Thread: what kind of paint for porcelain??

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Here is a question for all of you zombie baby parents on the boards....

I have my appropriately creepy porcelain doll to zombify....however.... what kind of paint do you use on porcelain?? I don't think acrylic would work very well on it, brushstokes & stuff. Is there a special paint to use? And would I have to remove the current paint on her eyes/lips, etc. or will it cover??

Her face is very pale to begin with, but has a very faint blush. I want to do her face a soft pale gray and darken her eyes, etc. But want to keep the look of the nice smooth porcelain.

Help?

Enamel paints that can be found at hobby stores used to paint models or artist's acrylics. You would need need to lightly wash & wipe down with thinners, then a lite primer coat & then your color coats, finally seal with a clear coat if using acrylics. & airbrushing is the easiest way & small brushes for detailing.

I use AutoAir acrylics that are pretty bullet proof & use on my automotive graphic painting, & have used them for darn near anything & everything including props.
They are designed for non porous & are as good as it gets. There are a few other acrylic paints out there that are good too, i prefer AA, & they come in all colors.

Out of curiosity I Googled "repainting porcelain dolls" & most people seem to use the acrylic route.

Great, thanks! I guess the acrylic paint I was thinking of is the thicker kind in the $.44 bottles from Michaels. I should have realized there was better stuff out there!

I'm just hoping I can make her look like what I see in my mind!!

I've used those from Micheal's yes there are a lil thick & need to be thinned for spraying, even AutoAir. These are semi opaque paints, they have transparent AA, you use it in layers to get the color depth that you want. I would use the opaques in thinly applied layers. http://autoaircolors.com

You could use those from Micheal's, I like my AA, never let me down if done right, but that's usually anything - good prep & proper follow up with same brand paints make minimal head aches......

Just make sure they are not fabric paint, which is made for porous materials......
craft acrylics should be for non porous surfaces.
( There are plastic clear spray primers for hard plastics only )

That AutoAir paint looks awesome. The stuff they had in their gallery was amazing! Way above my level of talent. And I truly wasn't surprised to see an NHL goalie mask, either - LOL!

This calls for a trip to the local hobby store -if only to see the expressions of any employees I talk to. The girl at the Salvation Army where I got the doll was funny. She told me it looked like it belonged "in a scary movie" - LOL!!

AutoAir might have a local outlet ( auto paint supply shop, check they're website list for any places near you ) Hobby shops really are only going to have enamels ( smelly oil- blaaa ) I would go with a friendlier acrylic like Micheal's, etc.

Alrighty, I found acrylic paint made for glass & ceramics, so I'm going to try it!

I concur!! Acrylic enamel is the way to go! it is a high gloss durable paint that has a very fast air drying cure or time. Its the only way to go for me!

Originally Posted by lisa48317

Alrighty, I found acrylic paint made for glass & ceramics, so I'm going to try it!

Good deal ! keep us posted. ( What brand did you find ? )

The brand is FolkArt & I found it at JoAnn Fabrics.

I was there getting material to make tutus for a couple 13 year old girls & wandered down the paint aisle.