Painting seamless bodies (NSFW?)

NSFW? -- while we enforce Forumotion's anti-pornographic policy, this thread is about the color modification of realistic-looking seamless bodies, and some images, even if censored, may still be considered questionable in certain settings. We ask contributors to this topic to edit their images and content to be in conformance with host and forum policy, with a view toward eliminating objectionable content.

NOTE: For the successful oil pastel technique for painting some or all of the rubbery surface of seamless bodies check out the posts starting with and following upon Post 16 below.

NOTE: For the successful but reversible oil-based ink technique for painting details like body hair or tattoos check out Posts 162 and 174 and 210 below.

NOTE: For the successful Uni Pin Fine Line pigment ink technique for painting details like body hair or tattoos check out Post 192 below.

NOTE: For the successful RIT synthetic dye treatment for the entire rubbery surface of seamless bodies check out THIS thread.

NOTE: For the successful Markal Pro-Line XT paint marker technique for painting smaller areas and details check out Post 252 below.

NOTE: For the successful Gundam Real Touch Marker technique for painting small or larger areas check out Posts 369-370 and 377 below.


NOTE: For the successful Shoe Cream technique for coloring seamless bodies, check out THIS thread.


The initial post below discusses the fairly limited applicability of acrylic paint or markers on seamless bodies. For more successful methods, see the posts and threads referenced in the notes above.

We have discussed the possibility of painting seamless bodies time and again. Most of this discussion was centered on the silicone Phicen/TBLeague bodies, but upon discovering that Jiaou bodies were indeed made from a different material (TPE), I thought I should check if a simpler solution might work here.

As you might recall, one of my Jiaou bodies ("brown") broke out into splotches of more intensive color after treatment with water, soap, and benzoyl peroxide to remove a stain (see HERE). So I decided to experiment on the body, which was otherwise ruined for me. I painted parts of the arms and legs with Vallejo burnt umber acrylic paint and in Molotow signal black marker, and also tried some simple tattoos in both. It worked, sorta.



As expected, the elbow and knee joints were most problematic. On a conventional jointed body, paint application in these areas would rub off from the friction between the surfaces of the two parts of the body. Here it would crack and flake, for a slightly different reason -- the stretching of the material under it. Dabbing the paint on stretched or unstretched material and applying new layers did not help. Although for the most part the paint did not fall off, it cracked, and the cracks became more apparent as the material stretched under them (whether on the outside or inside of the elbows and knees). This problem was common to both applications, but more obvious with the Molotow marker.



On the elbows I used the same paint applications, but this time tried to apply only a thin painted on layer of color, and only once. The result, while certainly not perfect, seems better to me, with smaller and less apparent cracks in the paint. Here the Molotow marker seems to work better than the regular acrylic paint.





For smaller details like tattoos, both the regular acrylic paint and the Molotow marker worked well. The regular paint was easier to clean up (while fresh) than the Molotow marker, in case you made a mistake. After the tattoos dried, I tried to rub them off, and they hardly even smudged.

So there you have it. The simple painting of the TPE surface with acrylics is not an unqualified success, but still an advantage for the Jiaou bodies, should someone need to customize them with painted-on details or a wholesale change in color. Remember, acrylics are elastic, but not as elastic as the underlying TPE. The good news here is that they do cure/dry on it, even though you have to watch out how you apply them in areas of considerable stretching (like the elbows and knees) and be willing to put up with a degree of imperfection or cracking in the most bent/stretched poses.

EDIT: I would not think of using acrylics to cover any significant amount of surface on a seamless body, whether silicone (TBLeague) or TPE (Jiaou) [EDIT: in fact, both turn out to be TPE]; see the notes pointing to more successful techniques above.

Hope this has been useful, and you share your opinions, advice, and experiences.

#painting #seamless #body #tutorial

Very informative.

I've seen customisers on a group somewhere use pastel chalks succesfully to color a body. Seems to be hard wearing enough, but as to the longevity of the work, who knows. I'm happy to wait for an official release tbh.

Nice tips.
I wonder about "flex additives " for artist paints similar to the stuff used in the 70's on urethane car parts.
Is such a thing in existence?
Would it help?

I tried the acrylic paint thing on the Wicked Witch I did. it doesn't work. Just touching the painted parts cracks the paint. Luckily, I didn't paint the entire body, so I could put her in the pose I wanted to, and never touch her again.

