Acrylic paint, fine details and glaze question

[StarfallsAtDusk]

1. I use acrylic paint for the faces and large details on my clay (Sculpey). Sometimes my hand slips and I make a mistake. I try to wipe the paint off immediately with a wet tissue, but it stains my clay and then my faces look dirty. Any tips on how to either clean mistakes or keep the paint from staining the clay? My pieces are too small to sand the stained area away.

2. What do you folks use for fine details? I don't have a brush tiny enough to use acrylic paint, so right now I'm using a scrapbooking marker. I don't like how uneven the ink comes out though.

3. How do you keep your glaze from smearing your acrylic paint details? I've lost a few pieces when I pressed the brush too hard, or put too much glaze on at once. :(

Thanks!

[Cabinfeverclay]

You could try heating the acrylic paint before you glaze the item. That should heat set the paint.

You should get a very small detail brush, I have about 20 of them lol! i used to do super small detail work on ceramics and they work great.

Happy New Year!

[ClayTree]

1 - I paint all my clay so if I make a mistake I can just paint over. I wish I could help you more with this one!

2 - For fine details, I often use a toothpick. It works well for small dots of different sizes. I also have a tiny paint brush that I use for pretty much everything. Most of my work is pretty rustic looking, so I don't need super fine details very often. Again, I'm not helping much!!

3 - Let your pieces dry over night or for at least a couple of hours before you glaze them. Don't be impatient!! I have never had a problem with paint smearing, but I always wait for everything to dry fully before applying glaze. That also goes for each layer of paint - before applying the next coat, WAIT, even if it's super fast dry paint, you should wait. I think it makes a better piece in the end.

It often takes me 3 days just to paint one charm, because I do it in steps. The way I see it, there's no point in rushing it if your risking loosing your entire piece. Patience is key!

[ejrbeads]

Are you letting the paint fully cure - ? Acylic paints will be touch dry in hours but they need a good 24 hours to fully cure. I think if you give it that time the smudging will be reduced greatly

[Former_Member]

I use a very fine brush for details. I let the paint cure at least 48 hours before sealing it, have never had any problems with paint smearing.

[Former_Member]

I think some people are a little confused about the smudging. Or I am. It's that you make small mistakes while painting and can't clear them off, yes? Not that they smudge after painting? Do you glaze your pieces? Perhaps try glazing first, and painting over the glaze? It will wipe off easier from the glazed surface than the porous clay if you get it quickly.
That's all I can think of. Just take your time so you are less likely to slip.
And I agree with the above posters that a small detail brush is probably a good investment.

[StarfallsAtDusk]

Thanks for the advice everyone. This really helps. I didn't know that acrylic paint needs 24 hours to cure, I was trying to glaze just five minutes after painting! :O Also, I will try glazing first on areas that need painting. I agree that it seems it would be easier to wipe off mistakes then. Thanks so much!

[ejrbeads]

Remember the same applies to the glaze too. It is an acrylic product so also needs 24 hours to fully cure. Some people rebake to speed that up - I personally found it creates bubbling and doesn't work as well for me as just waiting and letting it airdry naturally

[Former_Member]

I can usually scrape off little stains with the tip of my nail once the paint dries... If i try to get it off before it dries I find that it smudges and that's when it really stains my clay.

I paint with a toothpick and also a small piece of a dish sponge that I cut out and taped onto a toothpick. It creates a really nice texture...

[Former_Member]

I use little pieces of kitchen paper towels the ones with good absorption, they work better then just tissues.
I find that sometimes the color gets into the glazed its even after 24 hours if the layer was thick, so thanks Christi, will try heating it before glazing for full cure.