Paint Your Own Figure Tips

As with any advice, take this all with a grain of salt and follow all safety precautions on products. Dragons and Beasties is not responsible for any problems that arise from this advice.

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Becca's Painting Tips

Paint: Paint Your Own vinyls come pre-primed and ready to paint! Use spray paint or acrylics to decorate your dragon. Suggested acrylic brands: Ceramcoat, Americana, Apple Barrel, or any similar craft paint will work well. You can also use any professional grade artist’s acrylics.

Application: Thin out acrylics with a little bit of water, then apply even, thin coats to your dragon. It may take several coats to get full coverage. Patience is key to a uniform, streak free figure. Work light to dark. It’s much easier to paint over light colors when fixing mistakes.

Setting the paint: This is optional. If your paint is smearing when you go to seal it, you should allow the finished paint job to dry for 24 hours before sealing.

If you have done so and still find it smearing, you can heat set it! Set your home oven to the low temperature of 210 degrees Fahrenheit, and get an oven safe surface to place your figure on. Set a piece of card stock down on the surface (to protect the bottom of your figure and your surface) then place your dragon on top. Put it in the oven for 10 mins, to gently heat set your paint. This low temperature will not hurt the vinyl, but please allow your dragon to fully cool before handling again.

Sealant: If your Paint Your Own is strictly for display, sealing is not required. If it will be handled at all, or if you want an extra layer of protection, I recommend these brands:

Glossy
Paint on: Varathane’s water-based Polyurethane. This will take 2-4 coats to get the best shine. You may want to do the heat treat mentioned above on this one as well, especially if you live in a humid or hot climate.
Spray: Most Krylon spray sealers will work great! Just try to find one that says UV protection. This keeps your figure from yellowing.

Semi-Matte
Paint on: Decoart Americana: Duraclear Matte Varnish. I recommend this on metallic parts when you don’t want high gloss. It will enhance the metallic shine.
Spray: Any Krylon that says Matte will likely give you more of a semi-matte! It’s very hard to find a true matte in spray form.

Matte
Paint on: Decoart Americana: Duraclear Ultra Matte Varnish. Note the ULTRA, as that is what makes it truly matte. (Just matte actually has a slight sheen) This is the best true matte sealant I have found in paint on form.
Spray: Testors Spray Lacquer Clear Coat DULLCOTE. A touch pricey, but this is the only truly matte spray sealer I have found.

As with any advice, take this all with a grain of salt and follow all safety precautions on products. Dragons and Beasties is not responsible for any problems that arise from this advice.