F1shcustoms TUTORIAL!

[F1sh1000]

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, MY NEW FORUM ACCOUNT NAME IS F1SHCUSTOMS, I DONT USE F1SH1000 ANYMORE

Ok, i know i promised a tutorial for quite some time now and finally here it is..........This is my first one so if it isnt up to par with some of the better ones, i apologize but im gonna do my best to give you my best. Hope it helps!

This tutorial is the process of making Chuck Norris! Who better?

STAGE 1

This is the first stage, the bought Mighty Mugg, in this case its a Darth Vader. Vaders are the best muggs to buy for customizing because he comes with alot of accessories aka cape and saber. Whenever you see an oppertunitty to buy a capped mugg, DO IT because although you may not need it now, capes are hard to find later! Also i always try to buy a Mighty mugg with accessories anyway because as far as the mugg itself goes, there all the same (minus the skirts), so you may as well get the accessories. Vader is also common around where i live so for all you guys saying "how could you paint a darth vader"? Dont fear, there are plenty!
http://www.freewebs.com/f1shcustoms/MK%20chuck%20norris%20001.jpg

STAGE 2

Stage Two is a little more constructive now. What i do after i buy the mugg and before i start customizing it is scrub it with a tooth brush. Mighty Muggs have a coat on them, like a gloss and it kinda makes it a pain to paint if you dont take it off. I find sometimes the paint "beads". For example if youv ever put rain-ex on your car and drove in the rain, the water beads. This is the same thing that happens to me mostly when i use a Star-Wars characters. Charcacters like hulk and Wolverine dont seem to have the gloss and are easier to paint where as guys like Vader and Ironman have it and make the paint bead. Either way, its best to scrub the gloss off your muggs before you prime them. its very easy to do and normally doesnt take me any longer than 2 minutes. You can tell when you get it off because it becomes dull, theres no shine.
http://www.freewebs.com/f1shcustoms/MK%20chuck%20norris%20002.jpg

STAGE 3

Stage 3 is priming the mugg. To Prime my muggs i use "KRYLON : Fusion for Plastic" and the color of it obviously is "White". At the start with characters like Mr Sinister and Hayabusa, i wasnt priming my muggs and it was taking me forever to coat them in paint. The white primer is perfect because it essentially turns it into a blank mugg, and the painting surface is great because it absorbes the paint very nicley. This spray paint can be found in Wal-Mart, thats where i get it. I usually put two coats of the "primer" on the mugg and thats seems to work best for me. White primer also makes the colors stand out and look saturated. Its also makes painting alot easier because like i said before, i was trying to paint neat and at the same time, go over the same things OVER and OVER to get it to look thick. If your Mighty Mugg is mostly dark colors, it is common to use black primer, it'll make the colors look darker, but in my oppinion, i think white is best to use. You get a blank canvas and everything stands out better!
http://www.freewebs.com/f1shcustoms/MK%20chuck%20norris%20003.jpg

STAGE 4

Stage 4 is the beginning of the customizing. As you can see in the picture, i try to paint the base colors first. For example Chuck Norris is for the most part Flesh, Blue and has Redish-Brown Hair. So these are the colors i put on the mugg first. The brushes i use to do so are assorted as follows. I use one Big Brush for the mass painting like the flesh, and the Hair. I use a smaller Brush to paint things like the Blue Jacket that a bigger brush is too big to do without a mess. The i have a small fine detail brush i use for touching up, outlining and doing the facial features. I try not to go extreme detail right off the bat, what i try to do is get all the main BIG features on the mugg then neaten them up later. Also for anyone wondering, i get my brushes at Michaels, they have a nice selection and arnt too expensive. Also i think iv said it before but to make it more "official" lol, i get my paint at the Gamesworkshop. You can order it online if you dont have a store near you, i highly recommend this paint, its the best in my oppinion. www.gamesworkshop.com
http://www.freewebs.com/f1shcustoms/MK%20chuck%20norris%20004.jpg

