Happy... and unhappy

[typhoonken]

Hello all,

I thought I'd get my feet wet with a figure so I jumped in with painting a face, equipment, and camouflage.

Happy: because I started and finished.

Unhappy: because I'm just not too pleased with the results.

I spent a lot of time on the face and finally left it as is to prevent a temper tantrum. The camo uniform was too much for a first effort but fun to research and paint. He's missing a cigarette in his right hand and a gunsling on the weapon.
I see errors in the close-up photos. Eyes just not what they used to be.

Any and all critiques welcome. Thanks for looking.

Ken



DRAGON 6131 Armored Reconnaissance, Wiking Division (Hungary 1945)

Figure 2




http://

http://

http://

http://

http://

 

[housecarl]

Ken if this is your first attempt, you should be very pleased with the camo.
All in all it's a good figure,
Carl.

 

[Jamie Stokes]

FAce is ok, camo uniform is very challenging, even for experienced painters, so to get the results you did shows persistance and dedication to effort.

Unknown; Acrylics, oils or enamels?

Very good results for a first figure, you are getting a grasp on the idea os shadows, highlights, and flesh tones.

Each figure is a little better then the previous.

Faces; keep going, and let us know what type of paint you are using, that will help with the feed back.

Cheers

 

[Einion]

Painting skin is hard, even if using premixed flesh colours as a starting point. And faces present a challenge even for experienced painters as there's a lot going on in a small area. Like with most things, it takes practice and application to get better; doing test paintjobs on faces (on a metal casting, so it's easy to strip) is something a few modellers have done so it's not something you only get to do once per figure.

You should be well pleased with the camo - most painted representations are just a stylised version of how something really looks anyway and yours has the right look, which is the main thing.

Einion

 

[gothicgeek]

i agree with the others, nice work and only your first!

keep it up and keep us posted



Mark

 

[Marcel]

Very well done for a first figure!
Camo and faces are not easy to paint, you will see that it goes better with every figure.

regards,
Marcel.

 

[typhoonken]

Thanks, all, for looking and commenting.

All paint is Vallejo acrylics, with ink for the black straps.

When all painted and assembled, I used my aircraft-weathering technique of glosscoat, touching seams and detail with smoke color and letting it run along detail like a mini-wash, then flatcoating.

On the face... well, I tried to follow step by step the method in Calvin Tan's book "Modelling Waffen-SS Figures." But impatience took over and I tried the Andrea "FAQ" method. And became just as impatient.

On the camo... too much too soon. It looks better the further away I hold it from my eyes.

But I enjoyed myself and I've already begun on two more Dragon figures.

Thanks again.

Ken

 

[jcichon]

Ken, first, a nice effort. It took balls to start with an SS camo pattern! I still won't do it. I can say that with time, and trust me on this one, you will pick up the finer points of highlighting and shading. But for a first figure you are well on your way.

 

[Einion]

On the face... well, I tried to follow step by step the method in Calvin Tan's book "Modelling Waffen-SS Figures." But impatience took over and I tried the Andrea "FAQ" method. And became just as impatient.

FWIW patience is one the harder things to develop when it comes to painting models - often one of the first bits of advice given is to slow down, don't be in a rush to finish, things take as long as they take etc.

For 99% of people the slower they paint the better the results. Fast techniques tend to look like just that!

On the camo... too much too soon. It looks better the further away I hold it from my eyes.

That's not that uncommon actually In case you missed it there was a thread recently on viewing distance, here.

Einion

 

[Jeff]

I have got to say that for a first figure this is really pretty nice. I will say what everyone else has camo is not easy and you have done a pretty nice job. If you are not content. Well your next figure will be better. Do three or four and then look at this first figure and ask yourself do they look better then this fist figure. I would be willing to bet they will look better. Keep it up this is really a pretty nice start. No one does a perfect figure out of the gate.

If you have ever had the chance to see some of the best figure painters early work you will find mistakes that we all make. I got to see some of Bill Horan's early figures and his flesh tones on those early figures were kind of pumpkin colored. So you see even the greats do not start out painting masterpieces. It takes time. Did you make models before you started painting figures. If so, what did your first models look like? Were they perfect?

Nice first figure I can not wait to see what you do next.