I love how smart you are when it comes to these things, how much effort you put into research and figuring things out. @anjsmiles I’m kind of like Patrick from SpongeBob. “Ooohh pretty paints in babyfx looking bottles. Can’t wait to play with these.” 
So how many comes in your big set, @Sony72? And about how much did it cost?
Ha ha! Love your SpongeBob analogy! I myself can tend to over analyze things sometimes but when it comes to things like this I do try to be well researched. I have been researching paints, pigments, mediums etc. ever since I got into reborning back in 2004. While I glean from all sources and everyone’s methods, I always come to my own conclusions about things.
I still believe that Baby FX is by far the best ready to use reborn doll painting method and hope to always be able to acquire them. Should I ever not be able to do so, I want to have a back-up plan. Especially, since they have been out of a lot of colors lately with the manufacturers. Right now I have plenty enough in my stock to create whatever colors I need solely using Baby FX. I also just think it is interesting to have a broad knowledge base about the air dry paints as well as familiarity with the various alternatives.
Yes I am one of the ones that use the Liquitex(soft body) paints. I have also used many of the other brands of paints, but Liquitex is still my favorite.
@rainbow Is there a thread that you talked about the soft body paints, if so can you provide a link, thanks. I bought the Color set of 6, they should be here sometime this week. I was just wondering how they worked and what you mixed with them etc…
There are several threads that I have given inputs on either Liquitex or air dry topics. You can use the spy glass up in the top right hand corner to search and you can get a lot of information not only from me but others also.
I buy the individual colors but there is nothing wrong with buying the sets if they have the primary colors in which you can mix your own colors with. It is always good to know how to mix colors. I mix mine with either liquitex ultra matte gel or with golden glazing medium(satin) and distilled water. I love the ease of use and performance of these paints.
I did use the spy glass and found some of our old topics, lol. Thanks for your info! My set is the primary set with black and white from Blick. I did order the golden glazing satin, have liquitex matte gel and always use distilled water. I am going to love painting with something new and have gained confidence in the paints from reading your old posts. Thanks again @rainbow 
my future alternatives thank you too!
To anyone who is experimenting, if you have any trouble with adhesion you could try putting Liquitex Clear Gesso in between layers? It provides adhesion to both to the substrate (canvas, vinyl, whatever you’re painting on) and the paint. I’ve never tried acrylics on reborns (I’m super new to reborning) but I have lots of experience with the paint itself. Everything everyone has said above is right on! 
I would probably use a matte gel or varnish to thin paint because it would give texture for the next layer to grab onto. You could also mix color directly into the clear gesso. Avoid retarder if possible, for reasons of adhesion.
Golden also makes a line called Golden Open Acrylics that have a much longer drying time- but they’re not as pigmented as their fluid acrylics. It would probably be sufficient though- all of their lines have a great pigment load.
A lot of the pros in the art world use Golden brand. They only make acrylic paint, and they do it well!
Oh PS- but varnish is toxic, so if you use that wear gloves & use good ventilation! It’s safer to just use the gels or gesso. Always check labels for daaaaaaanger 
I have tried using gesso in the past on dolls but it made the surface gritty and hard to get a smooth looking finish. I wasn’t too fond of that. Maybe I did it wrong?
@Rainbowbabies, can you post a link to your website/past babies so we can see them again? I know I have looked at your work and liked it but it has been a long time ago.
@anjsmiles Good to know about the gesso! I’ve really only finished one- my second is in progress now. Work, real babies, other art/craft obsessions, music = I go slow 
Need to work on a website and an etsy shop for my various wares! Here are my babes, and a leather project I just completed using acrylics and leather dye (that was an experiment too. It worked!) Sorry to blast so many pics here-- I don’t have anywhere to link to.
Hi Ladies I make Cheairdry paints and have had many using them for over a year now with no complaints and beautiful results we have 74 colors available and try me set is 12 colors for $35 - Tonya and I will be teaching a class using these at Rose so please check it out if your interested in good quality affordable airdry and how to use them to get as good or better than GHSP results
Hi, can you tell me where are these paints available to purchase?
Please can we keep this thread on topic to discuss options for using and mixing artist grade acrylics? This thread was intended to explore the options possible using paints from the art store and not promoting other brands of reborn paints.
Sorry, you’re right, waiting to hear any new information on acrylics. Anyone?
I looked the mediums up from the second video and they have the open medium available in matte. Do you think that would be a good option to thin the liquid paints more? I’m a little confused with so many options as far as medium to use but golden is a good brand as far as I have read and seems to work well with vinyl.
You aren’t the only one, @sweetiepieapril. Figuring this stuff out gives me a headache because there are SO many options out there. Guess it needs to be done now because babyfx is being discontinued. 
I knew there was a possibility that Baby FX might get discontinued. I did not know for sure until today when I read it like you all. This is why I started this thread. I am strictly focused on testing artist grade paints because they are readily available and archival quality.
Rather than trying to explain so much, I am going to post some helpful links for you all to read:
https://www.art-is-fun.com/golden-paints/
https://www.goldenpaints.com/technicalinfo_gelsmeds
In a nutshell, anything that says open means it has a longer drying time.
Viscosity refers to how thick or thin the product is.
Gels and mediums are nearly pure binders. So if you add one of these to your paints, you can increase the binding properties, which is very useful when thinning with water and/or trying to get a paint to stick to your surface. These products do act as a “glue” of sorts for your paints which is why you sometimes notice they will also attract more dust when using them.
The more matte a medium is the less transparent it will dry but on the other hand the less matte a medium is the more sheen it will leave behind. An example would be that Golden Glazing Liquid in satin leaves a slight sheen behind while Liquitex Utra Matte Gel does not. However, you can get a more transparent look when laying skin tones like darker ethnic tones using the Glazing Liquid.
Retarders slow drying time but DO NOT add any binders to paints. So when you thin your paints with a lot of retarder, you are breaking the pigments down similarly to the way water breaks them down. If you need to significantly slow the drying time of your paints, add retarder as well as a medium such as glazing liquid or matte medium. They are compatible to each other and can both be added to the paint at the same time.
Corn starch can be used as a matting agent in paints. I have used it in both paint and varnishes successfully by melting it in a little distilled water before adding it to the varnish.
I’ve used Liquitex(soft body) for about 5-6yrs. I have never heard anything from my customers about them fading or rubbing off. I use the ultra matte gel in my paint mix with distilled water and I never use a retarder because I don’t find it necessary. I love the soft body because it is smooth and creamy which makes it mix nicely and blends nicely on the vinyl. I apply a thin layer to a piece and pounce it out with a large mop brush or a kabuki brush. The mop brush gives a nice textured look and the kabuki gives it a finer(pin point) texture. It just depends on your preference. The cure time depends on how many layers you have or the temperature in your area. I have it cure in 4 days and then at other times it has taken as long as 3 weeks.
This one was done with the Liquitex paints (no powders)
This one was also done with Liquitex(no powders)
This one was done with a combination of Real Effects and Liquitex with pan pastels…
