Thank you so much for making this video! I've been really scared to attempt doing my own faceups and body blushings because of the toxic sealants, but your video really made me want to try it. I really enjoy your channel!
+jutiajulia Glad it could help! This method has really changed my attitude about doing faceups. I'm now looking forward to redoing my whole doll collection with new looks and body blushing. :)
thank you so much for this!!! i have VERY sensitive lungs so msc or any other spray sealant (even liquid with an airbrush) is kinda risky... i was really skeptical if a liquid sealant and a sponge would work with anything other than paint, but i guess with a light enough pressure and very thin layers it works fine? even with pastels?? i'll probably mess up my first try, but i'm pretty sure it'll work out in the end. thanks again!
I thought making bjd paints require special sealants which is hard to find and also toxic, but when I heard liquid sealents work too, I decided to try it, being an - almost- expert with liquid ones. It worked like charm, but I used brushes. Thanks for this video, sponge will work better I think :)
Thank you so much for this tutorial! can't wait to try it for myself..when spraying I'm super conscious about my dog and cat. yes, I spray outside and lock them in, but I get anxious that some might end up on the plants or on something they might end up eating and this method will save me a lot of that!
+Eli Cellini That's probably the number one benefit for me too! There's no airborne propellants that might contaminate or be ingested by kids or pets. It makes me feel safer using it for both myself and around my family and dog. :)
Thank you this is a great tutorial. I will be trying it this weekend!!!! I actually used Liquitex for my first faceup but I was applying it with a brush and though it came out okay it did smudge a little. I'm really excited about this technique!!!! Love your dolls!
+Amanda Jean Lopez The first time I used Liquitex sealant was with a brush too and I was so sad when it smudged all the watercolor pencil work. This sponge method definitely fixed that so I hope you will like the technique and it works for you! :)
This seems like an easier and cheaper alternative to Mr super clear. I want to try this soon! But I do have a question; let's say I use pencil instead of paint for eyelashes or some other small, fine details. Will it smear and mess up your eyelashes or other small details, since you'll be dabbing on that area with the sealant? Also I've had problems with other sealants being tacky and sticky, will this be sticky once applied to the face?
No it wont smear as long as you are very carefull. Did you already tried it? I actually think I will stay with my Mr. Superclear, but for practising and playing around it would be a good alternative.
Did you try it? I really want to because I can't use MSC even if I wanted to, I live in an apartment and even if I can go outside and spray it, I can't just leave it outside to dry xd Also I heard it still stinks after drying? :(
Happy for this method. I'll be giving it a try soon. I've always hated the idea of going outside, putting a mask on, sparying, going in, doing one layer, then going out with the mask and spraying etc. This is certainly a much better method (and also better for the environment!).
This was super helpful!! Thank you so much 👏👏👏 Its my first custom and I was worried my results may not be as efficient on the vinyl head of a MH doll, but it came out beautifully!
Thanks very much for your videos. I've been thinking about doing a face up but it's difficult (and expensive) to get MSC here in England. I'll get the right liquid varnish and try your method. Thank you.
I'm so happy I found this tutorial, I've been meaning to get my doll a face up but I didn't want to risk sending the head for a face up or expose myself to the aerosol, I just have a question, what method do you use to remove it once you're done? I tried using another sealant and it came out kind of sticky and it was difficult to remove (I prob didn't use the correct stuff though)
It's bound to pick up some pastel but that's just the nature of pastels so I wouldn't be too worried about that as long as you know if and what you may be transferring. If you are trying to achieve skin texture then it's perhaps ok but these sponges are nice and white so you can see exactly what you are doing. I am really happy with these videos of yours and have saved them for future reference. Yes you would just need to keep an eye on the dense areas of pigment to see if you are picking anything up. Milton is a cool looking doll and yes it's very helpful!
Thanks for this tutorial! As I'm sensitive to aerosol it was a big help for me, to make my first face up! It gives a nice texture, and works great for me!
