Amaranth's Face Up Rules

These are the rules I personally follow when painting face ups. Just some food for thought, and of course you don't have to do any of these.

1. Never paint with acrylics on the same layer as pastels.
   Why: If you try to use water to wipe away the acrylic or the acrylic smears, you will ruin the pastel and have to redo it.
2. When you like something, seal it, then keep painting.
   Why: If you like the way something looks, you can always add more. If you end up adding more and hate the result, you'll have to wipe all your work including the part you like. Seal often.
3. Never touch a face up before sealant or paint is dry.
   Why: You'll end up with smudges, smears, and tacky parts and sometimes your sealant will completely come off in spots, ruining your beautiful blushing. I hate when this happens.
   

   

   My face up was ruined because of this....

4. Wash your hands, and often.
   Why: I tend to blend color with my fingers, so I always end up dragging a black finger across a pristine rosy cheek, ruining it all. So wash your hands any time you use your fingers to touch something up, blend something, etc. Wash your hands before you paint in order to prevent oils and dust from getting onto the doll. Ever seal a fingerprint in? It sucks.  Wearing gloves can really help here.
5. Spray sealant before you paint any part of the doll.
   I've seen dolls with slight staining just from pastels. Don't risk it. Seal then paint.
6. Always wear a face mask when spraying sealant.
   Why: Inhaling the fumes can make you very sick and have long-term consequences for your health.
7. Always wear a face mask when modding or sanding resin.
   Why: Inhaling the particles will make you sick and have long-term consequences for your health.
8. Don't use human make up on a doll.
   Why: Sometimes human make up has additives or other ingredients that could damage resin or leave weird effects, plus it's more expensive. The average eye shadow around here is $5 or more…a box of pastels in like a dozen or more colours is $10. Use the cheaper, more effective, known-to-be-safe-for-resin option.
9. Don't use a sharpie, other markers, or nailpolish on a doll.
   Why: These will stain, they look unprofessional, juvenile, etc. If you know what you're doing and want the mark permanent, be my guest. I'm sure there are talented artists out there who can use these with no ill-effects or with great skill, but I've seen the horror stories and what has been seen cannot be unseen.
   
   
   
10. Do apply face up colors in the same places a human would wear eye shadow. If it would look stupid on a human, don't do it on your doll. Use human make up references if you don't know where to apply eyeliner or eye shadow colors.
    Why: It will make your face up more realistic, more polished, and more professional.
11. Do research the "scene" your doll fits into.
    Why: You'll just look like an idiot if you call your doll's face up goth, when it's obviously an Andreja-style natural face up. Your doll can be called goth and not have black make up (goths look natural all the time), but don't call the face up gothic when it is isn't. Know how members of the scene wear their make up, and use them as references. Why can I complain about this? I was/am a goth. ;)

Me (No shit, this is seriously me, just pre-baby body. Things are far, far more lumpy now. Ain't nobody want to see that. P.S. Sorry for the weird formatting here.)

Lastly, NEVER GIVE UP. Try and try a thousand times, but never give up.  

Got any rules you follow? Share them with me. ^_^ Happy collecting, and thanks for visiting!