Step by step tutorials?

[Lokie]

Windstone offers a tutorial as well:
http://windstoneeditions.com/sites/default/files/pyo_tutorial.pdf
(comes from here: http://windstoneeditions.com/paint-your-own-windstone)
That is what I started with 🙂

I second this tutorial. So invaluable!

Some of these tips and tricks I honestly never would have thought of but seem so very helpful–like the lighted reading glasses! So clever. I really wish I’d gone ahead and tried painting with a glove the first time around. I’d had the idea but kind of dismissed it and now I wonder if I’ve managed to get the statue greasy as well.

Those were from my video, and a word of caution, the paint on your PYO must be really dry before using gloves. I tend to have my pieces sitting around days between coats as I don’t have the time to paint everyday, so I never had an issue, but if the top coat of paint is even slightly wet or tacky, the paint will stick to the gloves and lift off the piece.

Also, Headlamp/Headlight could be used if you need a lot of additional light. I use a cheap LED one from Harbor Freight when I need more powerful lighting : http://www.harborfreight.com/five-led-magnetic-head-lamp-93549.html
I use the glasses for painting small details, since they magnify, holding the piece close to my face, and the headlamp all other times. However, if your paint is really glossy, the light can cause glare off the finish and actually be counterproductive, and make it hard to see what you are painting.

So many things you learn from trial and error. My video was very, very last minute, no additional takes (didn’t have time or batteries), and no script. And I didn’t end up adding all the cautions. I think it acts more as a drinking game more than anything else =P

[drag0nfeathers]

I have always used water to thin my paints and I have never had a problem. I have heard that you can, but I put on so many layers perhaps it just hasn’t ever affected my piece? I don’t know, but the few times I have used a meduim I have had a much harder time with it. Some of my pieces I have painted are probably 7-8 years old by now and they are all still fine. *shrug*

Got a busted Windstone?
drag0nfeathersdesign@gmail.com
*OPEN for repairs*

*SEEKING GRAILS*
Arc-en-ciel Emperor
Siphlophis Male Dragon
Calypso Hatching Empress
Ivory Moss Sitting Baby Kirin
Tattoo Mother Kirin
Emerald Tabby Male Griffin
Tie Dye + Orion Hatching Royalty
Indigo Rockfish + Flame Tabby Little Rock Dragons
Dragon Quail + Obsidian Frost Old Warriors
Betta Sun Dragon + Male Dragon
Dreamscape, Orion, Poison Dart, Fireberry, Spangler + Tigerberry Dragons

[Prezaurian]

I have always used water to thin my paints and I have never had a problem. I have heard that you can, but I put on so many layers perhaps it just hasn’t ever affected my piece? I don’t know, but the few times I have used a meduim I have had a much harder time with it. Some of my pieces I have painted are probably 7-8 years old by now and they are all still fine. *shrug*

-laughs- I have only used water to thin my paints and I’ve also never had any problems (that I know of). Though I have suspicions (from the photos posted on the Forest Swap) that the Mother Foo I painted for pegasus4240 suffered a few small paint rubs on her way to her new home. But she didn’t say anything so it was either my imagination or she was just too nice to mention it (I’m sorry if that happened pegasus4240!). I suspect lack of enough protective clear coat was to blame if it did happen. It was my first time using washes too. T_T

It’s just that some painters are a bit divided on the issue. So I figured I’d post the link that had other painter’s formulas as well as the link where the painter only uses water. Let the painter decide what to do after looking at both methods. 🙂

You can check out my work on dA & Redbubble!
https://prezaurian.deviantart.com/
https://www.redbubble.com/people/prezaurian?ref=artist_title_name

[Lauren]

@Dragonmedley
Okay. Maybe this is where I’m going wrong. Because of how fast the paint dries, I’ve been trying to do wet blending with my very first coat layers, and I’m noticing it’s resulting in… kind of a messy, marbled, and uneven effect? If that makes any sense. It was a little easier with my retry last night breaking the PYO into sections instead of trying to get the paint on all at once at least.

