Fairysnmypond known as FIMP

Question many ask me about face foundation and sealers

This question I get asked a lot sealers and its quite interesting to me because I am in the process of experimenting along with practicing a whole new way of painting my dolls. When I first started using polymer clay I had been just learning how to airbrush my porcelain dolls. But because polymer clay was so new to me and so was the airbrush I didn’t stick it out and really learn what you could accomplish I just went straight for the oil paints but now I do use our face foundations as well. As I have taught this technique to many a lot of people thought it was going to cover a very dirty piece and I always tell my students that you must keep your clay as clean as possible when you’re working on it. Try very hard to get your piece to a place that you can stage bake it and then pick-up from there. Many of my students took the information and applied it and worked out very well. Then they saw how wonderful face foundation worked on their dolls. When I started using face foundations it took me awhile to find the one that I like meaning how my doll felt and the tone it gave off and it didn’t look like I painted it with acrylic paint. I wanted my dolls to have a natural glow as it gives our own skin. Sealers fall into the question of painting dolls this is something I haven’t run across and I tell all my students that everyone looks for a different look and you have to understand if you’re really looking for the foundations to cover your doll like paint then they need to just use acrylic paint. Foundations are to give a tone but you can get some deep tones. But when you do you might find to let your doll set over nite to dry then bake. Now then that has all been said this new way I’m painting I’m experimenting with sealers (with no gloss) because I’m using many layers of paint on my dolls. Researching out sealers and finding the right ingredient’s that are compatible for polymer clay has been a journey. The one thing I have found is don’t believe everything you hear or read experiment will be your true answer and way. The one thing I have learned for myself is that one brand of clay may accept one sealer and another brand may not. But just because one brand didn’t accept doesn’t mean you cannot use it at all on polymer clay. A place I started off with and I did find this to be true on many brands of polymer clay and that is you don’t want petroleum based solvents and when using a spray watch for propellants that have petroleum based solvents.
I hope this information has given many of you beginners some options of what you want to experiment on your dolls or projects. Also what I’m sharing here didn’t come to me over night there has been many many years of experimenting and I have put out a lot of money doing so for myself. But I realize it takes just that to take your art to as many levels as you want to take it. For me it has been time for change and I’m going for a whole new look and way. Hope you enjoy and don’t be afraid to take a thought and expand upon it. Create create create