Bailey
A Fixture
I started another 75mm Pegaso Napoleonic figure a few days ago. This time it's the Captain ADC to Marshal Suchet. As I work on each section of the figure I will try to include a detailed description of my approach along with step by step pictures. I expect this figure to take me at least a month to complete, so check in with this thread from time to time for future updates.
I will be painting this figure using acrylics and later some pigments for weathering. Unless notes otherwise all of the matte acrylics will be Reaper Master Series and all of the metallic acrylics with be Scale 75 Metal 'n Alchemy. Reaper paints are great, very similar to Vallejo but I have an easier time blending with them. This is more personal preference and you can do just as well with many brands. The metals, on the other hand, are Scale 75 and are by far the best water based metals I've seen. Vallejo Model Air are a close second, but the color options for their yellow metals are far more limited.
This first post will cover the prep and painting of the face.
This project required some decision making when it came to how much to assemble before painting. Normally I'll leave small accessories like the scabbard, spurs, and sabretache off as they are delicate and easy to knock off while painting. However here I also opted to leave the right hand, left arm, and pelisse (coat) off. The hand and arm could probably have been attached at this point, but there's a lot of detail around his waist and it will be easier to get to with those pieces unattached. In addition, the seam on the left arm will be hidden by the coat, so that won't be a problem.
I went with a white primer, though grey or black would be fine too. This figure is about half dark colors and half light so there's no wrong choice. The white primer will make painting the face and red pants easier.
Here's a look at the current state of the figure. You can see that there's still a lot of pieces to add as I go along, but this way I will have a much easier time accessing all of those fine details on his torso.
I like to start painting with the face. I begin by base coating the face with Rosy Shadow. I also base coat all of the sections adjacent to the face. So for the hat and collar I used Pure Black and for the hair I used Brown Liner, I use a bit of water to further thin the paint, so the base coat take about 2 to 3 layers for full coverage.
I then sketch on the shadows. I use two reddish browns mixed with the Rosy Shadow (about 3 to 1 brown to rosy shadow). First Chestnut Brown for the basic shadows and then Mahogany Brown for the darker shadows around the eyes, under the nose and chin, and in the mouth. From there I take care of a few of the facial details. For the eyes I start with a coat of dark pink (Violet Red + Rosy Skin). This is then covered up with an off white (Weathered Stone, and Weathered Stone + Leather White), but some of the pink remains at the corners of the eyes. I then paint in the iris followed by a dot of pure black for the pupil and then a dot of pure white for the catch light. With larger figures it's easier to put more detail into the eyes. Try to do as much as you can, but if it's too small feel free to simplify the approach. You can skip the iris and just use a black dot for both the iris and pupil.
This figure is baring his teeth, so I used some Bone Shadow and Aged Bone to paint them in. As with the eyes, avoid using pure white. These aren't getting direct light so they would not be that bright.
With the details finished I move to blending in the shadows. I start with the brown and Rosy Skin mixes and slowly add in more Rosy Shadow until I'm up to pure Rosy Shadow.
From there I start to add in Fair Skin to create the highlights. When I'm at pure Fair Skin I start to add in Fair Highlight for the top highlights. Use the highlights to further define the shape of the nose, tops of the cheeks, and chin.
I now switch to the remaining facial details. The hair starts with Brown Liner, then into Muddy Brown. To that I add Tanned Skin and at about 50/50 Muddy Brown and Tanned Skin, I start to instead mix in Fair Skin for the top highlights. Be a bit random in your highlight placement (within reason) to pick out certain parts so the hair doesn't look too uniform. I also take care of the lips, using Rosy Shadow mixed with Violet Red. To that I mix in Fair Skin to brighten it and create the highlights.
At this point the face looks pretty good, but it's still a bit flat. To create a more lifelike look I used several glazes. I take GW's Bloodletter Red glaze and Guilliman Blue (I also mix the two to form a purple glaze). In each case I add at least an equal amount of water to keep the effect subtle and allow me to slowly build up color. The red is applied in multiple layers to the cheeks, top of the nose, and bottom of the ears. The blue is used on the lower part of the face to create a subtle stubble effect. I used the purple to deepen the shadows under the eyes, in the deepest part of the cheeks, and under the chin. It's a simple enough technique but I think it really adds to the overall look. The nice thing is, no matter what approach you use for the rest of the face, the final glazing step should still work.