@Prezaurian
Oh man these links look like awesome resources, and I’ve only gone through perhaps one article so far…. I’m bookmarking it for later so I can go mining for info. *-* Thank you. (One thing I think is different-windstones don’t need primer/”base coat” in order to make the paint stick, correct? They seem pretty porous anyway.)

EDIT; I just wanted to add that the reaper article is INCREDIBLY helpful in figuring out how thin/thick/what consistency to be looking for in paints and explaining *thinning* agent as opposed to pure plain extender. If I’m understanding right, my paints are probably too thick and I haven’t been using properly thinned paint, which would explain my problems. Makes so much more sense now… thank you again for sharing this!!

@Drag0nfeathers
How strange. Maybe it was your video I saw then and not dragonmedley’s, because the video I watched last night matches your description of your video word for word. (Unless you both did the same?) I found it pretty helpful, although I’m not sure why my paints are so much more… transparent, I guess, when I’m applying the first layer. I’m guessing that it must be because of the brand/kind. Anyway, I really enjoyed that video, especially watching the rock get worked on from black to grey with the dry brushing.I think I’m just such a stinking ‘fraidy cat when it comes to layers; I’m so afraid I’m going to apply to thickly and lose details, but it’s sounding like more and more I just need to stop being such a fraidy cat and just TRY. xD Also, it’s cool to hear that I can probably use a mix of water and medium to thin my paints as needed. I will probably try that, even if it makes them just a teensy bit less archival. I mean, I have to use water to wash the paint brushes out anyway. It probably can’t hurt that much, right?

@moonbeam & @Lokie
Maybe I’m too much of a wuss/want someone to hold my hand every step of the way, or I’m just a better visual learner, because I found windstone’s PDF tutorial to be kind of difficult to use personally. There are definitely some good tips in there so I do agree with reading it, but I still had questions and felt kind of uncertain even after reading it a couple times. …But since I’m still uncertain even after watching videos, maybe it’s less the tutorials and more a problem with me |D

And yes, I noticed last night when I was trying to use the gloves ( I felt inspired to try painting again… stayed up waaaay past my bed time trying lol) that the wet paint would rub off on the gloves if I wasn’t careful, and it was harder to know if I was gripping the pyo in a “safe” zone because of the loss of sensation due to the latex. Definitely some give and take there. Good to know that there are some drawbacks about the glasses. It’s such a shame that the videos were limited to five minutes only, because I really felt like you guys all had some excellent teaching points that probably weren’t even *touched* and I would love to hear more. (No, seriously, I LOVE learning and receiving instruction almost as much as doing.)

General:
I kind of mentioned this above when talking with Dragonmedley, but I’m noticing that when I lay down paint (I’m using the Golden Fluid paints for the first time) they tend to kind of cover unevenly sometimes or are very glaze-y. Which I guess matches everything people told me before, but I’m wondering, when you’re using these, do you just using multiple layers that have dried on top of each other (or a basecoat) in order to get the color to be consistent and *then* start doing layer(s) of wet blending? I’m finding that even though I feel like I’ve technically learned a lot from my first attempt, I’m still getting washes that aren’t coming along evenly, and I’m just trying to figure out where I’m going wrong. (It would be fine if there was unevenness/darkness in crevices or wherever, but I’m getting a kind of uneven/marbled look on entirely flat surfaces.)

Another thing. Holy toledo, how are you guys keeping your paints wet on your palette in time to use them again on the PYO without them becoming dry at all on the palette? Would adding more medium help? Using multiple palettes and covering some up with plastic when not in use? I saw in one person’s post they were using mini plastic jars to keep their paints fresh and was like “THAT IS GENIUS.” I wonder if I can find anything like that at the local 100 yen shop…. Anyway, I feel like I must be missing something, but I haven’t heard of anyone here using a wet palette for painting. I actually have a palette wetting spray but last night it clogged up so I have to look into how to clean out the tube without letting all the contents in the bottle harden up or whatever. @_@

PS: @meowmix101
I just realized I have pretty much hijacked your thread. u.u I’m really sorry. Hopefully you don’t mind my asking some more questions; I promise to pipe down soon.