STAGE 5

Stage 5 is basically putting on the finishing touches. You can see from the pic that the face isnt on there yet but more details have been added to the chest, jeans and hair. All thats left to do is the face, boots and the finishing touches. On mighty muggs, its hard to judge where the face should be, so guys like Chuck Norris are the best because they have a facial guide as i call it. His beard is the first thing i put on the face besides the hair because it lines up where everything else should go. You know the mouth gotta be in the middle of the beard, you nose goes right above the beard and the eye go above the nose. Everything is made easy when you paint on the main features first. If say your mugg has no Facial guide, i usually paint on the Nose first. It lines the rest of the facial features up for you. The great thing about Mighty Muggs is if you place the nose off center, you can just turn the head and line it back up.
http://www.freewebs.com/f1shcustoms/MK%20chuck%20norris%20005.jpg

STAGE 6

Stage 6 results in the finished product. This is where all the stages culminate to give you a finished product. I simply add the face on, and do some finishing touches and thats about it. Lastly i apply a coat of "Ardcoat" which is a sealer or gloss to protect the paint and give it a little bit of a shine. This can be bought on the gamesworkshop site also. Then its off to take a picture and let you guys be the judges, whether its great or not, well that where you guys come in, thats where we all come in, myself included. Hopefully this tutorial sheds a little bit of light on the mugg making process and is nothing but helpfull! Thanks for all the feedback on all my customs and i hope i can continue to give you guys something to look at for many moons to come! Thanks guys
http://www.freewebs.com/f1shcustoms/MK%20chuck%20norris%20006.jpg

[atgscl]

very nice, detailed tutorial! I will be buying some primer soon

*brownie points to F1sh1000!*

[Mr. Woo]

Great tutorial. thanks for the great tip about washing. I think that will solve a lot of my priming issues with "crackling" paint.

[deadpool]

you guys tried air brush to paint your muggs?

[litepink]

you guys tried air brush to paint your muggs?

i havent made any customs yet, but i think airbrush would work really good. you would have clean smooth lines. the paint would look nice and not globby.
i get my fingernails airbrushed sometimes. haha.
but really, you can get some really great detail with airbrushing. if i made a custom thats what i would wanna do... but i dont have that kind of equipment.

[deadpool]

i just observed a lot of the custom muggs are hand painted.. there is nothing wrong with it but i just want to know if you guys ever used air brush and i want to see the detail of the mugg done using air brush..

[Run L1ke H3LL]

I was talking with my Dad the other day about custom Muggs and he thought airbrushing would look really good. I imagine that they airbrush the real Mighty Muggs in the factory. That would be the quickest way. I wonder what a custom airbrushed MM would look like.

[DEREKFUMI]

Nice work! I will try and start my custom mugg here in a few days. I'm still trying to get all the stuff together. I do think they airbrush them from the factory as you can see fuzzy lines where colors change.

[ol_skool_gore]

Found a tutorial where the dude/chick used an airbrushing technique. I am going to start customizing Muggs... I will be using vinyl stencils (I have a vinyl cutter) and airbrushing.... my first will be a Lion-o - already pre-drew it on a printout and it looks awesome.

As for that airbrush tutorial:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://bp1.blogger.com/_WSz13obrq1w/R9Gt87i35fI/AAAAAAAAAN8/ktf1sgV49-M/s400/WWMightyMugg09.jpg&imgrefurl=http://robotbreath.blogspot.com/2008/03/mighty-mugg-mod.html&h=400&w=318&sz=15&hl=en&start=2&um=1&usg=__7j_r_fj6fo8FLE2qze_vGkTogco=&tbnid=XtupgABeVxyhGM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=99&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dairbrushed%2Bmugg%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den% 26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN

[Ninja Mugg]

I did spray paint. The hardest/most tedious part is taping stuff off. But its worth it, the lines are so clean! I too have a plotter to cut vinyl masks! awesome!

[nick129]

fish - when you paint do you add water to your paints at all?

