customising help

[Polarboy]

Hi guys, I am new here as I was only recently pointed in the direction of this board when I was showing off some old minimate customes from back in the day. Anyway even though I thought they were great they are nothing compared to things done over here. So I have read a few things about using decal paper but have a few questions.

Do the decals come out with a clear background or should you try and match the decal colour background to the paint?

I want to make a character that has a coloured stripe down each arm and leg can this be done with decals (to match the chest panels) or would these be better being painted by hand?

Generally is it best to remove the factory paint or just paint over it?

sorry if this post is in the wrong area but I couldn't find somewhere better

thanks Mike

[youbastards]

There are decals that print on clear paper and decals that print on a white background.

There are pros and cons to using both, but you want to make sure that you remove any details you don't want on the Minimate prior to applying the decal, or they might show through the decal.

Just keep in mind that depending on what decal paper you decide to use, there is specific paper designed for laserjet or inkjet printers.

The decals also need to be sealed at different points, depending on the type of paper/printer used.

Decals can be used for arm and leg detail, but you might have better luck painting.

Check out the customizing threads, there is a lot of helpful information out there.

Edited October 27, 2010 by youbastards

[luke314pi]

youbastards hit the nail(s) on the head.

Hang on to your hats, I am shifting this to the Customs section.

[Polarboy]

youbastards hit the nail(s) on the head.

Hang on to your hats, I am shifting this to the Customs section.

sorry about that.

[luke314pi]

Not a problem! I should have said this before, but welcome!

[hellpop]

And he's too nice a guy to pimp like this, but click on the "Minimates Factory" link in Luke's post above; you'll find a tutorial and several other posts for using decals. They are invaluable.

[Polarboy]

So do people pull arpart the elbow and knee joints? or is it more trouble then it's worth?

[luke314pi]

So do people pull arpart the elbow and knee joints? or is it more trouble then it's worth?

When I am looking for a base figure for a custom, the first thing I look for is elbow and knee joints that match the character. Then I don't have to worry about painting in that area. If that is not an option, I just open up the joints and paint inside them - I don't actually pull them apart.

[hellpop]

So do people pull arpart the elbow and knee joints? or is it more trouble then it's worth?

When I am looking for a base figure for a custom, the first thing I look for is elbow and knee joints that match the character. Then I don't have to worry about painting in that area. If that is not an option, I just open up the joints and paint inside them - I don't actually pull them apart.

Same here. I try to never paint arms and legs beyond the tips, because I think it's hard to do, and there's always a worry about the joints sticking. Best thing to, if you're making a figure with, let's say, blue arms and red gloves, find a pair of blue arms and just paint the tips red.

I'm also a big fan of using Sharpies whenever I can in lieu of painting. This works especially well with Minimate parts that have been painted, as opposed to being cast in plastic in that color. One big advantage with Sharpies is that it doesn't cover the detail that's already on the Minimate. The big drawback is that certain colors (yellow especially) are near impossible to do.

[Polarboy]

The thing is I think im on top of the chest decal but if the character has a stripe down the arm and leg I think it will look kind of sloppy if I paint it or do it with markers. So i really want to do decals on the limbs but I'm not sure what to do with the joints.

[mwattsart]

Try applying the decal with the arm straight. When it is set, use an Exacto blade to cut the joint lines. Worked for me with clear contact paper.

Edited November 1, 2010 by mwattsart

[Polarboy]

Good idea.

so has anybody made templates or worked out the dimentions so they printout the right size for a4 paper?

[Polarboy]

Ok I have found lukes silver mane decal anyway a couple of questions if I open this in photoshop and try to print it it wants to print the thing the size of a page is there a specfic program to open it in? ok stupid question I can pick the head and torso bits, I guess the bottom peices go on the shins but where are the other decals supposed to go?

[luke314pi]

For Silvermane, the bottom pieces are for his shins, just like you thought. The pieces above that are for his upper thighs (they are slightly larger than they need to be, so after you cut them out, compare them to the minimate leg before applying, as you may need to trim them more). And the pieces above that wrap around his forearms.

All of the decals on the Factory are at a resolution of 300dpi. So it doesn't matter which paper size you are using as long as you give it a resolution of 300dpi and do not scale it when you print it. To see what your resolution is in Photoshop go to Image -> Image Size.