[Landipan]

PS: @meowmix101
I just realized I have pretty much hijacked your thread. u.u I’m really sorry. Hopefully you don’t mind my asking some more questions; I promise to pipe down soon.

Oh I have no problem at all Lasohaney! In fact I encourage anyone to ask their own questions, the more the merrier, I enjoy hearing other people’s experiences!

*Formerly meowmix101
Not currently open for PYO commissions.

[dragonmedley]

Mine is about a wolf (rock PYO).

Yes, the first coats of blending look horrible! That’s why you need at the very, very least, 2 coats of blending.

Same thing if you’re going to paint a single dark color and details on top, for example, a black griffin with gold/silver accents. You thin out the paint, brush on the first coat. It’s ugly, but as you add more coats, it turns solid and awesome. It allows you go get in all the nooks and crannies without losing any of the details.

Read my books! Volume 1 and 2 of A Dragon Medley are available now.
http://www.sarahjestin.com/mybooks.htm
I host the feedback lists, which are maintained by drag0nfeathers.
http://www.sarahjestin.com/feedbacklists.htm

[Lokie]

General:
I kind of mentioned this above when talking with Dragonmedley, but I’m noticing that when I lay down paint (I’m using the Golden Fluid paints for the first time) they tend to kind of cover unevenly sometimes or are very glaze-y. Which I guess matches everything people told me before, but I’m wondering, when you’re using these, do you just using multiple layers that have dried on top of each other (or a basecoat) in order to get the color to be consistent and *then* start doing layer(s) of wet blending? I’m finding that even though I feel like I’ve technically learned a lot from my first attempt, I’m still getting washes that aren’t coming along evenly, and I’m just trying to figure out where I’m going wrong. (It would be fine if there was unevenness/darkness in crevices or wherever, but I’m getting a kind of uneven/marbled look on entirely flat surfaces.)

Another thing. Holy toledo, how are you guys keeping your paints wet on your palette in time to use them again on the PYO without them becoming dry at all on the palette? Would adding more medium help? Using multiple palettes and covering some up with plastic when not in use? I saw in one person’s post they were using mini plastic jars to keep their paints fresh and was like “THAT IS GENIUS.” I wonder if I can find anything like that at the local 100 yen shop…. Anyway, I feel like I must be missing something, but I haven’t heard of anyone here using a wet palette for painting. I actually have a palette wetting spray but last night it clogged up so I have to look into how to clean out the tube without letting all the contents in the bottle harden up or whatever. @_@.

I use little plastic pots like these that I contain my mixed colors in:
https://decoart.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Session_ID=49a43883e36d81de35dfa46f92aae623&Screen=PROD&Store_Code=D&Product_Code=DAS208-K&Category_Code=DAS-K
I cut them apart so each is an individual pot. Although I can’t recommend this brand as I haven’t tried it, they provide a visual reference of the type I use. They usually keep the paints wet and workable until I finish the PYO, which usually takes several months. I’ve tried other plastic paint pots, but these worked just as good and were cheaper. I can also reuse them as long as I didn’t let paint dry in them.

I’ve also used these paint cups, which worked fine for mixing and storing a larger volume of a paint color:
http://www.dickblick.com/products/loew-cornell-storage-cups/

I also mention in my tips video that I paint swatches of any significant colors of a paint scheme on a piece of paper. That way if I run out of a color, I can more easily match it by comparing my original color swatch with any new mixed replacement color.

Dragonmedley beat me to the uneveness in layers topic. For me, one layer of a color never “covers” completely. Base coat or blending coat, doesn’t matter. I don’t try to force a one layer coverage. That usually requires overly thick paint that can cause details to be lost. Golden fluid acrylics (is that the brand you ended up with?), especially if new, are pretty, well, fluid (for a lack of a better word), so they may become thinner than you would prefer if you are using a medium like retarder. With or without the mediums though, you’ll still need multiple coats.

