Pleasure to be here

[Ernie]

Hello everybody.
First of all, many, many congratulations for your website and community.

After many years, I'm trying to restart with military figurines.

Luckily, everything has been kept neatly stored, so there are still dozens of pristine Historex kits (hints to age), Chota Sahib , flats and other metal figures just waiting for me, steady hands and eyesight permitting.

I had been painting figurines with oils for several years, so that would be the obvious choice to start again, but I'm seeing around such beautiful pieces of painting with acrylics, and I was wondering whether to give them a try.
I'm aware that would mean a brand new learning curve to deal with, with respect to oils, but nonetheless there might be advantages.

It could be of great help for me if I could read you opinions about it, i.e., in particular, what difficulties/disappointments might be expected when switching painting technique, and whether there many people out there who work daily and happily using both oils and acrylics or it is better to stick with one or another.

Thanks for the opportunity to join here, eager to hear from you soon.

 

[Nap]

Hi Ernie


A BIG WELCOME to PF from me good to have you here

What’s your areas of interest , plenty of variety here !

Great to have you with us , ( I only do busts ! )....share the PF word , all are very welcome to join ..no matter what's modelled with figures, fantasy , warhammer, war game figures

There’s a following with Historex figures as well which is nice to see

Have a good look around and enjoy

Do ask anything someone will know...feel free to message me with questions

Lots of different sections to look at including traditional and 3 D sculpting , competitions , WIP's , References , Painting techniques and so much more

There are threads in Welcome Aboard about how to do things including posting pics on PF but do contact me always happy to help

We have a Marketplace where after members have contributed 50+ posts can use to sell , request if anyone has a model to sell etc...You might also pick up some rather good bargains !

We have V Bench for WIP's and also a Completed part ,reference section and much more

There's also Painting techniques where you will find much about Acrylics and Oils

ALL figures are welcome and of course Vignettes & Diorama ( we run friendly competitions if you wish as well , one where there are 3 classes to choose in which to enter )

Look forward to seeing your modelling no matter what you paint or sculpt .......its all about having fun

Happy bench-time

Nap ( Moderator/Admin )

 

[Ernie]

I've been browsing the place and liked it immensely, especially when recalling the lonely evenings with my monthly copy of Military Modelling (all still there, fondly kept).
Due to less and less time available because of study and work, in the final years before stopping, I was almost only painting flats, which allowed me more time, as compared to all the converting/scratchbuilduing/assembling work that I could not afford any longer.
One more question while I'm trying to resolve the dilemma between going back to my oils' past vs a possible new future with acrylics:
After years of priming with white or grey, I went on priming in base colours (red, blue, etc) that allowed me to paint with very thin coats of oil, trying to avoid the crust effect. That, with little or no thinner, and after sweating out some oil to obtain a matter effect.
Is this still a commonly shared habit, or are there other suggestions (use of thinner/mediums ?/ priming with acrylics ?)

 

[theBaron]

Welcome to the Planet, Ernie!
I started out with oils years ago, but I also used acrylics of various kinds, enamels, and lacquers. That was due to being a model builder as well as painting figures.
I won't say oils or acrylics are better than the other, but rather, both have their characteristics and it's more a personal choice, which one to use.
I like water-based acrylics because they dry relatively quickly and so, you can finish a piece sooner. Having said that, there are methods to get oils to dry quicker, and there are products-retarders-to slow down an acrylic's drying time. I don't use a retarder, myself.
I do use a wet palette with my water-based acrylics. That gives me a consistent...consistency to the paints, and it lets me save a batch of colors for several painting sessions.
You may have noticed by now that I keep referring to water-based acrylics. That's because not all acrylics are water-based. There are alcohol-based and even lacquer-based acrylics. That has to do with the chemical makeup of the acrylic binder or carrier in the paint, I forget which one. But what it means for us is that the different acrylics will need a different thinner-water, isopropyl, or something else. So I try to be precise when talking about them.
Anyway, that's just my experience. Others will have very good tips to offer you, too.
I look forward to seeing your work!

Prost!
Brad

 

[Ernie]

Thanks a lot ! For myself only, I was comfortable with oils, but acrylics seem a very intersting alternative, in my view mostly because of the matt realistic finish and drying time which for me allows the possibility to work also when little time is available.
Last but not least, long gone is my bachelor's apartment with hobby-room filled with smelly glues, turpentine and splatterd with the messy aftermath of figurines' sculpting and converting. Wife hopefully won't frown on odor-free acrylics (?)

 

[Blind Pew]

Welcome back to the mad house!

 

[NigelR]

Hi Ernie, welcome. I have a very similar background to you, I was very focused on figures in the 70s/80s when I used oils (like everyone else). I dropped out of modelling and then got back into it in the late 90s, focusing on WWI aircraft. Then about 1o years ago I started painting more figures again and I decided to make the switch from oils to acrylics for all the reasons you cite - convenience, lack of smells (although odourless thinners are now available) and speed. I also like the look of acrylics, especially for WWI figures (which is my primary focus).

Acrylics are definitely much easier to use but hard to adapt an "oil-based" style to. The techniques are very different. I still use oils for leather and wood, some folks use oils for faces and acrylics for the rest. It is a big shift and you will need to practice. The best thing is to look through some of the step by step guides on here and ask questions as you go - I have learned a lot from people on here.

