Painting seamless bodies (NSFW?)

weskerfan5690 wrote:Would adding some sort of clear coat be good for protecting the tattoos? And how should I position the arms while drawing?

Painting on a clear coat would be as futile as any kind of acrylic -- it will crack and flake off. Soaking up Gundam Real Touch paint (which is what that "ink" actually is) during application seems to be the best measure to cut down on the tendency to smudge and to expedite curing/drying. Then wait a while, and keep testing for any transference. Once the whole thing is done you can wrap it in paper towel and massage gently -- taking care to keep it from moving, lest there is any transference.
If you go with Gundam Real Touch markers, remember you have a broader and a finer applicator at the opposite ends of each marker. If memory serves, counter-intuitively, the bigger cap is over the finer applicator, but check.
I would guess that the most comfortable position for the arms for this procedure would be to extend them straight and perpendicular to the body. You can then rotate the whole figure as needed and have as little interference from the rest of it as possible, without having to reposition (and touch) the actual arms.

Would it be a good idea to at least add some masking tape to help guide me as I draw?

weskerfan5690 wrote:Would it be a good idea to at least add some masking tape  to help guide me as I draw?

I wouldn't leave tape on top of the TPE skin for any significant amount of time; some experiments involving this have ended in disaster. It is fine to use to pick up lint and dust from the body, but then you have to remember to reapply protective powder. Speaking of which, remember to remove the powder by washing before painting anything on the skin, and reapplying it once everything is done and dry.

GubernatorFan wrote:

weskerfan5690 wrote:Would it be a good idea to at least add some masking tape  to help guide me as I draw?

I wouldn't leave tape on top of the TPE skin for any significant amount of time; some experiments involving this have ended in disaster. It is fine to use to pick up lint and dust from the body, but then you have to remember to reapply protective powder. Speaking of which, remember to remove the powder by washing before painting anything on the skin, and reapplying it once everything is done and dry.

Then is there any safe way to add some sort of stencil?

GF - am I remembering correctly.... wasn't there a type of black pen that worked on the tbleague bodies? Perhaps a pen could help with the issue of more detailed arm tattoos?

weskerfan5690 wrote:

GubernatorFan wrote:

weskerfan5690 wrote:Would it be a good idea to at least add some masking tape  to help guide me as I draw?

I wouldn't leave tape on top of the TPE skin for any significant amount of time; some experiments involving this have ended in disaster. It is fine to use to pick up lint and dust from the body, but then you have to remember to reapply protective powder. Speaking of which, remember to remove the powder by washing before painting anything on the skin, and reapplying it once everything is done and dry.

Then is there any safe way to add some sort of stencil?

I found out years ago, that if you remove some of the sticky from masking tape, so it only just sticks (best way for this is to stick the tape to your trouser leg and peel it off repeatedly until it only just sticks) then you can use it without it leaving unwanted residue behind. This method should allow you to use it as a stencil. I would suggest practicing first before using it on a phicen body. Hope it helps?

skywalkersaga wrote:GF - am I remembering correctly.... wasn't there a type of black pen that worked on the tbleague bodies? Perhaps a pen could help with the issue of more detailed arm tattoos?

Well, there are the Uni-Pin pens (see link below), which were better than the oil-based ink pens, which remain subject to smudging and transfer (see second and third link below).

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t260p180-painting-seamless-bodies-nsfw#35833

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t260p135-painting-seamless-bodies-nsfw#34457
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t260p180-painting-seamless-bodies-nsfw#36579

The finest tips on the Uni-Pin pens are finer than the Gundam Real Touch markers, but those are much more effective in application, provided you soak up the ink as soon as you apply it, leaving only the part that is ensconced (at least this is how I rationalize it).

Oh ok, I misremembered the outcome of those pens. Thanks for clarifying.

skywalkersaga wrote:Oh ok, I misremembered the outcome of those pens. Thanks for clarifying.

Well, the quality of the results (or lack thereof) was not immediately apparent in its entirety. What seemed to work well (oil-based ink) turned out imperfect in the long run. Uni-Pin was better, but it definitely did not work on a surface treated with oil pastels (oil-based ink did, but still smudges). I feel more confident in the Gundam Real Touch experiment, although even that needs careful application and some caution thereafter.

