My how time flies! Between the holidays and migrating from Blogger to WordPress, I’ve hardly had time to stop and catch my breath! Thankfully, things are slowing down which means I can get back to the important stuff like doll reviews and craft projects!
So why don’t we take a look at my current (and biggest) project:
Repainting The Ever After High Castle!
I haven’t made as much progress as I would have liked; however, I did manage to finish the spires, the large peak, turrets, and vines.
Spires:
From the start, I knew I wanted the spires to be pink, but these little guys did not want to cooperate! You see, instead of being hard plastic like the rest of the castle, the spires are soft and bendable. I didn’t think anything of this though and spray painted them just like I did all the other pieces. However, once they had dried, I saw that my beautiful pink paint had cracks running through it.
Since the spires are flexible, I believe they were expanding and contracting because of the humidity which caused the paint to crack. To minimize the crackling, I had to seal the spires then paint them–then seal them again and paint them again. It took about three coats of sealant and paint (and even then you can still see some crackling) but I eventually succeeded and turned them a lovely shade of pink!
Large Peak:
This peak has been one of my favorite pieces to paint! It has so many little details (such as the banner and Ever After High logo) and really I wanted them to pop.
I tried using metallic paint, but most metallic paints are thin and don’t cover well. However, these leafing pens give complete opaqueness with just one or two layers of ink. Just roll the tip of the pen over whatever you want to turn gold, and voila–thick ink flows out giving you shiny finish! For ultra-tiny areas (like the letters on the banner) you can press some of the ink out by tapping the tip of the pen on a paper plate, then apply the ink using a fine paint brush.
Seriously, if it wasn’t for these pens, there’s no way I would be able to get these gorgeous gold touches!
Turrets:
All the turrets are painted off-white with gold accents, and one has a raven molded on it!
Honestly, when I saw that one of the turrets had a raven molded to it, I wasn’t too thrilled. How was I supposed to make a raven go with my pink chic theme? Painting him solid black wasn’t an option. He ended up looking too gothic which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I love Ever After High’s medieval vibe! But the solid black raven just looked scary. However, colors other than black (such as a light grey) made him look goofy.
So, to get a black yet not black raven, I mixed some silver into my black paint which lightened it (making more charcoal than black) and gave it a shimmery effect. Then, to finish him off, I gave the raven a grey beak, grey legs, and a white twinkle in his eye.
I think this silvery-black color makes Mr. Raven look more like a friendly passerby and less like Maleficent’s pet!
Poles and Vines:
So far, the only paint I’ve used is acrylic paint and spray paint. Unfortunately, the green acrylic paint I’m using has a bad habit of leaving behind blotchy patches.
So, I decided to give nail polish a try and see if I could get a more even coat.
It worked!
The nail polish did a great job covering the leaves with one coat! Now the poles have dark green vines and light green leaves. Although it was more work, I’m glad I went ahead and repainted the vines instead of leaving them solid green. I think the contrast adds some interest, don’t you?
Thanks for reading! If you’re a follower from our previous blog, Paradise Pink Doll Diaries, we are so glad to see you here and hope you like our new look! And if this is your first time visiting, please feel free to browse our blog (a good place to start is our Start Here page) and be sure to check out our first post featuring this castle: Repainting The Ever After High Castle)
Wow, you have made such a difference to all those pieces. I can’t wait to see what it looks like when it’s all together. Unfortunately for me, spray paint time is on hold until winter is over; the temperatures are too low to be spray painting outside.
I know what you mean! I have several pieces that are ready to be sealed but am having to wait because of the cold weather❄️.
The castle looks awesome!:) I like the way the raven looks. And I love your new blog. it looks amazing. Also just a quick question, will you have a Blog Button?
-Quinley
Thank you! Glad you like how the castle is turning out…and the new blog too. Thanks for asking about the blog button! I have one designed but totally forgot to add it. So yes, there will be a blog button in our side bar here shortly?.
You’re welcome!:) Also will you have a ‘Meet our/my dolls page’? I always love reading about people’s dolls and their doll’s interests and hobbies.
-Quinley
I do plan to create a Meet The Dolls page at some point–I just need to get some better pics first.