One important point - most acrylics don't dry completely matt. Some do, but many have a slight sheen. Also, as you apply shading and glazes each layer will have slightly different reflective qualities. So get yourself some AK Interactive ultra-matte varnish to apply as a finishing coat. Many folks on here swear by it (I do), some use it as a thinner in the paint to ensure a matt finish.

 

[Ernie]

Thanks a lot. Oils still seem kind of a safe comfort zone, but acrylics intrigue me.
Every comment tells a story and teaches something, so, all welcome.

 

[DaddyO]

Pick your poison as they say
Like Nigel and yourself I started back in the 80's with oils and enamels. When I started painting figures again about 15 years ago I decided to try acrylics since they were easily available and some of the figures painted in them were very inspiring. Basically because of the speed of drying it's more usual to paint in glazes or thin layers which takes a bit of getting used to (some of my own figures have 30 layers to achieve smooth transitions)

Perhaps interestingly since I'm not painting as many figures these days I tend to use acrylics in a more oil painterly way ie after getting a solid base layers down I then apply another layer and before this is dry start to work up the highlights by gradually lightening the colour and blending wet into wet. Add another base layer and work on the shadows in a similar way (It's much more fluid than that, but you get the idea)

For that reason I like the Scale 75 tube paints especially which have a slightly slower drying time or I add some glaze medium when mixing the colours to get a similar effect. Once that is all roughed on you can add glazes to your hearts content to blend or alter colours.

As Nigel mentioned some manufacturers paint has more of a sheen than others and some colours such as dark blue or red tend to acquire a sheen when layering up.

It's all good fun though and in the end the hobby is about having fun so pick up a few acrylics and have a practice on a test figure without the pressure of making it perfect. Who knows you may like 'em

Paul

 

[Ernie]

Coming from oils, I was myself thinking the same. Tutorials regarding wet palettes point out that you can prepare your colour palette before and take advantage to feather borders when still wet. Tests and experimentation are the only way. I still have several Mokarex figures waiting for that ...
What fascinates me is how much the quality of sculptures has improved since my time, even in 54 mm

 

[NigelR]

Paul talks a lot of sense (and I've been learning a lot from him). Mastering glazes is an important skill when using acrylics, something it has taken me a while to appreciate. Also, a good wet palette really helps. Finally, I too really like the Scale75 tube acrylics.

What fascinates me is how much the quality of sculptures has improved since my time, even in 54 mm

It really has. Personally I would not waste my time trying to paint poor quality old figures. I had a load of old figures in my stash that I had saved for when I retired. Trying to learn new skills on a blurry old sculpt can be discouraging. I gave up and bought some of the lovely new figures that are out there.

Even those traditionalists that work with Historex tend to replace the heads and hands with better sculpted aftermarket items.

 

[VerSacrum]

So get yourself some AK Interactive ultra-matte varnish to apply as a finishing coat. Many folks on here swear by it (I do), some use it as a thinner in the paint to ensure a matt finish.

The usefulness of this product cannot be overstated.

 

[Larsen E. Whipsnade]

Hello, Ernie, and welcome to Planet Figure the best miniatures site on the web. At the Planet it doesn't matter what you choose to paint or how well you paint it. All that matters is that you enjoy our mutually shared passion. As Nap said feel free to look around and ask questions. We're a friendly bunch and happy to help in any way we can. We're looking forward to seeing your work.
Rick

 

[MalcC]

Welcome Ernie.
This is a great place to be.
Glad you like collecting Military Modelling.

Malc

 

[Ernie]

I decided to try acrylics.
what would you advise : one of those paint shaker machines, mixing balls, or plain muscle strenght ?

 

[Ernie]

One more, please:
Presently I own a Vallejo primer (brush) and an old Tamya (can).
What others would you advise ? And are there more specific indications when dealing with resin or metal figures ?
Thanks everybody, PF is a marvellous place to be !

 

[Nap]

I decided to try acrylics.
what would you advise : one of those paint shaker machines, mixing balls, or plain muscle strenght ?

Paint shaker....ideally , most add mixing balls to bottle ...or if your energetic ...muscle workout !

One more, please:
Presently I own a Vallejo primer (brush) and an old Tamya (can).
What others would you advise ? And are there more specific indications when dealing with resin or metal figures ?
Thanks everybody, PF is a marvellous place to be !

There are many primers on the market , often expensive I use a black car primer I got from Amazon , making sure you shake well and leave overnight to fully dry before basecoating

Why black .....Will hide better any areas you might have missed when painting ....gray or white will show ...primer colour a personal choice

Not sure what you mean ref “indications”

Hope this helps

Nap

 

[Ernie]

Of course it does help ! Thanks !
I meant if any one has experienced that some primers may be more suitable for metal figures whereas others for resin

 

[Nap]

Of course it does help ! Thanks !
I meant if any one has experienced that some primers may be more suitable for metal figures whereas others for resin

That’s good it helped

I’ve used the same primer for both metal and resin with no adverse effects

Nap

 

[Ernie]

Thanks everybody.
I'm asking because I had a couple of serious cases of lead rot in the past, and should I use metal foil again that must hopefully be avoided. Trial and error is the way