Makeup on a small scale

Painting on a doll's makeup is where her personality first starts to emerge. It's such an important step because everything that follows takes it's inspiration from that first application of color and line. So, to properly prepare yourself, you must have fortifications in place.

 This little red can can be a life saver.
















I was having a hard time deciding which of my brainstormed images I liked the most, so I asked Steve which was his favorite. And, being the utterly helpful person he is, he picked the same two that I couldn't decide on! Ugh.

But we were able to talk through the options and decided on a style. So, with a pencil, I sketched the design on her face.

It's a little hard to see, which is actually a good thing. It means not worrying so much about pencil lines later on.

 I've decided to leave her skin color it's "natural" color, so black is where I'm starting. I use acrylics, so I need the flow medium to help it glide on smoothly. It also delays drying time which in this case is a good thing.

You only need a small amount of paint. And the smallest brush you have.

One of these days I'll get around to buying an even smaller brush than this one. It's still a little big for some of the details I want to add. It'll do for now, though.

Follow the pencil lines, and very very carefully paint on the black.

It took Michelangelo about 4 years to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Now, I'm not suggesting that this step should take quite that long, but take your time.

 I've found that turning her face to the back helps get the angle right. This way you're not fighting her boobs.

Steve had quite a giggle over this.

I love him because he's just so mature.

 She needs some color. And since I'm using black and red as a running theme for her, it just goes to figure that I'd use blue for her makeup.

At least you're paying attention. Of course it's red.

 But it was too bright for what I wanted. So I mixed in a small amount of black.

I'm going to use a dry brush technique to add the red. I want it to be fairly subtle and powder like.

I used a big brush to do the blush- using the dry brush technique.

Then I used water (aka spit) to help blend the color. It's ok, because she's going in the front of my car. If I were planning to sell her, I'd probably use actual water.

Or maybe just not admit to the spit. Hey! My mom used mom-spit on me, and I'll bet you've done it to your kids from time to time. Mom-spit is different than regular spit.

Don't judge me.