Painting - Times they are a’changing

[Mike - The Kiwi]

In spirit of a similar retrospective
https://www.planetfigure.com/threads/where-it-all-began-my-first-figures-seriously.68928/

20 years on…
Two decades separate these two projects.
How has your painting approach changed over the years?

 

[Nap]

Hi Mike

Blimey you were good in 2001 then ....in 2021 ....textures and talent abounds ....anyone want to buy my brushes .....lol

Be interesting to see how the Landsknecht would look now ?

Thanks for sharing

Happy benchtime

Nap

 

[Warren SMITH]

Talent is talent in any decade.. and you have it in abounds...
My eyesight is slowly getting worse.. Need glasses to read, so maybe my earlier figures are looking better..
I think my talent..or lack there of peaked at age 40.. But I keep having a go.. at the larger figures these days..

Smithy

 

[Henk]

It would be interesting to do a figure that one painted years ago today, and compare the two side by side. Sadly I have non of my larger scale figures left, having sold them over the years.

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

It would be interesting to do a figure that one painted years ago today, and compare the two side by side. Sadly I have non of my larger scale figures left, having sold them over the years.

Thanks Henk - I’ve got a number of my older figures so can do that. Will explore as things evolve here.
MikeTheKiwi

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Talent is talent in any decade.. and you have it in abounds...
My eyesight is slowly getting worse.. Need glasses to read, so maybe my earlier figures are looking better..
I think my talent..or lack there of peaked at age 40.. But I keep having a go.. at the larger figures these days..
Smithy

Hang in their cobber!
Nothing to be embarrassed about wearing “eye tools” - I reckon these are important revelation & wish I’d used when I was much younger. Helps you achieve a level of detail not evident by even the youngest of eyes.
And I reckon this gives a more authentic overall look.
Appreciate your thoughts mate & I too plan to move to some bigger projects next up. Keep enjoying it Smithy - that’s really what it’s all about.
MikeTheKiwi

 

[Henk]

Hang in their cobber!
Nothing to be embarrassed about wearing “eye tools” - I reckon these are important revelation & wish I’d used when I was much younger. Helps you achieve a level of detail not evident by even the youngest of eyes.
And I reckon this gives a more authentic overall look.
Appreciate your thoughts mate & I too plan to move to some bigger projects next up. Keep enjoying it Smithy - that’s really what it’s all about.
MikeTheKiwi

Exactly. I had 20/20 vision, but my vision has gone down a bit (growing older....), and I have been using an optivisor for about 5 years now. As you say, it has no end improved my detail painting.

 

[Billy Dickinson]

Not just the eyesight, what about the shakey hand ?
Billy

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Not just the eyesight, what about the shakey hand ?
Billy

Good call out Billy - this can be a curse.
With the hands as a challenge, so important to consciously lock arms for details & leave them loose for broader areas while texturing. One other technique I’ve tried is to mount figure securely on desk, grip wrist of painting hand to keep it more steady.
Keep on trying & we gotta be kind to ourselves with where we are too.
MikeTheKiwi

 

[Joe55]

So you're telling me, that its gonna take me 20 years just to get to your level!

Joe

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

So you're telling me, that its gonna take me 20 years just to get to your level!

Joe

I’m the slow learner mate!
Not you Joe

 

[Airkid]

Interesting thread Mike. Your Landsknecht is good but your Poilu is outstanding. You seem to have developed a subtlety of finish that adds a whole new level of authenticity to your figures.
A lot of us have been in this hobby a good while, and anno domini inevitably takes it's toll on manual dexterity and eyesight. I can go back 50 years to my first BMSS figure painting certificate. I know I can paint better now, but a lot of that is down to a number of external factors - much better kits, massive improvements in finishing techniques, far greater availability of quality reference, Optivisors, a very supportive spouse, and finally the ability to interact with figure modellers globally through forums such as this. It is a great hobby and I'm pleased to be a part of it

Phil

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Interesting thread Mike. Your Landsknecht is good but your Poilu is outstanding. You seem to have developed a subtlety of finish that adds a whole new level of authenticity to your figures.
A lot of us have been in this hobby a good while, and anno domini inevitably takes it's toll on manual dexterity and eyesight. I can go back 50 years to my first BMSS figure painting certificate. I know I can paint better now, but a lot of that is down to a number of external factors - much better kits, massive improvements in finishing techniques, far greater availability of quality reference, Optivisors, a very supportive spouse, and finally the ability to interact with figure modellers globally through forums such as this. It is a great hobby and I'm pleased to be a part of it

Phil

That’s a neat reflection Phil & I would wholeheartedly endorse the natural evolution around us, especially ease of sharing our learning.

One thing I’d also add to your ‘external resources’ that has been an important step forward for me has been paints available. Landsknect was done in Oils, Humbrols & first fumbling with Andrea acrylics, which were earliest available for figure painting. Results achieved by Raul Garcia LaTorre in Military Modelling magazine was only place I saw these and took the plunge. Many years of practice & playing with various brands led to my current experiments. My latest project is culmination of a trio I began using acrylics back in 2014, so will be interesting to share this group to “Spot the Difference”.

Thanks for your insightful share mate!

 

[AlbertD]

They both look great to me. How long had you been painting in 2001?

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

I

They both look great to me. How long had you been painting in 2001?

I’d done a handful of figures & busts Albert.
Biggest issue at that time was how long it took me to actually finish these 6+months for a 54mm and similar for 1:10th bust.
So insufficient practice to make meaningful progress as I had to relearn for each project.
Make sense?
MikeTheKiwi

 

[Ray Stout]

I started in 1973 and, the most striking thing then was how limited the amount of finishing materials were available. Using sofa castors for Bases, Rose Water colours for undercoats etc, Finally mastering Oils to get a passable finished figure, just as Vallaego watercolours arrived. The skill those days, was making a "not so good casting" look really good when finished. These days, castings are SO much better. Ray

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

I started in 1973 and, the most striking thing then was how limited the amount of finishing materials were available. Using sofa castors for Bases, Rose Water colours for undercoats etc, Finally mastering Oils to get a passable finished figure, just as Vallaego watercolours arrived. The skill those days, was making a "not so good casting" look really good when finished. These days, castings are SO much better. Ray

Appreciate the share Ray
As we say downunder “We don’t know how lucky we are”
Amazing what is available in all aspects of our hobby to help our artistic skills grow.
And always lots more to learn.
MikeTheKiwi