Best scales to learn on? I'm confused.

[AlbertD]

I've been reading some older posts trying to pick up whatever I can. In a couple of threads people said that smaller figures are easier to paint well and learn on. I started with 1/10 busts thinking that the larger scale would be easier. This makes sense to me for the obvious reason that it's bigger and easier to see.

I was hoping some of you might want to share your thoughts on this.

 

[sd0324]

Matter of personal preference really. All scales are fun but require different techniques, that's the fun part. I go in phases but like busts a lot. It's all good.

Steve

 

[Mirofsoft]

I've been reading some older posts trying to pick up whatever I can. In a couple of threads people said that smaller figures are easier to paint well and learn on. I started with 1/10 busts thinking that the larger scale would be easier. This makes sense to me for the obvious reason that it's bigger and easier to see.

I was hoping some of you might want to share your thoughts on this.

As you wrote : ... older ....
For us, the grand dad's, there was not many choices, 54mm or smaller . Then 75mm from Serie77 and the 75mm by Ray Lamb for Hinchliffe quickly followed by 90, 100, 120 etc ...
And certainly no bust, which I find an aberration

Remember, when you look at your work in 54mm on a shelve at 30cm, it's like looking a standing guy at 3m .
For bigger sizes, it means the guy is closer and closer so you see him with more details ( and less contrast ) that must be reproduced .

A good old 54mm ( 45 years ago, Humbrol ) Here 2 pictures for the same 54mm, 1st one you look a it at 30cm, the 2nd one at 5cm ( myopia allow to do that, referee in paints' contests are all myopic )

An 75mm same period ( Humbrol ), 1st picture, on the shelve at 30 cm, 2nd the way a referee look at it

Conclusions : paint what you likes, the size you feel confortable with and if you are not pleased enough with the result, scrap the paints and again

NOTE : you must know that you will encounter, one day, a piece that will fight against you and you will never be satisfied . It happened to a friend of mine with a landsknecht from Rose Miniatures, he painted it and repainted it, he asked me to repaint again, twice, no satisfaction, and again, he, me, he, me even the last try we made 40 years after the first one : NO WAY ( tried Humbrol, oils,acrylics, mix, pastels ... )

Go for it

 

[AlbertD]

As you wrote : ... older ....
For us, the grand dad's, there was not many choices, 54mm or smaller . Then 75mm from Serie77 and the 75mm by Ray Lamb for Hinchliffe quickly followed by 90, 100, 120 etc ...
And certainly no bust, which I find an aberration

Remember, when you look at your work in 54mm on a shelve at 30cm, it's like looking a standing guy at 3m .
For bigger sizes, it means the guy is closer and closer so you see him with more details ( and less contrast ) that must be reproduced .

A good old 54mm ( 45 years ago, Humbrol ) Here 2 pictures for the same 54mm, 1st one you look a it at 30cm, the 2nd one at 5cm ( myopia allow to do that, referee in paints' contests are all myopic )
View attachment 430888 View attachment 430890

An 75mm same period ( Humbrol ), 1st picture, on the shelve at 30 cm, 2nd the way a referee look at it

View attachment 430893


View attachment 430892

Conclusions : paint what you likes, the size you feel confortable with and if you are not pleased enough with the result, scrap the paints and again

NOTE : you must know that you will encounter, one day, a piece that will fight against you and you will never be satisfied . It happened to a friend of mine with a landsknecht from Rose Miniatures, he painted it and repainted it, he asked me to repaint again, twice, no satisfaction, and again, he, me, he, me even the last try we made 40 years after the first one : NO WAY ( tried Humbrol, oils,acrylics, mix, pastels ... )

Go for it

Wat you say makes perfect sense. I'll just have to give smaller figures a try and see how it goes. I don't mind redoing them. It's just more practice and all fun.

