Painting seamless bodies (NSFW?)

skywalkersaga wrote:Wow! That's very creative way to go about it. I wouldn't have the first clue about casting. Any tips wold indeed be of interest.

How in the world did you do the armature for the casted version?

Cut open an existing M35. Used place holders for the ball joints on it inside the mold.
Built the mold around that. And cast.
I can post a How-to when I’m done. I have all my notes and progress pics recorded.
This forum has helped me dearly, maybe I can help someone else.

Oh man, that’s awesome. A tutorial on your process would be greatly appreciated, plus all the materials, etc.. I’m sure there are plenty of folks that would like to know how to do this — especially since TBL seems loathe to venture into other skin colors.

How visible are the seams where the two mold pieces come together on your new m35?

mvde27 wrote:Update....Here is my 2 M35 bodies side by side. Cast on the left and oil painted on the right. I wasn’t entirely please with the oil paint “white” so I decided to cast my own M35 in a silicone that I could tint white. The regulars were exactly what I was looking for, a uniform color on an articulated body.
Also after trying to paint a second color over the oil paint it did not adhere as well as noted in this forum already. But the cast body can now be painted on easily. I have a few more steps but will continue to post progress.
If anyone is interested I can post the entire custom and casting process when I am completely finished.

Success! This is excellent. I'm very happy you appear to have succeeded with this ambitious project. There are so many questions -- not least (and I realize time will tell) what silicone you used and how does it perform -- because it turned out TBLeague actually uses some form of TPE. How did you keep the armature at exactly the correct spot in the cast. Etc, etc, etc... So a detailed tutorial will be totally welcome and awesome.

mvde27 wrote:

WOW! Yes, please share your methods for casting these! Not that I have any plans (nor the tools, materials and most importantly patience) of doing this, it is indeed very interesting that you were able to achieve the amazing results you did!

gooboo wrote:How visible are the seams where the two mold pieces come together on your new m35?

Almost none. The mold is a urethane Rubber which is a little stiffer for the silicone

Sounds great. I really hope you start a new thread here in the tutorial section going over how you did this, because I'd like to attempt something similar in the near future.

I can now confirm the successful use of Gundam Real Touch Marker for painting details on the TBLeague rubbery TPE body surface, a technique first suggested by CaseyTong. I first tested a small spot on the part of the neck that will always be obscured by a head. As CaseyTong suggested, I soaked up any excess liquid ink on the surface with a q-tip. Then I left it alone for several days. After this, I discovered the coloring had remained (so it was not absorbed, like some stains, by the material), and it proved impossible to smudge or remove it with either a dry q-tip, a wet one, or actual washing with soap and water. I then replicated the experiment on a body where I had not yet applied the oil pastel method on the nipples. Given the small areas in question and the use of a stencil, the application of even a single layer of marker ink was very even and opaque (it will probably turn out different if you are trying to paint a larger area of the surface). I soaked up the ink with a q-tip again and removed the stencil. This time I tested within minutes with a dry and with a wet q-tip, and there was no smudging or transfer. I have not yet tried washing it off with soap and water, but the earlier experiment suggests that will not remove the coloring.



For more photos and details, see an update to the Painting TBLeague / Phicen Nipples Tutorial.

While I cannot comment on any long-term effects, the real touch marker method appears to be successful. Since real touch markers come with two applicators on each end, one larger and one smaller, I will be testing the smaller applicator's performance for painting body hair. It is not finer than the tips I have used before, but it may be better at allowing a good ink flow and the ink certainly seems to work on the TPE surface. I have not tested this on a TPE surface already painted with oil pastel, but will report on this when it happens. I should note that this method can be expected to work well if you are satisfied with the color as applied (thinly or not) on the surface. You are unlikely to be able to blend colors (certainly not lighter colors), unless you manage to somehow remove them and mix them separately before applying them to the surface.

Thank you for the suggestion, CaseyTong.

As promised, the testing of Gundam Real Touch Markers on TBLeague seamless bodies continues. We have already seen how well it works for painting nipples (HERE). Naturally, it would work for other small details, like tattoos. Here is an example on the same body.







Keep in mind that this type of marker is unforgiving if you make mistakes. Water, soap, and alcohol do not seem to erase it or even smudges. So proceed carefully and at your own risk. Carefully soak up excess ink and let it dry for a day or so. Then re-apply the protective powder. The marker has two different applicators, and the smaller one (under the lager cap) is likely going to be your choice for designing tattoos. However, even it is not suitable for very fine lines, for example for painted body hair.

Testing continues.

GubernatorFan wrote:As promised, the testing of Gundam Real Touch Markers on TBLeague seamless bodies continues. We have already seen how well it works for painting nipples (HERE). Naturally, it would work for other small details, like tattoos. Here is an example on the same body.







Keep in mind that this type of marker is unforgiving if you make mistakes. Water, soap, and alcohol do not seem to erase it or even smudges. So proceed carefully and at your own risk. Carefully soak up excess ink and let it dry for a day or so. Then re-apply the protective powder. The marker has two different applicators, and the smaller one (under the lager cap) is likely going to be your choice for designing tattoos. However, even it is not suitable for very fine lines, for example for painted body hair.

Testing continues.

Phenomenal

That looks awesome Ian! top work!

Oh wow, that turned out great!

That’s really cool. So awesome to find out that works.

Definitely also curious if this would work on top of the oil pastel or not....

mvde27 wrote:Phenomenal

BAMComix wrote:That looks awesome Ian! top work!

skywalkersaga wrote:Oh wow, that turned out great!

Thank you very much, I'm glad you liked it.

Stryker2011 wrote:That’s really cool. So awesome to find out that works.

