high contrast or subtle contrast

[godfather]

I have been reading on this forum and others that a high contrast,shadows and highlights, is desirable. Does this apply to 54mm and smaller figures or even the bigger modles 70mm+. BTW what is the rationale for having a strong contrast?

 

[pkw4]

Hi Bruno
I think the general rule is "the smaller the scale the stronger the contrast".
ciao
Roberto

 

[Uruk-Hai]

As light cant be scaled down in the same manner some kind of substitute is needed. How much contrast is a matter of taste.

Have a bit of cloth hanging or laying on a chair. Watch how the highlights and shadows looks. Try moving the lightsource around and see how the effect moves with the light.

Also sometime exaggerated for bringing out detail or artistic purpose.

Cheers

 

[Einion]

Most modellers agree that the smaller the model the more exaggerated the painted contrast needs to be. You shouldn't paint a 1/6 bust the same way you'd paint a 1/35 figure because, as Janne said, light works on large-scale pieces differently to smaller models. This is why some garage-kit modellers do very little shading because the scale they're working in is usually so large.

How much contrast is very much a matter of taste though - there's a lot of high-contrast shading coming out of Europe these days, too much for my taste in many cases even though it's often skilfully done. I tend to under-highlight (something that Shep Paine specifically warned against I've heard) so somewhere between is a happy medium IMO.

Another related issue is scale colour - going slightly lighter the smaller the scale is - some aircraft and armour modellers do this as a matter of routine but I don't know that it's common practice with figures unless you take the lighter highlights as amounting to lightening of the basic colour, which in a way it is.

Einion

 

[Uruk-Hai]

In my opinion some colours have to be darker to be downscaled. Depend on the colours and the fabric as well as the surrounding colours.

A common mistake that especially the aircraft modellers do is lighten a colour with white or darken it with black. Does not work that way. Its better to use the primary colours as red, blue and yellow in combination with each other and/or black and white to do this.

Heres a funny thread that was posted on missing links some time ago.
Abra cadabra

Cheers

 

[Manfred]

Uruk-Hai,

that is a most fascinating link.

I learned not to believe my ears before, now I learned not to believe my eyes anymore.

 

[megroot]

Great illusion.

Thanks for the link.

Marc

 

[Stephan]

I prefer a strong contrast on my bigger scale figures.
It works for me and that is why it did it.
some people said, dont do it on a garage kit. Not me.
I like it.

 

[Blind Pew]

For a good while I've considered that I haven't highlighted enough, though I did a recent project that I considered was over-highlighted, but when the dust had setttled this was not the case at all. For a good while, I have used complimentary shading as well, and this does help and is a fascination learning curve as well.

Overhighlighting can be very useful in conveying a sence of urgency and drama to a figure and is worth considering for this alone.

As ever, it's all about experimenting and learning as you go along....

Janne, many thanks for that link - it was a fascinating eye-opener!