Ian, have you ever thought of doing a video tutorial using the GRTM? I’m curious how you “soaked” up themexcess ink using Q-tips? Did you just press the tip on the marked spot, or did you move it back and forth. For me, visual examples are often better than written.

Stryker2011 wrote:Ian, have you ever thought of doing a video tutorial using the GRTM? I’m curious how you “soaked” up themexcess ink using Q-tips? Did you just press the tip on the marked spot, or did you move it back and forth. For me, visual examples are often better than written.

I have not once attempted a video (apart from narrating over a PowerPoint presentation), so that would take some working up to. Soaking up excess paint from a Real Touch Gundam marker (or any ink or paint for that matter) with a cotton swab (q-tip) should be done in a way that doesn't smudge or transfer outside the desired bounds.

Let's say you've just frenshly applied a line-like (or narrow arrow-like) black detail about half an inch long on top of the TPE.
1. Press a clean cotton swab tip onto one end of your freshly painted detail and, gently pressing and not scrubbing or running up or down, roll the tip sideways along the length of the detail, until it gets to the point of touching the surface with the portion of the swab tip that has already soaked up paint from the other end. You don't want it repeating, as it might transfer paint outside the bounds of your design. At all times, make sure the part of the tip that touches your design is clean. If you have more to soak up, use a new tip that is clean. And so on. Yes, it is quite wasteful where cotton swabs are concerned, but they don't cost much, and Q-tips come with two swab tips. Then don't touch the surface in that spot for a good while.
2. Wrap the body in a paper towel (Viva's cloth like material seems most dense and best), handling it carefully not to smear. Keeping the paper towel static on the surface, massage the body through it -- if there is any little paint left to soak up after the treatment with the cotton swabs, hopefully it would be absorbed by the paper towels. Let it rest a day. Maybe repeat.
3. After letting it rest in a paper towel and you see no more transfer, wash gently with water and a little soap. Until you see now paint in the run off.
4. Dry and apply protective powder. Handle carefully for a few days. It should be good after a week, although I can't help but try to handle it carefully even after that.

When it comes to oil pastel..
Once applied can it be removed?
Once applied does it affect cloth?

(thanks)

ukshaun wrote:When it comes to oil pastel..
Once applied can it be removed?
Once applied does it affect cloth?

(thanks)

A light and/or isolated application usually can be removed with a whole lot of (careful) washing and scrubbing. A fully applied and ensconced oil pastel coloring over the whole body, would probably be a lot more difficult to wash off, though theoretically it should not be completely impossible. But proceed on your own risk.

If you have done a good job ensconcing the oil pastel with a make up sponge and washing off any excess oil pastel (repeatedly, until there is no more color washing off or transferring), and then covering up the body with protective powder, there should be no or minimal transfer (obviously that is still more of a possibility the darker the coloring).

GubernatorFan wrote:

ukshaun wrote:When it comes to oil pastel..
Once applied can it be removed?
Once applied does it affect cloth?

(thanks)

A light and/or isolated application usually can be removed with a whole lot of (careful) washing and scrubbing. A fully applied and ensconced oil pastel coloring over the whole body, would probably be a lot more difficult to wash off, though theoretically it should not be completely impossible. But proceed on your own risk.

If you have done a good job ensconcing the oil pastel with a make up sponge and washing off any excess oil pastel (repeatedly, until there is no more color washing off or transferring), and then covering up the body with protective powder, there should be no or minimal transfer (obviously that is still more of a possibility the darker the coloring).

Thanks..
I am being slightly lazy here, as 11 pages is a lot to read through.
Before applying oil pastel, did you do anything to the Phicen / TBLeague body first, other than clean it?

I am planning to apply oil pastel to some parts / visible parts of the body, not the whole body.

-

On a side-note, painting on to silicone is an out and out no no, as silicone rejects paint.
As some have posted here on the forum, Phicen / TBLeague do not use silicone in the true sense of the word.

ukshaun wrote:
Thanks..
I am being slightly lazy here, as 11 pages is a lot to read through.
Before applying oil pastel, did you do anything to the Phicen / TBLeague body first, other than clean it?