I've also heard people having success with chalk pastels. Tried that once, as well... completely ruined a Phicen body as, while I was working on it, a really heavy amount of chalk got on the figure from my fingers in areas that wouldn't be covered by clothing, and it didn't wash off no matter what I did. I don't know how those that have used pastels have had success, and like most "secrets" they won't reveal HOW. Apparently, if there's a chance to make a lot of money off people...

I've been reading up, and watching YouTube videos, on silicone figure making (animation stuff mostly), and there is a technique for coloring the silicone prior to casting (where the pigment is mixed right in with the silicone). I have yet to find out how the silicone is "painted" after the fact. I imagine you have to purchase special silicone paints from a company that sells film-making supplies (for special makeup effects and animation), because the normal stuff bought at art supply or craft stores isn't going to cut it.

Andrew wrote:Very informative. I've seen customisers on a group somewhere use pastel chalks succesfully to color a body.

Thank you. That technique (pastels) has been recommended for Phicen bodies, but not as a quite permanent solution -- although see Stryker's post.

Pontiacivan wrote:Nice tips. I wonder about "flex additives " for artist paints similar to the stuff used in the 70's on urethane car parts. Is such a thing in existence? Would it help?

Thank you. I have no idea, as it is the first time I hear about this. Perhaps you could tell us more?

Stryker2011 wrote:I tried the acrylic paint thing on the Wicked Witch I did. it doesn't work. Just touching the painted parts cracks the paint.

Sorry to hear. What kind of body was this? The one experimented on was a TPE Jiaou body, not a silicone Phicen/TBLeague body. The cured acrylic (even if cracked) seems quite resilient to touch and even stretch.

Stryker2011 wrote:I've also heard people having success with chalk pastels. Tried that once, as well... completely ruined a Phicen body as, while I was working on it, a really heavy amount of chalk got on the figure from my fingers in areas that wouldn't be covered by clothing, and it didn't wash off no matter what I did. I don't know how those that have used pastels have had success, and like most "secrets" they won't reveal HOW. Apparently, if there's a chance to make a lot of money off people...

Sorry to hear. I have not tried this method yet, in part because I believed it to be exceedingly messy, while impermanent (although in a sense it seems to be permanent, judging by your comments).

Stryker2011 wrote:I've been reading up, and watching YouTube videos, on silicone figure making (animation stuff mostly), and there is a technique for coloring the silicone prior to casting (where the pigment is mixed right in with the silicone). I have yet to find out how the silicone is "painted" after the fact. I imagine you have to purchase special silicone paints from a company that sells film-making supplies (for special makeup effects and animation), because the normal stuff bought at art supply or craft stores isn't going to cut it.

For silicone (not the TPE of the Jiaou Dolls) there is also the Rite dye method, which apparently produces decent results, but requires submerging the bodies in hot water-and-dye repeatedly and putting up with an awful stench (and silicone is apparently more tolerant to heat than TPE is). And although he could not give very detailed specifics, the guy who did it did tell us how it is done. In theory, mixing silicone pigments (like Silc Pig) with thinned silicone (apparently odorless spirits work as a thinner) ought to produce the desired effect. I am still experimenting on a Phicen M31 (first experiment seemed to work better than second, have yet to brace myself for a third). The more professional solutions require mixing very specific compounds (not always readily available) and wearing a special breather to avoid inhaling the fumes -- that seems too hardcore for me.

GubernatorFan wrote:

Stryker2011 wrote:I tried the acrylic paint thing on the Wicked Witch I did. it doesn't work. Just touching the painted parts cracks the paint.

Sorry to hear. What kind of body was this? The one experimented on was a TPE Jiaou body, not a silicone Phicen/TBLeague body. The cured acrylic (even if cracked) seems quite resilient to touch and even stretch.

The body was a Phicen/TBL. Pretty much reacted as the Jiaou for you. Acrylic isn't as flexible as one would think. Pressing on the body after several layers, cracks the paint. Found that out when I went to pose it. After that, I avoided touching any surface that was painted. It's hardly noticeable if put in a neutral "museum pose", but anything extreme and it would look like your Jiaou body.

Stryker2011 wrote:The body was a Phicen/TBL. Pretty much reacted as the Jiaou for you. Acrylic isn't as flexible as one would think. Pressing on the body after several layers, cracks the paint. Found that out when I went to pose it. After that, I avoided touching any surface that was painted. It's hardly noticeable if put in a neutral "museum pose", but anything extreme and it would look like your Jiaou body.