Which method is more effective? Sponge or the spray? I want to get into doll customizing without damaging my lungs and buying expensive sealant. Will this work with pencils and pastels or just the paint?
Thank you so much for these videos! I can't find any spray on sealant where I live that can be used on resin, but this might work! How many layers do you do between each application of pastels? And how many would you recommend at the end? (I'm sorry if you mentioned it, the video is a bit quiet even with my volume all the way up, so I might have missed it, I did catch this info for the pre-faceup seal though). Also, how does the sealant hold up with time?
This works so well! Thank you! I was scared to start mine because I didn't know how to use liquitex sealant and I couldn't use any aerosol sealants. So thank you!!
Thanks! I tried this out and so far it was works pretty good with higher quality paints and watercolor pencils, I use student grade chalk pastels and this method of sealant just kind of pushes the pastel and the pencils around or wipes it away. Gently tapping small spots does help, but takes so long. I did try this method to paint a whole body with pastel but after five layers I barely started seeing color, and the gave up there because it took too long since the sealant would push the pastel around if i was rough and if I went slowly to do small spots at a time it just took so long.
Wonderful tutorial!! I've been looking for ways to seal without aerosol and this might just be perfect once I give it a few tries :) I was just wondering - how have these faceups been holding up? have they faded/chipped/worn off in any noticeable way?
This is so useful! It’s really hard for me to find the right weather and time to get the sprayed sealant done, so this would be so much more convenient! Does this sealant come off with the brush cleaner as well?
Have you tried this method for the body as well as the faceup? I'm looking to try this but would like to body blush and tattoo my doll as well and was wondering if you had any experience or advice using this method on more then the head.
Last year I was able to blush the neck and hands of one of my dolls and seal them with this sponge-on technique. But I use this method on my BJD heads most of the time. Be sure to practice sealing multiple layers on blank resin first. Get the hang of it or else you might smudge and ruin your tattoo work on the first attempt. Also test your art medium (pastels, acrylic paint, etc) and observe how it reacts to being patted with the sealant and sponge.
Loved these two videos! Just wondering how many thin layers of sealant I should apply when sealing the different layers of the Faceup. Do you aim for 8 layers every time you seal?
+Kate Charles I usually do 5-8 layers to protect the blank head. For the "in-between" layers I do 1-2 thin layers to seal pastels and usually just 1 to seal acrylic paints and water color pencils. Then finish it up with final 2-3 layers before applying the gloss. I do a lot of layers at the beginning to ensure pigments don't seep and stain the resin. Hope that helps! :)
Will this sponge on sealant work on a vinyl doll face such as my Chatty Cathy? I need a darken the freckles and eyebrows and also put blush on her cheeks
thanks for this i may try this with one of my dolls that i want to re do the face on. ive been using msc but even with a respirator and being outside that stuff gives me a headache lol
Is this removable with Windsor & Newton brush cleaner? The only Liquitex matte varnish that I can find says that it's permanent and non-removable on the front of the bottle, and I'm not sure if they've simply repackaged it or if they've also changed the formula...
Yes, I like to use the watercolor pencils on the eyelashes and eyebrow hairs. But I also use thin brushes with acrylic paint too. With practice you can improve your ability to use a paintbrush. You can do it! :D
Hi Anandoll, I read most of the comments and realised I might have bought the wrong Liquitex. It was pouring medium and you recommended to use Liquitex Matte Varnish. May I know what is the difference ? Can I use this pouring medium to seal the BJD ?
Any advice on the liquitex matte spray varnish? On the website it says it's non toxic, so I wonder if I can use that too. Do I also have to use it in layers?
No matter what a spray says, if it is an aerosol, you still should wear heavy-duty protection. There are still particles in the air that you should not be breathing. This even goes for airbrushing.
