dollsahoy:

dollsonmain:

dollsonmain:

Also I’ve learned something, if I can put it into words.

I’ve been using Army Painter acrylics on dolls and ponies lately, and then to seal a pony I use water thinned  Satin mod podge which seems to give just about the right luster.

However.

On Half Note I had done the painting and let it dry, then decided to go a head and reset her hair before sealing just in case the hair setting process messed with the water based sealant because it is rather steamy.

When I pulled Half Note out of the soup, the Army Painter acrylic is EXACTLY the same glossiness as the factory paint.

Army Painter paint is rather hardy, also, and doesn’t necissarily need to be sealed on a display piece, so now I don’t even need to seal her new paint. It’s indistinguishable from the factory paint and being left unsealed makes it easier to remove if someone wants to do that down the line.

The Crafsman did a video about how heat annealing acrylic paint is what makes it bond so well to commercially-made toys–he did it with a blowtorch, but I wonder if what you’ve done is a gentler version? It may not be as durable as the original paint, but it does have the finish.