Well, part of the problem was using the silicone Phicen/TBLeague body -- I am actually surprised you got the acrylic to cure/dry on it at all (did you use the hairdryer method, where you force the paint to dry before it could crawl off?). It works better with the TPE Jiaou body. The second problem is using several layers -- that seems to exacerbate the caking/cracking/flaking problem (compare/contrast the knees and elbows on my Jiaou -- I used multiple layers and thicker application on the knees, and just one layer/application on the elbows). The basic moral of the story is that if you want to use something as simple as acrylic paint or acrylic marker, you have to go with TPE (i.e., a Jiaou body) and use thin (single?) layers of application. And be prepared for some stretching and minor cracking -- it reminded me of the way thin socks or ladies' hosiery show the underlying skin when stretched.

Here's what I can tell you about flex additives:
In the 70's and 80's the 5 MPH number was mandated by the Government ( lobbiests, in truth) . The idea was to save insurance companies from having to pay on extreme low speed, parking lot "bump and runs" when a car pulled too far into a spot and hit the opposing one.
A large number of cars had a heavy battering ram type bar across the front of the subframe, to resist fender wrinkles, and a light weight urethane bumper cover over the top. ( think Camaro, Mustang, Trans Am) Anything 5 MPH and under would just pop back, occasionally requiring heat.
Unfortunately, the paint would often crack and a claim was filed anyway. Manufacturers came up with an additive that mixed with the paint and was extremely flexible.
Modern manufacturers have stopped this, either because newer paints are naturally more flexible, or because people would file a claim regardless.
I know many of the body shops still carry it for the 100% accurate restorations. It was called flexative, but has had other generic names.at It is available for laquer or enamel paints.
Hope this helps.

Thanks for the explanation, Pontiacvan. How appropriate that you would know about such car details! I will try to look into it. I wonder whether it would work with acrylics.

Very helpful work, sir. Thank you.

I had a feeling I knew how it was all going to turn out before reading the end, but was actually pleasantly surprised there was not more cracking. I was expecting most of the paint to just flake off as there really cannot be a chemical bond formed between a plastic and a water-based product (acrylic paint) with nothing to catalyze a reaction between the two.

Mixing in a dye with the silicone batch at the outset would be about the only way get a truly colored, non-cracking result, but the RIT dye option gives me hope.

I was also reminded of an experiment that won me second prize at the regional science fair when I was in the 9th grade. I took swatches of polyester cloth and colored them in a solution of vinegar and and appropriate dye. The vinegar was the catalyst. The result, if all the measurements were correct, the temperature correct and the time frame was right, was that ALL the molecules of the dye were deposited onto the cloth, leaving the original dye bath clear. I wonder...

Musings for another day, I reckon.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not planning on a dye party as I don't really have a sacrificial body to do it with, but the possibilities are intriguing. I've long had a hankering for a She-Hulk.

Interesting experiment. The marker looks the closest to something that'd work, although I'm not sure about practical application. Might work best for hand drawn tattoos, if you've got the drawing skills to pull it off. I know as far as dying the while body, a friend tried the Rite dye method, along with a few other types of dyes, and it was all a complete failure.

Thanks, dadrab and ReverendSpooky. We do have to keep in mind what is what, as the two leading seamless bodies are not made of the same material. Apparently silicone is more tolerant to heat than TPE, so our strategies might have to differ -- for example, the Rite dye treatment might damage the TPE body, while it apparently worked for at least some customizers using the silicone body (see muscledog's posts in my Jiaou male body review on the old forum). There are real silicone painting systems (one of the simplest ones appears to be hard to come by in the States) that might be much more promising, but like I said they often require a lot more and even the wearing of a special breathing apparatus to avoid the fumes. I am not quite ready to go to such lengths -- yet.

GubernatorFan wrote:...but like I said they often require a lot more and even the wearing of a special breathing apparatus to avoid the fumes. I am not quite ready to go to such lengths -- yet.

I do understand your trepidation, however, most automotive paint supply stores have pretty nice respirators available for about $20. Automotive paint is some nasty stuff and they do the trick just fine. Recently restored and painted a set of European bumpers for my old Mercedes 560SEL and had to buy one. No complaints.

dadrab wrote:I do understand your trepidation, however, most automotive paint supply stores have pretty nice respirators available for about $20. Automotive paint is some nasty stuff and they do the trick just fine. Recently restored and painted a set of European bumpers for my old Mercedes 560SEL and had to buy one. No complaints.

