WIP First Figure Ever - WW2 German Infantryman by Tamiya

[DancingShaman]

Hello all. I had been reading about painting for some time now and appreciating all the beautiful works done by you amazing people for even longer time. I just had to chance to put all that theory into practice for the very first time.

Model is Tamiya and as you might imagine it is not a high quality figure. But it is pretty decent in terms of price performance ratio. Just helping this fellow to build up the sense of using brushes and colours. I havent used any brush in my life, so starting with Pegaso or other high caliber figure would be nonsense.

Here is my progress so far. Feedbacks, critics, they would all be appreciated. I will keep the thread posted as I make progress.

Cheers,
Osman

 

[Babelfish]

Welcome aboard Osman, that's actually pretty good so far for a first ever figure. Base colours neatly blocked in for the most part, and ready for some experimentation with highlights & shadows.

You've got the right idea starting off with a cheapish figure (actually one of Tamiya's better 1/16 figures). Don't worry too much at this stage about "accurate" colours. Just start honing your techniques and try to aim for gradual improvement with each new figure.

What sort of paints are you using? I'm guessing enamels, in which case make sure they are stirred thoroughly otherwise they can have a tendency to dry a bit glossy.

You might find it useful to pin or glue your figures either directly to a base or in a hand-held vice. That makes life a lot easier when painting and saves you having to try and handle them by the feet while trying to paint at the same time.

Thanks for sharing your work. Keep posting, you will find plenty of members here ready to help you along.

- Steve

 

[DancingShaman]

Hi Steve. Thank you very much for your kind words and feedback. Im actually using acrylics. In the photo, dry is still wet, maybe thats why it looks glossy. I will do exactly like you said and will experiment with highlighting and shading. As for the shading, I am thinking to dilllute a darker tone of green with some water. I guess I didnt come up with the right proportion of black paint/water in my first shot. Because when it dried, there were black stains all over. What should be the ideal ratio?

Thanks a lot.
Cheers
Osman

 

[Ferris]

Great to see you getting started on a figure Osman!
As Steve said, you got the basics right. Looks like an even and opaque coat, without being too thick.
I wouldn't suggest to paint the whole figure at once, but start with the face and work your way down. It's not a law of course, but it helps with handling the figure without having to keep touching painted parts.

About dilution for shades, I'd say 40/60 paint/water for the initial passes, thinning further during blending.
Most important is that you apply the paint as a filter rather than a wash. A filter you should be able to paint without the paint flowing further on the figure by itself. A wash tends to flow by itself when the brush touches the surface. Your picture shows some pooling of water in the creases, suggesting you do not 'unload' your brush before applying. Unloading is this: dip your brush in the thinned paint, next touch a piece of tissue paper with it. You'll see most of the paint will be soacked up, but a bit will remain on the brush and it will be just right to apply a controlled layer of thinned paint (the filter). Hope this is remotely clear.

the gloss. You can kill that by mixing in some tamiya matte medium X-21. This will also break the surface tension of water and give you an even smoother application of thinned paints.

Anyway, good of you to start, because practice is key. Don't worry about the result too much at first, just focus on techniques first. And keep your first figure as a reference to your further progress!

Cheers,
Adrian

 

[Mat Lambert]

Hi Osman
Always good to see new people starting the hobby. Not a bad start either - especially if you are just starting to use brushes and paint. Keep posting your progress.
Cheers
Mat

 

[DancingShaman]

Hi Adrian, that is some solid advice there. Thinning down the wash gradually makes perfect sense for blending. I will give it a try and share the outcome.

 

[peedee]

This is a good figure to paint as a first try.

Please remember not to expect the first one to be perfect.

Let us see how you progress with the face and on to the next level.

I just hope you enjoy your creation, no-one can take away your first feeling of triumph.
Enjoy.
Paul

 

[DancingShaman]

This is a good figure to paint as a first try.

Please remember not to expect the first one to be perfect.

Let us see how you progress with the face and on to the next level.

I just hope you enjoy your creation, no-one can take away your first feeling of triumph.
Enjoy.
Paul

Hi Paul. Even I expected, it would be nowhere close being perfect. I wont be harsh on myself with this hobby, I will take my time and improve skills with every new figure and just enjoy the great community.

Cheers
Osman

 

[peedee]

That's the best idea Osman

Paul

 

[sippog]

Great first effort, Osman.
If you need some help with mixing colours, you might find these tips I've gathered together to be useful:
http://dclough.org/hom/?p=29

 

[DancingShaman]

Great first effort, Osman.
If you need some help with mixing colours, you might find these tips I've gathered together to be useful:
http://dclough.org/hom/?p=29

Thank a lot @sippog. This will definitely come in handy. Especially with highlighting and shading.

Cheers
Osman

 

[DancingShaman]

Sorry fellas. My update is not regarding a progress. Fiance got too excited with my new hobby and here is the result:

She thinks that it is broken and I will make her buy me premium metal figure now.