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Complexion Collection Tinting Technique for Modern Dolls
By Glenda Martin
 CHINA PAINTING
Items in parentheses are Seeley product numbers.
First Firing – Fire to witness cone 017
Overall Tint
The technique I use for applying washes on modern dolls is different from the technique I use when creating reproductions of antiques. I call it a “tint” rather than a wash. I have found that on modern dolls the lightest hint of color works better than a heavier overall wash.
1. To prepare your bisque sand it with a #220 Grit Scrubber (DSCRUB). A toothbrush works well for sanding in the mouth and around the ears.
2. Mix your paint with Area Medium (1912) or Ultra Fine Line Medium (1914) to a very light, oily consistency. The color should drip off your palette knife. Do not apply medium to the bisque first. If you apply the paint mixture with a Flat White Taklon Brush (SBR24A) you can easily get it into all the crevices. This brush is a sturdy synthetic and can withstand the firm rubbing back and forth across the porcelain. It will not wear down or lose its shape.
3. Wipe the color away with a lint-free towel (WIPER). Do not worry that you are removing too much color. Your objective is to achieve a glow or tint, not to change the color of the porcelain.
4. Pounce and blend the color until it is smooth with a Large Complexion Brush (SBR81). Next, lightly “over blend”, or polish, with the Large China Mop (SBR21A). The little bit of paint left in the crevices will become the foundation for the contouring you will apply in subsequent firings. Do not over work the paint. You want a satiny look.
Blush
At this point you can apply a light blush on the doll’s cheeks and other body parts before they are fired. This technique is not recommended for less experienced dollmakers and may require some practice. For most dolls I apply the first blush using the wash mixture.
1. Pick up a bit of the dry china paint with the Small Complexion Brush (SBR80).
2. Then dust off excess powder by pouncing the brush on a lint-free towel (WIPER) a few times.
3. For the next step it is important to work quickly! Pounce color onto the fullest part of the cheek or other body part you want to blush. Pounce around this first spot of color in a widening circle until the color is blended and fades lighter around the edges.
4. “Over blend” with the Large China Mop (SBR21A) to dust away any dry paint particles and to finish off the blending. When you master this technique you will love it as a time saver when you are blushing multiple body parts.
Second Firing – Fire to witness cone 018
Contouring
Mix contour color with Ultra Fine Line Medium (1914). For the darker shading in the deepest crevices Pink Fawn Shadow (84G) or Shading Gray (146G) mixed with a darker brown are excellent choices. For lighter, pinker shadows use a thicker, creamier mixture of the overall tint color, either alone or mixed with Shading Gray (146G). For example, the deeper recesses of the nose would be shaded with the darker color mixture and the less recessed areas inside the nose would be shaded with the tint mixture.
When creating contours and shading around the eyes mix equal parts of the darker shading and the tint mixture.
1. Prepare the bisque by applying Area Medium (1912) to the eyelid crease and in the crevices around the nose, mouth and ears. Wipe back with a Super Doll Sponge (SDS4)
2. Use a Modern Lash (SBR44) to apply contour color to the conditioned area.
3. Blend color with the Small Contour Brush (SBR82).
4. “Over blend” or polish with the Large Contour Brush (SBR83). Once it is well blended the deepest density of color should be confined to the recessed areas, fading lighter toward the less recessed areas. Keep in mind that you want the shading to give depth to the doll’s face and look natural. If it looks like makeup you have been a little heavy on the color.
Shadow Brow
Mix brow color with Line Medium. Select a color that is of the same hue as the wig you intend to use for the doll.
The shadow brow should be placed along the brow bone, beginning with an imaginary vertical line drawn up from the inside corner of the eye. You are just starting to map out the eyebrow, so the shadow brow should not be too long or too heavy in this firing. Pounce a ProLine Brush (BR01) into the paint until it is fully loaded. Blot on a lint-free towel (WIPER), then apply color to the brow area. Lay the brush down and use the side of the brush to taper the ends of the shadow brow.
Bottom Eyelashes
Mix lash paint with Line Medium (1910) or Ultra Fine Line Medium (1914) to a creamy consistency. Eyelash Brown (155G) is a good color for most modern dolls. Fully load the Ultra Lash (SBR46) by laying it down as you pull it across the puddle of paint. If the paint does not flow easily it is too thick. Make sure there is no blob of paint on your brush by pulling the brush off the edge of your tile. If the brush is not evenly loaded the lash you paint will be too heavy.
Lips
I prefer to mix the lip color with Area Medium (1912) to a creamy consistency and apply the paint with the Artist’s Gold Lip Definer (SBR48). When it starts to dry the paint is easier to polish and blend smooth.
To achieve symmetrically shaped lips think of the mouth as being divided into four sections, with a vertical line starting in the middle of the nose and a horizontal line between the lips. When you have painted the shape of the mouth turn the head upside down and you will be able to see whether you are off balance.
Note: Both lip and eyebrow shape and placement are instrumental in creating the expression of the doll. You want an expression that is both pleasingly natural and in harmony with the look you want to achieve.