+keiko yayoi I've never done repaints or faceups on vinyl dolls before, sorry I'm not sure. But another person commented with their results. Check out the comment by Ima Secrat and if you're able to try this out, please share your experience with us! :)
+Madison PL Hi! :) Are you doing this on a resin or vinyl doll head? I can't say much about working on vinyl but for BJD resin: I had this happen before. It occurred when I was putting too much liquid sealant on the sponge. Too much moisture while patting over watercolor pencils made the pigment wash away. Try using less sealant on your sponge. Hope that helps!
The trick is to do light layers of pastel and then seal each layer. The pastel powder will embed in the texture of the sealant and only a little residue will pick up on the sponge. If you try to compact too much pastel on one layer, your sponge will have lots of the color and transfer it on areas you don’t want it.
+oXtatsukoXo I actually find it much easier to erase on top of this type of coating than when I was using aerosol sealant. Before with Volks or MSC spray, when I was erasing mistakes or using water to correct my painting, the sealant would easily chip off. With this sponge and Liquitex sealant I can easily tone done the pigments, erase clean lines and remove painted mistakes. The trick is to do very thin coats, lots of layers and make the fine texture as consistent throughout the resin as possible.
Hi! I'm not familiar with working on non-resin dolls, sorry. But you can look through the comments on both videos because some have tried using this method on vinyl dolls. Some had success with it! :)
I think rinsing the sponges will be difficult. If you have disposable cosmetic sponges at the store, a whole bag of sponges should be good for at least seven or even ten faceups! Buying new sponges will ensure you use a clean sponge each time.
I tried this with Jo Sonja matt varnish. It went really badly, the mattness was patchy and it went sticky. I will use liquitex next time! I should have known, liquitex is a high-performing brand.
Hi, Tried using this on face app I think I've used way too much .I'm trying to erase it with rubbing alcohol but it's taking forever and the sealant is sticking to well.. I am so bored of 5 hours of scrubbing and submersion this damn head. I still can't get all of it off, the layers are splitting. so working snail pace😿 What solution do you think would be good to remove it?
I've never use rubbing alcohol to remove a faceup. But I've read using alcohol takes a long time and needs lots of muscle to wipe off the paint. If you're painting on a resin doll (like a BJD) I highly recommend Windsor Newton's Brush Cleaner and Restorer for removing the faceup.
I purchased directly from the doll companies' websites like Withdoll and Ringdoll. I also use official doll dealer websites like Alice's Collections. There is also second-hand doll marketplaces online that sell proper legit dolls. It's best to avoid websites like Ebay for buying dolls unless it's a trusted source.
This is a great method but for people wanting to pick up this product don’t go to Michaels unless you have a coupon they inflate their prices like crazy try to find an art supply store instead you’ll find more of what you need at better prices at art supply stores anyway
Thank you so much for making this video! I've been really scared to attempt doing my own faceups and body blushings because of the toxic sealants, but your video really made me want to try it. I really enjoy your channel!
+jutiajulia Glad it could help! This method has really changed my attitude about doing faceups. I'm now looking forward to redoing my whole doll collection with new looks and body blushing. :)
thank you so much for this!!! i have VERY sensitive lungs so msc or any other spray sealant (even liquid with an airbrush) is kinda risky... i was really skeptical if a liquid sealant and a sponge would work with anything other than paint, but i guess with a light enough pressure and very thin layers it works fine? even with pastels?? i'll probably mess up my first try, but i'm pretty sure it'll work out in the end. thanks again!
I thought making bjd paints require special sealants which is hard to find and also toxic, but when I heard liquid sealents work too, I decided to try it, being an - almost- expert with liquid ones. It worked like charm, but I used brushes.
Thanks for this video, sponge will work better I think :)
Thank you so much for this tutorial! can't wait to try it for myself..when spraying I'm super conscious about my dog and cat. yes, I spray outside and lock them in, but I get anxious that some might end up on the plants or on something they might end up eating and this method will save me a lot of that!