Thank you. I'm glad CaseyTong suggested this variant of Gundam markers, as I had written them off. Unfortunately not fine enough for body hair but probably passable for tattoos.

skywalkersaga wrote:Definitely also curious if this would work on top of the oil pastel or not....

I plan on testing for that and reporting back. Meanwhile real touch marker on TPE surface testing continues. Can one paint a whole body with it?

Painting entire TBLeague bodies with Gundam Real Touch Markers

The experimentation continues, after testing nipple and tattoo painting with this medium. I tried to paint an entire body with the real touch markers. It was a qualified success. It was also a bit of a pain, but that might be because I was doing a seamless Kotobukiya statue-based Darth Maul for the third time (Maul 3.0). As before, I was using red as the main body color, adding the "tattoo" (I say "warpaint") designs in black on top of that; in larger areas in black, I just applied the black marker directly to the body surface without coloring it red first. As I expected, it was somewhat difficult to obtain a consistent color, especially with the red. Repeated applications and some smearing with cotton swabs seemed to deliver a nice rich red color, but much of this consistency was undone when, after color application and soaking up the extra ink with cotton and paper towels, and waiting for awhile, I washed the body. This was especially true when using soap. Of course I reapplied the coloring to achieve an even color again, but another wash with soap largely undid that. Likewise after more tries (the same thing happens when using oil pastel, except at the end of that process enough color should be securely ensconced onto the body surface). Some variation is perhaps welcome, more natural, and more interesting, so eventually I moved on to applying the black designs, soaking up excess ink, and allowing to dry. These worked well, even if the color is a little flat. I did not dare use soap again, so when I was done with these I washed the body gently, using only water. After pat drying the body, I applied protective powder, which naturally made the color look more faded (the light in the photos here actually exaggerates how much). On the whole, the application of the Real Touch markers onto the TPE rubbery surface appears to have been successful (although I will be avoiding using soap on it), and there is no smudging or transfer. However, trying to use the same markers on the harder plastic hands and feet was disappointing. Despite several thin layers, here the color simply rubs off with repeated handling. I will be repainting these with the special markers I used for Maul 2.0.



For more photos, see here:
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t2799-star-wars-the-further-adventures-of-darth-maul-updated-with-part-iii-may-2021#57167

and here:
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t2773p45-star-wars-updated-darth-maul-custom-part-v-maul-3-0-photo-heavy#57173

Thank you for sharing the results of your latest experiment, GF. I think it looks turned out fairly well, given the challenges, though it's also good to be aware that it's not totally permanent.

Holy cow! So much progress since I last checke din here.
Awesome tattoos, Gub, and I also hope to see an in depth tutorial on that casting progress, mvde27.

Diana wrote:Holy cow! So much progress since I last checke din here.
Awesome tattoos, Gub, and I also hope to see an in depth tutorial on that casting progress, mvde27.

Stay tuned.... still working on it. Actually got some commissions out of it so trying to perfect it. Cheers

mvde27 wrote:

Diana wrote:Holy cow! So much progress since I last checke din here.
Awesome tattoos, Gub, and I also hope to see an in depth tutorial on that casting progress, mvde27.

Stay tuned.... still working on it. Actually got some commissions out of it so trying to perfect it. Cheers

Progress Pic

skywalkersaga wrote:Thank you for sharing the results of your latest experiment, GF. I think it looks turned out fairly well, given the challenges, though it's also good to be aware that it's not totally permanent.

Thank you very much. Well, it seems like washing with soap will not remove the pigmentation entirely, just make it look a lot more faded at least in some places.

Diana wrote:Holy cow! So much progress since I last checke din here. Awesome tattoos, Gub, and I also hope to see an in depth tutorial on that casting progress, mvde27.

Thank you very much, I'm glad you liked it.

mvde27 wrote:Stay tuned.... still working on it. Actually got some commissions out of it so trying to perfect it. Cheers

Excellent. Hope that you will share the results (and the secrets) with us. And will you be the one to give us a fully viable seamless horse? Just saw the progress photo. He came out great.

mvde27 wrote:

mvde27 wrote:

Diana wrote:Holy cow! So much progress since I last checke din here.
Awesome tattoos, Gub, and I also hope to see an in depth tutorial on that casting progress, mvde27.

Stay tuned.... still working on it. Actually got some commissions out of it so trying to perfect it. Cheers

Progress Pic

Magnificent!!
...
Close-up, please?
Did you sculpt that mask?

Diana wrote:

mvde27 wrote:

mvde27 wrote:

Diana wrote:Holy cow! So much progress since I last checke din here.
Awesome tattoos, Gub, and I also hope to see an in depth tutorial on that casting progress, mvde27.

Stay tuned.... still working on it. Actually got some commissions out of it so trying to perfect it. Cheers

Progress Pic

Magnificent!!
...
Close-up, please?
Did you sculpt that mask?

Here are a few close ups. Again, once I finish off the custom (hopefully this week) I will start to post the tutorial with all the tricks and mistakes that were discovered.
Yes, I did sculpt the head. The figure is the Guardian from Marvel Alpha Flight.

Very impressive job on both the body and the head sculpt.

That’s pretty cool. It’ll be awesome to see the Guardian finished with the red coloring when he’s done.

Stryker2011 wrote:That’s pretty cool. It’ll be awesome to see the Guardian finished with the red coloring when he’s done.

Ha. Me too. Silicone body can only take silicone paint. Also it is going to be airbrushed with a template that I made. Fingers crossed. There is no room for error unfortunately.

Right, and this is real silicone in this case, not TPE.

GubernatorFan wrote:Right, and this is real silicone in this case, not TPE.

Correct. Platinum silicone.

Ooph! So beautiful!! Thank you for the update. I shall patiently await the final (progress) shots.