Never ever again.

[DEL]

Just spent the Morning trying to paint grey hair on a 75mm figure.
It's the original casting of the Tales of the North by Castle, think it was sculpted by Yuri.
The hair is beautifully sculpted with the top being slicked back against the head and more detailed at the sides and back.
Thought I'd treat it as I do with fair hair, slabs of shades and then some deep washes .........what a nightmare, just doesn't work with grey.
Just a bit of a rant 'cos unusually I've left this to the last element on a figure I'm very happy with. currently its hanging upside down from the kitchen tap and I'm slowly washing it back to the primer.
Upside down? so the turps doesn't flow over the rest of the piece ....... had to sacrifice the face though

 

[Gary D]

I feel your pain Del! I always airbrush a clearcoat over the face before tackling hair. That way I don't lose the face when stripping off the bad hair painting I always do. Hopefully someone will provide SBS's for painting hair in both acrylics and oils

 

[swralph]

Oh well Del,hair today gone tomorrow.
I do understand your frustration,so long as you can fix it that's great.

 

[Helm]

I was expecting something about experimenting with sheep TBH
Steve

 

[Tubby-Nuts2]

I was just wondering? If you reversed the approach, and applied the deep washes ontop of the base first! Let it dry, then look to dry-brushing highlights and then tinkering with hue and shade. ...Its just a thought.

Regards,

Mark

 

[DEL]

Steve and Ralph thanks for your technical input

I was just wondering? If you reversed the approach, and applied the deep washes ontop of the base first! Let it dry, then look to dry-brushing highlights and then tinkering with hue and shade. ...Its just a thought.

Regards,

Mark

Cheers Mark, I always do the deepest shading wash first. Then the various shades and finally the mid shadow washes.
I never dry brush hair as IMO it always looks dry brushed no matter what else you do. Much better to get paint mix consistency right and carefully paint following the sweep of the hair.
Cheers
Derek

 

[Tubby-Nuts2]

Steve and Ralph thanks for your technical input


Cheers Mark, I always do the deepest shading wash first. Then the various shades and finally the mid shadow washes.
I never dry brush hair as IMO it always looks dry brushed no matter what else you do. Much better to get paint mix consistency right and carefully paint following the sweep of the hair.
Cheers
Derek

'Wot', no 'Dry-Brushing'?? .. shocking behaviour.. However, Ron Clark's tip on using 'Make-up', brushes' for such things can yield surprising results! as the finesse of the brush knocks out that 'Chunkiness', chalkiness, roughness etc. call it what you will. .. you may well be impressed. As the paint is much more even on application. .. at least that's what I have found in the past.

Regards,

Mark

 

[peedee]

I'm saying nothing,
IMHO you've won enough first places at Darlington.
There's little point us helping you to improve even more Del.
Tsch .... anyone would think we are supposed to be comradely,
Paul

 

[DEL]

If you only knew the trauma I go through with hair and faces. I've got the hair sorted now but the face is right back to raw. Pity as I was pleased with the eyes.
There's always plenty to learn ...... look at the way the fantasy painters have advanced techniques for us all.

 

[peedee]

If you only knew the trauma I go through with hair and faces. I've got the hair sorted now but the face is right back to raw. Pity as I was pleased with the eyes.
There's always plenty to learn ...... look at the way the fantasy painters have advanced techniques for us all.

Too true Del,
There's lot's of inspiration out there if you cast the net wider .
Some of the work on mini mini's is breathtaking to me.
I do believe you have to 'find the face' you are painting and
sometimes the piece is not always 'ready to work with you'
if that makes sense.

Regards
Paul

 

[DEL]

I do believe you have to 'find the face' you are painting and
sometimes the piece is not always 'ready to work with you'
if that makes sense.
Regards
Paul

It makes a lot of sense Paul.
I'm very near completing SK Miniatures Viking,
this was a figure that I wasn't too fussy about until I saw Davie Mitchells version.
The face suits my style perfectly and it's one of very few figures I've painted where the face has been a joy to paint.
Other equally well sculpted faces have as you say been, " not always 'ready to work with you.."

 

[peedee]

Nice figure, that's one that's sneaked past me. No wonder Kirtles gave me a black look haha
I bet the shield's acracker though.

I've been working on Carl Reid's chasseur a cheval bust from MMM this week that I bought at the same show.
Ths face on that was one that popped out fine under the brush, but I've added a couple of mm's to his tache either side.
Hopefully I can post it as nearly or finished over the weekend.
For now here's a pic off my blackberry phone cam

Paul

 

[DEL]

Tht's looking good mate ..... and a fellow Blackberry user
Mine's held together by glue, a bit of tape and a couple of rubber bands. Very little of the rubber casing is left and there's so many broken edges that I risk slashing myself everytime I put it near my ear.
That being said you take a better photo with yours than I can with a fairly sophisticated camera.

 

[Helm]

On a serious note Del and as PD said far be it from me to lecture a maestro such as yourself But possibly go with lightest base colour and darken down with washes to suit, that was how I found the best way to do the fur on my Norse Fury bust. Not sure how well it would transfer to hair though
Steve

 

[peedee]

Tht's looking good mate ..... and a fellow Blackberry user
you take a better photo with yours than I can with a fairly sophisticated camera.

Flattery gets you everywhere mate tft !

[quote="Helm, post: 733456, But possibly go with lightest base colour and darken down with washes to suit,
that was how I found the best way to do the fur on my Norse Fury bust.
Not sure how well it would transfer to hair though
Steve[/quote]

That's the techinique I always use with acrylics Del.
My avatar's hair was painted with a sandy colour base,
then washed with olive green and leather glazes and sand/ ivory mixed highlghts
once i was happy with "pushing the shadows back far enough"

Paul

 

[peedee]

Grey hair, white teeth, nobbly knees and sagging cod pieces............they all become more difficult to paint the more real they become.

LMFAO !!!!!

P

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

'Wot', no 'Dry-Brushing'?? .. shocking behaviour.. However, Ron Clark's tip on using 'Make-up', brushes' for such things can yield surprising results! as the finesse of the brush knocks out that 'Chunkiness', chalkiness, roughness etc. call it what you will. .. you may well be impressed. As the paint is much more even on application. .. at least that's what I have found in the past.

Regards,

Mark

Mark that old priest does not use makeup , bad enough in his dress

 

[Mirofsoft]

You could try drybrushing, with powder of pastel stick

and you are right ... when drybrushing, it looks drybrushed . It's like; when painting, it looks painted ...

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

Nice figure, that's one that's sneaked past me. No wonder Kirtles gave me a black look haha
I bet the shield's acracker though.

I've been working on Carl Reid's chasseur a cheval bust from MMM this week that I bought at the same show.
Ths face on that was one that popped out fine under the brush, but I've added a couple of mm's to his tache either side.
Hopefully I can post it as nearly or finished over the weekend.
For now here's a pic off my blackberry phone cam
View attachment 193463
View attachment 193464
Paul

Spot on with the green , but should that colpac not be black Paul or blackish

 

[peedee]

Spot on ron it will be but not at that point
I always paint bearskins brown then washes of black and purple over and over to get a nice depth to the colour.
Update pic, darker, but still not complete, been shaping planks




Paul