Post by Maiasa Liger on May 31, 2018 11:08:56 GMT -5
First off, sorry for the creation of this thread (and the horrible pun), but I have a mad penchant for sciencing the mess out of paints, experimenting with powders, and trying anything that looks pretty or sounds like a cool idea for customs. So this will serve as a kind of dumping place/diary for any cool findings I come across, and usually with a nice report on how the thing works too, as a reference for myself and perhaps others who want to copy the cool thing too! (Also cuz it eventually drowns on the discord server and tumblr - and I am a very big fan of archiving and organizing.) Fans of TL;DR are heavily advised to avoid this thread, I'm German so I tend ramble on for hours - you have been warned!
Shieldy Quest: OJR, Mk-II, Claw, DIY Fangz, Ghost (in production), Holotech, Anime Grade Up Quest: Battle Cougar, Descat, Gilvader, Godkaizer, Ice Blazer, King Baron, King Gojulas, Orudios, Zeekdober, Units 2-4 Box Quest: OER Shield Liger, OER & OJR Bearfighter, OER Zolkon, OJR Command Wolf, Grade Up Houndsoldier
Post by Maiasa Liger on May 31, 2018 12:31:30 GMT -5
I randomly stumbled across this site (www.pppigments.com) a few weeks ago while on the hunt for chameleon paint, and uh, well. Let's just say I have a very very hard time resisting pretty paints. Long story short, me and Kyu went and ordered a bunch each. As in, nearly a dozen. For the heck of it. Pretty paintsssss
Today I finally got around to priming a couple spoons and trying out the two chameleon paints the site stocks. They're more than twice as expensive as the other pearl powders they have and are still cheaper than the nail powders I get at the drugstore. Makes up for the shipping costs yo. I think I'll be making use of the site's reward program fairly soon...
I have tried out powders a couple times over the past weeks already and noticed that while powders are very easy to apply, they can't be sealed with the usual means. Top coating with normal gloss clear loosens and dissolves the powder and turns it into an unsightly glittery mess at best. Which isn't all that surprising if we're being honest. So hands off common liquid spray paints for sealing! Instead you'll need something that immediately dries as soon as it comes in contact with the surface. I've read people advising to thin clear paint with a rapidly evaporating chemical like e.g. isopropanol or ethanol, but I don't have an airbrush so that wasn't an option.
The perfect solution, which I discovered with 30% advice from Kyu, 20% own experience, and 50% trial and error is: run-of-the-mill hair spray. It's amazing omg. It dries instantly, to the point that you can accidentally drop the piece while spraying (which I did with one spoon, whoops) and the coat is dry before it reaches the ground and leaves no mark. It doesn't produce any air bubbles or splatter either. It doesn't dissolve the powder or make it run or even dull it - on the contrary. It makes it even glossier.
I will mention at this point that my hair spray was a higher-end brand - I will totally test with my cheapo one next time and see whether the result turns out just as nice. After using my cheapo one on multiple parts, I can confirm that it works just as well~ Evidently you should check whether the nozzle is clean first in any case and test on scrap first - but that's common spray painting sense. Also I can imagine other rapidly evaporating fixative sprays to work just as well, e.g. for charcoal drawings. I just happened to have hair spray at hand which turned out to work flawlessly (which, fun fact, I used in the past to fixate drawings too), so I will probably not go for the more expensive alternative; but if anyone can confirm other working methods I'd love to hear about and add them!
So what I did was prime two spoons with satin black spray paint. Why not glossy black? Cuz I just so happened to have a full can laying around. Spray paint here is expensive m'kay. And because I also wanted to see whether one can achieve a satin finish by using a satin base coat. So I left one spoon satin, and the other one I gave a gloss clear coat over the satin black.