[Lauren]

@dragonmedley
Huh. Okay, I don’t think I’ve watched yours yet; I don’t remember a wolf. More things to watch when I get home from work today. 😀 Yay!

Aye-yay-yay, I should have known I suppose that it would take multiple layers to make it even; I feel reeaaally silly now. I wonder then if I’d left things alone the last time if it wouldn’t have been okay… well, live and learn (and waste a little paint, I guess).

@Lokie
Yes, those are exactly the kind of pots I need/want to find that I saw in your video. Hopefully I can find something like that here in Japan. You’d think it wouldn’t be so hard, but I don’t think I saw anything like that at the stationery shops in town that sell what little art supply there is, and the actual “crafts” shops should really be called sewing/fabric crafts. I’d really rather not have to order them from overseas (shipping time and fees, bleh), so I guess I’ll go see what I can find on Backsgazai or at the “dollar” store. 8|;

I do remember the paint swatch thing and I think I may regret not taking that advice soonish as I didn’t really record which colors I mixed last night. “I’ll remember!” <- Famous last words. Hopefully it won't be very hard, I didn't use that many.

And yes, I'm trying to use the fluid acrylics, even though I've really only used gesso before. Possibly not the best decision, but I wanted to try something new. Maybe I will try not using the retarder then and see how it goes with just the regular GAC medium (and maybe a tiny bit of water). I hope I wasn't applying stuff too thick, although I guess if I was, I was. xD Thank you so much for your help.

[Lokie]

And yes, I’m trying to use the fluid acrylics, even though I’ve really only used gesso before. Possibly not the best decision, but I wanted to try something new. Maybe I will try not using the retarder then and see how it goes with just the regular GAC medium (and maybe a tiny bit of water). I hope I wasn’t applying stuff too thick, although I guess if I was, I was. xD

I do think the fluids are the best decision, I wasn’t trying to criticize your choice. My comment was based around the thinking that if your only past experience is with tube paints which are thicker, then the fluids without any mediums that thin them (water, GAC, retarder) would make them behave closer to that. I don’t think it’s necessary to skip on the retarder, though you can play around with how the paint reacts with it and without it. Same with the GAC for that matter.

[Prezaurian]

Oh! If you use paint pots to store paint, you can get them to last a little longer if you store them in the fridge. lol I don’t know if that’s a given, so I just thought I’d mention it. The only problem is remembering to take them out of the fridge to clean them after you’re done with the project. 😉

Also, the difference between the miniatures and Windstones is that you don’t have to primer the Windstone. Unless you want to reduce how absorbent it is. Miniatures HAVE to be primered because paint won’t stick well to the metal otherwise. The miniature guide is also a great reference for the PYO horn on the PYO Unicorn!

As for keeping the paints wet on the palette…. Not brave enough to try that myself though the first link I shared has a method the guy uses for that. He puts white felt into a container, wets it and places palette paper on top. I’m not sure how to explain it better than he does. Plus he has pictures of his setup. It’s pretty much his wet blending method.

What I do is this (and mind, this is just me). I mix up the base color I want in a paint pot, then move some of that to the palette to create a wash to use. When I’ve got what I want, I seal up the paint pot to keep it moist and work with the wash I made. That way I only make as much wash as I need on the palette and I keep my color safe for later use. On a single piece this allows me to take some of the base color I made and alter it in another paint pot to create a hue that is similar to the base color and can deepen things up.

Like right now, I’m painting a Foo Mom with a bit of a tiger theme. So I’m making a wash of yellow ochre mixed with orange (cadmium orange I think). I do a few wash layers. Then I take some of that paint and make a new hue with either a bit of red or sienna (haven’t decided just yet). I’ll do a few layers of wash over the base color with that because I don’t want a flat looking solid color.

Ah…sorry for rambling on! I hope I haven’t babbled too much and that this helps even a little. All of my pieces are experiments and so far this is just the point I’m at right now.

You can check out my work on dA & Redbubble!
https://prezaurian.deviantart.com/
https://www.redbubble.com/people/prezaurian?ref=artist_title_name

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