I think this is something that can be done with instructions. You may find a lot of people are busy prepping for Teonn at the moment.
You will need:
[ul][li]Liquid latex (thickened “brushable” thickness) available from TopMark. You will probably want a litre or two to get coverage for a shield, because you’ll be putting on several layers. It can be stored for later projects so long as you keep it airtight.[/li]
[li]Soft brushes you don’t mind ruining. Some bigger for undercoats, some smaller for details.[/li]
[li]Black water-based paint for the undercoats.[/li]
[li]Coloured water-based paints for the top coats. If you’re going metallic, be careful to get copper-free. Copper-based paint rots latex over time. TopMark may be able to provide appropriate metallic colourants for use with liquid latex. [/li]
[li]A sealant, to stop the latex surface being sticky. This isn’t mandatory, you can use something like talcum powder instead but you’ll lose colour and it washes off and has to be re-applied and it can be messy. The trouble is, we haven’t identified a nice, clear, flexible sealant that isn’t too toxic in NZ. If you can find one you’ll be doing the community a big favour - TopMark may be able to make recommendations.[/li]
[li]I see TopMark has something called “PAX paint”. Never heard of it, but maybe this could be used instead of the coloured latex and the sealant. You mix it with paint. So you may be able to apply the under-coats of latex in plain black and then use the PAX paint over that to provide all the colour. I’ve never tried this but on first impression it looks like it could be ideal.[/li][/ul]
Steps:
[ol]
[li]Prepare your clothes and workspace. Latex sticks like a bastard to clothing, carpet, etc. so wear old clothes and do it somewhere appropriate over newspaper. Good ventilation is recommended, as latex has ammonia in it that evaporates as it dries. Note that extra ammonia may come out of the jar when you open it so don’t breath it in. [/li]
[li]Mix some base-colour (e.g. black) paint into some latex. The ratio I’ve used in the past is about 1 teaspoon of paint to 1 cup of latex. Not that it will look very white when it’s mixed in. Latex starts opaque white but dries translucent, so the colour comes out on drying. Paint a little onto a surface and let it dry to see the dried colour, or rub a bit between your finders. You can always add more. [/li]
[li]Paint a layer of base latex onto your shield with a broad soft brush. Try not to leave too many brush strokes, but some can’t be avoided. Note that your brush will gung up with latex as it dries, try to wash it off with water ASAP (and dry before using again) but be aware it will gradually build up and the brush will be ruined. If you have a wire brush that could be used to clean dried latex out of a paintbrush. [/li]
[li]Wait for it to dry. It’s best to work on a sunny day and pop it in the sun. Can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour depending on how thick you laid it on and the weather.[/li]
[li]Repeat application of base layer and drying. Number of layers you need varies, if it’s going on thick then three or four might be okay. In the UK they recommend using watery latex and putting on 12 layers, but that is very time consuming especially with drying time. [/li]
[li]Mix top coat color(s) with latex. Paint them on. You may want a couple of layers. This is the arty part, if you’ve done miniature painting then it’s maybe a bit like that. [/li]
[li]Apply sealant (follow its instructions). Or if you’re trying the PAX paint then apply that instead of the last step. The PAX may be the better option, TopMark should be able to advise. [/li][li]Clean your brushes thoroughly if you want to use them again. Seal any remaining latex securely for storage.[/li][/ol]
Hope that helps.