Now for the actual layering - and this is where the real fun begins! Buff one coat of powder onto the black, until the surface won't take any more powder. This happens fairly quickly - don't worry if it's not opaque yet! This is when you apply a coat of hair spray; nice and covering, but don't overdo it. Then wait 2-3 minutes for the spray to have dried enough, and buff the next layer of powder on. I've found that a surface takes powder better when not 100% cured but slightly tacky still; though don't apply too much force that it starts tearing or you leave fingerprints, cuz that'll mean sanding and recoating. Repeat powder -> hair spray as many times as necessary, until you have a nice opaque look. You can make the last coat of hair spray a bit thicker for added protection, or try adding a clear top coat - I've found that the hair spray forms a protective layer between powder and clear coat. Definitely do test this on scrap first though! You don't want all the hard work to have been for nothing.
What I love about this method is that the black base is literally all the spray painting you have to do. And I'm all for low-effort indoor painting, especially cuz I live on the 3rd floor with no garden or balcony so I literally have to spray on the sidewalk haha. Although I uh, have not stress tested our bathroom yet in how many coats of hairspray it can take before the floor starts getting tacky lol. Also do keep a window open for the sake of not getting yourself high on the fumes.
To sum it all up in a few concise steps:
Base coat in either satin black (for a satin look) or gloss black (for a gloss look)
Buff on powder until the surface won't take any more
Spray a coat of hair spray, not too thick but also not too thin
Wait 2-3 minutes until the hair spray is (nearly) fully cured
Go back to Step 2, repeat until you're satisfied with the look. You can make the last coat of hairspray a bit thicker if you want.
So much for the text part, now it's time for images! Of course it goes without saying that images can only depict so much, especially for non-flat colors, and that the colors are highly dependent on the environment, direct or indirect lighting, etc. yada yada you get the point.
TL;DR: my camera sucks, looks better irl.
Anthias Chameleon
Shifts indigo-purple-red-orange. I used a gloss black base for this one. It turns out a bit more glossy compared to using a satin base, but if you wanted to go for a high-gloss finish I recommend top coating and polishing it.
Neochrome Chameleon
Shifts cyan-mint-purple-red. I used a satin black base for this one, and as such the finish is rather satin as well.
Post by Maiasa Liger on Aug 5, 2018 3:47:51 GMT -5
So I felt the need to do an update here because it's been a while and I'm a liiiiiil too excited about the powders I recently got lol. Excuse any derp English in this post, I'm sleep deprived lol.
I HIGHLY advise customizers to look into nail powders because they're super cheap considering the amount you can paint with them, cover extremely well, and yield amazing effects that you can hardly reproduce any other way.
As stated in my earlier post, application is over satin or gloss black (I highly recommend gloss black, if possible even polished to the point of a 'wet look'), fixate with hair spray or similar.
Note that for the chrome powders, the surface loses a bit of reflectivity with every additional coat. Doing 1 or 2 coats already makes a significant difference and I wouldn't recommend doing more than that.
I'll also be re-doing the chameleon powders from my previous post as I've found them to turn out rather differently when applied over gloss black instead of satin.
Peacock Holo Chameleon Chrome Glitter Powder
Lots of adjectives in that item description and it lives up to them all. There's multiple listings of it but you wanna look for these ones. I got the LG-08 for like, $1.50 off another listing on ebay and it's just... holy sh*t.
In indirect/low light it has a wonderful chameleon effect and mirror shine if buffed onto gloss black, and under strong/direct light it just has the most amazing holographic effect with M A X I M U M S P A R K L E.
No surprise that I had to buy the entire set with 12 colors. Cannot wait for them to arrive omg... gonna be painting spoons like crazy.
The other ones (that I already mentioned a long time ago but only got around to properly testing now) are the Essence Metal Shock Nail Powders. They have to be imported to the US so if you want any, I can get em for cheap around the corner (they'll be pulled from the stores soon though). Do note that certain colors have larger particles than others (e.g. 03 is finer than 02, and the silver is crap lol).
Essence Metal Shock 02 - Me and My Unicorn
The only one in this line to have a color shift effect, but man... it's simply amazing. My camera can't quite capture it, but the blue and purple are so incredibly vivid in real life, and the shift effect is gorgeous. As if you had taken it into photoshop and ramped up the saturation to 150%. It has such a wonderful dusk look (and thus I'll be using it on my Dusk Wolf). Only one coat btw, you can see that the particles are a bit coarser than the next color.
