Tools

Customisers use all kinds of different tools. I live in the UK and use these: Super Sculpey, Liquitex Artist Acrylic Paints (High Viscosity), Uni-Ball Gel Pens, Testors Dull Cote Spray & Super-Glue.

My painting tools are fairly standard. For sculpting, I use a scalpel and 2 ‘colour-shapers', one pointy, one wedge-y. I use a metal file to sand the sculpted figure and a dry blusher-brush to keep the dust off.

Directions

If you boil the plastic figures for a few minutes to soften them, the heads and limbs pop off easily. If you are planning to re-sculpt hair, it's a good idea to cut off existing hair first to avoid the big-hair syndrome.

Super sculpey is soft for molding onto the figures. I find I can achieve most things with my thumbs and a pointy stick (much like Buffy herself)! You are supposed to bake sculpey clay but this would damage the plastic figure, so boil it instead. When you are happy with the sculpt, put it in a pan of lightly boiling water for 3 minutes. This hardens the sculpey. I sculpt in stages, boiling to harden between each stage.

You can then paint the figure. I use at least 2 coats. If you want to create a shine for leather or satin effect, mix a tiny bit of silver paint with lots of water and do the last coat as a wash. I often use red metallic pen for lips and gold/bronze pens for hair highlights or clothing detail. If you use pens, make sure to spray the figure with a sealant, as the pens can smudge. I prefer matt, because gloss makes the figures too shiny.

For more tips on customising, see BtVSFigs Forum Customising for Dummies. For examples of my work in progress, see the Projects button above.

Photos of my Work Environment