Anime-Beta TNG

any tips?

i just got a new cel in the mail that is stuck to rice paper. i dont think i can
just rip it off, it seems to be pretty well stuck and it looks a little paint has
already came off in one of the corners.

thanks in advance

I too am desperate for some advise please!!!

Hair dryer, blow torch?

Blow Torch!

If there isn't anything on the paper you can slightly wet it and the paper will come off easily. If there is it gets a lot more difficult

LOL! Roboflonne you crack me up at times.

To remove the paper get a sponge or cloth and wet it slightly with some distilled water to dampen the rice paper with. The paper will then be easy to pull off of your cel. Just be gentle and slow at pulling it off the cel! You don't want any paint loss or damage to occur to your precious art piece.

EDIT: Regular water may be bad for your cel as it may have minerals in it.

nope, there is nothing on said rice paper.
would too much water do damage to the cell?

Maybe the goal is to get the rice paper wet and not the paint wet?

Then the paper comes off instead of the paint?

I've never done it before...

The way I've heard it is that, since the paints are oil based, they aren't in too much danger from water. I suppose as long as you don't take a sponge with scrubbing power or steel wool, you should be ok hehe. I've heard of people using spray bottles to get the stuff all misty and not terribly saturated if that helps.

I've done this on several cels that were stuck. Take some water and a sponge or paper towel. Squeeze it out so that it's barely damp, then gently rub over the paper with the cel face down. Don't soak it..just barely get it damp. Then again, very gently, peel the paper away. What should happen is that at most, a very thin layer of the paper remains somewhat stuck to the cel. Also be VERY careful for things like hair tips where there are very thin strips of painted area. Those can lift off from the cel when you pull the paper up if you're not careful.

I use a combination of Q-tips and tweezers. Just apply some moisture and gently rub/pick away. The key is patience. I've used regular water, but like SugarFlower says, I guess that may not be the best thing. Try distilled just to play it safe. You don't need a lot of moisture to get it to work, so it shouldn't adversely affect your cels.

If you're unlucky, mold will grow in the paint and destroy the art. So better use distilled to be safe.

Rather than peel, use an old photograph (picture side toward the paint). Make sure it doesn't have dust or grit on it first. Then slide it between the dampened paper and the paint. The pressure will pull the paper up rather than to one side, and the chances you'll peel off paint are less.

Yes, as kymaera says, start with the delicate parts like hair tips, and if you at any time see paint coming off on the paper, stop at once and leave the paper where it is.

ive had one and just ripped it off with no paint coming off. The rice paper is still stuck on the back of the paint and only the paint so it doesnt effect the front of the cel with or without a bg. Well thats my 2 cents.

thanks for all the tips gang
i feel better now about giving it a shot

... well, maybe not the blowtorch thing

Hello Majin_Vegeta_2028,

DO! use distilled water not tap water,Tap water has bleach, minerals,salts and sometimes fluoride.

Take yourself a wash rag and wet it to the point of being damp not dripping and lay it on the paper for a min or two and check it to see if it comes free of the cel.
On cels with lots of small hair tips rip the paper up the mid-line of the face and pull the paper to the outside edge along the hair tip until it comes free,don't start at the tips and go to the face,This will help to not pull off the hair tips.

The mold issue can be removed by keeping the cel out overnight to dry fully before you rebag it,Paint sucks up some water and this needs to dry before you store it.

If your stuck paper has colored pencil marks on it be careful and remove it fast after you wet it because the colored inks can bleed into your cels paint and mess it up real bad and this can not be removed from the cels.

If you have Cels that are stuck together and they have a paper backing that is stuck to them try not to let the water get between the cels as you remove the paper, this will save you a long time to dry after you remove the paper.Try folding the edges of the paper back a little bit from the edge to help keep the water were you want it and not inbetween the cels.

I hope this helps out some.

Roy (DBA)Backlotanimation