As you know I’m following MG on Patreon. I wanted to switch to air dry paints. I started following her tutorial for season 2. I started on the Owen kit. I ended up stripping him. He was too pink. I started over n was doing fine until I got to the bronze wash. It’s uneven n too dark. Guess I’ll toss him to the side and start on another kit in a day or 2 using genesis. Sigh 
it was so nice not having to heat the kits!,
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Air dry is definitely not forgiving like ghsp seeme to be. That said, you learn to work around your mistakes. I very rarely have to strip kits anymore. She went thick on on some of her washes… I’d recommend thinning your paint down more, even if that means you have to do two washes, until you get used to working with it. If you are using golden, that stuff grabs fast. Way faster than babyfx, which is what I’m used to.
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Thanks for the advice. I am using the golden paints.
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My question is when you use air dry paint you can’t lighten the color with another color that would be on the opposite side of the color chart?
Yes, you can.
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Ive also noticed that the iridescent medium recipe and then the matte varnish really evens things out and tones down the colours. I have been worried about babies being too red and then after getting to the varnish stage, wishing I had done more.
Im also following her tutorials but I don’t do all that she does and some of my colours I tone down and I have always used really thin washes so I continue to do that. I really like her thinner recipe, I use that a lot. I also really like the Golden retarder…so much easier and more of a time window to work than I had before. It takes a bit of time when changing paints. Even changing from Liquitex to Golden has really threw me off but I think I got my mojo back now LOL.
I am really happy with my idea to change, it was just a learning curve…maybe fool around with test limbs for a bit?
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I have some limited paints too. I thought about trying them with her thinner mixture. If you make your paints thinner, how do you apply them to the vinyl? Brush or sponge.
I was using a wedge, but it didn’t seem to be sticking. And the wedge expanded.
The wedges do expand quickly. I usually brush it on and pounce off with either a wedge or kabuki brush. Sometimes I stipple on with a brush, intentionally leaving some areas darker than others. Occasionally I will RIP the top off of a wedge, then paint onto the textured part and put it on that way. Whatever works.
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I had started painting it on. It was drying too fast, then I added some retarder to it. I ripped a wedge in half n dipped it in the paint n pounced it on. I’ll try it again in a couple weeks.
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I was using the wedge and kabuki brush method but now I only uses brushes. I get more even coverage that way and I use the “splotching” or spec mottling way of applying all my paint as well with a brush. Before I always had streaks so this works better for me…I just copied the way Melissa applies her paint, even for my washes, and then use the dry brush method over the top to even it, or spread it, out.
Sorry, if Im not making any sense…Im really bad at explaining things :P. I just always ended up finding drips or streaks later no matter how much I pounced so this method works better.
Oh, also…I keep my rubbing alcohol and some small type of “applicator” like a q tip, something like that, near me when Im painting…just in case I make a little mistake or miss something, it wipes up easily.
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It makes sense. I have a couple of the kabuki brushes. I brought them a while ago. Someone had mentioned them for using with air dry paints. That’s when I thought I was gonna switch to reborn fx paints.
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I mainly only use makeup brushes now. You can pick them up so cheaply on Ebay or Amazon…just have to be careful sometimes because some of them shed. You don’t have to spend much money on them, most of the cheap ones work perfectly.
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I like the equest sponges. I put on then take off. I saturate the sponge, pounce all over, then get a wedge to blot excess for washes. For mottled, just enough paint and and very light application. . One limb at a time, and usually in sections…front, back, then hand or foot. Depends on size.
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Where do you buy the equest sponges? You have a picture?
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I use those for mottling, they are awesome!
I have a picture of mine…they are in French but they sell them in the US, you can buy them wherever they sell things for horses and I think they sell them on reborn sites now as well. They come in one big piece, I just cut mine down because they are easier to use. Sorry the pic is dark.
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Bb has them now. Look under sponges.
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Thank you
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