This tutorial is for the use of Folk Art Glass and Tile Medium as
a base coat, or primer under air dry paints to prevent shine and create a lovely matte finish.
It is designed as a primer for glass to allow paint to stick to it so it is best used UNDER the paint.
If you find that you must use it over the paint to eliminate shine, please make sure that your Genesis Heat Set Paints are FULLY baked and cure and that your air dry paints have had 1-2 weeks to fully cure. The solvent structure in the Folk Art Glass and Tile Medium can interact with uncured paints and ruin your paint job. It is always safer and recommended to apply before you paint, however, it is not designed to be baked.
Before you begin, shake the bottle of the Folk Art WELL!
And shake throughout the use of it.
I have found that the best way to apply the Folk Art Glass and Tile medium is by using a wedge.
Have
a couple of dishes of warm water available to you as you will get
sticky doing this and might want to clean up some, plus you will need to
rinse out brushes that you use.
On a small plate, place a small puddle of FAG&T medium (FULL STENGTH~do not thin it), no more
than the size of a nickle. The medium dries and thickens fast so you
don't want too much on the plate.
Barely dab the end side of a dry wedge into the puddle then pounce it quickly on the plate leaving just a thin coating on the wedge. A very thin layer is all that is needed on the vinyl.
Pounce it onto the vinyl in small sections....say the back
of the head. Using a clean, dry wedge, pounce the medium until JUST
DRY. Over-pouncing will cause it to pill and get grainy.
Do
another section, paying close attention to
joining the sections together. Change your pouncing wedges often as
they will begin to build up too much medium causing problems when you
pounce.
It is important to change your application wedge after
each piece of vinyl as it begins to build up, and change your plate. I
just use a wedge to clean off the medium that is left, then use water from the
dishes to fully clean the plate then dry the plate with a clean paper towel.
Use a damp brush to apply in creases and in hard to reach
places. Use a dry brush (it's good to have several for when they get
too much medium on them you can wash and switch) to pounce out those
areas.
I like to brush the medium onto the nails creating a
texture. This you would not pounce out. You can create some texture on
the lips by brushing and pouncing, but it's not as good as Genesis
Matte Varnish for texture. I also create textured brows with a brush
and toothpicks after I have the layer applied onto the head and it has had time to dry.
If you touch the vinyl with the medium on it before it's dry, like with your gloved hand, it will also pill. Ask me how I know (grin!). Debbie, thank you so much for helping people like me who are just starting out. It is so very appreciated.
ReplyDeleteChar
LOL...Thank you for sharing with us Char! I think I get it! But that is how we learn, by trail and error. It's great when the doll community can share what they learned, even if they learned it by error. Thank you for your willingness!!!
ReplyDeleteDoes the tile & glass medium become waterproof on the doll after cured? If so, how long to properly have it be cured?
ReplyDeleteYes, it does become waterproof. I use a lot of water when rooting heads and have not had one problem with it during that process.
ReplyDeleteI would wait 24 hours, just to be safe.
What do you do if it does pill. I am 11and starting my first reborn and already bought these paints but mine is pulling a little bit I hope she turns out alright please repley
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on starting your first reborn at such a great, young age! You must be so excited!
DeleteI assume you are talking about the Folk Art Glass and Tile Medium pilling?
You can attempt to wash the pilling off right away with plain water, but to prevent the problem in the future, use less of the medium and less pouncing. Pounce it until it is JUST dry. Overpouncing causes pilling.
Let me know how you are doing :)
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ReplyDeleteHello! I absolutely love your blog. I used the Glass & Tile Medium and I think I applied it too thick. My baby is VERY gritty. I did pounce only until just dry. (I hadn't read this tutorial yet but that just "felt" like the right thing to do.) Is there anything I can do at this point to get her non-gritty?
ReplyDeleteOh boy. That is a tough one! I don't think I have an answer!
DeleteSome of my initial thoughts are that you can buff her with a damp cloth or sponge and see if that helps. Be VERY careful and test in a place that is not very noticeable.
Maybe buffing with a dry cloth or sponge if that does not work, or buffing EVER SO GENTLY with a nail buffing block like they use at the beauty parlor. Those blocks are white.
Another thought is to apply a color wash that won't affect the overall tone of your doll. The paint may smooth out the medium.
Let me know what you do and how it works.
Thank you for answering me so quickly! So I took your advice of the dry cloth - I used one of those "micro" cloths that are supposed to clean windows without streaking. And it seems to have buffed off a lot of the grit. :) She is not 100% smooth but she is nowhere near as textured as she felt before so she still may be saleable. Thank you so much for your help!
DeleteOh that is SO great! I think too that with time and clothing changes, she will probably settle in with a nice, smooth skin. :)
DeleteHi!I am new to reborning and I had a similar problem with one of my reborn on which I applied the Folk Art after painting it and...yes it did feel a little gritty on its head.I stop pouncing with the dry wedge on the other parts of its body and they are fine!I did apply a very very thin layer of it and let the remaining parts dry on my rack.The baby just have a little dry skin on its cheeks and parts of its head!
ReplyDeleteHi Anne,
DeleteThank you for posting. I know of another artist that does not pounce on the Folk Art and just allows it to dry. For me personally, I feel that the doll still looks sheeny when done this way and I just despise sheen on my dolls! That said, there isn't anything inherently wrong with applying it and allowing it to dry, it is a matter of personal preference. It's good to let others know :)
Thanks again!
Debbie
My question is if you get the medium pounced on and then notice dust specks is there a way to take the medium off and start again?
ReplyDeleteYou can try using a moistened wedge to remove the medium. If you just find a little speck here and there, you can also use a fine point tweezers to remove the speck, then touch up the area with some more Glass and Tile. If you need to remove the medium from the entire kit, you can bathe the kit in a basin of water but be SURE that your paints are cure and that you trust your paints. Let us know how it goes!
DeleteXXOO
¿Se puede utilizar Folk Art Glass and Tile Medium antes de pintar con special care nursery?
ReplyDeleteSí, aunque funciona tan bien como para aplicar después de haber pintado con Cuidado Especial Cuidado Pinturas. ¡Buena suerte!
DeleteMuchas gracias y un saludo desde España.
ReplyDeleteWhen you put the glass and tile medium on the baby before you paint it. Do you also use it after you paint to keep the paint on the baby so it won't come off? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHello, I am starting painting my first reborn. For starting I will apply the Glass and Tile medium, before start painting. But it is supposed to mix glass and Tile medium with the acrylic paint and water, for all the painting?
ReplyDeleteHow is the better way to finishing the painting, again another layer of glass and Tile? Thank you so much. Regards
Hi Mariana,
ReplyDeletePlease tell me what acrylic paint you are using so that I can advise you best.
Yes, you may apply another layer of the Glass and Tile Medium as the final coat over the paint.