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For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
Posts: 233Hi again everyone!
I'm here to test you all again!
I wonder has anyone used the chalk type oils for shading? I particularly wanted to shade around the paw pads and I'm not sure about which oils to use as there seem to be a few different types , oil paint , pencils and chalk . There may be others but as I'm no artist I don't know them.
I have used Copic Markers and like them for outlining eyes etc., but I wanted to try something different and a little more subtle and I know you can use the blender pen in the Copic but as I say it would be nice to use something else for a change.
I have had a look in the library , and there's some great tips there but some of the posts are quite old so I wondered if things may have changed a little now .. or maybe not ?
Anyway any tips very gratefully received !! :thumbsup:
Nan x
desertmountainbearI use chalk pastels for shading, and I do use them on the paw pads of my bears. I would not recommend the oil pastels which are like a crayon, but the chalk pastels. I rub them on a piece of paper, then I use a fairly stiff brush to pick up the chalk and rub it into the paws. I use leather on the paws. Chalk pastels are pigment powders, that are ground into a binder. They are for the most part very light fast. They can not be put through a washing machine, because they are not that kind of permanent, but once applied they are not easily removed.
You must be careful about using oil paint or oil pastels on the actual cotton backing of the fabric. Oil can deteriorate the fabric over time, that is why canvas is coated with a glue mixture or some kind of sizing before painting with oil. I think it is fine for the actual fur, but keep it off of the fabric.
GermanyI have taken once quite dark eye shadow. With my Minis I could take a cotton bud? (for ears).
I use the pastels..and I do what you do Joanne ...a scrape it and then roughly brush it one..then I use a baby wipe to make sure it's set on the fabric. Oils are fine but. Think acrylics are better..they can be watered down or used neat to good effect ...and so I have pretty much stopped using oils. I tend to use the Createx transparent colours which can be used with an airbrush ..or what I do is use a tiny dab of shampoo which helps break down the resistance of the fabric. You can buy a special solution to act as wetting agent but its just a detergent which you can use to get the fabric to accept the colour more readily. Works fine and I learned this tip when I went on and airbrushing course a few years ago. It seems to leave the fabric soft and pliable.. And doesn't foam up ;o)!!
desertmountainbearJenny, are you wetting the fabric first with some soap water? or are you adding it to the paint?
Thanks, never heard to do this, but I like it.
Joanne I do both....but mostly I add to the paint...just a dab. I got some of the wetting agent that Createx make but it's just a weak solution of detergent, to act as a wetting agent. It just enables the absorption of the colour into the fabric...it's rather like using a dye on hair ....many contain a bit of shampoo to enable it to be evenly accepted by the hair....
So works for mohair too. I just wipe off the excess with a baby wipe...and it stays put nicely. It works great on needlefelting by the way..great for painting colour onto felting which really doesn't like accepting the colour evenly..so I love doing that.
Hairdressing knowledge comes in very handy at times doesn't it!
Posts: 233Joanne , Jenny, you are both so knowledgeable! Also thank you Conni that's certainly worth a try.
This teddy making is certainly full of surprises ! , but then that's exactly what makes it so riveting ! I feel I need to make a book and log every tip you all have given me!
Very genuine thanks
Nan x
Chaska, MinnesotaVery interesting thread! Question for Jenny and Joanne: what brands of pastel chalks do you recommend? some, I think, are better than others with pigments.
thank you.
desertmountainbearI do not know what I have, I have some soft pastels and some hard. I purchased them all at the art supply, and I was looking more at the color I needed than the brand.
I do not use the pastels as much as I use acrylic paint. For me diluted acrylic on a dry brush works best.
I think mine are Windsor and Newton but I will check later and get back to you. They are upstairs and I am machining downstairs! Like Joanne..I think acrylics work really well...and I think the Createx acrylics are friendlier on the fabrics. You can get translucent and opaque in all the colours. The are expensive in the UK...£5 + but in the USA they are more reasonable
Chaska, MinnesotaThank you Jenny and Joanne. One more question: I used acrylic paints but it rubs off. I used folk art paint. So I think there must be different acrylic paints that are color fast. Correct. Jenny you mention Createx. Is that only for airbrushing or can I put a dab on a paper plate and try to dry brush the color on the bear. Also, the shampoo tip is something intriguing. What are the proportions of shampoo to water? When you mix the solution, do you just rub it on the fur or wool felt to get it damp? And (I know lots of questions here) you add a dab of shampoo to the paint mix it around and put it on the dampened fur/felt? Is that the right process? Next, do you have to heat set the paint?
Thank you for all this information.
Just put a drop in the water you use for dipping your brush. I sometimes mix a teeny amount in the actual paint. Or you could wet the fur pile a little before you apply the colour. Just trial and error really..I have used washing up liquid...soap...and shampoo. Soap is good on felting..and I use that with warm/hotwater...and add the paint as I go. Iam afraid I am a person who just goes for it ...and when it works I keep using it.
You can pretty much use any ink or paint that can be watered down for airbrushing..as long as it runs freely on the paper and it.s not lumpy...so it goes without saying that paint designed for airbrushing can be used on it's own. I paint it on....sponge it on...use a baby wipe dipped in paint...but adding the wetting agent will allow it to penetrate the fabric more readily . The problem with just applying it to the fabric neat it that it merely sits on the surface..and so acrylics...if they are used quite thickly will brush off. But the thing is that paint on any surface will come off if not applied properly and what needs to happen is that the surface is prepared...which is why the paint company makes a product to aid the application of colour to fabric. If you aren't comfortable doing this get some of the fabric medium ...it's not all that expensive...and at least you can use it till you feel happy with the results.
Chaska, MinnesotaThan you so much Jenny.
