FREE EXTRAS
Tips and Tricks
Inserting a full body wire armature into a silicone baby doll
Many people have asked me to do a video showing how to insert a full body armature into a silicone baby doll. So this video shows how I make the armature, insert it into the doll, seal the doll back up again and fix it invisibly so nothing is visible on the doll at the end. Also shows how the armature changes how the doll moves and can be posed.
Many people have asked me to do a video showing how to insert a full body armature into a silicone baby doll. So this video shows how I make the armature, insert it into the doll, seal the doll back up again and fix it invisibly so nothing is visible on the doll at the end. Also shows how the armature changes how the doll moves and can be posed.
Acetone - for cleaning off waxy release agent (dispelling myth that acetone damages silicone)
For many years I have used an acetone bath when demoulding dolls, to clean off the waxy surface left by the mould release spray. It was once an industry standard but some newer artists have leaned towards other products to clean the cast prior to painting. Recently there have been some newbies who have questioned whether acetone would adversely affect the silicone. This experiment clearly demonstrates that unlike some other chemicals used regularly in the silicone doll process, acetone has no adverse effect on the silicone at all.
For many years I have used an acetone bath when demoulding dolls, to clean off the waxy surface left by the mould release spray. It was once an industry standard but some newer artists have leaned towards other products to clean the cast prior to painting. Recently there have been some newbies who have questioned whether acetone would adversely affect the silicone. This experiment clearly demonstrates that unlike some other chemicals used regularly in the silicone doll process, acetone has no adverse effect on the silicone at all.
Making a painting sponge for painting silicone baby dolls
Anybody who has painted vinyl reborn dolls will be traumatised to know that most of the wedge sponges used in reborning, are not suitable for using with silicone paints. Silicone paint is extremely sensitive to certain chemicals including tin, sulphur and latex, but even if you buy latex-free wedge sponges they very often still have a product inside them that inhibits the cure of platinum silicone (silicone baby dolls are usually made from, and painted in, platinum silicone) which means the painted surface will remain sticky and uncured and even if you manage to get it to cure by force curing it, the paint will simply peel right off. This video shows how to make a safe painting sponge that is platinum silicone based, and is perfectly safe for use for painting platinum silicone baby dolls - does not cause any inhibition problems with the sensitive platinum silicone paint (such as psycho paint) or with the surface of the baby. You will need a product sold by smooth-on (the same people who make psycho paint) called Soma Foama 15.
Anybody who has painted vinyl reborn dolls will be traumatised to know that most of the wedge sponges used in reborning, are not suitable for using with silicone paints. Silicone paint is extremely sensitive to certain chemicals including tin, sulphur and latex, but even if you buy latex-free wedge sponges they very often still have a product inside them that inhibits the cure of platinum silicone (silicone baby dolls are usually made from, and painted in, platinum silicone) which means the painted surface will remain sticky and uncured and even if you manage to get it to cure by force curing it, the paint will simply peel right off. This video shows how to make a safe painting sponge that is platinum silicone based, and is perfectly safe for use for painting platinum silicone baby dolls - does not cause any inhibition problems with the sensitive platinum silicone paint (such as psycho paint) or with the surface of the baby. You will need a product sold by smooth-on (the same people who make psycho paint) called Soma Foama 15.
Airbrushing your silicone baby
Removing silicone paint
If there is a small area where you want to remove the paint, perhaps a drip or where you can see a brush stroke, you CAN remove paint from silicone - but it is not easy. I would not recommend removing paint from the whole doll because that is a horrible job and takes hours and hours. Also bear in mind that when you remove the drip, it also removes all the paint beneath so if you have already applied several layers of paint, you would be going back to the basic flesh colour beneath and will need to touch it up.
If there is a small area where you want to remove the paint, perhaps a drip or where you can see a brush stroke, you CAN remove paint from silicone - but it is not easy. I would not recommend removing paint from the whole doll because that is a horrible job and takes hours and hours. Also bear in mind that when you remove the drip, it also removes all the paint beneath so if you have already applied several layers of paint, you would be going back to the basic flesh colour beneath and will need to touch it up.
Change gender of silicone baby
It is relatively straight forward to change a girl silicone doll into a boy silicone doll (but not the other way around) as long as you are able to sculpt basic boy parts and make a basic mould for them, so that you can cast them in a soft silicone similar to the original doll.
So in this video I show you how to transplant boy parts onto a girl silicone baby doll.
It is relatively straight forward to change a girl silicone doll into a boy silicone doll (but not the other way around) as long as you are able to sculpt basic boy parts and make a basic mould for them, so that you can cast them in a soft silicone similar to the original doll.