I am planning to apply oil pastel to some parts / visible parts of the body, not the whole body.

-

On a side-note, painting on to silicone is an out and out no no, as silicone rejects paint.
As some have posted here on the forum, Phicen / TBLeague do not use silicone in the true sense of the word.

Not all 11 pages are about oil pastels. One can browse.
Yes, wash the body gently with water and some soap, pat dry, apply oil pastel, ensconce it, wash off with soap and water, repeat until there is no color coming off, pat dry, apply protective powder when completely dry.
There is silicon pigment (e.g., Silc Pig) that one can mix with silicon glue for small details (I wouldn't try using it for any large areas) -- and if you don't like it, you can pry it off.

GubernatorFan wrote:

ukshaun wrote:
Thanks..
I am being slightly lazy here, as 11 pages is a lot to read through.
Before applying oil pastel, did you do anything to the Phicen / TBLeague body first, other than clean it?

I am planning to apply oil pastel to some parts / visible parts of the body, not the whole body.

-

On a side-note, painting on to silicone is an out and out no no, as silicone rejects paint.
As some have posted here on the forum, Phicen / TBLeague do not use silicone in the true sense of the word.

Not all 11 pages are about oil pastels. One can browse.
Yes, wash the body gently with water and some soap, pat dry, apply oil pastel, ensconce it, wash off with soap and water, repeat until there is no color coming off, pat dry, apply protective powder when completely dry.
There is silicon pigment (e.g., Silc Pig) that one can mix with silicon glue for small details (I wouldn't try using it for any large areas) -- and if you don't like it, you can pry it off.

I see. I thought the idea was to leave the oil pastel on and not wash it off.
I have Googled ensconce: (as it is not a word i am familiar with)

ensconce

verb
establish or settle (someone) in a comfortable, safe place.


How long do you leave the oil pastel on until you wash it off?
What would happen if the oil pastel was not washed off?

ukshaun wrote:
I see. I thought the idea was to leave the oil pastel on and not wash it off.
I have Googled ensconce: (as it is not a word i am familiar with)

ensconce

verb
establish or settle (someone) in a comfortable, safe place.


How long do you leave the oil pastel on until you wash it off?
What would happen if the oil pastel was not washed off?

Perhaps not the best definition of "ensconce" for our purposes. All I mean is rub it in good with the make up sponge, so that the pastel gets nice and stuck on/in the surface.

You don't have to wait before washing off the extra (loose) oil pastel. In fact, you probably want to do it right away, so that, if any areas turn out to have taken in less color, you can proceed to apply more oil pastel to them, then wash off the loose oil pastel from that. The point of this process is to make sure your color is securely on the surface and you do not end up having color transfer to clothing, etc.

GubernatorFan wrote:

ukshaun wrote:
I see. I thought the idea was to leave the oil pastel on and not wash it off.
I have Googled ensconce: (as it is not a word i am familiar with)

ensconce

verb
establish or settle (someone) in a comfortable, safe place.


How long do you leave the oil pastel on until you wash it off?
What would happen if the oil pastel was not washed off?

Perhaps not the best definition of "ensconce" for our purposes. All I mean is rub it in good with the make up sponge, so that the pastel gets nice and stuck on/in the surface.

You don't have to wait before washing off the extra (loose) oil pastel. In fact, you probably want to do it right away, so that, if any areas turn out to have taken in less color, you can proceed to apply more oil pastel to them, then wash off the loose oil pastel from that. The point of this process is to make sure your color is securely on the surface and you do not end up having color transfer to clothing, etc.

Thanks..
As soon as the oil pastel arrives, i can set to work giving it a try

If you want to remove the oil pastel you can do so with a solvent. I think I made a post somewhere here showing that I was able to do it.

I have used solvent like gooboo says in order to remove the oil pastel, but personally I dislike doing so because it leaves a noticeable solvent scent on the body. But it does seem to work.

Thanks for mentioning solvent, guys, I knew about this (though I haven't had to use it myself), but forgot to mention it. Perhaps you can share the name of the solvent you used for all our benefit.

