers but I personally like the paint a bit thinker and do about 3 layers. I use a Golden glazing liquid with it to thin it a bit and prolong the drying of the paint but you can also use a retarder which does a similar thing. Some people use water to thin it but I don’t as I don’t like the watery look and not sure how the paint would hold up long term if it’s too watered down. You just have to see what works for you but you definitely should get a glazing liquid or retarder as acrylic paints dry super fast and it’s a pain when you are trying to blend colours!
Thanks for the tip Kim, I just picked up some retarder today. Can’t wait for my PYO to get here!
Perhaps since you were using a metallic (silver) you were suggested to use a black basecoat- metallic tend to come out better on black. Is the blue going to be metallic also? Then black may be the best bet. If not, white covers easier.
I’ll suggest the same thing I suggested elsewhere- pick up a couple cheap ceramic blanks, even those cartoony ones at Walmart that are less than $1. You can practice both methods of base coat then, without stressing about ‘ruining’ your PYO. (many people here have successfully washed unwanted paint off a PYO in progress under running water gently).
Drybrushing can make a more seamless blending, but you can achieve great results wetbrushing also. Do you have any experience painting? If so, stat with what you know and are comfortable with.Yes pipsxlch, the blue is also metallic. I’m mimicking my friend’s wedding dress, which was silver on top and faded into dark blue (it’s a late wedding gift for her).
I’ll be running out to Walmart now in search of those ceramic blanks! I’m hoping I won’t have to wash off a coat of paint, but it could happen.
Unfortunately I’m not a painter, so this is going to be all new for me. I’m excited to try though! Thanks for the tips!Nice job so far! I think I’m going to really like your dragon!
Love baby kirins, safari poads, mini keepers, and anything BLUE, BLUE, and, oh yes, BLUE.
Thanks lapis! That lady cat was from the first grab bag I got after joining the forum last year. It also is a good match for my kitty that I lost in January 2012. Someone else on another thread mentioned how grab bags can have a sense of humor. I think sometimes the grab bag fates gift us with something that is meaningful to us. Not every time, and not often, but I miss my kitty very much, and opening this one almost made me cry.
As for your dragon, I’m really liking it. My kind of paint job. 🙂 if you look through my PYO thread, you’ll see lots of blue. :bigsmile:Love baby kirins, safari poads, mini keepers, and anything BLUE, BLUE, and, oh yes, BLUE.
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