[F1sh1000]

^Only when they get really dry and clumpy. I add a little water then and stir it. Other than that though, no i dont add water off the bat.

[adidaskorn3000]

I added water first. That's probably why my paint wasn't sticking to well. I'll try painting right from the tube.

[adidaskorn3000]

I bought one of the blank white Muggs from Hasbro. I'm guessing that you don't have to prime these ones. I guess I'll try using tape to mask everything off and paint that way.

[F1sh1000]

^Iv never used the blank ones so your traveling on uncharted waters lol

[adidaskorn3000]

Just got my blank Mugg yesterday. I tried to paint it today, and it has a gloss finish to it. The paint just beaded up and got watery. I need to know what kind of primer to use on these.

[12OunceEpilogue]

Krylon Fusion for plastic. White if you want a bright finish, black if you want duller.

[adidaskorn3000]

Thanks. I'll have to pick some of that up this week.

[Sokka]

Just discovered this site today. I really want make a custom, so I think I'm just going to buy a few blanks. If I get a blank and I scrub off the gloss, do I have to still prime it ?

Does it REALLY matter what paint you use also, because I have model car paint already so can I use that?

[F1sh1000]

Iv never used a blank mugg to be honest so I dont want to give false advice. scrubbing/priming it cant hurt though. As far as paint goes, I only use the Gamesworkshop paint, I think its best for me, but you may prefer something else. If your paint dont work out though, i highly recomend the GW paint.

[loco517]

hey guys, i just primed my obi wan with white krylon fusion but it looks a little drippy on the chest area...what should i do to get rid of the raised area tht the paint was dripping? i figured i could just do an even coat over the mugg and it wouldnt be noticeable

[makxsh1mum]

Wow, nice tutorial - it has everything you'd need. haha.

[F1SHCUSTOMS]

Sometimes the paint drips but if you just give it another coat it looks fine. Also on your first "spraying", dont try to apply so much primer. Do two coats instead and apply just enough to cover the mugg on the 1st spray-through than the 2nd spraying should come out smoother and thicker.

[MuggJohn]

Do you use the soap to help get the coat off? or is the scrubbing just fine by itself?

[F1SHCUSTOMS]

^I just scrub with water, but iv never tryed soap. I dont want to say use it because im not sure if it will help or hurt...If you give it a try, let me know

[zepo23]

hhey f1sh, how did u do the bottom thing on subzero?
cuz i wzz looking to do Raiden
haha i included a pik to show u wth i wzz talking about :D
or is it like one of those skirt muggs? cuz it looks like it is but then it duznt...

[F1SHCUSTOMS]

^Nice use of the Telestrator....lol, That is nothing more than a piece of Cardboard found on the very box they come in. Use the artwork side though, its smoother and looks way better. I also primed it before i painted it because the artwork on the box was a pain to cover with paint. Its also a normal two legged mugg

[nimnels]

i just checked out the new site, looks really good, i am a big fan of your customs keep up the good work

[F1SHCUSTOMS]

^Oh thanks alot, I actually fixed it up a little because I was so tired of looking at the same old stuff lol...But Im glad you noticed, I appreciate it alot man thank you. Ill always welcome a few fans lol

[jsonik]

If someone chose NOT to use games workshop paints, then what brand/grade is as good to use?

[jsonik]

1. I tried scrubbing with a toothbrush but the Mace Windu mugg has not changed. It has a dull shine to it, so I think it's one of the lucky muggs without the shiny gloss!

2. Krylon Fusion for Plastic is NOT a primer: it's essentially white spray paint. I asked people at Hobby Lobby and Home Depot and they said the same thing.

3. My first coat of white paint had areas that beaded up. I waited a minute and applied another coat. Same issue, but not as much. Does anyone know why this might happen? I don't think Mace has raised areas on him...but I am going to try a third coat and see what happens.

[Ursos]

Another couple random questions...

