Page 1 of 1

Painting Customs: Techniques/Discussion

Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 11:23 pm
by Retro
(I couldn't find a thread that specifically talks about painting customs, so if there is one then this thread can just be deleted.)

Glyos collecting may be a very recent hobby for me, BUT I still want to give a custom a shot. Preferably on a figure without paint applications already on it (but it's not a big deal).
I'm thinking of doing either an Armorvor, Outlander, or maybe a Pheyden in sort of a Judge colour scheme. My experience with painting plastics really only extends to model kits, and most of the painting is done before I pop the pieces out of their frames and assemble. (Excluding any necessary touch-ups, weathering, etc.)

I usually use spray paint and then hobby enamels for detailing. However painting a figure is different than a model. So I'm wondering if acrylic paint might be a better option.
Either way I've been looking into an airbrush of my own for painting, and a small little custom like this would make a perfect first project. I'd most likely brush-paint in the smaller details though.

Also does anyone prefer the masking tape, or the plastic wrap method for covering the joint pegs?

Re: Painting Customs: Techniques/Discussion

Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 11:58 pm
by VENENOR
I'm no seasoned vet but I don't mind giving you a bit of insight from my POV. I've dabbled a bit with customs and I used nothing but acrylic paints. I used mostly unpainted figured but even with that I still prepped the figures for painting by using a mix of warm water & dish soap. I scrubbed the parts with this using a cheap toothbrush in order to clean off any residue of the mold release used on PVC to help pop out easier. Since some of the parts mismatched I did prime with a light gray or white to help the final color look as uniform as possible. It also helped using white paint first before painting with yellow because its such a pain to make look consistent. Another FYI, I used matte/flat paints because once I was done I was going to use a clear protective coat that had a satin/semi-gloss. Should of mentioned this earlier but customizing Glyos it's best to paint the parts separated, otherwise the paint could fuse the parts together & you lose any swivel articulation.

Most of these tips I got from a customizer's site called Jin Saotomes Dangerous Toys. The guy has made some amazing customs and he has tutorials on prepwork, painting & sculpting. They're kinda old but they work, now he seems to be doing a lot of paint work using an airbrush. Hope this helps out

Re: Painting Customs: Techniques/Discussion

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2017 1:05 am
by TJOmega
Retro wrote:(I couldn't find a thread that specifically talks about painting customs, so if there is one then this thread can just be deleted.)

Glyos collecting may be a very recent hobby for me, BUT I still want to give a custom a shot. Preferably on a figure without paint applications already on it (but it's not a big deal).
I'm thinking of doing either an Armorvor, Outlander, or maybe a Pheyden in sort of a Judge colour scheme. My experience with painting plastics really only extends to model kits, and most of the painting is done before I pop the pieces out of their frames and assemble. (Excluding any necessary touch-ups, weathering, etc.)

I usually use spray paint and then hobby enamels for detailing. However painting a figure is different than a model. So I'm wondering if acrylic paint might be a better option.
Either way I've been looking into an airbrush of my own for painting, and a small little custom like this would make a perfect first project. I'd most likely brush-paint in the smaller details though.

Also does anyone prefer the masking tape, or the plastic wrap method for covering the joint pegs?

Important to know, never use enamels on Glyos figures, they never completely dry on the PVC. Only use acrylic for your painting.

Re: Painting Customs: Techniques/Discussion

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2017 2:58 am
by Mutt12
I like to go for a gritty, grimy, used look to my pieces. Like they have gone through hell.

I usually paint my guys piece by piece, unless the design calls for it.

What I use is Vallejo black primer, basic acrylic paints you can get at Wal Mart for under a dollar, Duraclear Polyurethane Varnish, and a thin Pigma brush pen.

I start with a coat of black primer.

I then apply a liberal drybrushing of the base coat to where the piece is the entire color, but not quite, leaving crevices and panel lines black.

I then then apply a thin thin THIN layer of either white or silver to highlight features

Then, I use a small detail brush to paint details such as eyes, buttons, spikes, ect. And if its really small details, I use a toothpick.

Afterwards, I apply a coat of clear coat.

When that coat is dried, I get a brush pen and fill in panel lines and crevices I might of accidentally painted in. If I want to make something look grimy and dirty, I would make a big smudge of ink then smear it around with my finger. When the ink dries, it stays on pretty good, because it soaks a little bit into the clear coat.

These would be my best examples of this technique:

ImageImageImage

Re: Painting Customs: Techniques/Discussion

Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2017 9:49 am
by Cappy
Mutt12 wrote:I get a brush pen

I was unaware of brush pens. These look to be a useful tool. Mutt, can you expand on brands, refillables, anything you've learned?

Re: Painting Customs: Techniques/Discussion

Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2017 8:17 am
by Carpy84
Bought gundam pens. I think these will do well for detail lines.

Re: Painting Customs: Techniques/Discussion

Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2017 5:40 am
by Mutt12
Cappy wrote:
Mutt12 wrote:I get a brush pen

I was unaware of brush pens. These look to be a useful tool. Mutt, can you expand on brands, refillables, anything you've learned?


Sorry been away a while. Just moved to North Carolina and still kinda settling in.

I personally use Pigma or Micron brush pens. Sposed to be used for drawing, but for the longest time, never found a use for them when I bought Micron pen sets for my drawings until I realized they work REALLY well for panel lines and the ink sticks REALLY well to painted/clear-coated surfaces.

Re: Painting Customs: Techniques/Discussion

Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2019 8:11 pm
by brian_m
Can anyone recommend a good top coat / clear coat to use? I'm a bit overwhelmed at the options, so it'd be nice to just buy something I know has worked for others.

Thanks for any advice!

Re: Painting Customs: Techniques/Discussion

Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2019 3:22 am
by TJOmega
brian_m wrote:Can anyone recommend a good top coat / clear coat to use? I'm a bit overwhelmed at the options, so it'd be nice to just buy something I know has worked for others.

Thanks for any advice!

My go-to is DecoArt DuraClear Satin. It's a brush on varnish that forms a pretty firm layer with a couple coats.

Re: Painting Customs: Techniques/Discussion

Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2019 8:50 am
by brian_m
TJOmega wrote:
brian_m wrote:Can anyone recommend a good top coat / clear coat to use? I'm a bit overwhelmed at the options, so it'd be nice to just buy something I know has worked for others.

Thanks for any advice!

My go-to is DecoArt DuraClear Satin. It's a brush on varnish that forms a pretty firm layer with a couple coats.


Thanks for the advice, much appreciated! I'll give it a shot!