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[Umichan40]

So i'm planning on doing an Lumpy Space Princess (Adventure Time) gijinka sort of thing and i couldnt find enough purple makeup/foundation/that sort of thing anywhere. i was wondering if acrylic paint could be a substitute because my friend painted their faces with acrylic paint on my school's spirit day.

[PSY-chan]

Well, you can mix it with pros-aide to make PAX. But I wouldn't recommend using it (acrylic paint) on your face. If you use PAX, you will need to set with powder. It's very sticky until it dries.

[animenerd93]

ive used acrylic paint for body painting but only small areas and its only basic brand (the stuff at michaels) i really dont recommend using it on full body applications cause it makes the skin not able to breath as well. is there a reason u dont want to use body paint?

[TenTigerLilies]

As PSY-chan mentioned, you should probably use PAX. My friend tried to substitute acrylic paint for blood at the last minute, and it will crack and it will "look" like it's acrylic paint.

[thelovelysin]

I'd recommend using Mehron, which is actually meant to be used as a body paint so it's safe for your skin. My cousin uses it for her Miss Martian cosplay, it's really pigmented and just a little bit goes along way. It's inexpensive but you'll need setting powder.

http://www.amazon.com/FX-Ounce-Red-T...eywords=Mehron

The setting powder
http://www.amazon.com/135-1-ounce-Co...eywords=Mehron

[Umichan40]

Originally Posted by animenerd93

ive used acrylic paint for body painting but only small areas and its only basic brand (the stuff at michaels) i really dont recommend using it on full body applications cause it makes the skin not able to breath as well. is there a reason u dont want to use body paint?

The reason I'm reluctant to use body paint is because you usually find it on online stores and not usual stores I can find near my house like Michael's and such. A credit card is not available to me at this moment so I can't just order stuff online.

[PSY-chan]

Is changing your skin color necessary for this cosplay, or can you skip it?

[Talossa]

It's probably not going to be very good for you, and it's definitely going to crack and/or flake off as the day goes on.

The Michael's near me sells Snazaroo face/body paint - I don't know its quality, but it'd be way better than putting acrylic paint all over yourself. You might want to check your local store for that.

Do you have a costume shop/theatrical store near you at all? They'll probably have quite a few more options.

[benihime]

Originally Posted by Umichan40

The reason I'm reluctant to use body paint is because you usually find it on online stores and not usual stores I can find near my house like Michael's and such. A credit card is not available to me at this moment so I can't just order stuff online.

if you need to buy something online (which I definitely suggest for body paint) you can get a preloaded card that you can buy at walmart and then use that.

[PSY-chan]

I've seen Tulip brand body paint at Michael's. You could try that instead.

[Noose]

People have mentioned PAX on this thread already. I feel I can elaborate immensely on the subject. PAX might be the way to go, especially if you're looking to use acrylic paint. I'll give you my general copypasta PAX reply so you can educate yourself. The best part about PAX paint is that you pick and blend the shade yourself.

You need a soft body acrylic paint and pros-aide body prosthetic adhesive. The very first time PAX was produced for a theatre production, Liquitex was the acrylic paint that the artists used. Its pretty much an industry standard for acrylic paint.

You can mix PAX in different percentages. The basic percentage is just 50% paint and 50% pros-aide, but there are some cosplayers on this site that used different percentages. You can hunt them down, contact them and learn what their experiences with their percentages were, but for most applications 50-50 is effective. You can mix small batches and test the viscosity and coverage of each mixture to find your favourite.

Remember that after you apply it, it will be insanely sticky. You cannot bend your arms or touch your fingers or any folds of skin together or they will stick and tear the finish of the paint. And you fill probably find that you will need more than 1 application to get a vivid finish. After it has been applied and dried to the colour you want, you have to powder it profusely with a translucent powder. Then it will last all day and won't come off unless you actively pick and scrub at it.

When you buy Pros-aide, remember to buy pros-aide remover. Its a liquid solvent that will break down the sticky molecules in the Pros-aide that is maintaining the structural integrity of your body paint. This will make taking it off muuuuch easier. It will take some scrubbing though. It might look peculiar on your fingernails if you have really bad hangnails like me, and will hurt if there are open wounds or anything, so make sure you've been taking really good care of your nails before you put the paint anywhere near your hands.

Make sure that you have removed long body hair from your skin before you apply or it will hurt a lot when you try to take the paint off. Pros-aide sells a shave cream that it swears by. You can also use this to prep your skin for a whole day of not breathing while its encased in a rubbery paint.

Finally here's a topic on PAX by someone with a lot of experience using the paint mixture here on Cosplay.com. Check out her profile and look at her body-paint costume to get an idea of what full body paint with PAX will look like.

And this is a link to the special effects wiki on PAX paint to educate yourself on the subject.

Copypasta aside, you can use this stuff on your face. You MUST set it with a powder. And you may find having a friend do this for you is more effective. If you choose PAX, you'll develop your own preferences for it, since it is an entirely home-made substance.

[animenerd93]

i work at michaels and can confirm that all stores should have snazaroo in stock!!! it works really well, just cover it w a little bit of baby powder if u dont have a setting spray so that itll last longer.

[char99char]

For your arms and hands you can use the Homestuck technique - I'm sure there's a tutorial on this site someplace too.

http://cosplayquestions.tumblr.com/p...arms-and-hands

[Sweet Loretta]

You'd be surprised how many online shops will take money orders, checks, pre-paid cards and most take PayPal. We do.

PAX is fine and all but generally in the makeup community we think of using it as a more intermediate to advanced technique. It really is not a starting place for most of us.

What you need is face and body painting makeup, not a cream that needs powder setting, but a moist cake makeup activated with water and applied with an open cell sponge or a 2" or so brush, a flat or oval with golden talkon bristles. Start by calling costume shops in your area. Look for Mehron's Paradise, Wolfe Face Art & FX, Kryolan Aquacolor, Graftobian or Ben Nye. If that fails try a Micheal's or some craft stores, look there for Snazaroo or Tulip.

If you can afford some face and body paint fixing spray - get some if you can not, use Aqua Net or such hair spray. Use 3-4 coats or if you need super durable go 6-8.

Also many face or body painters in your area may paint you for cash, trade for some cool pictures or sell you some paint. Always ask.