I use a brand of odorless mineral spirits called Gamsol since that is what I already use for painting. As far as I can tell it didn't leave any weird scent behind on the figure. The kind of stuff you buy in a hardware store may be more likely to smell weird.

gooboo wrote:I use a brand of odorless mineral spirits called Gamsol since that is what I already use for painting. As far as I can tell it didn't leave any weird scent behind on the figure. The kind of stuff you buy in a hardware store may be more likely to smell weird.

Thanks. I have used Gamsol on metal armor before applying wax. Supposedly they are safer, although others say that not having smell does not necessarily guarantee it's safer to inhale. But good to know it works on these bodies without damaging them. I imagine you washed and dried them afterwards, followed by protective powder.

Yeah I couldn't find Gamsol here in the UK, had to use whatever was available.

What is the situation with leaving the oil pastel on the figure?
Will it dry and crack? ..or simply stay as it is?

ukshaun wrote:What is the situation with leaving the oil pastel on the figure?
Will it dry and crack? ..or simply stay as it is?

When you are done with the "ensconcing" (rubbing in) of the oil pastel with the make up sponge and with the washing off (with soap and water) of any extra oil pastel that might have caked up on top or not become properly ensconced, there shouldn't be any continuous layer of oil pastel on top of the surface -- it would be bonded with/integrated into it. So it will not crack, unless somehow the TPE surface itself cracked (it doesn't do that, although in exceptional cases it has torn -- but that is in general, and nothing to do with oil pastels). Ephiane thinks the oil pastel might actually help protect the TPE material (which is slightly oily for a reason -- and that's another reason we need the protective powder), and she is probably right. Not cracking and flaking is precisely the advantage of the oil pastel method (and Rite dye and shoe cream methods, likewise) over paint and paint markers.

GubernatorFan wrote:

ukshaun wrote:What is the situation with leaving the oil pastel on the figure?
Will it dry and crack? ..or simply stay as it is?

When you are done with the "ensconcing" (rubbing in) of the oil pastel with the make up sponge and with the washing off (with soap and water) of any extra oil pastel that might have caked up on top or not become properly ensconced, there shouldn't be any continuous layer of oil pastel on top of the surface -- it would be bonded with/integrated into it. So it will not crack, unless somehow the TPE surface itself cracked (it doesn't do that, although in exceptional cases it has torn -- but that is in general, and nothing to do with oil pastels). Ephiane thinks the oil pastel might actually help protect the TPE material (which is slightly oily for a reason -- and that's another reason we need the protective powder), and she is probably right. Not cracking and flaking is precisely the advantage of the oil pastel method (and Rite dye and shoe cream methods, likewise) over paint and paint markers.

(thanks)
What if only a thin layer of oil pastel has been used, is not possible to pass on the soap and water phase?

ukshaun wrote:(thanks)
What if only a thin layer of oil pastel has been used, is not possible to pass on the soap and water phase?

I wouldn't. That helps remove loose oil pastel, check for insufficient application, and helps cut down on the potential for color transfer (which was important to you).
Why are you afraid of the soap and water part? You need it at the start to remove the protective powder before applying the oil pastel, and at the end to make sure it is properly applied and safe. Then just pat dry and let it breathe for a while before re-applying protective powder.
Unless you accidentally buy water-soluble oil pastels (they do exist), you should be fine.
Given how much hesitation you are having with this, it might be helpful if you have a "ruined" body to experiment with, or one that you covers up a lot and you will never need for anything else, so you can experiment on the obscured part of it.

GubernatorFan wrote:

ukshaun wrote:(thanks)
What if only a thin layer of oil pastel has been used, is not possible to pass on the soap and water phase?

I wouldn't. That helps remove loose oil pastel, check for insufficient application, and helps cut down on the potential for color transfer (which was important to you).
Why are you afraid of the soap and water part? You need it at the start to remove the protective powder before applying the oil pastel, and at the end to make sure it is properly applied and safe. Then just pat dry and let it breathe for a while before re-applying protective powder.
Unless you accidentally buy water-soluble oil pastels (they do exist), you should be fine.
Given how much hesitation you are having with this, it might be helpful if you have a "ruined" body to experiment with, or one that you covers up a lot and you will never need for anything else, so you can experiment on the obscured part of it.

I will try the washing off (seeing how much sticks) and re_applying method.
How many times on average do you apply and wash off?