Still lots to do, but I think he's off to a good start. By the way, even though I'm treating this thread as a tutorial, I still welcome any feedback and suggestions you might have. I'm always looking to improve and learn new things with each project.
I will be painting this figure using acrylics and later some pigments for weathering. Unless notes otherwise all of the matte acrylics will be Reaper Master Series and all of the metallic acrylics with be Scale 75 Metal 'n Alchemy. Reaper paints are great, very similar to Vallejo but I have an easier time blending with them. This is more personal preference and you can do just as well with many brands. The metals, on the other hand, are Scale 75 and are by far the best water based metals I've seen. Vallejo Model Air are a close second, but the color options for their yellow metals are far more limited.
This first post will cover the prep and painting of the face.
This project required some decision making when it came to how much to assemble before painting. Normally I'll leave small accessories like the scabbard, spurs, and sabretache off as they are delicate and easy to knock off while painting. However here I also opted to leave the right hand, left arm, and pelisse (coat) off. The hand and arm could probably have been attached at this point, but there's a lot of detail around his waist and it will be easier to get to with those pieces unattached. In addition, the seam on the left arm will be hidden by the coat, so that won't be a problem.
I went with a white primer, though grey or black would be fine too. This figure is about half dark colors and half light so there's no wrong choice. The white primer will make painting the face and red pants easier.
Here's a look at the current state of the figure. You can see that there's still a lot of pieces to add as I go along, but this way I will have a much easier time accessing all of those fine details on his torso.
I like to start painting with the face. I begin by base coating the face with Rosy Shadow. I also base coat all of the sections adjacent to the face. So for the hat and collar I used Pure Black and for the hair I used Brown Liner, I use a bit of water to further thin the paint, so the base coat take about 2 to 3 layers for full coverage.
I then sketch on the shadows. I use two reddish browns mixed with the Rosy Shadow (about 3 to 1 brown to rosy shadow). First Chestnut Brown for the basic shadows and then Mahogany Brown for the darker shadows around the eyes, under the nose and chin, and in the mouth. From there I take care of a few of the facial details. For the eyes I start with a coat of dark pink (Violet Red + Rosy Skin). This is then covered up with an off white (Weathered Stone, and Weathered Stone + Leather White), but some of the pink remains at the corners of the eyes. I then paint in the iris followed by a dot of pure black for the pupil and then a dot of pure white for the catch light. With larger figures it's easier to put more detail into the eyes. Try to do as much as you can, but if it's too small feel free to simplify the approach. You can skip the iris and just use a black dot for both the iris and pupil.
This figure is baring his teeth, so I used some Bone Shadow and Aged Bone to paint them in. As with the eyes, avoid using pure white. These aren't getting direct light so they would not be that bright.
With the details finished I move to blending in the shadows. I start with the brown and Rosy Skin mixes and slowly add in more Rosy Shadow until I'm up to pure Rosy Shadow.
From there I start to add in Fair Skin to create the highlights. When I'm at pure Fair Skin I start to add in Fair Highlight for the top highlights. Use the highlights to further define the shape of the nose, tops of the cheeks, and chin.
I now switch to the remaining facial details. The hair starts with Brown Liner, then into Muddy Brown. To that I add Tanned Skin and at about 50/50 Muddy Brown and Tanned Skin, I start to instead mix in Fair Skin for the top highlights. Be a bit random in your highlight placement (within reason) to pick out certain parts so the hair doesn't look too uniform. I also take care of the lips, using Rosy Shadow mixed with Violet Red. To that I mix in Fair Skin to brighten it and create the highlights.
At this point the face looks pretty good, but it's still a bit flat. To create a more lifelike look I used several glazes. I take GW's Bloodletter Red glaze and Guilliman Blue (I also mix the two to form a purple glaze). In each case I add at least an equal amount of water to keep the effect subtle and allow me to slowly build up color. The red is applied in multiple layers to the cheeks, top of the nose, and bottom of the ears. The blue is used on the lower part of the face to create a subtle stubble effect. I used the purple to deepen the shadows under the eyes, in the deepest part of the cheeks, and under the chin. It's a simple enough technique but I think it really adds to the overall look. The nice thing is, no matter what approach you use for the rest of the face, the final glazing step should still work.
han