So in this video I show you how to transplant boy parts onto a girl silicone baby doll.
Making a basic tongue for silicone baby doll
Silicone paint not curing?
This is a subject I get asked about a lot, and although I haven't done a video on it yet, I have written a piece about it which might help if you find yourself with this problem.
This is a subject I get asked about a lot, and although I haven't done a video on it yet, I have written a piece about it which might help if you find yourself with this problem.
A question I am asked a LOT is "why is my silicone paint not curing on my doll?"
Ok so there are a number of possible reasons, and you can try and work out the reason by doing a few things.
For the benefit of this I am assuming you are using quality platinum silicone such as psycho paint, and a pigment that is intended for silicone.
First of all - is the silicone curing ok in the pot. In other words, you have mixed the paint in the pot and used it to paint the baby. The paint on the baby had not cured ... but go back to the pot and take a look, is it cured or is it still runny/sticky?
I hope this is helpful.
Ok so there are a number of possible reasons, and you can try and work out the reason by doing a few things.
For the benefit of this I am assuming you are using quality platinum silicone such as psycho paint, and a pigment that is intended for silicone.
First of all - is the silicone curing ok in the pot. In other words, you have mixed the paint in the pot and used it to paint the baby. The paint on the baby had not cured ... but go back to the pot and take a look, is it cured or is it still runny/sticky?
- if the paint is still runny, then something went wrong with your mix, you could consider each of these possibilities:
- Instead of adding A and B to your pot and mix, you added either A and A, or B and B in error. Easily done.
- Is your silicone paint fresh? It has a limited shelf life - check the date on the batch, if it is quite old then that could be a possibility.
- There could be a contaminant in your mixing process. Platinum silicone is very sensitive and if you used latex gloves or something that might have contaminated the silicone in either the pot or your mixing stick, then that might be the problem.
- What solvent are you using to dilute your paint? Check it is compatible with silicone, for example SAM odorless silicone solvent, Novocs, Mona Lisa, Bob Ross odorless thinner, or naptha (lighter fluid). You may have picked up the wrong bottle - if you accidentally used alcohol or acetone, water, or something that looks like thinner but is not, it will have an adverse effect on your silicone.
- If the paint in the pot has cured perfectly, then the problem is not with your silicone or mixing, but with either your painting equipment or doll
- check that any cleaning products used on the doll have been removed completely, and any spirit like alcohol or thinners, have completely flashed off before painting.
- check that your gloves are free of contaminants, and that your gloves do not contain latex or other product that might inhibit the cure. If in any doubt do a test on the gloves, mix some A and B silicone neat in a pot, paint onto the gloves and allow to cure (or fast-cure in a cool oven). If the paint cures ok then those gloves are ok to use.
- If you are using a sponge to apply your paint, do a test on the sponge to make sure it is compatible with platinum silicone. As above, mix some A and B (with thinners as if you were painting) and paint a generous amount on the painting end of the sponge. Allow to cure naturally or fast cure in a cool oven. If the paint on the sponge remains tacky and 'oozy' then do not use those sponges again. Even when sponges are marked 'latex free' I have found that many do have an issue with silicone so when you find sponges that are ok, stick to that brand.
- The problem could be with the silicone that the doll is made of. Think back to when you bought it, did you buy it from a reputable artist, and was it a normal price you would expect to pay for a silicone doll - or did it seem like a really good bargain. Because if it was one of the cheap illegal copies that are being sold on ebay and the internet, it could be that it is not made out of platinum silicone, but of a cheaper tin silicone. If it was a genuine artist-made platinum silicone doll you will be given the name of the sculptor and the pourer, and you will know what silicone it is poured in. If the seller did not provide you with this information then it could be a fake. They may even tell you it is poured in ecoflex but it may not be - these people are not known for their honesty and integrity! So if you suspect that the doll may have been too good to be true, it may be that it is not a genuine platinum silicone doll and be poured in tin silicone in which case you will never get normal silicone paint to cure on the surface of the doll - if it does cure it will peel straight off again.
I hope this is helpful.
Silicone Babies - Softer silicones and when things go wrong!
In this video I talk about what makes your silicone baby super-soft, the differences between the super-soft 'mallow' silicone babies and the standard soft babies, what we doll artists add to the silicone to make it super soft, and WHAT CAN GO WRONG when we get the mixture wrong. In this video I have got the percentage of silicone and deadener/slacker completely wrong and am struggling to get the sticky silicone out of my mould.
Vacuum degasser
No video at the moment but have done a diagram which a few other students have found very helpful.
No video at the moment but have done a diagram which a few other students have found very helpful.
|
|
Making supports for limbs