What kind of set up do you guys have for spraying/priming your Muggs? I don't have a garage, and it's wicked cold, snowy, and windy outside here all the time, so that's not the best option for me. I was going to do it inside. Is that too crazy to attempt? Does anyone else do priming inside? Do you just lay down a lot of paper/plastic/whatever? Have a back drop?

Also, do you do the whole thing at once? Or do a couple coats from above, then set it in something upside-down (after drying, of course) to take another couple coats from an upside-down angle? I just wonder because I imagine it's hard to get all the little nooks and crannies from one angle.

Thanks all!

[jsonik]

I personally DO NOT recommend doing it inside! I have a 2 car garage that was just reeking from that spray paint smell!

[Ursos]

Aww man, that stinks (literally). The forecast here is looking grim for anything outdoors (less than 20 degrees and snowing, "warming" up to just above freezing by Thursday)...

I guess I'll try to nab a box that paper comes in from work to use for a little screening and head down to the dumpster to prime my guy.

Any thoughts/suggestions on the other stuff?

[Green Eggs and Death]

I just spray painted my first two Muggs this last Saturday. I made it a project of a couple of hours.

First of all:

1) Don't spray paint in an enclosed area if you can help it, unless you have terrific ventilation. I used to get complaints (this was about 20 years ago) when I spray painted stuff in a warehouse, next to the large, open doors. A WAREHOUSE. The stuff is just not made for indoor use.

2) I believe it has been mentioned, but your hands have oils. Spray paint and that don't mix well. I used dishsoap and a dish sponge to "clean" them before painting.

3) Krylon Fusion for Plastic is being USED AS a primer, in these cases, but yes, technically it's not a primer. No big deal, it's just a base.

4) I did purchase a can of Krylon Fusion. The first Mugg I sprayed (outdoors, on a picnic table covered with cardboard) had beading almost immediately, but it was just a light, first coat. After I did the first coat (walking around the Mugg for maximum coverage), I waited a minute or so, did another coat and then repeated and repeated.

In the meantime, I was sorting out my old acrylic paints from art school a zillion years ago, seeing which ones were dry and which were not (got lucky, only a handful were unuseable) ... but I digress.

5) Lift the Mugg's arms up (pointed forward or backward) before you start "priming" them. I didn't even THINK about doing that on the first Mugg, so I didn't get to spray the inside of his hands until I laid it down, to spray the base.

6) Don't put the stupid Indy Jones hat on your "primed" Mugg until it's very dry! And I'm not talkin' after a couple of hours (when I did it, just to carry it inside), I'm talkin' next day! ;) That painted Mugg has a few spots where the hat took the paint off ... no big deal, I'm going to paint over it anyway, but it annoys me that I did it.

7) Each of the Muggs that I painted (with the Krylon Fusion) have about 4 or 5 (light) coats. I'll try that out, and see how it goes.

[Ursos]

Awesome! That's a lot of really great advice. Thanks, GE&D! Hopefully the primer/paint won't freeze in the air between the can and the Mugg when I get to priming it. ;)

[adidaskorn3000]

I just got around to getting the Krylon Fusion for plastic. I have a blank white Mugg. Do I need to scrub the Mugg before spraying it? I got the satin finish Krylon, does that make a difference?

[Green Eggs and Death]

That's an interesting question. I did not get the Satin finish, because I didn't want the chance of the Mugg being too "shiny." However, you're going to be painting over it anyway, so unless it's a thin coat I don't know that it would matter. But I have no experience with that. Perhaps someone else here?

[jsonik]

FISH: I went with the Citadel paints and they are awesome! Also bought a Fine Detail paintbrush from GW and it works great!! Thank you so much for the heads up...I would have never thought of that place for paints!

[F1SHCUSTOMS]

^Not a problem, happy to help! If you need any help along the way or anything at all, PM me and ill see if I can help you out.

[rjgc529]

nice. thats a sweet looking chuck norris. and how much is primer?

[atgscl]

nice. thats a sweet looking chuck norris. and how much is primer?

I just bought some from Michaels and it was $5.99

[South8488]

what do u think about using black permanent marker?