 

[DaddyO]

Morning Albert and welcome

As has been said before you should paint what appeals to you since you are more likely to enjoy the process (which is what it's all about)

Persomally I (re) started with 54mm figures becuase of the excellent choice and the figures are relatively cheap. Main disadvantage is painting eyes and some other detailsin the smaller scales is tricky, but a magnifier helps. As you go up the sizes/scales the cost increases and worrying about 'mucking it up' starts to start to appear. Busts, initially look like a good choice, but can be a lot of work to paint. I typically spend longer paintig most busts than a 54mm Napoleonic figure.

One advantage of larger sized figures which hadn't occurred to me when I started was that it's much easier for the casual viewer to admire your handiwork - and we all like to show people what we've been up to.

Personally I'd recommend getting what you fancy in one the smaller sizes because I think you'll learn more from painting two or three of those than a single more expensive larger figure. Over several figures you will see your progress as you skills improve which will encourage you with your next figure. That said if busts are your 'thing' you can easily choose simpler ones at first and get the same benefits. Once you've got a feel for the paints and light and shade on a figure you'll get more pleasure from the results.

Plenty of people to ask advice from on here if you get stuck or you need a bit of encouragement so dive in and have a go.

Cheers
Paul

 

[Nap]

Hi Albert

Really good replies above , I personally only paint busts but to be honest there are many full figures of all scales I like and admire so my thoughts are give different scales a go ...you will find what you prefer

For smaller figures have a look at Marquismini here on PF

Happy benchtime

Nap

 

[Giwe]

Hello,
my personal opinion is to try first at 54mm. They are done quite fast and you can try some new things on every piece. But its such a beautiful hobby and whenever there is a figure or bust you like, give it a try. Practice is everything. And for me personally it makes me happy when i look at my display and compare some older pieces to the new ones and see the progress. So, happy painting!!!

 

[Babelfish]

There's no right or wrong answer to this. All sizes & scales have aspects to them that - at the same time - make them both easier AND trickier than larger/smaller ones, so it's basically a matter of trying various ones out and gauging your own strengths, weaknesses and preferences. Large scales for example make it easier to paint more fine detail, but at the same time you've got nowhere to hide if it all goes wrong.

- Steve

 

[AlbertD]

So far I've done a couple of busts and enjoyed them. This is another of the pieces I have from way back that's been sitting in the drawer. Maybe I'll give it a go next.

 

[Warren SMITH]

Welcome Albert.
What is your era of interest should be taken into account.. The more popular eras are obviously WW2, and Napoleonic.. So maybe you need to decide where your interests lay and start there, then find figures you like in differing scales for that period.
See how that goes. Or shop around for figures that take your fancy...
Eventually you will end up with your own grey army or stash of figures that you've managed to hoard away.
For me that's half the fun.. Like a lot of guys on here I have way more figures/kits that I could ever paint in 3 life times in almost every scale available, but that wont stop me adding to the stash if a new release catches my eye..
As long as you enjoy what your doing...

Warren.

 

[Wayneb]

Hello,
my personal opinion is to try first at 54mm. They are done quite fast and you can try some new things on every piece. But its such a beautiful hobby and whenever there is a figure or bust you like, give it a try. Practice is everything. And for me personally it makes me happy when i look at my display and compare some older pieces to the new ones and see the progress. So, happy painting!!!

54 mm first?!! .... You must be kidding me. Unless you're a miniature painting genius and you plan on showing to a sight challenged person. I think best to go a bit larger scale unless you're a brain surgeon.......But that's just my opinion........I suggest you just "Start" and let things run its course.......

Wayne

 

[AlbertD]

Good advice everyone. As far as period goes I've seen figures from all eras that I like. Like many of you guys are I'm a history buff and most of my reading is American Revolution or 18th century maritime history. I also read some WW2 stuff and find it interesting. My stash will probably end up being a good mix.

