Thursday, September 9, 2021

Re-repainted Artsy Fashionista

Repainted Artsy Fashionista

In 2012, I challenged my husband with a bet that he could not repaint a doll's face. Of course, I knew he would attempt to do it, which is what I wanted. Using a thrift-store-found Artsy Fashionista Barbie, the results of this bet are shown above.

After removing the factory paint, my husband used a mixture of markers and paint for the eyes and eyebrows. I used fingernail polish for the lip color (which was not a wise choice). 

Originally, fingernail polish was used for the doll's lip color.

Recently, I noticed the fingernail polish/lipstick had become tacky. A reaction between the vinyl and the chemicals in the fingernail polish probably caused this. I didn't quite like the effect of markers my husband used for the new eyebrows and eyes. So, I removed all of the marker painting and fingernail polish (or as much as I could) with fingernail polish remover. Next, I tried my shaky hand at repainting the doll once again.

I removed as much of the marker as possible, but the marker stained the vinyl. I was able to completely remove the fingernail polish lip color.

Here, I have used acrylic paint to begin repainting the eyebrows, the eyes, and the teeth area.

The eyebrows are completed. The eyes have been outlined, pupils highlighted, and eyelashes (added). I added two beauty marks. Lip color and outlining of the teeth* had also been done when this photo was taken. The entire face was sealed with matte varnish.  (She looks better in person.)

I dressed her in a Sparkle Girlz fashion and Barbie shoes.

One final closeup.

She's not perfect, but I like her new face. 

I need better painting tools for repainting objects as small as 1:6 scale dolls' eyes and I need more paint. My white is too liquidy and some of my browns are clumpy. I'll buy new paints soon and keep practicing on thrift store dolls until I improve my technique. 

*To create teeth, after the paint dried, I used the tip of a quilting needle to scrape away evenly spaced vertical lines of the paint. Next, in the center of the teeth area, I scraped away a thin horizontal line of paint to separate the upper teeth from the lower teeth. 

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6 comments:

  1. She's not bad at all! Gotta start somewhere!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! I agree... starting is effort. Practice makes perfect.

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  2. Repaint doll artistry is challenging. I gave up. However all artists who succeed keep trying. Keep up the good work.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and encouragement. I will keep trying, and I will also be mindful of when and if I should quit.

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  3. Looks good! I am glad you are back to accepting comments.

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