How to Color a Phicen / TBLeague with Shoe Cream

Hi, I’m a 1:6 custom artist, new to comments. For all that I have learned from this forum, I should be paying a subscription of some kind... The research and findings posted here have elevated 1:6 craft to new heights. I hope this might count as a modest contribution. I was hesitant to come out with this method because if this was truly an original method, I would have to put in time to explain over being productive as an artist. But due to what I’ve verified, I feel this is a must-share. I believe shoe leather cream to be the safest and most adjustable way to color Phicen bodies with naturalistic skin tone of all nationalities.

Please feel free to move or copy this initial post to whichever topic thread is appropriate. The following is text that I had limited to 2200 characters for the sake of Instagram post. My subsequent posts will expand on this initial tutorial explanation - sourced to my blog:

Sharing NEW method! Phicen TBleague S12 body dyed suntan tone using shoe cream.
INSTAGRAM VIDEO TUTORIAL: https://www.instagram.com/p/CifOQoNJIYO/

Sharing NEW method! Phicen TBleague M34 body dyed ebony tone using shoe cream.
INSTAGRAM VIDEO TUTORIAL: https://www.instagram.com/p/CifKZB7pAN0/

I had tried fabric dyes, pastel (powdered pigment) and paints that did not hold. The color would either rub off during handling or fully fade over time. DyeMore for synthetic fabrics has excellent visual results but require a 30 minute boil which can damage a TPE body. What finally worked for me was shoe cream. It stains TPE evenly, excess cream is easy to rinse with dish soap, and the coloration is permanent beyond a 2 week period of fade. Best of all, shoe creams come in a wide selection of browns, ideal for human skin tones.

As for brand, some have stronger pigment and some dry faster, but the result is virtually the same for all. The deep coloration can be scary first, but it’ll half fade within 48 hours. To avoid over coloring, allow 2 weeks to consider if further application is truly necessary. In the event of over coloring, colorless ‘neutral’ shoe cream can dilute better than soaps.

So far, I have only tested wax-based creams. As for grease-based creams, I cannot say. In applying a wax-based cream to TPE, there can be patches where the pigment seems unable to color. This is likely due to lumps of wax in the cream that is insufficiently mixed in during manufacturing so when applied to TPE, it acts as a shield against the pigment. When this occurs, add further pressure to the patches. Pigment will gradually penetrate.

For a suntan or a color correction, single applications should take no more than a fifth of a cream jar, while darker skin tones will require up to half a jar with multiple applications. Orange is the dominant color that remains on TPE from most dark brown creams. For a realistic skin tone, find a brown with enough of a blueish tone to counteract the oranges.

Shoe Cream Color Dye - Lasting for Years

Another valuable aspect of shoe cream dye is its verified permanence. In my 1:6 art, I’m all about longevity. I use mostly leathers, furs, glues and paints that are known to last for decades, and I regard Thermoplastics Elastomer bodies in this category of permanence. It is appropriate that a color application should last as long as the TPE / steel body itself.

My first attempt at coloring a Phicen with shoe cream was in late 2018 now 4 years ago, and that body’s tone looks the same today as in a photo taken 2 weeks after application. The tan is subtle, but subtlety allows for adjustment in matching tone to any head sculpt. Time permitting, additional applications can take it anywhere from light suntan to ebony. I do not advise dark brown cream for suntan as I used in 2018. The result is too orange. The reason it didn’t turn orange in this case is that I applied the cream for just 5 minutes which is normally insufficient for an even application. A 10 minute application is advised.

Shoe Cream Color Dye - Additional Tips

I’ve been asked over whether red cream should be used on top of brown or dark brown. This maybe in reaction to how Rit DyeMore’s brown does appear better when red dye is added to mix. This is not the case for shoe cream however. There is already a very high amount of red pigment added to most brown colored cream, especially with dark brown. If anything needs to be added, its typically a blue tone which could be mixed into brown. In my 1 minute tutorial video ‘How to Suntan a Phicen’ I use ‘Dark Oak’ which despite its description is a mid-brown with a hint of blue. Avoid an overly red-ish or yellowish brown unless the head sculpt you are trying to match contain high tones of red, yellow or other.

In online shopping, we have access to multiple brands of shoe cream, many with a vast array of colors. But if online shopping is not an option, locally available brands should at least have black and brown. Mix up a tiny fraction of black to brown to make dark brown. Do not resort to using shoe polish! That is a solid block and cannot be smoothly applied.