[South8488]

o ya, and are muggs cuttable? and shapeable?

[F1SHCUSTOMS]

I personally hate markers, I think they look bad and cheap. If you compare a painted Mugg to a marker mugg, its leagues better, but thats just my personal preference. Yes Muggs are cuttable, if you look at my Black Bolt, I cut his arms. Shapeable? What do you mean?

[amplifier1110]

wat paint is best for hand painting

[F1SHCUSTOMS]

I wrote it in the tutorial, GAMES WORKSHOP paint!

[amplifier1110]

I wrote it in the tutorial, GAMES WORKSHOP paint!
could i get a link

[demonash]

do you use a marker to draw those detailed features? Also what do you use if you make a mistake and wanna erase it

[F1SHCUSTOMS]

No,, I dont use markers, Its 100% paint. If I make a mistake, I paint over it

[jsonik]

FISH you ever screw up on the gloss? I did one for a friend, but instead of going on clear, some of it looks milky and clumpy. I had to sand it down and repaint those bad areas!

[F1SHCUSTOMS]

^Hmmm, One time when I was putting the gloss on my Red Ranger, it left white streaks, but I found that was because I still had white left on my brush and it was causing the rest of the gloss to turn white. If thats what you mean by Milky...try checking your brush. Clumpy could be because your just not spreading it thin enough. Other than that, let your paint dry thorough b4 you put the gloss on.

[anyoldion]

I learned something here today....CHUCK NORRIS IS AWESOME!

[AdamBombCustoms]

I often hand paint my primer, but this does save alot of time

[bubs]

sorry dont know if i missed this in any replies but i am from the UK. What can i use instead of KRYLON : Fusion for Plastic?

[F1SHCUSTOMS]

^ Do you know of Valspar? I also use that and that actually works better but it takes a hour to dry as apposed to 15 minutes.

[chris.o.saur]

i like painters touch 2x coat or w/e it's called. you get it at home depot. dries fast and only takes 1-2 coats..depending on how picky you are

[Pierced Soul]

Hope someone can help me with this Q (even F1sh himself), what paint colours did you mix to get that skin tone?

[F1SHCUSTOMS]

Hope someone can help me with this Q (even F1sh himself), what paint colours did you mix to get that skin tone?


If your reffering to Chuck Norris, I used the Games Workshop brand paint and its a color called "Elf Flesh". No mixing needed.

[Pierced Soul]

If your reffering to Chuck Norris, I used the Games Workshop brand paint and its a color called "Elf Flesh". No mixing needed.

thats the one! I ahve Tallarn Flesh but its pinkier...

do you water down/thin the colour first?

[F1SHCUSTOMS]

thats the one! I ahve Tallarn Flesh but its pinkier...

do you water down/thin the colour first?

Not all the time, the only time I water down my paint is after Iv had it for a while, it tends to get a little clumpy so I water it down to get it to be more liquidy again.

[yabemc]

I would have to say that painters touch is the best. I always mix two colors together. Adding black, white or even a different shade of the same color gives it more depth. If you just paint using one color, it wil look flat and one dimenssional.

[Pierced Soul]

I would have to say that painters touch is the best. I always mix two colors together. Adding black, white or even a different shade of the same color gives it more depth. If you just paint using one color, it wil look flat and one dimenssional.

by 'painters touch' do you mean always slightly mixing the paint? or are you refering to a brand?

[yabemc]

Sorry about that, I meant the brand. I always take apart the Muggs to prime and paint.

[Dr.Mugg]

are you referring to the painter's touch paint by rustoleum... the spray paint? or is there another that comes in tubes/bottles?

[yabemc]

Yes, the sray paint. If you can't break apart the Muggs to prime separately, lighty spray paint the Mugg at a far enough distance away so that you're only misting it. That way you don't get the blobs and drips of paint in the joints. Once that's done you can spray a puddle of primer from the can onto a plastic bag and then dip your paint brush in it and brush on the primer in the tight spots where you missed with the spray.

