petermh
Well-Known Member
Although I have been painting in oils more years than I care to remember I am still not happy with the results of my attempts to represent black leather boots belts saddles etc on 54mm figures.
Any tips
Any tips
black leather in oils
- Thread starter petermh
- Start date
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Einion
A Fixture
Hi Peter, could you say what about your results you're not happy with? The colour? Worn areas? The overall look?
Subtractive
Many oil painters start with a base of a tan colour, apply a layer of black (Lamp Black is popular but most any black will do, although Mars Black may be a little too opaque for this to work as well) and then brush off the excess with another brush, paying particular attention to the toe and heel areas. This can simulate the natural effect of the dye wearing through to show the natural leather colour beneath; you can use something similar for belts too, although it's hard to not get paint on adjacent surfaces doing this.
You might then highlight with a mix of white, black and maybe a touch of an earth colour, either working wet-on-wet or after waiting for the base oil application to dry. If you're going for a natural sheen on the finished leather you may not need to do much, or any, highlighting for the item to look realistic.
Additive
Because I started with acrylics I generally prefer to work the opposite way - base 'black', then add the wear and highlighting. I generally use a mixture of black with Burnt Umber or a reddish earth, with a touch of white to lighten, as the basecoat. That way you can still use straight black for the shadows. Wear areas I would do over the dried basecoat, mix an appropriate colour (Yellow Ochre + Burnt Sienna maybe) dot it on the toe or heel and then work it in with a soft, dry brush.
Unless I deliberately want leather to be matt I always do it with at least a slight sheen, which helps to distinguish it from other materials when the figure is seen in the round. There's nothing worse IMB than a figure that is uniformly matt*. With oils you can sometimes rely on the oil paint itself to give the right result, particularly if you let the paint dry naturally and don't speed the process along using heat, but mixing in a little Liquin or another medium such as stand oil, even just basic linseed oil or poppy oil, will usually help.
You can also brush a very thin layer of any of these over the finished paintwork if it's a little too matt. You can use a water-soluble finish for this instead and these have the advantage that they won't yellow over time and you can judge the effect very quickly, applying another layer if necessary almost immediately; with an oil or other medium you have to wait for it to dry properly before you know for sure how glossy it'll be.
*Sweaty skin, hair, leather, cloth, painted surfaces and even the metals, unless the painting is done appropriately to simulate the effect of lighting fully.
Einion
Subtractive
Many oil painters start with a base of a tan colour, apply a layer of black (Lamp Black is popular but most any black will do, although Mars Black may be a little too opaque for this to work as well) and then brush off the excess with another brush, paying particular attention to the toe and heel areas. This can simulate the natural effect of the dye wearing through to show the natural leather colour beneath; you can use something similar for belts too, although it's hard to not get paint on adjacent surfaces doing this.
You might then highlight with a mix of white, black and maybe a touch of an earth colour, either working wet-on-wet or after waiting for the base oil application to dry. If you're going for a natural sheen on the finished leather you may not need to do much, or any, highlighting for the item to look realistic.
Additive
Because I started with acrylics I generally prefer to work the opposite way - base 'black', then add the wear and highlighting. I generally use a mixture of black with Burnt Umber or a reddish earth, with a touch of white to lighten, as the basecoat. That way you can still use straight black for the shadows. Wear areas I would do over the dried basecoat, mix an appropriate colour (Yellow Ochre + Burnt Sienna maybe) dot it on the toe or heel and then work it in with a soft, dry brush.
Unless I deliberately want leather to be matt I always do it with at least a slight sheen, which helps to distinguish it from other materials when the figure is seen in the round. There's nothing worse IMB than a figure that is uniformly matt*. With oils you can sometimes rely on the oil paint itself to give the right result, particularly if you let the paint dry naturally and don't speed the process along using heat, but mixing in a little Liquin or another medium such as stand oil, even just basic linseed oil or poppy oil, will usually help.
You can also brush a very thin layer of any of these over the finished paintwork if it's a little too matt. You can use a water-soluble finish for this instead and these have the advantage that they won't yellow over time and you can judge the effect very quickly, applying another layer if necessary almost immediately; with an oil or other medium you have to wait for it to dry properly before you know for sure how glossy it'll be.
*Sweaty skin, hair, leather, cloth, painted surfaces and even the metals, unless the painting is done appropriately to simulate the effect of lighting fully.
Einion
Theodoros
A Fixture
The used leather takes a brownish colour. So as a basecoat use black+brownish colours, then try to higlight using browns and finally yellow ochre. Shadows with pure black.
Some years ago, when we did n't paint using overhead lighting, I heard this tip :
paint in brown. When dry, paint a layer of pure black. Then with a piece of cotton in a pin remove the most of black in direction from up to down.
Some years ago, when we did n't paint using overhead lighting, I heard this tip :
paint in brown. When dry, paint a layer of pure black. Then with a piece of cotton in a pin remove the most of black in direction from up to down.
KeithP
A Fixture
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2004
- Messages
- 1,838
Good post Einion.
I have taken to painting the acrylic base in about equal portions flat and gloss black. I also add a bit of medium flesh or wood color to give it brownish cast.
You can then paint the oils with mainly brown madder alaz and mars brown.
You can add a touch of liquin to keep the sheen too.
This is pretty much what I did on the mess kit and leather pouch on the highlander I have in my bench.
Good stuff, there are so many different leathers and conditions that it's good to see a thread on it.
Keith
I have taken to painting the acrylic base in about equal portions flat and gloss black. I also add a bit of medium flesh or wood color to give it brownish cast.
You can then paint the oils with mainly brown madder alaz and mars brown.
You can add a touch of liquin to keep the sheen too.
This is pretty much what I did on the mess kit and leather pouch on the highlander I have in my bench.
Good stuff, there are so many different leathers and conditions that it's good to see a thread on it.
Keith
petermh
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the replies guys,the aspect I'm not happy with is the worn appearance of black leather on campaign dressed soldiers My usual method is to use a base coat of prussion blue+burnt umber+ a drop of windsor&newton painting medium & highlight with yellow ochre perhaps I need an intermediate stage of mars brown or similar,I'll certainly try all the methods you recommend