I would recommend washing the body with dish soap before applying cream. I have also managed to get good results without doing so, but washing off the protective powder will most likely unclog TPE’s pores and make room for pigment leading to deeper coloration. Wear latex gloves for each application and make sure to clear sink space before rinsing.

Being soft in its liquidity, shoe cream will not cause surface damage to TPE as reported in cases of excessive rubbing of oil pastel. If you sense that your latex glove is catching as oppose to sliding over TPE, apply additional cream. This ‘catching’ only occurs when cream has dried. Dried cream has a capability of being better able to penetrate pigment on patchy lighter-colored areas. Dry cream mixed with moist cream acts as a thickening agent, increasing pigmentation, therefore, add additional cream in conservative quantity.

The amount of color fade that occur from cream is quite a bit less to that of Rit DyeMore for synthetics and other fabric dyes that I’ve tried. Around half the color fades within the first 48 hours which will dilute unevenly colored patches to a nice even tone throughout. Provided you wash, there’ll be no color transfer whatsoever to skin, fabric or other TPE.

In regards to Rit Dye, dyeing TPE in boiling water is not advisable. As in reported cases, prolonged high temperature seems to damage the integrity of the TPE material, making groin and arm pit regions (of most flex use) easy to split. They will start out small, but in some instance as mine, a split can gradually open wide, exposing the skeletal armature.    

There’s some talk that the quality of the new Phicen bodies are different to the originals. Having observed the quality difference myself, my personal theory on the matter is that Phicen factory workers are applying too much mould release agent and not cleaning the mould as before. Gradual build up of the agent may even effect TPE’s surface aesthetic.

Shoe Cream vs. Oil Pastel

In reading up how only the first application of oil pastel color seems to fully adhere while subsequent colors have less adherence got me curious of why its so different for cream. What happens with the cream is that each added layer washes away some of the colors from the previous application. My theory is that TPE in fact is not ‘stained’ with color, but rather millions of micro-pores in the TPE are being filled in with pigment, like juice inside popsicle trays. Like newspaper, the million dotted pores of TPE only looks as though its solid color in our eye. Some pigment by its molecular structure is able to cling inside the cavities of the pore and is unaffected in its grip when rinsed with dish soap, while others types of pigment will slide out rather easily with soap or just a water rinse. In the case of oil pastel, it seem to clog the pores with its initial application, so there is almost no room left in its cavity to house additional pigment, leaving subsequently added color sitting so close to the surface of a pore that when rinsed, much of the new pigment washes away, revealing the color of the first application. If so, by the nature of pastel, the first color we apply shall remain the dominant color no matter how many subsequent layers we apply. If this is the case, a Gamsol-type solvent may be the only way to empty out those pores.

With shoe cream on the other hand, the soft liquidity of the wax and other ingredients in cream seem to act as a lubricant, enabling subsequent color applications (new pigment) to slide into pigment-occupied pores and get mixed within it. This cohabitation allows for actual color blending to occur. To me this is evidenced by how each new application of a different color cream appear to somewhat dilute the previous color, enabling subsequent layers to become a more dominant color. Its unlike any color-mixing with paint. Normally when new color is added to canvas, its previous color does not diluted the more you add new color. Normally when color is applied to canvas, much of that color does not fade in 48 hours, but that is how it works with cream. The nature of cream takes a bit of getting used to, but once you do, it is magic. For a fussy perfectionist like myself, it is a rare gift that colors and shades can be corrected with added application, without over-saturation. But if bright and saturated comic book color is what you seek, oil pastel is the way to go. If cream is too messy for your liking, the easiest coloring method may be that of powder make-up foundation, presented by Kayla. Its aesthetic results are most similar to cream, and since both methods require a rinse, they may be complementary in their application.  

Thank you very much for sharing this new approach to coloring seamless TPE bodies, One Sixth Practical (and welcome to active participation!).  It is both novel to us (unless someone has been holding out) and most impressive.  You have taken the time to experiment and verify your results, to write it up fully, to illustrate it beautifully, and even provide video links (which I have yet to check out), and such full treatment is most valuable. Excellent work and ingenious solution (and, by the way, the female character looks amazing; and my most recent pastel repaint was to adapt this same body to the same Terry Crews head). I will be adding a link to this tutorial in the general Painting Seamless Bodies thread.