[Dr.Mugg]

i get the priming thing, and taking them aparts is no problem (see my tutorial for that), i thought you were saying you use the sprays to paint with as well... i guess you use the bag technique for those too? pretty cool idea. :)

[yabemc]

You could use the bag technique to paint also but I don't.

[AllSaintsAsylum]

i just observed a lot of the custom muggs are hand painted.. there is nothing wrong with it but i just want to know if you guys ever used air brush and i want to see the detail of the mugg done using air brush..

If you want to see the look I achieved when I airbrushed my Batman, take a look in Custom Muggs under "My Batman".
You get nice clean lines, I personally think it's worth the extra time to tape it all off etc...

" good things come to those who wait!"

[yabemc]

Honestly, air brushing I think works great on t-shirts. Air brushing works great on large flat surfaces. You can get air brushed quality with a brush and some practice.

[kid_lito7]

what about marker paints????

[F1SHCUSTOMS]

what about marker paints????

What about 'em? I honestly have never used one so I cant say whether there good or not, but Im sure someone on here could tell you a little more about them

[kid_lito7]

ive read there really good for munnys over at kid robot forum but would they be good also for mighty muggss since its vinyl and all right?

[F1SHCUSTOMS]

Yea I would assume, I know people on here have used them so im sure they work, im just not sure about any details if you know what I mean. Im posative people have used them on muggs though

[chris.o.saur]

i use them from time to time. what do you wanna know?

[kid_lito7]

are they better than using regular brush paint or spray ?? like in detailing and quality

[chris.o.saur]

it's really all personal preference, i think accross the board with art in general. if you dig it, use it. i use them for details or fine uniform lines ect. they work just fine, but i'd never trade in my brushes and paint tubes for paint pens, ever. i think you should just try them out and see what you think. if you are in the US then i'd go w/ sharpie poster pens, they are water based so they dry fast and evenly and have a matte finish. they are cheap enough to buy and try, even if you don't end up liking them you only lose out on about $2

[kid_lito7]

so what would be the best paint in your opinion??

[thelazman]

I use gamesworkshop citadel paint. its really good, but kinda pricey.

[F1SHCUSTOMS]

I use gamesworkshop citadel paint. its really good, but kinda pricey.

I second that!

[kid_lito7]

what other kinds of paints are out there?? but in a good price range

[thelazman]

ceramcoat is cheap and good.

[kid_lito7]

what store can you find them?

[thelazman]

micheals, hobby lobby for ceramacoat. any hobby craft store

[relientk4ever]

So I have a question about customizing Mighty Muggs in general. What type of epoxy putty is best to use for adding hair? Or should I use a different material?

[crazylikeafox11]

Most people recommend either super sculpey (http://www.sculpey.com/products/clays/super-sculpey) or aves apoxie (http://www.avesstudio.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=28&category_id=7&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1#magictabs_QAfNx_5).

[Mhpgear1]

would krylon work on Dunnys as well?

[F1SHCUSTOMS]

^ I just used it on Dunnys and it worked great. Definitely

[Mhpgear1]

Great! thanks

[Mhpgear1]

one more question. do you remove the arms and head or do you just prime them as is?

[NhocCuteGirls]

very nice, detailed tutorial! I will be buying some primer soon



*brownie points to F1sh1000!*


__________________

Download Software (http://soft444.com)

[F1SHCUSTOMS]

one more question. do you remove the arms and head or do you just prime them as is?

I prime them as is, either works though

[Mhpgear1]

is there a nice not too glossy finish i can buy at Walmart??

[crazylikeafox11]

is there a nice not too glossy finish i can buy at Walmart??

I think Walmart sells Krylon products (spray on). I believe they have a satin and gloss.

[F1SHCUSTOMS]

I buy Valspar brand sealer and I get it at Lowes. They have glossy and Matte and I find it looks better than Krylon.

[Mhpgear1]

thanks for the help guys

[LordLucifer]

What tools you guys use?