1/16 Navy SEAL

[RFrancis]

This is my first completed figure. There have been other attempts several years ago that I have not been satisfied with. It's Dragon's 1/16 scale Navy SEAL built out of the box. I probably shouldn't have started with such a difficult cammo pattern, let alone cammo at all. This is also my first attempt with acrylics rather than oils. Feel free to give any comments you may have, I only hope to get better!

 

[tonydawe]

Hi Ron,

If you don't mind a bit of constructive criticism, I'd like to offer a few suggestions and comments on this figure.

Firstly, it's quite difficult to see your work as the photos are very dark and the details don't stand out very well. Having said that....for a first figure its very good.

You have chosen a challenging subject for your first effort; tiger stripe cam will send many experienced painters into fits of paralysis, so kudos to you for having a crack at it.

Also your choice of kit is sensible. The Dragon/ DML plastic 1/16th scale kits are cheap and easy to build and provide plenty of scope for beginners to learn, without the huge cost of buying white metal or resin kits.

Using acrylic paints can be tricky, especially if you're used to oils or enamels. Acrylic paints achieve their best results when they are applied in thin (dilute) layers of colour and allowed to gradually build up. It may be necessary to apply up to a dozen layers to achieve the desired effect, which certainly requires more patience than with other mediums. Thin your paints with water and you'll get better results.

From my observation, you could certainly increase the level of contrast - that is the difference between the highlight colour and the shadow colour, to make some of the details "pop" out more. Finding the right level of contrast is a matter of individual taste, however most beginners tend to avoid too much contrast and consequently when they photograph their figures the colours look quite flat and much of the details are lost. You'll eventually find a level of contrast that you're happy with, but for now I suggest you experiment and be bold.

I would also suggest you consider how light falling on your figure from directly above will cause some parts of the figure to look much lighter or darker than others, depending on the level of exposure to the light source. The technique is called Zenithal lighting and its best described in books by masters like Shepard Paine, Danilo Cartacci and Bill Horan who can explain it far better than I can. I'd recommend you look for these books and observe how these simple observations about light and contrast can dramatically improve the look of your figures.

Bottom line - keep going and make your next figure better than your last.

 

[RFrancis]

Tony,
Thanks for your insight and compliments. You are right, the cammo pattern was very difficult and the shading of the cammo was even more so. Let's just say I decided to call it done before I made it worse. I would agree that the contrast thing is hard to determine as a beginner, I thought the contrast was bordering on too much in several places! The plan is to improve with each figure, so what better way than to seek advice from those who have mastered it. Next time I will make sure the lighting is better in the photos so that I can get better feedback. Again, I appreciate your comments and the next one will be better!