From my personal point of view (patience is not one of my many virtues), the only drawback to this solution is the two-week fading period. In other words, we wouldn't know exactly what we got until two weeks after the application. And only then can we decide if (and what) adjustments and additional applications are needed. But the results of that would have to wait for two weeks to be apparent, etc. Apart from the timing, this is more or less blind experimentation and the process would be unnerving to someone worried they might have ruined a seamless body. But, clearly, patience and boldness pay off, as demonstrated by your very impressive results. It will take me some time to work up the courage (and especially patience) to following in your bold path, but I hope I will get there some day. Others on the forum might try this sooner.

This is magnificent and well detailed. Thanks so much for sharing all of your efforts. I’m going to have to try this. Brilliant idea. Welcome to the board by the way.

I was wondering, do you happen to know if this approach could be used to lighten a TBLeague skin tone? I know some solutions like the make up technique cannot do that.

Wow, this is extremely well researched and presented!   Thank you for your generosity in sharing your personal technique with us. I think you are probably right about the pores in the TPE and why the cream has better coverage. Also, interesting point about the mould release agent -- I know nothing about such things, so I'll take your word for it.

My only question is regarding whether would be possible to use this method for 'unnatural' skin colours. For most people, this will be a huge breakthrough since it will greatly help with darker human skintones that are so elusive in this hobby. But in my case, I mostly tend to colour Tbleague bodies for Star Wars alien characters, so my aims are slightly different. Based on your experience, in order to acheive those kinds of colours, how much of the shoe polish/cream would you apply, and how long would you leave it on?

Hi GubernatorFan, Stryker2011, Skywalkersaga. Thank you for this wonderful reception. Your generous complements are encouraging to me. I was concerned if I had presented it in the correct format. I am quite new to forums in general but having got a sense of the fine civil-mannered conduct of you ladies and gentlemen, I know I am in the right place!

From my personal point of view (patience is not one of my many virtues), the only drawback to this solution is the two-week fading period. In other words, we wouldn't know exactly what we got until two weeks after the application. And only then can we decide if (and what) adjustments and additional applications are needed. But the results of that would have to wait for two weeks to be apparent, etc. Apart from the timing, this is more or less blind experimentation and the process would be unnerving to someone worried they might have ruined a seamless body. But, clearly, patience and boldness pay off, as demonstrated by your very impressive results. It will take me some time to work up the courage (and especially patience) to following in your bold path, but I hope I will get there some day. Others on the forum might try this sooner. wrote:

I can completely relate to the apprehension. Confidence in this method is perhaps only gained by personally experiencing the level of color fade that occurs, in principle, which really must be seen to be believed. I’m aware that this method will not gain traction until a sufficient number of people have tested it and can support the method’s effectiveness. 

Being the first to introduce this method, I thought it best to be transparent in all pros and cons, such as the fact that color fading will generally last 2 weeks. But in actual practice, waiting 2 full weeks is quite unnecessary. The majority of the total fade will take place in the first 2 to 3 days. The remaining amount of fade from that point to the 2 week mark is hardly noticeable and aught not affect our decision to stop or proceed with a secondary. I mention 2 weeks only for the sake of fact. It may be helpful in some delicate instances.

I cannot understate how drastically TPE fades, but a blessing in disguise in most cases. Weak color is correctable, strong not. Regardless, at the point of rinse, I want to see the darkest color possible on a TPE surface. The darker the color, the lesser the need for a second application. In my experience, it was the times I was afraid to go overly dark and stopped too soon that I would often regret, having to do a second application needlessly. Issues with cream that is too strong will be rare... Most creams are too weak in pigment. But when it comes to weak creams, the only negative is that you wasted a little. Nothing is damaged and nothing needs replaced. Just find one stronger and go for it once again.

I’m excited to see how people do with the vast choice of cream brands that are uniquely available in each part of the world. F.Y.I, M.Mowbray brand is weak on pigment strength!  Provided it is a good brand, I think most people will be satisfied with a single application. Though subtle, adding red/pink/orange/yellow hue adds undeniable realism to a Phicen.

I was wondering, do you happen to know if this approach could be used to lighten a TBLeague skin tone? I know some solutions like the make up technique cannot do that. wrote:

To lighten a Phicen, a white cream may be worth a try... It might not be of strength for a Kratos, but may turn a sun-kissed male Phicen body to a pale anglo-aaxon for example.

My only question is regarding whether would be possible to use this method for 'unnatural' skin colours. For most people, this will be a huge breakthrough since it will greatly help with darker human skintones that are so elusive in this hobby. But in my case, I mostly tend to colour Tbleague bodies for Star Wars alien characters, so my aims are slightly different. Based on your experience, in order to acheive those kinds of colours, how much of the shoe polish/cream would you apply, and how long would you leave it on? wrote:

It would entirely depend. For a particularly bright and saturated alien skin color such as a character in a Star Wars animated series, I would advocate for oil pastel. Nothing else seems to reach such level of pigment saturation. But alien characters of live-action films such as Aayla, Oola, Ahsoka Tano, their colors are more subtle, thus suitable for cream.

