As I was working on Mika the other day, the sun came through the window and hit his head just right so that I caught a glimpse of the vinyl inside his head. Now, I don't usually examine the vinyl inside the doll heads but I have noticed...after rooting more than 260 doll heads....that there are sometimes spots that are simply very hard to root.
Ahha, that light through the head showed that there are very thick areas of vinyl and very thin areas of vinyl. That explains the difficulty at times but I will note that even though German made kits can have some variances in the head vinyl, I don't recall ever having a difficult time rooting a German made vinyl head. That is why I never mind rooting an Arianna, Tatiana or Angelica. They have always taken me less time than any Chinese made vinyl toddler heads. And they always turn out so beautiful.
While rooting on the big ole "Kitten" head last night, I really noticed some quarter size spots in that head...I could FEEL them and of course, they were very hard to root in those areas. (I have just the size of my palm and one finger left to root on her! Whooo!)
Yes, it is true, I am very biased towards German made vinyl.
The order of Liquitex Ultra Matte Gel arrived and I've had just a little bit of time to play around with it. This is a product I am trying out to see if it can replace the Genesis Matte Varnish (GMV) since the GMV has been so inconsistent and very difficult to use.
I was hoping that I could apply this gel directly to the vinyl as a primer, but it really is not meant for that and did not knock down the shine of the vinyl at all. It is described to be used as a medium IN the paints. I do like the texture...it takes away the slick feeling of the vinyl but is still soft to the touch, much softer than GMV, and there would be no baking involved.
So I mixed some of this gel with some LDC pigments and then added water. Since the gel is a medium, I just replaced the LDC retarder with it. I found out that the gel and paint must be mixed together first, before the water is added and it does not take much pigment to the gel as the gel intensifies the paint. When adding water before combining the gel and pigment, the gel became lumpy like tapioca pudding and took a bit to stir together. It DID stir together, just took more time. After just one layer on a test piece I did notice a reduction in shine and am anticipating full shine knock out by time a reborn is fully painted with this combination.
This gel is not to be used as a finish but it does not say that it needs a finish but rather "permanent, non-yellowing, flexible and water resistant when dry".
The gel is semi-opaque. I was not sure how I felt about that but what I painted so far does not look opaque to me and I am a little excited about what might happen with some of that ucky dark pink, red and brown opaque vinyls when painted with a richer mixture of paints mixed with this gel. Opaque against opaque might be just the fix needed for those.
So, I am hoping that in about a month I can make a reborn for me to keep using this gel and my LDC paints. I am due for a new TNGUN baby (I try to make one for me each year) and this will allow me to watch the finish on the doll over time.
Fun stuff!
Ahha, that light through the head showed that there are very thick areas of vinyl and very thin areas of vinyl. That explains the difficulty at times but I will note that even though German made kits can have some variances in the head vinyl, I don't recall ever having a difficult time rooting a German made vinyl head. That is why I never mind rooting an Arianna, Tatiana or Angelica. They have always taken me less time than any Chinese made vinyl toddler heads. And they always turn out so beautiful.
While rooting on the big ole "Kitten" head last night, I really noticed some quarter size spots in that head...I could FEEL them and of course, they were very hard to root in those areas. (I have just the size of my palm and one finger left to root on her! Whooo!)
Yes, it is true, I am very biased towards German made vinyl.
The order of Liquitex Ultra Matte Gel arrived and I've had just a little bit of time to play around with it. This is a product I am trying out to see if it can replace the Genesis Matte Varnish (GMV) since the GMV has been so inconsistent and very difficult to use.
I was hoping that I could apply this gel directly to the vinyl as a primer, but it really is not meant for that and did not knock down the shine of the vinyl at all. It is described to be used as a medium IN the paints. I do like the texture...it takes away the slick feeling of the vinyl but is still soft to the touch, much softer than GMV, and there would be no baking involved.
So I mixed some of this gel with some LDC pigments and then added water. Since the gel is a medium, I just replaced the LDC retarder with it. I found out that the gel and paint must be mixed together first, before the water is added and it does not take much pigment to the gel as the gel intensifies the paint. When adding water before combining the gel and pigment, the gel became lumpy like tapioca pudding and took a bit to stir together. It DID stir together, just took more time. After just one layer on a test piece I did notice a reduction in shine and am anticipating full shine knock out by time a reborn is fully painted with this combination.
This gel is not to be used as a finish but it does not say that it needs a finish but rather "permanent, non-yellowing, flexible and water resistant when dry".
The gel is semi-opaque. I was not sure how I felt about that but what I painted so far does not look opaque to me and I am a little excited about what might happen with some of that ucky dark pink, red and brown opaque vinyls when painted with a richer mixture of paints mixed with this gel. Opaque against opaque might be just the fix needed for those.
So, I am hoping that in about a month I can make a reborn for me to keep using this gel and my LDC paints. I am due for a new TNGUN baby (I try to make one for me each year) and this will allow me to watch the finish on the doll over time.
Fun stuff!
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