Does size matter??

[tonphil1960]

I have only done 1/35th and 54 mm figs so far. Is it easier to paint say a 90mm than a 54 mm?? I like the 54 as they are small and don't take up any room, I would not be against going bigger if it would be a little easier.

Any comments would be welcome. Tony

 

[Pete_H]

It's just a question of personal preference. You're bound to get positive and negative answers for each scale, but it all comes down to what you are comfortable with. Personally, I enjoy painting smaller scales - 1/35 & 54mm - for several reasons:
1. they take up less display room.
2. there's a wider market for figures in these scales.
3. easier to convert, due mainly to the larger availability of accessories in the market.

 

[thegoodsgt]

Of course it's always a matter of personal preference, but I'll go out on a limb here and offer that it's more difficult doing larger scale figures. The larger the figure, the closer you have to come to "real-life" textures and flesh tones. John Rosengrant does that extremely well with his figures, but most of our efforts turn out looking like, well, models.

 

[KeithP]

It's all in what you like. I am not set in either size or medium.

I think what attracts me is the overall figure appeal.

For me, at 44 yearls old, I'm kinda liking the 75-100 mm scales more and more as the eyes start to go. There are some fine 75 mm pieces recently from Pegaso. 100 mm pieces from Michael Roberts are very nice, too.

Find something that excites you and paint that. Worry about scale later.

Let me also add, that I'll never touch a 25 mm piece. I probably can't even pick it up let alone paint it... :lol:

Keith

 

[Steve]

I am not sure what you mean by "easier". On larger figures, the detail may have a larger surface area, but that larger surface requires equal attention to how you paint it. In addition, larger figures will feature detail not always evident in the smaller scales, which means you have "more" to paint. I say "not always" as there are artists who can put all the detail of a 120mm onto a 25mm. But as a rule, the larger the scale, the more there is to paint. The way it ususally works out for me, the effort is the same regardless of scale. Or size.-Steve

 

[tonphil1960]

I think I will stick with the 54mm's Yes Kieth I am 44 too, and my arms are not long enough anymore either. With glasses I'm still OK though. I checked out your bench photo's wow impressive stuff. Are you using oils??
I see what you guys mean about the larger sizes having more to paint and I think I would have more trouble shading and hightlighting. This is my biggest problem.

Thanks Tony

 

[KeithP]

Tony-

The red lancer and naval brigade officer are all oils with printers ink. The medieval stuff is acrylics, mr metal and printers inks.

I worked with 1/35th for a long time and tried a few bigger pieces and found those to be a bit easier for me for oils. Acrylics at over 54 mm for me has not worked so well.

Keith

 

[Einion]

As everyone has said Tony a lot of it is personal preference, plus what you're used to. If you get accustomed to painting very small a larger figure can be quite daunting to do for most of us - a whole 1/35 scale sleeve can be the same size as one fold on a 1/16 scale figure! The same goes in reverse of course, so it's difficult to transition from one size to another without practice and experience.

I think for most of us smaller scales are easier to paint in many ways simply because there is less surface to worry about and as long as you can paint neatly in a small area; the simple fact of being able to complete a figure quickly is good as you can move on to the next one that much faster and nothing beats practice for improvement. I would have to agree with Steven that the larger you go the more of a challenge it is to get a realistic finish overall.

If you can paint detail successfully in 1/35 and 1/32 scale and you're happy with your results then there's no reason not to stick to this end of the figure market (and you won't be short of subjects to paint given the popularity of figures marketed as 54mm). If you find that you can't really get things as crisp as you'd like this small then try moving up through the scales, there are plenty of good models in 70mm and 75mm and it's not a big jump to 90mm and upwards then if you'd like to stretch a bit.

Einion

 

[tonphil1960]

Thanks Keith and Einion, Keith, I cannot handle acrylics as the drying time is much to fast for me, enamels are better so I am going to try oils even longer drying time. I have trouble with highlighting and shading, alot of trouble, I am working on a Italian Knight now and am trying to improve my shading skills on this fig. I do think I will stick with 54mm for now.

thanks Tony

 

[KeithP]

Tony-

If you are using oils, Craig W (Mongo Mel) has a great beginner article on oils at Armoram.com. There a a couple quick vid files that will help you with the technique.

I have some add'l articles for oils that I'll try to dig out to send to you.

Good luck.

 

[tonphil1960]

Ok Keith Thanks, I am now using Humbrol, I will try the oils soon on my next fig.

Tony

 

[Evan August]

I think that every figure needs to approached differently, a 120mm will be different from a 1/35 or 54mm, but that's part of the fun, trying to learn how to do something else. Personally, I really don't care what scale a figure is, if I think it's cool, I want it.