Respirator -- that's the word! Thanks... getting the terminology right would be a good first step, no? When I was doing the research, it seems that the simplest and best product didn't even necessarily require that or most other precautions. Unfortunately it is very hard to find in the States (it is Canadian).

Actually, you can get respirators at any hardware store like Menards, Home Depot, etc.. It’s basically like a gas mask, but you’ll need some sort of safety goggles to go with it (unless you get the more expensive ones that have them attached.

I like to show You Friends here Magic...another World. That's why I never ever show making offs. But I see you ruin your figures by testing paints. After ruining my figures for a long time, I found IT ! I use Phicen (TBLeague) bodies. Wash them with soap. Then use the oil pastel colour ...maybe more than one time on the figure. You can never get the colour off anymore ! I tried to remove it with nail polish remover, but no chance.



You can see what I use for colouring the bodies. The stuff has to be enough for 50 figures.

NSFW Spoler:

Grey-blue... I tried to make a Dark Elf, Drow, Dunmer.





An Orc I planned..



Here you can see the original Phicen male body colour on Skerf and the version I did for the Idiot.


The Ork body is more shiny than the Drow because I used the nail polish remover on it. I cleaned the body with soap after the use of nail polish remover. Because this is very aggressive. That was months ago and there is no damage to the Phicen skin. Respect to Phicen!

Cool. Was there a trick to how you applied the color? Did you just color directly with the pastel stick, or did you grind them into powder and rub it on?

Thank you for the insight, Ephiane. This will be very helpful. But I do second Stryker's questions -- do you simply paint onto the surface with the pastels?

You mention the color cannot be removed (which can be a good thing), but does it stain other surfaces it comes into contact with?

Can you mix colors effectively, if a ready-made color would not do the work sufficiently well?

Thanks again!

PS -- I only experiment on figures that were already ruined in one way or another. The Jiaou body were I tested acrylics had broken out in blotches after an attempt to clean it from unintentional stains.

Come on, Friends 5.99 $ You have to buy and try it. On my figures the paint is now many months old and the Phicen skin is in excellent condition. That is another reason why I don' share this with the community at first: I have to wait, to see if my idea ruined the figures   But I think oil pastels are good for rubber/silicone, maybe even protect the rubber ?  I use the stick directly on the skin, more than once for deeper skin tone. A nice effect is a darker tone on deeper skin zones. You can see it on the Blue one. You can't mix the colours, but use one after the other on the skin.

Thank you for the clarification and the graphic, Ephiane! It has been awhile since I've used oil pastels (and then only on canvas), but I look forward to seeing if I can replicate your success. I have already ordered three boxes of slightly different kinds, all from Staedtler, from amazon. I didn't see the exact set you have (with the 243 product number), mine have the 241 and 242 product numbers (with 16-24 colors), but I'm hoping they are close enough to what you used successfully and that there will be enough options that allow something close to realistic skintone (or unrealistic, for fantasy figures).

I was wondering -- did you have to do anything special (like apply more or maybe less pastel) to the areas that bend and stretch (like the insides and outsides of knees, elbows, armpits, etc)?

Also, does the oil pastel still transfer on other materials that it comes into contact with after being applies to the rubbery body? I don't mean right away, but after you've left it on for awhile.

Three Boxes you can see on my Box i need 3mm pastel stick for a complete Orc. I use after one layer a make up sponge, another layer.... sponge... and so on. Absolute no transfer after finsih. If You like a shiny skin like the Orc You can use water and soap on a make up Sponge. And don´t forget to clean the figure at first with soap. Phichen use a sort of talkum on the Bodys i think for anti - adhering. Before You start to use the Oil pastels You NEED to have the Skin adhering !
Can´t wait to see Your colored figures

Oh, and No. I don´t need that Make Up Sponge for myself. i´m a natural Beauty

Wow. Thank you so much for all the information, Ephi. Very useful. I may be tempted to try this again.

Wow. I'm utterly fascinated by this. Ephiane, your results definitely speak for themselves. I may just have to muster my courage, and take a shot at this myself. Thanks for posting all the information.

Thanks All. I have to say Thanks to Gubernator Fan for the Thread, that helps many Bash Nerds a Lot

Let it never be said that I don't do my part to help bashers. But this is all you, Ephiane. I will be experimenting on my ruined bodies as soon as the pastels arrive. Thank you again for the tips and images.