 

[Babelfish]

54 mm first?!! .... You must be kidding me. Unless you're a miniature painting genius and you plan on showing to a sight challenged person. I think best to go a bit larger scale unless you're a brain surgeon.......But that's just my opinion........I suggest you just "Start" and let things run its course.......

I get why you say that Wayne, but I think it's also true that most of us "of a certain age group" cut our figure-painting teeth on Tamiya 1/35 figures or the Airfix Multipose sets (1/32) or Historex (54mm) and progressed from there onto stuff like Verlinden 1/16.

So many more options available these days now though, to the point that it's probably all a bit confusing & overwhelming to new guys just coming into the hobby as to where exactly is the best place to start!

- Steve

 

[Mirofsoft]

54 mm first?!! .... You must be kidding me. Unless you're a miniature painting genius and you plan on showing to a sight challenged person. I think best to go a bit larger scale unless you're a brain surgeon.......But that's just my opinion........I suggest you just "Start" and let things run its course.......

Wayne

You are right all members on this forum borned in the 50ies were brain surgeons .... I guess .... because me, I was just happy to have a brain . Wayneb remember lot of us are the Old Guard, we painted what was available, 54mm, under gas lamps, and for the peoples who lived out of town; oil lamps

 

[AlbertD]

I get why you say that Wayne, but I think it's also true that most of us "of a certain age group" cut our figure-painting teeth on Tamiya 1/35 figures or the Airfix Multipose sets (1/32) or Historex (54mm) and progressed from there onto stuff like Verlinden 1/16.

So many more options available these days now though, to the point that it's probably all a bit confusing & overwhelming to new guys just coming into the hobby as to where exactly is the best place to start!

- Steve

You are right all members on this forum borned in the 50ies were brain surgeons .... I guess .... because me, I was just happy to have a brain . Wayneb remember lot of us are the Old Guard, we painted what was available, 54mm, under gas lamps, and for the peoples who lived out of town; oil lamps

I have painted my share of 1/35 plastic figures way back in the day (I grew up in the 60's with electricity). I never took it seriously though. Just slapped on some flesh and uniform color and called it good.

 

[Wayneb]

I've been reading some older posts trying to pick up whatever I can. In a couple of threads people said that smaller figures are easier to paint well and learn on. I started with 1/10 busts thinking that the larger scale would be easier. This makes sense to me for the obvious reason that it's bigger and easier to see.

I was hoping some of you might want to share your thoughts on this.

I'm sorry, I did not follow your post close enough. I think your question has been answered quite well. I think it all revolves around your skill set and confidence. Paint what you think you can paint. If you think you can paint it, you are right;....If don't think you can paint it, you are also right.

Wayne

 

[Forté]

Personally... it depends on you.

Painting methods on a 1/10 bust are slightly different to a 54mm (or smaller) figure.

Best bet is anything that you like the look of that has a few different materials and isn't overcomplicated.

If you like bust painting there are many academic busts (as they've been nicknamed) which are usually around 1/12 scale, not too complex (or expensive), but have different things to play around with. But it really depends more on what you like to paint and enjoy painting.

 

[AlbertD]

Personally... it depends on you.

Painting methods on a 1/10 bust are slightly different to a 54mm (or smaller) figure.

Best bet is anything that you like the look of that has a few different materials and isn't overcomplicated.

If you like bust painting there are many academic busts (as they've been nicknamed) which are usually around 1/12 scale, not too complex (or expensive), but have different things to play around with. But it really depends more on what you like to paint and enjoy painting.

A couple of days ago I ordered a Life Miniatures beginner series Rommel bust from Last Calvary. It has a PDF instruction guide that goes with it. That should fit the bill pretty well. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Mirofsoft]

The step by step guide :
https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/3a901f_98370232f04f45979f5ac57c978b70ea.pdf

 

[AlbertD]

The step by step guide :
https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/3a901f_98370232f04f45979f5ac57c978b70ea.pdf

Thats the one. I think it will be a good learning tool.