Oils Oil paints for flesh

[Graham]

I have been reading the Verlinden "The System" Vol 1 figure painting book.

In it, a method of painting flesh uses paint virtually from the tube, no thinners at all. This is applied over an acrylic base flesh colour thickly and then 'lifted off' using a dry frequently cleaned brush which, being translucent creates lights and shadows by leaving thicker paint in hollows and lighter on the raised parts.

This is then added to with other colours blended while wet while the top highlight, if I understand it right, is allowed to dry for 45 minutes before blending.

For this method, only six oils are used:
Burnt Siena
Yellow Ochre
Raw Umber
Flake White
Cadmium Red
Cadmium Yellow

Has anyone used this method and would oil users agree on the selection of colours?

I am aware that Verlinden is up there with Michael Angelo for painting skills but the result looks quite impressive.

Would anyone agree that this is a way of getting into oils?

 

[Viking Bob]

Hi Graham,
I will admit that I have used the colours mentioned and had a limited success. When I began to paint again , I found the Metal Modeles site and have used his method.

http://www.metal-modeles.com/en/initiation-technique-en

I have found that you can use a limited palette. Colin on painting his bust uses a method that works for him.

this is here, http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/painting-my-1-6-lannes.72442/

I hope others will post here with there oil colours

All the best

Bob

 

[megroot]

you can keep it simple.
I use burnt sienna mixed with titanium white. Mix this. Then and a small drop of prussian blue to cool down the color.

Highlight with white, shade with brown madder alizarin.
Five o clock: mix cadmium red with black till you get the color of red wine.
Let it dry and the day after see if the shade's must be darker and the highlights lighter.

Marc

 

[Eludia]

I tend to use Yellow Ochre with a tiny amount of Cad or Pyroll Red then add Titanium White to get the correct shade. If the mix looks too orange then it can be greyed with a spot of blue. Highlight with white, warm shadows can be achieved by adding a bit more red, cool shadows with a bit more blue.

I also have used Yellow Ochre, Cad/Pyroll Red, Blue-Black and White successfully and my very first attempts were done with just 2 colours - Burnt Sienna and White which is great for that fresh spray-tan look

There are more flesh mixes than there are painters I'm sure but I think the most successful are fundamentally based on variations of the traditional primaries (red/blue/yellow and, of course, white). Mix up a dark orange with the red/yellow, lighten with white then fine tune with blue.

I prefer to thin my paint rather than use it straight from the tube; blasphemy to most oil painters I expect but that's the method that I've found works best for me and, contrary to popular belief, I haven't had any paint fall off a model yet

P.s. I also painted acrylics over oils once and the world didn't stop turning, who'd a thunk it?

 

[Graham]

P.s. I also painted acrylics over oils once and the world didn't stop turning, who'd a thunk it?

Lol, love it, you rebel you

 

[Colin_Fraser]

My only problem with Verlinden's recipe is that when photographed (admittedly I have never seen one of his in real life) they look wood-like or bronzy. I don't recall seing a realistic flesh colour in a Verlinden ad. IMO base flesh needs both pink and yellow to look real. The skill is in a avoiding jaundice or a palstic pink result.

 

[Graham]

Thanks for the input guys, I knew this would be multi mix reply lol.

I do have a few old tubes of oils from ages ago and I am experimenting with the head from Elan13's 'Can you hear me mother' 1/12 bust. I had done my usual acrylic but the transitions were not soft enough.

I thought I would plop a bit of oil on and then gently stipple it away with a dry brush until it all but disappeared. OK, it isn't a winner but it is a lot softer than it was and warmer. Got to have another try with this. Oh, by the way, Archer eyes with high gloss varnish over them so I can wash the red down a bit.

 

[Alex Long]

I disagree with the Verlinden technique for painting flesh. Keep the oils thin using artists white spirit and paint them over a matt base of either acrylic or enamel. Jo Sonja's work best for me as they really absorb the oil. Pre-mix the various shades and tones and apply in the appropriate areas then blend the edges with a dampened brush. Revisit after it's dry for extra refinement and depth. Although I concur that Verlinden was a pioneer in modelling terms, particularly for armour and dioramas, I certainly wouldn't rank him with Michelangelo. The Verlinden technique you have described is pretty old school.

The colour mixes that Marc and Billy have mentioned are pretty good. A limited palette mix that I use is Titanium white, Yellow Ochre, Alizarin Crimson, Indigo and Vandyke brown. The last three colours will give you the closest possible mix to black while still retaining some life. Otherwise I favour the mixes found in the book below, it's a brilliant book and available for about £7:00 on Amazon.

 

[Graham]

Cheers Alex, I did get that book last year. It may have fallen foul of the 'great clearance' of last October

 

[Viking Bob]

Your "Can you hear me mother" look's good in the large scale. I use the same system as Marc and have had favourable results.

Good luck and don't give up.

Bob

 

[Richard Baxter]

I started using oils back in the 70s, based on advice gleaned largely from articles in Military Modelling and in the old Historex catalogues. Later, I moved to Cardiff and fell in with local clubs, where I received invaluable advice from Dr. Mike Thomas. To summarise, the basic recipe for flesh is (using W&N paints): titanium white, yellow ochre, burnt sienna plus a little vermillion or sometimes Indian Red. Subsequent shading and highlighting mostly uses variations on this mix, with different colours to the fore, but I've also included burnt umber and alizarin for shading, and ultramarine and black for general cooling or beard growth/stubble. Experimentation pays off.

On whether to dilute or not, I generally paint over a white or grey enamel or acrylic undercoat. I just use a little white spirit to get a consistent mix and texture to help the paint flow and go from there, with maybe some very thin washes once dry just to get the effect that I'm after.