Lets use Oola, Aayla, Ahsoka as an example. For a light blue or light green, it should be straight forward. Strong primary blue / primary green should leave light blue / light green (upon 2- 3 days of fade). However, for Ahsoka, I think a red-ish dark brown as opposed to a dark orange cream will leave a less saturated tone of orange best suited to Ahsoka.    

My theory on green which I shared with someone attempting a Lou Ferrigno Hulk is this: Since brown creams tend to leave behind mostly red and yellow (orange) tones on TPE, its entirely possible that the same is true for green, i.e. some greens could leave behind mostly yellow tones, in which case, an additional application of a blue may be required.  

After the 10 or plus minutes of cream application, I would rinse soon after. I have never left cream on a figure for more than 5 minutes post app, afraid that it will leave patches, since cream tends to stick on some parts more than others. A quick rinse is a safer bet.

Thank you so much for the answers regarding the SW alien colours! Most of my 1/6 figures are based on the animated style, so perhaps I am better sticking to the oil pastel in those cases. But I'm glad to know the shoe cream is also a possibility, and I appreciate the advice.

For now, I am mostly needing reds, orange/tans, and blues, but it's good to know the possible complications with the green colours for future reference.

This is a very interesting method and once I finish my aliens I hope to try out some of the human skintones as suggested here.

Thank you for answering the questions and providing the additional information. Looks like you would recommend the Viola shoe cream you show in the photos?

Not especially. I used Viola, a Japanese brand because of its local availability and it was only fortuitous that its product photos were brightly lit enough that it served me as a way to clearly exemplify the tonal difference for each cream. There are a multitude of brands that are completely interchangeable to Viola brand. I’m currently using a cheaper brand of cream (of a $6 equivalence) which is both stronger in pigment and smoother to apply. But if I was to start on a path to promoting each good or decent brand with a wide color selection, I’ll be at it for an eternity. While I’ve found a dozen fine shoe cream brands of local Japanese make, each major country seems to have at least a dozen brand of their own. Quite a few people have sent me screenshots of cream brands I’ve never heard of in Brazil, Canada, France, US etc, to ask me about them. It was only when I change my country location on a site like Amazon that I got to see brand availability for each nation. Virtually all our Internet search results are personalized and catered to local availability... so rather than drive myself nuts keeping track of them, I encourage everyone make their own discoveries. Early reports to my DM show that results on TPE are virtually identical.

Sorry to add more to my answers that required. With each question I find it opportune to add detail I’ve neglected thinking if someone were to read, it might help them in their art.

Thanks for the additional explanation. Now that I looked, it does not appear that all that beautiful Viola is readily available here in the States. So it would have to be another shoe cream brand anyway.

Now that I know where you are GubernatorFan, I can narrow the field somewhat. Here’s minuscule sample of what’s available to Americans browsing on Amazon. I dare anyone to enter a different location on Amazon’s countries/regions setting and see what creams are available worldwide. Its surprising. 2 measly shades of deathly pale for female and a single shade of tan for male is what Phicen has given us. China and much of Asia is fine with this. They buy skin lightening cream by the ton and won’t allow black people on TV. But as for the rest of us... lets get coloring folks!! Its a fun way to rebel yucky conformity. Turning a tanned body pale would be a defiant act also. Not all guys are tanned Phicen!!

Thanks for the list of stuff here in the States. Awesome work. I'm going to have to get some of these and see if I can't make some Star Wars aliens (like Oola -- Oo-La-La!)

Thank you for checking, The Sixth Practical. I recognize the last four from when I took a look myself. So these can all be expected to be comparable to what you used (wax-based shoe cream).

This has been most useful. One thing that you could add, if you wish (you did provide some indication above), is if there is a sort of standard process in enhancing colors. E.g., you start with orange, and then you apply X to get to Y. But you apply V to get to W. This sort of thing. I realize you may not have experimented enough to have a full set of such solutions, but it sounded like you can almost predict what might be needed.

Stryker2011 wrote:Thanks for the list of stuff here in the States. Awesome work. I'm going to have to get some of these and see if I can't make some Star Wars aliens (like Oola -- Oo-La-La!)