Blush
I use Rosy Red Cheek Blush (143G) on almost all my dolls. It holds its color after firing and has a soft, pink--rather than orange-- undertone.
Apply Area Medium (1912) or Ultra Fine Line Medium (1914) to the cheek or other area you want to blush. Be careful to apply the medium well beyond the area on which you want to apply color so that you do not end up with a harsh line where the color ends. If you use the Multipurpose Blender (SBR106) you will have more control. Wipe away excess with a Super Doll Sponge (SDS4). The surface should not look wet, but have a light satin sheen. For larger areas such as arms or legs you can use the lint-free cloth (WIPER) to remove excess medium.
Using the dry powder technique described under the first firing, apply blush to the cheeks and other body parts. Do not try to get the color too deep in this firing. It is better to add layers of color in subsequent firings until you achieve a natural look. Remember to “blend” first with the Small Complexion Brush (SBR80), then “over blend” with the Large China Mop (SBR21A).
Nails
If you want a French manicure on your doll use the X-Fine Detail Brush (SBR10A) to paint the half moons at the base and the tips of the nails with Manicure White (110G) mixed with Line Medium (1910).
Third Firing – Fire to witness cone 018
Contouring
Use a ProLine Brush (BR01) to deepen the shading around on the upper and lower eyelids with a mixture of the dark contour color and Ultra Fine Line Medium (1914). Over blend with the Small Contour Brush (SBR82).
Shade the inside rim of the nostril with a creamy mixture of the overall tint color and add more depth to the most recessed area inside the nose and around the ears with the dark contour color. Blend with Small Contour Brush (SBR82) and over blend with Large Contour Brush (SBR83).
Eyebrow Strokes
Using the same paint mixture as the shadow brow in the second firing, apply feathered brow strokes on top of and beyond the shadow brow area with the Artist’s Gold Ultra Lash (SBR46). Make the strokes look natural by painting them more vertically near the nose and gradually laying them down more horizontally as you paint toward the ears.
Lip Contouring
For shading and contouring the lips use a color that is darker than but in the same hue as lip color in the second firing. Apply shading in the center of the lips, blending lighter toward the upper and lower lip edges. Avoid applying color to the areas of the lips you want to appear more rounded or convex. The perfect brush to use is the Petite Shader (SBR72), which is a natural sable brush that will absorb and blend the paint.
Blush
Add more blush, if needed, to cheeks and other body parts.
Nails
Mix French Manicure Pink (109G) with Area Medium (1912) to a creamy consistency and paint over entire nail surface. This will fire translucent and give the nails a soft natural sheen.
Fourth Firing – Fire to witness cone 018
Contouring
Add more intensity, if needed.
Shadow Brow
Mix the same brown color used in previous firings with Area Medium (1912) to a dry consistency. With ProLine Brush (BR01) deepen the color over the brow bone.
Eyebrow Strokes
Paint more eyebrow stokes using a darker color than that used in the third firing. This will give the brows more depth. You can add a few strokes in an even darker color
Lip Contouring
Add more depth to lips, using same paint mixture as in third firing.
Blush
Add more blush, if needed.
All molds, porcelain slip, china paints and brushes, patterns, worksheet, bodies and most tools and supplies are available from Seeley’s, Oneonta, New York.
MATERIALS AND CREDIT
China Paints and Media—Seeley’s
Tinting color: your choice
Contouring: Shading Gray (146G) & Pink Fawn Shadow (84G)
Eyelashes: Eyelash Brown (155G)
Cheeks: Rosy Red Cheek Blush (143G)
Nails: French Manicure Pink (109G) and Manicure White (110G)
Lips: your choice
Shadow brow: brow color of your choice
Line Medium (1912)
Ultra Fine Line Medium (1914)
Area Medium (1912)
Brushes and Supplies
Flat Taklon Brush (Multipurpose Blender) (SBR24A)
Multipurpose Blender (SBR106)
Large Complexion Brush (SBR81)
Small Complexion Brush (SBR80)
Large Contour Brush (SBR83)
Small Contour Brush (SBR82)
Large China Mop (SBR21A)
Modern Lash (SBR44)
ProLine Brushes (BR01)
Artist’s Gold Ultra Lash (SBR46)
Artist’s Gold Lip Definer (SBR48)
X-Fine Detail Brush (SBR10A)
Petite Shader (SBR72)
Super Doll Sponges (SDS4)
#220 Grit Scrubber (DSCRUB)
Pallet Knife (ST17)
Toothbrush
Lint-free Towels (WIPER)
Glenda Martin is a traveling Doll Artisan Guild Instructor and D.A.G. Master Educator who teaches seminars with both modern and classic dolls. Glenda, who owns a dollmaking studio in Pensacola, Florida, is also a Seeley’s Area Manager who teaches Seeley’s Advanced Skills Seminars. For questions about this project feel free to email Glenda at hellodolly180@cs.com
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