How to Repaint Tonner Dolls
Modern doll collecting is all about customization and creating your own unique doll. More than simply changing the clothing or hairstyle of a doll, many doll enthusiasts now strive to refurbish existing doll sculpts with new makeup or wigs, some even sand down or add features to a doll's face to create something new. These activities are particularly popular in the ball-joint doll arena, where fashion dolls like Tonner dolls and Asian ball-joint dolls like Volks dolls are often repainted to suit the collector's aesthetics.
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Things You'll Need
- Tonner doll head
- Non-acetone nail polish remover
- Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
- Sandpaper
- Pencil
- Acrylic paint
- Acrylic paint thinner
- Chalk pastels
- X-acto knife
- Tiny paintbrushes
- Clear sealer
Instructions
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1
Remove the existing sealer and "faceup," or company makeup, from your Tonner doll's face, using a non-acetone nail polish remover. Rub the remover on with gentle applicators like Q-tips and cotton balls and use small soft paintbrushes to get the paint out of the creases. Remove any stubborn makeup or other stains with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.
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2
Sand away any scratches, gouges or remaining stains by holding the head underwater while sanding gently with a fine-grain sandpaper. If you are going to sand the head above the water, you will need to wear a particle mask and safety goggles to avoid inhaling toxic dust from the doll.
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3
Spray the Tonner doll's head with one coat of clear sealer and let it dry, to protect the head from the makeup you are going to apply. This will also make the makeup easier to remove the next time you wish to repaint this doll.
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4
Lay down guidelines for the eyebrows and eyelid crease, using chalk pastels. Shave off a small amount of the chalk pastel powder with an X-acto knife and brush the powder onto the eyebrow and crease area with a small paintbrush. You may wish to cut some of the hairs off the paintbrush so that you can work on these small areas. When you are satisfied with the guidelines, spray the face with another coat of sealer.
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5
Add your medium colors to the doll's face, using the chalk pastel powder again. Darken the eyebrows and eyelid crease and brush on the lip color. Add dimension to the rest of the face by "blushing" the skin with a shading color, usually pink, around the cheekbones, chin and forehead. Use a large brush. Add detail blushing around the nose and eyes with a smaller brush. Put on another coat of clear sealer.
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6
Thin out your acrylic eyelash color, usually black or dark brown, with acrylic paint thinner. Take one of your smallest brushes, or even a brush cut down to a single hair, and paint in the lower eyelashes. Outline the lower and upper edges of the eyes. Mix your eyebrow hair and eyelid crease colors and paint these, along your powder guidelines. Paint the natural vertical lines on the lips, then coat the head with sealer once again.
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7
Add detail to your painting, particularly around the eye areas, adding light and dark accents as desired. For a glossy sheen, paint over the lips and eye makeup with a clear acrylic gloss. Coat the head with sealer.
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