Essence Metal Shock 03 - I'm So Fancy
SUCH a gorgeous chrome purple. It looks so great on my Redler and... just about everything else too really. I have a slight addiction to this color, I won't lie. It's so PRETTY. Only one coat btw. It's very fine and VERY purple. A second coat makes it more purple and a bit brighter, at the cost of slightly less reflectivity (duh).
Last Edit: Aug 5, 2018 3:49:32 GMT -5 by Maiasa Liger
Shieldy Quest: OJR, Mk-II, Claw, DIY Fangz, Ghost (in production), Holotech, Anime Grade Up Quest: Battle Cougar, Descat, Gilvader, Godkaizer, Ice Blazer, King Baron, King Gojulas, Orudios, Zeekdober, Units 2-4 Box Quest: OER Shield Liger, OER & OJR Bearfighter, OER Zolkon, OJR Command Wolf, Grade Up Houndsoldier
Post by Maiasa Liger on Aug 28, 2018 6:11:24 GMT -5
SO I am a little hyped since my order of a dozen (cuz ofc I had to order all of them) peacock holo chameleon chrome glitter powders arrived yesterday and hghsfjsdfhlshdgl.
The name already says it all. But you know what could make mere words better? Visual proof.
Guys, we got vidyah.
⇒ HERE the link to the listing in case you want to get them too! They're super cheap and basically only need one coat~ One jar should be enough for a medium sized Zoid.
LG-01
This color just. O. M. G. It's GORGEOUS. It's literally like dragonfly eyes, green scarabs, or how you'd imagine the most gorgeous iridescent snake scales. I have to resist putting it on everything.
LG-02
I name this color "douchebag sunglasses". I'm sure you all know what I mean lol.
LG-03
LG-04
LG-05
LG-06
This color, I can't omg 😭. It's like a molten peacock, in powder form. It's incredibly vibrant and SO PRETTY tbh I might just die.
LG-07
So much gold! Again reminds me very much of iridescent yellow bugs, like e.g. flower chafers.
LG-08
Eheh I uh, forgot to video tape this one since I already showed it in the last post and didn't make a new spoon. So I'll just copy paste the pics ;v;'
LG-09
SO. GREEN. So green in fact that my camera trips out from it. It's an even more saturated, deeper green than LG-01. Almost a deep sea green. In any case, incredibly pretty ;3;
LG-10
LG-11
Very similar to LG-01. Tbh the difference in low light is infinitesimal, it has the slightest tinge more yellow to it and is a tiny bit more vibrant overall. ...am I sure I didn't accidentally use the same powder twice?
LG-12
This is such a gorgeous autumn color, a wonderful reddish brown shifting into all colors you see in autumn. Sooooo pretty~
Alright folks, that's all for this update - see you in the next one when I have more amazing powders to show off! I'd be lying if I said I don't have another dozen incoming..... whoops.
Yours truly, your trusted knife cat Mai~
Shieldy Quest: OJR, Mk-II, Claw, DIY Fangz, Ghost (in production), Holotech, Anime Grade Up Quest: Battle Cougar, Descat, Gilvader, Godkaizer, Ice Blazer, King Baron, King Gojulas, Orudios, Zeekdober, Units 2-4 Box Quest: OER Shield Liger, OER & OJR Bearfighter, OER Zolkon, OJR Command Wolf, Grade Up Houndsoldier
Dude.... you have to have the videos to even begin to appreciate that paint! As pretty as it is, probably won't end up on one of my customs, but simply beautiful.
Post by Maiasa Liger on Aug 29, 2018 3:22:57 GMT -5
Lol yeah they're quite flamboyant, aren't they. Definitely not for everyone, certainly has to be a specific look you're going for. (Like the Geode custom I'm planning hehehehehe eue~). In any case I love pretty paints and powders juuust a liiiiiiiiiiiil too much,,, so these just make me go #A# *barfs a rainbow* Also cuz even with the video, it's a far cry from doing the real thing justice omg.
