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FrankEV

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10 hours ago, heppnerguy said:

... I had trouble with the painting of my snowmen...

 

In the photo yours looked Great.  

Assuming you are using acrylic craft paints, here are a few tips.

After fine sanding the pieces, apply a coat of an acrylic sealer.  Kylon makes one that you can get at Hobby Lobby.  I simply use a light coat of any Clear Acrylic Spray.

After the sealer dries, a very light buffing with a scotch bright pad willl remove any raised fibers, and provide a fairly smooth but slightly roughed surface, good for painting.

Any craft paint, cheap or expensive, will work but do try to use a decent brush.  Cheap brushes do not apply the paint properly to get a good finish.  Minimum of two thin coats with a very light sanding in between is better than one very heavy coat, so you are less likely to get runs or holidays.  Make sure you allow ample dry time between coats.

IMO, acrylic paints are soft even after fully dried, compared to oil based paint.  A protective coat of a Clear Acrylic Spray Finish after assembly will make everything more durable and the shine will pop.  Also makes the work less of a dust collector when hung on the wall.

You can paint projects like these using rattle can spray paints, but dry time is much longer, very messy to do small pieces, really should be using a spary booth, again multiple coats needed with sanding in between to get a really fine finish. 

Hope this may help.

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42 minutes ago, BadBob said:

Do you recommend a particular brush?

No.  You can get an assortment (6-8) pack of brushes specifically made for Acrylic paints at any craft store like Hobby Lobby, Michales, or even Walmart, for about $10 to $15 that are good.  Keep them clean with water, and maybe a brush cleaner once in a while, between uses and they will last a long time.   IMO, foam brushes and the cheap throwaway coarse bristle brushes are not suitable to get a nice finish. 

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On 9/9/2024 at 6:02 AM, FrankEV said:

In the photo yours looked Great.  

Assuming you are using acrylic craft paints, here are a few tips.

After fine sanding the pieces, apply a coat of an acrylic sealer.  Kylon makes one that you can get at Hobby Lobby.  I simply use a light coat of any Clear Acrylic Spray.

After the sealer dries, a very light buffing with a scotch bright pad willl remove any raised fibers, and provide a fairly smooth but slightly roughed surface, good for painting.

Any craft paint, cheap or expensive, will work but do try to use a decent brush.  Cheap brushes do not apply the paint properly to get a good finish.  Minimum of two thin coats with a very light sanding in between is better than one very heavy coat, so you are less likely to get runs or holidays.  Make sure you allow ample dry time between coats.

IMO, acrylic paints are soft even after fully dried, compared to oil based paint.  A protective coat of a Clear Acrylic Spray Finish after assembly will make everything more durable and the shine will pop.  Also makes the work less of a dust collector when hung on the wall.

You can paint projects like these using rattle can spray paints, but dry time is much longer, very messy to do small pieces, really should be using a spary booth, again multiple coats needed with sanding in between to get a really fine finish. 

Hope this may help.

I appreciate  your advice. I will try that next time as I am never very happy when I colorize a project. Good tips... thank you for your help

Dick

heppnerguy

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3 hours ago, FrankEV said:

No.  You can get an assortment (6-8) pack of brushes specifically made for Acrylic paints at any craft store like Hobby Lobby, Michales, or even Walmart, for about $10 to $15 that are good.  Keep them clean with water, and maybe a brush cleaner once in a while, between uses and they will last a long time.   IMO, foam brushes and the cheap throwaway coarse bristle brushes are not suitable to get a nice finish. 

Thanks, I thought maybe you had some special brush you were using. I use gold Taklon artist brushes.

A window cleaner from the dollar store does an excellent job cleaning acrylics.

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23 minutes ago, BadBob said:

Thanks, I thought maybe you had some special brush you were using. I use gold Taklon artist brushes.

A window cleaner from the dollar store does an excellent job cleaning acrylics.

 

These days, my brush is mostly my Air Brush😋

Did not know that, thanks.

Edited by FrankEV
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