How I paint figures.(easy and simple with gauranteed results)

[JohnReid]

The important thing to remember about my way of painting ,using pastels over a flat acrylic undercoat ,is that you can modify the intensity of your pastels right on the figure.If a depressed area gets too dark you can come back with a lighter pastel and modify it.Want to give more highlights to raised areas ,add a little white to the mix by applying it directly to the figure.Just play with it until you are happy.
Some have asked just how permanent is the finish? well it is a lot more permanent than if you had tried to use any other paint than flat acrylics.My figures are used in my dioramas, so granted they don't get a lot of handling once installed.But neither do figures on pedestals especially those in glass domes.Why would anyone want to put their hands on a finished figure anyway,we are not talking toy soldiers here being moved around on a board.My answer to the "how durable" question is durable enough for the purpose for which they were intended ,to be looked at.Hands off please(and that includes you judges)
You can do your own testing and I will bet that you will be surprised just how durable the surface really is.
As far as fixatives are concerned,I have never used any myself.You may want to give it a try if you think your figures really need it .Personally,I would be a little concerned about their use in areas of subtle shading.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

My setup!
This is my setup for applying pastels.The two circular plastic plates is where I shave off the pastels sticks ,using an xacto knife held a a 90% angle. The pastel powder obtained is usually fine enough to use directly on the figure.
The bright colors in round tubes I sometimes use to modify the square stick colors.Mostly I use the browns,grays,black and white,burnt sienna that you see in the plates.
The brushes are mostly small soft brushes of various shapes.I really like the cats tongue brushes in various sizes.The smaller your scale the smaller the brush required.I even have a makeup brush or two borrowed from my wife.The important thing here is the the brushes be very soft and hold enough pastel to work with.Don't load up your brush but just transfer enough color to your figure that your first attempt may hardly even be noticeable, much like when you are drybrushing.Continue until you see subtle changes between the hills and valleys with no hard edges.Experiment,have fun and remember you can't make a mistake that can't be corrected when using this method.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

Here is a painted face that is easily obtainable with my methods, of using chalk pastels over flat acrylics.I would consider this face as finished.

 

[JohnReid]

Here is the same face that I would consider overpainted to the point that it looks painted.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

This is about the harshest light that any of my figures would ever be exposed to.The shine that you see is from me handling them.
If you look closely at the figure facing you,you could almost swear that you can see eyes looking at you.This is an interesting phenomenon where your brain automatically fills in the detail for you.The side view of the figure on the left foreground still needs some work as you can see.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

Sometimes it is fun to place your figures somewhere in the diorama and just take pics.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[Wolfgang]

Hallo John,
brilliant article - the best news on painting I ever read!!!!
I am not sure if I can obtain the paints you refer to, but would you consider it possible to "fake" the effect by mixing wet tube water colours with acrylic paints??
Thank you very much for this great article
best regards
Wolfgang

 

[mikec55]

John,

First off, I apologize for this really late response but I wanted to thank you for posting this thread. For me, it's just what the doctor ordered because I recently bought some pastel chalks that I was planning to use for flesh tones. I haven't cracked them open yet, but after reading & saving your post, I now have a clue as to how to use them.

Thanks again.

Mike