Last Edit: Aug 29, 2018 3:24:03 GMT -5 by Maiasa Liger
Shieldy Quest: OJR, Mk-II, Claw, DIY Fangz, Ghost (in production), Holotech, Anime Grade Up Quest: Battle Cougar, Descat, Gilvader, Godkaizer, Ice Blazer, King Baron, King Gojulas, Orudios, Zeekdober, Units 2-4 Box Quest: OER Shield Liger, OER & OJR Bearfighter, OER Zolkon, OJR Command Wolf, Grade Up Houndsoldier
Post by Maiasa Liger on Sept 18, 2018 5:31:33 GMT -5
Only a short update this time cuz omg busy BUT essence published new powders and I had to buy them because of course I did.
Unfortunately I didn't have the time to properly paint spoons, so this'll have to do ;v;
From left to right: 01 purple fiction - royal blue with midnight purple flash 03 rockstar - light purple with olive flash 02 all eyes on me - deep sea green with strong purple flash 05 miracle - bright turquoise with purple-violet flash (which OMG is my fav of them all but sadly the powder is a bit coarser than the others D': nevertheless I wanna slap it on a Zoid sooo badly lol)
Shieldy Quest: OJR, Mk-II, Claw, DIY Fangz, Ghost (in production), Holotech, Anime Grade Up Quest: Battle Cougar, Descat, Gilvader, Godkaizer, Ice Blazer, King Baron, King Gojulas, Orudios, Zeekdober, Units 2-4 Box Quest: OER Shield Liger, OER & OJR Bearfighter, OER Zolkon, OJR Command Wolf, Grade Up Houndsoldier
Wow these are amazing colors! Thanks for sharing and documenting. I also think they'd look great as accents... maybe on a Gojulas Giga/KG, a la Godzilla's atomic breath?
Also my computer can't seem to view the videos you posted, I get the message "no video with supported format and MIME type found". Anyone know a way around this?
You're right about that "Miracle" color; it is so striking! The powder may be rougher, but it looks plenty smooth in the photos.
That stuff would make some killer armor color or some kind of accent for contrasting pieces.
DUDE I know right??? I can only imagine slapping it on some Kabtor or Kuwaga or any insect or other Zoid with prominent armor and a visible underframe..... oh my gosh imagine Bio Zoids with it hglsjdflsdjl pls someone let me paint their Zoid P L EAS E
Also my computer can't seem to view the videos you posted, I get the message "no video with supported format and MIME type found". Anyone know a way around this?
Oh dear yeah I'm not sure what causes that. I can view them in Chrome on my Windows PC; are you using Mac OS? A friend of mine couldn't view it on her Mac either. If I get the time I might see to uploading them on YouTube instead and linking to those ;7;
Shieldy Quest: OJR, Mk-II, Claw, DIY Fangz, Ghost (in production), Holotech, Anime Grade Up Quest: Battle Cougar, Descat, Gilvader, Godkaizer, Ice Blazer, King Baron, King Gojulas, Orudios, Zeekdober, Units 2-4 Box Quest: OER Shield Liger, OER & OJR Bearfighter, OER Zolkon, OJR Command Wolf, Grade Up Houndsoldier
I have a PC too but was using Firefox-- Chrome worked just fine, sorry for the confusion! Seeing them in motion is really something else, wow. Really looking forward to seeing any combination of Zoids and these pigments!
I have a PC too but was using Firefox-- Chrome worked just fine, sorry for the confusion! Seeing them in motion is really something else, wow. Really looking forward to seeing any combination of Zoids and these pigments!
Oh alright, well that's good to know! I think YT has a min. 10 sec requirement so I wouldn't be able to upload them individually...... oh but I might stitch em together into one video? Giving me ideas here~...
And dude yeah I can't wait to slap them on...any Zoid really :'D I'd totally paint someone a Zoid for free just to use these GLORIOUS powders omg.
Shieldy Quest: OJR, Mk-II, Claw, DIY Fangz, Ghost (in production), Holotech, Anime Grade Up Quest: Battle Cougar, Descat, Gilvader, Godkaizer, Ice Blazer, King Baron, King Gojulas, Orudios, Zeekdober, Units 2-4 Box Quest: OER Shield Liger, OER & OJR Bearfighter, OER Zolkon, OJR Command Wolf, Grade Up Houndsoldier