+Eli Cellini That's probably the number one benefit for me too! There's no airborne propellants that might contaminate or be ingested by kids or pets. It makes me feel safer using it for both myself and around my family and dog. :)
Thank you this is a great tutorial. I will be trying it this weekend!!!! I actually used Liquitex for my first faceup but I was applying it with a brush and though it came out okay it did smudge a little. I'm really excited about this technique!!!! Love your dolls!
+Amanda Jean Lopez The first time I used Liquitex sealant was with a brush too and I was so sad when it smudged all the watercolor pencil work. This sponge method definitely fixed that so I hope you will like the technique and it works for you! :)
This seems like an easier and cheaper alternative to Mr super clear. I want to try this soon! But I do have a question; let's say I use pencil instead of paint for eyelashes or some other small, fine details. Will it smear and mess up your eyelashes or other small details, since you'll be dabbing on that area with the sealant? Also I've had problems with other sealants being tacky and sticky, will this be sticky once applied to the face?
No it wont smear as long as you are very carefull. Did you already tried it? I actually think I will stay with my Mr. Superclear, but for practising and playing around it would be a good alternative.
Lexi Tri Thank you 😊
Did you try it? I really want to because I can't use MSC even if I wanted to, I live in an apartment and even if I can go outside and spray it, I can't just leave it outside to dry xd Also I heard it still stinks after drying? :(
Happy for this method. I'll be giving it a try soon. I've always hated the idea of going outside, putting a mask on, sparying, going in, doing one layer, then going out with the mask and spraying etc. This is certainly a much better method (and also better for the environment!).
This is so great method! Thank you so much for showing the whole process and giving tips on how to avoid errors. I am very excited to try this.👍🏻😄
+Rosie I'm glad it could be helpful to you! I hope you will try it and it will be successful for you. :)
This was super helpful!! Thank you so much 👏👏👏 Its my first custom and I was worried my results may not be as efficient on the vinyl head of a MH doll, but it came out beautifully!
I’m very glad it worked for you! Have fun customizing more beautiful dolls!! :)
Thanks very much for your videos. I've been thinking about doing a face up but it's difficult (and expensive) to get MSC here in England.
I'll get the right liquid varnish and try your method. Thank you.
I'm so happy I found this tutorial, I've been meaning to get my doll a face up but I didn't want to risk sending the head for a face up or expose myself to the aerosol, I just have a question, what method do you use to remove it once you're done? I tried using another sealant and it came out kind of sticky and it was difficult to remove (I prob didn't use the correct stuff though)
It's bound to pick up some pastel but that's just the nature of pastels so I wouldn't be too worried about that as long as you know if and what you may be transferring. If you are trying to achieve skin texture then it's perhaps ok but these sponges are nice and white so you can see exactly what you are doing. I am really happy with these videos of yours and have saved them for future reference. Yes you would just need to keep an eye on the dense areas of pigment to see if you are picking anything up.
Milton is a cool looking doll and yes it's very helpful!
Thanks for this tutorial! As I'm sensitive to aerosol it was a big help for me, to make my first face up! It gives a nice texture, and works great for me!
Very happy to hear this! Have fun painting your dolls! :)
Which method is more effective? Sponge or the spray? I want to get into doll customizing without damaging my lungs and buying expensive sealant. Will this work with pencils and pastels or just the paint?
Thank you so much for these videos! I can't find any spray on sealant where I live that can be used on resin, but this might work! How many layers do you do between each application of pastels? And how many would you recommend at the end? (I'm sorry if you mentioned it, the video is a bit quiet even with my volume all the way up, so I might have missed it, I did catch this info for the pre-faceup seal though).
Also, how does the sealant hold up with time?
This works so well! Thank you! I was scared to start mine because I didn't know how to use liquitex sealant and I couldn't use any aerosol sealants. So thank you!!
I'm very happy it worked for you! I hope you will enjoy painting and sealing many more doll faces.
Anandoll Thank you! Your work is amazing!
