Painting Faces Question -

[gordy]

I'm curious what painters find is the perfect 'canvas' for painting faces -

I've sculpted many faces and rarely ever paint them and I have always wondered do painters find sculpted in features (wrinkles, facial characteristics) or prefer to paint them in?

Another example, I've heard painters complain about busts and larger figures with iris or pupils cut-in -

What do painters prefer? A cleaner blank face or a heavily character-ized face?

 

[John Long]

I prefer features and facial planes, but not deep wrinkles. Smooth eyeballs are also preferable. Crows feet and other tight wrinkles can be painted in.

 

[whdamon]

Eyes are most critical

Absolutely leave the eyes smooth, and let the painter decide how the direct them. I hate having to fill in carved out iris as i never get them anything but flat. As far as facial lines/wrinkles etc.........In this case I'd rather have them than not as unlike the eyes they are easy to fill if need be.

Walt Damon

 

[billyturnip]

I'm with John & Walt absolutely.

Roger

 

[Einion]

...do painters find sculpted in features (wrinkles, facial characteristics) or prefer to paint them in?

IMO about the hardest type of face to paint well is one that's very smooth and nearly featureless (bland), regardless of scale. But of course some faces are smooth and bland.

FWIW when I was sculpting the large series of 1/30 heads I did, some of which ended up in the MIG sets, I didn't think in terms of what would be easy or hard to paint for me, just sculpted the character I wanted.

Another example, I've heard painters complain about busts and larger figures with iris or pupils cut-in -

Ugh, hate this myself. There was a good reason this was done in some classical sculpture, doesn't apply to our hobby

Einion

 

[megroot]

Gordy,
If i may speak for myself. I hate sculpted iris and pupils. A nice sculpted eye with the wrinkles under and above it are gorgius to paint. Oh i like that. The more wrinkles in the face the best it is. That's why i cannot paint them when they aren't there.
But most important. Equal eyes ........

Marc

 

[vergilius]

Leave the eyes blank if you please but I don't mind wrinkles. Gives a lot of character to the face

 

[PJ Deluhery]

I agree with John and Walt above. I HATE those carved-out eyes, which IMO work for an unpainted sculpture but not for painted figures. I prefer a smooth face since it lets me decide what wrinkles, etc to include. The only exception to the wrinkles might be if the figure is a portrait of a person who has specific features needed to properly reproduce the likeness.

 

[John Long]

On the subject of eyes. I prefer that there be eyeballs in the sockets. The slits we get with some heads are difficult to paint properly. I have resculpted some eyes for this purpose. I've only sculpted two 54mm heads. It's difficult, but I couldn't bring myself to do just the slit thing for eyes.

 

[herbwf]

I'm with John on this. Perhaps a squint now and then if it fits the overall expression. Eyes that are the same size and on the same plane are indeed the greatest. At this stage of my ability I can fake a few things like fixing noses and ears, but as yet when I do an eye it looks like it was done with a pick axe
Herb

 

[GARD9]

If you cut in the iris and pupils then, I can't paint them all buggie and crossed. ;-)
No, really I agree with the other guys. The more detail in the sculpt the better.
Nice round smooth eye balls are more realistic.
Give me the option to paint them however I want (even badly).
G9