Erasing Milos's Sleeping Faceup

(Also known as an unexpected Humbrol Acrylic Varnish product review)

Milos's sleeping faceup was the first one I ever did, which in itself was a daunting prospect, but sealing such an obscurely-coloured resin?  Without it lightening?

While researching sealants I heard quietly positive things about Humbrol's Acrylic Varnish, and it's pretty affordable for a small can, so I decided to risk it and although it did lighten the resin a little, it wasn't as bad as I feared.  It has excellent tooth too, so it's nice for laying colours down on with pastel, and it's not glossy in the slightest.

It turns out, however, that it has an interesting feature: it's bloody hard as nails.

Milos's face took a dive — a common Dollshe faceplate issue — while I was photographing him in the conservatory.  Luckily I think the gods heard the prayer I bellowed as it threw itself from his head and it didn't shatter on the tiles.  It did, however, pock air bubbles into the sealant which couldn't be disguised with the careful placement of hair, so I set it aside from wiping and got off my lazy arse and did the faceup in his open-eyed face instead.

(As an aside, Milos's faceplate is now securely washi-taped to his head.  I have absolutely no desire for this to ever happen again.)

Fast forward almost exactly a year — I checked the date on the photo — and I get the urge to finally wipe his faceup.  (Might this have something to do with the fact I have another face and a half to complete?  It might.)  I've got the (sort of) appropriate tools: Windsor & Newton Brush Cleaner and cotton wool buds and pads, so all that remains is wiping the faceup off, right?  Simple.

Except...  Humbrol Acrylic Varnish is bloody hard as nails.

This... did not involve a simple wiping.

I hadn't sprayed many layers due to not wanting to discolour his resin any further, but the few I did spray had absolutely no intention of shifting.  These cellphone photos were taken over the course of several hours.

By half past midnight, I'd managed to narrow the remaining faceup down to patches around his inner eyes, his inner mouth and his ears.  (Not pictured due to frustration and poor lighting.)  This morning, I finished off his mouth as best I could and spent another couple of hours cleaning the resin around his eyes.  I've left the pink lacrimals because... well, I can't shift it and it didn't even get a heavy coating of sealant.

I've left his ears as well because I've never once claimed to have the patience of a saint.

In short... if you're perfectly content with your faceup skills and you never want your sealant to shift ever again, then I whole-heartedly recommend Humbrol.  If, like me, you're just starting out however... maybe try something a little less stubborn.

I'm now desperately hoping I didn't seal RQ's face with it as well...