You definitely need an Oola for your Jabba diorama!

skywalkersaga wrote:

Stryker2011 wrote:Thanks for the list of stuff here in the States. Awesome work. I'm going to have to get some of these and see if I can't make some Star Wars aliens (like Oola -- Oo-La-La!)

You definitely need an Oola for your Jabba diorama!

Yes, indeed! Even though her character was food by the time Leia arrived, it would still be cool to have her in the scene, anyway).

Yes, I mean, you have plenty of other characters there who weren't technically in that scene, so it's more than justified. :')

GubernatorFan, to your question, these are the wax-based creams appropriate for TPE.

I had wondered if I could design some type of basic simple color chart that could assist, but a principle color guide, even the most basic one start to break down when I consider the incredible number of variables in various brand colors, with each cream brand using different ratios and concentrations of pigment. But of the guess work each of us must do in our purchase selection of creams... there is something that might assist in decreasing purchase error. The following might be the closest I’ll ever come to any type of ‘formula’.

In shopping for shoe cream, product images are typically bright so you can see its color, but when an image is too dark, there is a Photoshop trick to help us see its hidden color. With a tweak, we can even generate a preview of how a cream might stain Phicen TPE. SAPHIR’s chart is the example. Photoshop - Image - Adjustments - Selective Color: set slider on Black to minus 100% on all colors except for Reds, Whites, Neutrals & Blacks. Reds: set Cyan to minus 100%, hit OK. Now open Selective Color and repeat this again. If an image is only slightly dark or is saturated plenty, there’s no need to repeat the step.

It is best to view this color chart on full screen mode and zoom in for closer examination.




What you are now seeing is the dilution of all colors except for Red which tend to be the strongest pigment of cream to remain on TPE. Now the truth is revealed! I should guess that some of the colors you might have otherwise chosen are no longer a suitable match to what you needed. For instance, Dark Brown now appears too orange/red for a natural suntan. Most of the light shades of brown appear entirely too orange/red for human skin. But this is great stuff! We’ve just eliminated money wasters to get it right on the first buy. Of SAPHIR’s choice of colors now revealed, I would perhaps select Boar Brown or Mink for a darker suntan, and Brown, Hazel, Khaki or Taupe Grey for a light tan - for their low concentration of red pigmentation over the rest. Each may result in ethnic tan variations. Look closely at those I selected and you’ll see a tiny hint of blue, on par with actual skin. Most of the light colors on chart will barely stain TPE, so select the darkest for any color. Most dark tones will not remain on TPE but they are beneficial to subdue color radiance.  

In my experience, its the cheap brand containing petrochemicals as opposed to ‘natural’ ingredients that result in deep coloration on Phicen TPE. SAPHIR’s coloration is decent but not the best. The chart provided is a color demonstration, not a promotion for brand. Test conducted on blue and green cream yielded weak results. Oil Pastel recommended for colors other than reds, oranges and browns of skin tone.

Thank you so much for the additional information, which surpasses expectations and would be most helpful for any of us who would take up the challenge of using this approach. Your presentation is thorough and clear, and beautifully done. I'm sure we all appreciate the tips and guide. And we realize that much of this is ultimately informed guesswork, not least because shoe cream color concentration, adhesion, amounts used, etc., would all inevitably vary. But it is very encouraging to have this reference resource to turn to.

Yes, indeed. This is most impressive. I am so looking forward to trying this in order to make some Star Wars aliens. Ive been wanting to attempt an Oola and Darth Talon for awhile now.

Wow, that is an incredibly detailed and helpful chart. Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to put that together!

So I ran a couple of tests... one with SAPHIR’s dark green on a Phicen M35, aiming for a Lou Ferrigno Hulk but the green did not take... After a second application, some areas showed shades of green but not nearly enough. I think it is best that we avoid blues and greens all together, even purples which I haven’t sufficiently tested but so far too difficult to achieve. I am sorry to disappoint anyone planning on trying for a blue green or purple. I’ve edited the STAR WARS color chart above to reflect my findings. I strongly advocate for natural skin tones with cream, but the hope for alien colors, RIP. I’m now switching to oil pastel to complete the Hulk green. My first full body oil pastel attempt... Pics to come!

Thanks for the honest assessment. It's totally ok, I think it's good to have a variety of methods to work with. It's already just so helpful that you've shown this way of tinting the tbleague skintone in a more realistic manner. The oil pastels don't lend them as well to such subtlety, whereas they been alright with the non-human/alien skintones in my limited experiments. I was mainly just wondering about the shoe cream in case it was an even better method for it.