This of course is a recipe for Caucasian or Mediterranean skin, don't think I've ever attempted an African of Asian skin tone, I'm ashamed to say. Maybe someone on the Planet will enlighten us on the different techniques required there?

 

[Tubby-Nuts2]

Graham! I too have this book, and used it when I first started out with figure painting and oils. At the time it seemed the only comprehensive guide available for the beginner. It's main quality was that it gave me the confidence, and a basic knowledge from which to expand and develop. Although it's now fairly old, I still think it has a place in one's bookshelf. I for one was glad of it's existence.

I remember being 'Chuffed to Bit's', with my first efforts. As this was all new to me. Now of course there are numerous other books available, but this is the one that broke my cherry.

As you see from the above posts, everyone has developed their own unique style and approach, using different colour palettes. The point being everyone needs a starting point, This book was mine.

Ps, I did not know there was a bust of 'Obadiah Hakeswill'. it's a great likeness.

.

Regards,

Mark.

 

[Graham]

Thanks again for the info guys. I am seeing a pattern forming to some degree and that will be invaluable for getting some stock paint to start off with.

Mark: this is a lovely bust from Rob Lane (elan13) which I picked up at Figure World. This picture is the 'Box Art'

 

[Tubby-Nuts2]

Graham, .. Your next question should be what make of oils? as each have there own qualities. However I think this has been covered. I will try to find the thread!

Mark.

 

[mick3272]

I take my hat off to you Graham trying out oils, often thought about it but I have a hard enough job with acrylic.
Will you set up a WIP thread for this one. or are you keeping him here.

Mick

 

[Tubby-Nuts2]

General Information
Here is some general information about the properties of oil paints and how they effect your painting. I only cover specifics for a few, basic oil colors. The general information can be used for most colors as well as to help you understand the information provided by the manufacturers. Many of the properties are
also true for acrylic paints.

What is Oil Paint? It is a combination of pigment particles suspended in an oil medium, and in most cases, additives to improve the qualities of the paint.

The oil is usually linseed oil, but not limited to it. Other oils are used to modify the consistency of the paint and/or limit the amount the color will change over time. Pigments can be ground very fine or more coarse - it varies among manufacturers and lines.
Grades of Paints
Different manufacturers use different formulas and may produce more then one line of paints.
These lines follow a few common rules:

Student and Craft Paints usually have the least amount of pigment, have the most fillers and are the least expensive.

Artist Quality Paints usually have more pigments, less filler and are relatively more expensive.

Premium Artist (or Signature) Paints have the most pigment and the highest quality medium. These tend to be very intense, saturated paints. When mixed, very little is needed to modify a color. Unless you are very experienced and use these qualities to achieve a certain look, the price may not be worth the extra features.

Like all products, the quantity, quality, cost of materials, shipping, packaging and advertising all play a part in the cost of the paint. You can find better prices at larger stores, or on the Internet, or in a catalogue or at a sale. Use the same shopping techniques that you use for other purchases.

Most paints come in at least 3 sizes: 37 ml (regular), 21 ml or less (small) or 50 ml or more (large). What size to buy? In general, you will use more of your basic white paint then any other, so it makes sense to purchase it in a large size. The basic palette colors are usually best purchased in the regular size. Specialty colors, or fun colors, or colors new to you, buy the smallest size available. Remember, this is just a suggestion, as you get more experience and see which colors you use the most, it may make sense to buy other colors in the large size - adjust your purchases to how you paint.

Another feature, which may vary, is the feel of the paint: how buttery or stiff it feels out of the tube. All colors within a line usually have a common feel. If you like how one color handles, chances are you will like the others in that same line.

The one thing that manufacturers have little control of is the time it takes for a color to dry. The pigment itself plays a major role in how quickly a paint dries. A rule of thumb is that natural earth pigments dry more quickly then synthetic or other pigments. But like most rules of thumb, there are exceptions. Experience is the best teacher for the drying time of paints you use.

Different pigments have other different properties: how intense they are, how easily they mix, how permanent they are, how they react to their environment. As chemical engineering has progressed, new colors are available to manufacturers. Also, we have learned that certain pigments are health hazards (especially the heavy metals, like lead). They are being replaced by synthetic hues that create the same color, but may have slightly different properties.




http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/oil-paint-colors.65936/

See above thread.

Mark.

 

[Graham]

I take my hat off to you Graham trying out oils, often thought about it but I have a hard enough job with acrylic.
Will you set up a WIP thread for this one. or are you keeping him here.

Mick

Just playing at the moment. Might strip him and start again. If so then I will do a WIP as I have no pictures prior to this.

 

[Tubby-Nuts2]

Thanks again for the info guys. I am seeing a pattern forming to some degree and that will be invaluable for getting some stock paint to start off with.

Mark: this is a lovely bust from Rob Lane (elan13) which I picked up at Figure World. This picture is the 'Box Art'

View attachment 202497

First up, I prefer your rendition so far! than the box art !!! The facial hair colour is all wrong for 'Hakeswill'.


http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...&mid=4F6010C265BF4C0C30324F6010C265BF4C0C3032

 

[Tubby-Nuts2]

I take my hat off to you Graham trying out oils, often thought about it but I have a hard enough job with acrylic.
Will you set up a WIP thread for this one. or are you keeping him here.

Mick

Mick, these big bad oils are easier than you think. To my mind 'Acrylics', are harder. However each of us sticks with what we are comfortable with.

Mark.

 

[Graham]

Cheers Mark, very interesting.

Mick: may do a WIP if I strip him and start again as I have no pics prior to this one.