Thanks! I tried this out and so far it was works pretty good with higher quality paints and watercolor pencils, I use student grade chalk pastels and this method of sealant just kind of pushes the pastel and the pencils around or wipes it away. Gently tapping small spots does help, but takes so long. I did try this method to paint a whole body with pastel but after five layers I barely started seeing color, and the gave up there because it took too long since the sealant would push the pastel around if i was rough and if I went slowly to do small spots at a time it just took so long.
Wonderful tutorial!! I've been looking for ways to seal without aerosol and this might just be perfect once I give it a few tries :) I was just wondering - how have these faceups been holding up? have they faded/chipped/worn off in any noticeable way?
This is so useful! It’s really hard for me to find the right weather and time to get the sprayed sealant done, so this would be so much more convenient! Does this sealant come off with the brush cleaner as well?
This is super helpful! Thank you so much.
+Sarah Longshore You're very welcome! :)
Have you tried this method for the body as well as the faceup? I'm looking to try this but would like to body blush and tattoo my doll as well and was wondering if you had any experience or advice using this method on more then the head.
Last year I was able to blush the neck and hands of one of my dolls and seal them with this sponge-on technique. But I use this method on my BJD heads most of the time. Be sure to practice sealing multiple layers on blank resin first. Get the hang of it or else you might smudge and ruin your tattoo work on the first attempt. Also test your art medium (pastels, acrylic paint, etc) and observe how it reacts to being patted with the sealant and sponge.
These tutorials are great...and extremely helpful! Thank you so much! :)
You're welcome! :)
Thank you so much for this! I'm excited to try it.
Loved these two videos! Just wondering how many thin layers of sealant I should apply when sealing the different layers of the Faceup. Do you aim for 8 layers every time you seal?
+Kate Charles I usually do 5-8 layers to protect the blank head. For the "in-between" layers I do 1-2 thin layers to seal pastels and usually just 1 to seal acrylic paints and water color pencils. Then finish it up with final 2-3 layers before applying the gloss. I do a lot of layers at the beginning to ensure pigments don't seep and stain the resin. Hope that helps! :)
Will this sponge on sealant work on a vinyl doll face such as my Chatty Cathy? I need a darken the freckles and eyebrows and also put blush on her cheeks
very intresting video an i will try this method i think.
+Ilkaril Glad you liked it! :) I hope it goes well for you!
thanks for this i may try this with one of my dolls that i want to re do the face on. ive been using msc but even with a respirator and being outside that stuff gives me a headache lol
This so useful, I want to try doing faceups but I cant even use the sealant outside because I have chickens, thank you for this!
Is this removable with Windsor & Newton brush cleaner? The only Liquitex matte varnish that I can find says that it's permanent and non-removable on the front of the bottle, and I'm not sure if they've simply repackaged it or if they've also changed the formula...
Beautiful job!!👌
so a dub question but how would you remove the faceup? would windsor newton brush cleaner still work?
Do you use watercolor pencils? I cant really use brushes since thin brushes are harder to manipulate
Yes, I like to use the watercolor pencils on the eyelashes and eyebrow hairs. But I also use thin brushes with acrylic paint too. With practice you can improve your ability to use a paintbrush. You can do it! :D
Hi Anandoll, I read most of the comments and realised I might have bought the wrong Liquitex. It was pouring medium and you recommended to use Liquitex Matte Varnish. May I know what is the difference ? Can I use this pouring medium to seal the BJD ?
I think the pouring medium is for diluting your paint (or making your paint dry slower?)
The varnish is what you use to seal the doll I think.
Any advice on the liquitex matte spray varnish? On the website it says it's non toxic, so I wonder if I can use that too. Do I also have to use it in layers?
No matter what a spray says, if it is an aerosol, you still should wear heavy-duty protection. There are still particles in the air that you should not be breathing. This even goes for airbrushing.
