Questions about symbol paints!

Glistening Rainlight

Glittering in the Water
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So I got some paints a while back, but instead of going with the recommended option, I got a cheap set for variety's sake. Well, and because I normally have a pretty small budget.

But the acrylic paints that I got are a bit weird. Most notably, when they dry, they have a really chalky feeling on the page. Like it feels enough like chalk that I feel like it'll rub off onto my hands if I touch it, though so far that hasn't been the case thankfully.

I'm wondering... Do any of you have experience using acrylic paints like these on ponies? Does it work out okay, especially after you use sealant? Or, whatever it was, I forget the name but I have it bookmarked. Does the quality of the paint even matter after you've used sealant?
 
You can maybe add a nice thinning agent to make them more smooth and fit for purpose :D
 
Those have good reviews. I think you might just need to add a bit of water. Got a bait or fakie to practice on?
 
Plenty of baits. I'll test it out on them, then... Should I try it with or without sealant on it? Anything in particular I'd be looking for? Sorry, I know very little about paint, and even less about paint on ponies.
 
Plenty of baits. I'll test it out on them, then... Should I try it with or without sealant on it? Anything in particular I'd be looking for? Sorry, I know very little about paint, and even less about paint on ponies.
Sealant will prevent the paint from washing off. :) I use a matte sealant these days and it dries invisible, but you can use a glossy one or even glittery types! I would buy an acrylic specific sealer.
 
Sealant will prevent the paint from washing off. :) I use a matte sealant these days and it dries invisible, but you can use a glossy one or even glittery types! I would buy an acrylic specific sealer.
You gave the suggestion to use water on the acrylic paints themselves, I was wondering why, if there was any particular issue that would be intended to solve.
 
Thinning acrylic craft paint with water allows it to flow smoothly off your brush without leaving brush strokes. However a lot of cheaper paints skimp on the pigment, which means that even before they're thinned they require multiple coats (drying well in between) to build up opacity. If you brush un-thinned paint onto a white surface and you can see a lot of the surface beneath after the first pass, there isn't a lot of pigment in the paint and it's going to require even more coats when thinned. The best-coverage paints to use are usually artists acrylics because they're high in pigment. They don't come as cheaply as craft paints, but some places like Blick often have sales. I had very good results 20 years ago from Testors model paints (which miiight be an enamel paint?? nope, acrylic) and I need to see if they're still the same as they used to be because they were a dream to work with, though high-gloss (so best for symbols and eyes).
This article is about painting polymer clay, but a lot of the principles and advice are the same as for ponies: https://thebluebottletree.com/painting-polymer-clay/
 
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Thinning acrylic craft paint with water allows it to flow smoothly off your brush without leaving brush strokes. However a lot of cheaper paints skimp on the pigment, which means that when they're thinned they require multiple coats (drying well in between) to build up opacity. If you brush un-thinned paint onto a white surface and you can see a lot of the surface beneath after the first pass, there isn't a lot of pigment in the paint and it's going to require even more coats when thinned. The best-coverage paints to use are usually artists acrylics because they're high in pigment. They don't come as cheaply as craft paints, but some places like Blick often have sales. I had very good results 20 years ago from Testors model paints and I need to see if they're still the same as they used to be because they were a dream to work with, though high-gloss (so best for symbols and eyes).
This article is about painting polymer clay, but a lot of the principles and advice are the same as for ponies: https://thebluebottletree.com/painting-polymer-clay/
Thank you! That definitely helps. I'll give that link a read, as well.

Oddly, these paints don't have an issue with low pigment. They just... don't spread, so larger strokes come out really patchy really quickly. They're matte, as well.

-shakes head- Not intending to go into a review of the paints, I just got done giving a detailed review of something unrelated so I guess my head's in that space now.
 
If they're pigmented, they might just not have enough liquid content! I'd definitely try to boost that. I know gouache itself dries chalky and has a tendency to flake on unprimed surfaces, so a good primer ( Mr. Super Clear for me, personally) would help it stick.
 
If they're pigmented, they might just not have enough liquid content! I'd definitely try to boost that. I know gouache itself dries chalky and has a tendency to flake on unprimed surfaces, so a good primer ( Mr. Super Clear for me, personally) would help it stick.
Wouldn't gouache be unsuitable for pony painting since it's re-wettable like watercolor?
 
Yeah, chalky made me think of gouache too.
 
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