Custom painting Beginner

[Butttornado]

Hi!

There are a handful of statues out there that I have always liked the pose for, but hated the paints. I was wondering if it was necessary to strip the old paints before repainting? I want to gauge exactly how much work is needed before I commit. Thanks!

Also, can I just use acrylics?

 

[galactiboy]

It really depends... as long as the paint isn't too thick you can usually just prime and paint over the existing paint. If a lot of detail has been lost because of poor paint you might decide to strip it first. But you want to be careful as factory paint is pretty tough stuff and it's not uncommon for solvent's to hurt the underlying statue.

 

[Butttornado]

Thanks for the advice. What do you use to prime? Also what kind of paints do you use?

 

[Astounding]

I paint professionally. I work with lacquers, which adhere well to production paints. I don't strip figures or use primer (unnecessary build-up). If you are working with acrylics only, you may need at least a light coat of a primer over production paints in order to get good adhesion. In any case, I would recommend cleaning the statue before painting - surface oils can be an issue, especially if the item has been handled a lot. There are many products available for this but I like Bestine Rubber Cement Thinner. It is a mild solvent, great for removing oils and adhesives (wear gloves - it will de-fat your fingers quickly). Even rubbing alcohol would work - no worries about damaging the paint surface since you are painting over. In fact, if it removes the shine a bit, it can actually help with adhesion, possibly eliminating the need for primer. If you have any other paint related questions feel free to PM me.

-Astounding