Lykus Got it, thanks ^^
Will this method work with vinyl dolls like dollfie dream
+keiko yayoi I've never done repaints or faceups on vinyl dolls before, sorry I'm not sure. But another person commented with their results. Check out the comment by Ima Secrat and if you're able to try this out, please share your experience with us! :)
When I try this I've found that it picks up my watercolor pencils, like a lot. Do you have any tips for this?
+Madison PL Hi! :) Are you doing this on a resin or vinyl doll head? I can't say much about working on vinyl but for BJD resin: I had this happen before. It occurred when I was putting too much liquid sealant on the sponge. Too much moisture while patting over watercolor pencils made the pigment wash away. Try using less sealant on your sponge. Hope that helps!
What acrylic paint are you using as gloss on the lips?
Where did you get that amazing eyes from ?? >.
I wish you'd have shown applying the pastel waterway error color pencil. how do they stay and not get picked up on the sponge?? :0
The trick is to do light layers of pastel and then seal each layer. The pastel powder will embed in the texture of the sealant and only a little residue will pick up on the sponge. If you try to compact too much pastel on one layer, your sponge will have lots of the color and transfer it on areas you don’t want it.
How does erasing mistakes go?
+oXtatsukoXo I actually find it much easier to erase on top of this type of coating than when I was using aerosol sealant. Before with Volks or MSC spray, when I was erasing mistakes or using water to correct my painting, the sealant would easily chip off. With this sponge and Liquitex sealant I can easily tone done the pigments, erase clean lines and remove painted mistakes. The trick is to do very thin coats, lots of layers and make the fine texture as consistent throughout the resin as possible.
Thank you!😊
Does this work with Barbie dolls too?
Hi! I'm not familiar with working on non-resin dolls, sorry. But you can look through the comments on both videos because some have tried using this method on vinyl dolls. Some had success with it! :)
Can you rinse these sponges off of sealant after your done and let dry for another use.
I think rinsing the sponges will be difficult. If you have disposable cosmetic sponges at the store, a whole bag of sponges should be good for at least seven or even ten faceups! Buying new sponges will ensure you use a clean sponge each time.
I have to try this!!
+Amizing I hope you try it and it works out! :)
I tried this with Jo Sonja matt varnish. It went really badly, the mattness was patchy and it went sticky. I will use liquitex next time! I should have known, liquitex is a high-performing brand.
Hi,
Tried using this on face app I think I've used way too much .I'm trying to erase it with rubbing alcohol but it's taking forever and the sealant is sticking to well.. I am so bored of 5 hours of scrubbing and submersion this damn head. I still can't get all of it off, the layers are splitting. so working snail pace😿
What solution do you think would be good to remove it?
I've never use rubbing alcohol to remove a faceup. But I've read using alcohol takes a long time and needs lots of muscle to wipe off the paint. If you're painting on a resin doll (like a BJD) I highly recommend Windsor Newton's Brush Cleaner and Restorer for removing the faceup.
how many minutes will i wait for the sealant to dry?
Late response, but let it dry for 8-10 minutes minimum, and let it dry longer if it's humid.
Will you use this on vinyl dolls too
I don't paint on vinyl dolls but some of the commenters on this video have tried it on their vinyl dolls, they might be able to help you, good luck!
Has anyone tried this for vinyl dolls like monster high or ever after high dolls? Because I really wanted to try this!
What do you use for gloss ?
I use Tamiya X-22 Gloss that I buy from the online Volks store. It is very shiny!
Where do you buy your dolls
I purchased directly from the doll companies' websites like Withdoll and Ringdoll. I also use official doll dealer websites like Alice's Collections. There is also second-hand doll marketplaces online that sell proper legit dolls. It's best to avoid websites like Ebay for buying dolls unless it's a trusted source.
This saved my dolls
This is a great method but for people wanting to pick up this product don’t go to Michaels unless you have a coupon they inflate their prices like crazy try to find an art supply store instead you’ll find more of what you need at better prices at art supply stores anyway
That resin face looks a lot like my son, it's uncanny.