What about using Liquitex Ultra Matte Gel as a Ground/Primer for vinyl dolls?

I decided to write to Liquitex to ask them if their Ultra Matte Gel can be used as a ground for vinyl. Someone had asked me this question after she had tried it on a test limb and thought it left a nice matte finish with a slight tooth that would be good for painting over. For the sake of the email I just referred to Soft Body paints since that is what they make but the Golden Fluid Paints would be the same thing in the alternate brand. Below I have copied and pasted in my email as well as the response I have gotten.

On Tue, Nov 29 at 2:06 PM , Anjsmiles wrote:
I am a reborn doll artist, which means I paint soft vinyl dolls to look like lifelike babies. I have been exploring the options for paints that would be compatible to vinyl dolls. It appears to me that the Soft Body Paints would be a good option due to their high pigment load and fluidity. I have found that the Liquitex Ultra Matte Gel is a product that works well in the paints to increase the matte appearance of the paints as well as paint adhesion. The desired outcome for a doll is that it not have sheen. I wanted to know if the Liquitex Ultra Matte Gel would be suitable to use as a ground for painting on vinyl? It seems to have a slight tooth that might work but I was not sure about using it full strength whether or not it would dry to a flexible finish? I would be applying it thinly pouncing it out with a sponge so as to leave a thin layer on the vinyl.

Hi Anjsmiles,
Thank you for your interest in Liquitex. Yes, it should be fine. Be sure to wipe the vinyl with a damp rag to remove any surface oils before applying any acrylic. We usually don't recommend painting non porous surfaces but I have heard of quite a few people using Soft Body on vinyl dolls.
You may find that the Ultra Matte Medium is better for your needs... It is fluid.
Thanks for using Liquitex.
Herman Reich
Technical Advisor

So from that you all can make your own judgements. If you are looking for a paint that specifically is made for painting on vinyl, Real Effects is the only one now on the market that I am aware of that is. They say they have added some sort of binders to their paints that makes them adhere to vinyl. They do have a limited color range but more could be made by mixing them together to create your own combinations.

Miracle Blend is sold for reborn doll painting but I am not aware whether or not they have added anything to the paints to make them specifically adhere to vinyl.

I am still not convinced that artist acrylics are not a suitable option as long as they are used with the correct mediums to increase adhesion. I think the biggest issue with painting on vinyl is the adhesion factor because the vinyl is not as porous. However, we know they paint on glass using acrylic paints by applying primers so why not vinyl?

Those who are die hard Genesis users have said the reason Genesis works so well is because it is oil based and vinyl being a petroleum product is as well. That may well be a factor but even still the vinyl is not "absorbing" the Genesis paints either. I have stripped many a Genesis painted kit and the paints come right off and the vinyl is not stained underneath. That tells me it is not absorbed into the vinyl but rather sits on top of it just like any other paint. Going back to Genesis is an option if I had to in order to keep making dolls but I am still not ready to do that. I am hoping to either find another solution or that someone else will come out with a paint comparable to Baby FX before I have to make a decision.

Baby FX Is To Be No More ;-(

This was posted on the Baby FX FB page on Tuesday, November 22, 2016:

Dear Baby FX customers,
**It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we have to announce the end of the Baby FX line. **
Baby FX paints were a premium product that we were proud to sell but the cost to product this high quality product was high.
The demand for Baby FX was barely sufficient for us to reach the quantities of product we were required to buy in order to obtain bulk prices, but we were able to keep things going.
Unfortunately a couple of months ago, due to a number of reasons out of our control, the cost of the materials used to produce the Baby FX line increased dramatically.
**We considered increasing the price in order to overcome this issue. We abandoned this idea because the increase would have been so high it would have priced Baby FX out of the market. This would have gone against what we believed Baby FX was about and that is to be an affordable solution for both beginner and advanced reborn doll artists. **
We know there are a few out there that would be willing to pay more for the paints however, the demand at that price point is not enough to support an ongoing business. If we charge higher prices, we get fewer customers, which in turn stop us from achieving bulk quantity requirements with our suppliers; hence we would have to run the business at a loss.
Selling the business or handing it over would require the new owner to run the business at a loss, which obviously is not an attractive proposition for a prospective new owner.
We also considered using a cheaper formula. Over the last couple of months we have tried numerous different formulas from different manufacturers which used more affordable ingredients. This was a costly exercise which produced unsatisfactory results. Furthermore, our customers did communicate that they did not want the formula to change from the original. Like the saying goes “there is no substitute for quality”. Varying the formula would simply result in a product not true to the Baby FX brand.
As you can see, a great deal of consideration went into this decision, which was not made lightly.
We believed in Baby FX and while we enjoyed seeing our products reach many countries around the world, the truth of the matter is that businesses sometimes do not last, and sadly this is the case with Baby FX.
**We wish everyone the best and hope that what you learnt with Baby FX adds to your knowledge and skills when using other water based paints. **
Sincerely,
The Baby FX Team

I knew this was a possibility which is why I have been researching other artist grade paints. I did not know the final outcome of things though until Tuesday when I read it like everyone else.
Because I knew there were problems with the manufacturers of Baby FX,  I purchased a large stock to hold me well into the next year. This will give me time to research alternatives while still using them. Rest assured that I will continue to produce the quality reborns my customers have always gotten from me with alternative quality paints.