Everyone Needs Playtime

In our hectic, modern lives, many of us focus so heavily on work and family commitments that we never seem to have time for pure fun. Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we stopped playing.

When we carve out some leisure time, we’re more likely to zone out in front of the TV or computer than engage in fun, rejuvenating play like we did as children. But play is not just essential for kids; it can be an important source of relaxation and stimulation for adults as well.

There doesn’t need to be any point to the activity beyond having fun and enjoying yourself. By giving yourself permission to play with the joyful abandon of childhood, you can reap oodles of health benefits throughout life.

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Challenge Meme

Seven years ago I issued a challenge to celebrate 20 years of the modern BJD, that I had also done three years previously. As things have be...

Showing posts with label MCG. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MCG. Show all posts

Wednesday

Using Sealants

The purpose of spraying a base coat on bare plastic/vinyl or resin, is to give your doll a coat of flat matte, providing a microscopic uneven surface, which will enable your acrylic paints, pencils and/or pastels to adhere.

Spraying sealant in between applications is how layers are protected during the repaint process. It's much like what artists do, when illustrating with charcoal, to stop it smudging. It also enhances the colours, allowing you to create depth, even a degree of translucency to areas where you require it, such as the eyes.

This is especially so, when a final spot coat of gloss is applied to specific areas with a brush, after the final matt top coat has been applied. My sealant preference for this is Mr. Colour Gloss.

Applying a top coat not only seals and protects your beautiful artwork for years to come, it hides any minor imperfections in the surface and allows you to take photos of your finished dolls without a reflective glare, which is more often found on uncoated plastic/vinyl dolls like Blythe here on the right.

Things to watch out for when using sealants are:
Dust, hair and other miscellaneous airborne particles.
Extremes in temperature ~ it's advisable to work in temperatures ranging from 23-27C (73-81F)
Humidity ~ moisture in the air will create fine droplets or spotting on your work, so definitely don't use when it's raining!
Don't breath it in ~ most sealants are toxic, so it's advisable to use a protective mask in a ventilated area or a professional ventilated spray booth.
Avoid eye & skin contact ~ use gloves when holding your doll.
Distance ~ hold your can about 45 cm (approx.18 inches) from your doll and limit spraying to about 3-5 seconds, so it's just enough to apply a thin, even coat to the surface.

My ideal conditions are ~ 25C (77F) with 50-60% humidity, outdoors on a still day.

My go to sealant is Mr Super Clear UV Flat, as it can be used on both my plastic/vinyl and resin dolls, it also has the UV protection which helps prevent yellowing. Yes it's a bit smelly when applying, but that dissipates quickly.

Obtainable in Australia from Japan Toys in Melbourne, at a reasonable price, but please note MSC can only be shipped by road to other states.
Email: sales@japantoys.com.au or Phone: 0490 678 559.

Also available from Brunel Hobbies 20 Station Road, Cheltenham. Scroll to the bottom of their website page, it's just above Paint Pens.
Email: sales@brunelhobbies.com.au or Phone: 1300 278635.
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