I "dabbled"in the hobby a number of years ago, starting a few pieces but never finishing one to my satisfaction. I am now retired, and want to get back into figure painting. I used oils before, but am thinking about switching to acrylics. Any thoughts? I have a number of figures on hand that I want to paint, some 54mm and some larger. Any suggestions on a good scale to start with? My biggest problem was always with faces, especially the eyes. Any resources or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I have a figure of MacBeth (the 70mm Poste Militaire) that I would love to paint, once I have some confidence built up. Any one know of some good resources or painting guides for that figure? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, guys.
Rookie asking for help
- Thread starter Ray-Bud
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Uruk-Hai
PlanetFigure Supporter
Hi Bill!
And welcome to the planet!
Vallejo is acrylic colour that is quite popular these day, Im however a Humbrol man so I cant tell you much about that.
Regarding the faces I would suggest that you buy some well detailed after-market head to practise upon. Prime them, paint them, strip them until you start getting satisfied with the result.
Im sure other members will chip in here to add more.
Cheers
And welcome to the planet!
Vallejo is acrylic colour that is quite popular these day, Im however a Humbrol man so I cant tell you much about that.
Regarding the faces I would suggest that you buy some well detailed after-market head to practise upon. Prime them, paint them, strip them until you start getting satisfied with the result.
Im sure other members will chip in here to add more.
Cheers
Guy
A Fixture
Hello Bill and welcome to the planet. I agree with Janne.......pick up a couple of different size head sets and practice on them. I did this many years ago when I switched to tube oils for my flesh.
There are many guys here that will give you good advice on acrylics. I use primarily enamels for all except the flesh.
There are many guys here that will give you good advice on acrylics. I use primarily enamels for all except the flesh.
If I remember correctly there is a Military Modeling magazine out there with a few pages dedicated to this figure in question. I did a quick search but was unsuccessful... any help... it was on the cover to with a yellow background. I also like Janne's suggestion about some practice heads. Try to find some Verlinden 120mm figure heads to practice on. I haven't painted in while and just jumped back in these past few weeks and having major issues with 54mm. Ive painted each head over at least twice already, may need glasses. So to answer the question practicing with a larger scale may give you your best result. and as you grow comfortable with the results start to scale down. Welcome and jump in, the waters warm after you get use to it.
Bluesking
Active Member
Bill
My experience on switching from oils to acrylics was that with the faster drying time I finished figures a lot quicker and ended up buying about 8 times more figures !!!!!
My experience on switching from oils to acrylics was that with the faster drying time I finished figures a lot quicker and ended up buying about 8 times more figures !!!!!
Roc
Active Member
Hey Bill, when I started painting figures I also had a difficult time painting faces,
From my personal experience 90mm is a good size to practice on, just don't get discouraged, practice and ask a lot of questions.
Cheers
Roc.
From my personal experience 90mm is a good size to practice on, just don't get discouraged, practice and ask a lot of questions.
Cheers
Roc.
Einion
Well-Known Member
70-80mm is a good range - not too small to make seeing details hard, not so large that it'll seem daunting to cover all that space (and do the blends smoothly over larger distances).
Good brushes certainly won't hurt being able to paint details so it's well worth having a stock of them.
Einion
garyjd
Well-Known Member
I would think a couple of busts, preferably in metal. They would be larger, have a little bit of a uniform and headgear to paint and could easily be stripped if you're not happy.Good luck.~Gary
Kyle
Member
Hi Bill, and welcome.
I am new to pF - and have been painting now for about 5 months. So, learning faces is still very fresh and new to me....I just finished a 54mm English knight inwhich I did the face three times - and probably spent more than 15 hours on it.
I use acrylics, and started withmodel Master from Testors. This is a fine product, but I recently switched to Vallejo Acrylics and have been extremely impressed with the even flow, even drying time, and stability of the colors.
I would suggest looking into a good book or two, which would include step-by-step guides to faces. The one I use from time to time as a refresher (though there are many excellent ones out there) is called How to Paint Realistic Military Figures by Kessler and Winar.
I would also suggest jumping straight to Kalinski Sable brushes. I started out using synthetic brushes and there is no question for me that the natural sable are superior. I find faces and eyes easier to paint with these wonderful brushes.
Best to you - post your work when you get started!
Kyle
I am new to pF - and have been painting now for about 5 months. So, learning faces is still very fresh and new to me....I just finished a 54mm English knight inwhich I did the face three times - and probably spent more than 15 hours on it.
I use acrylics, and started withmodel Master from Testors. This is a fine product, but I recently switched to Vallejo Acrylics and have been extremely impressed with the even flow, even drying time, and stability of the colors.
I would suggest looking into a good book or two, which would include step-by-step guides to faces. The one I use from time to time as a refresher (though there are many excellent ones out there) is called How to Paint Realistic Military Figures by Kessler and Winar.
I would also suggest jumping straight to Kalinski Sable brushes. I started out using synthetic brushes and there is no question for me that the natural sable are superior. I find faces and eyes easier to paint with these wonderful brushes.
Best to you - post your work when you get started!
Kyle
Einion
Well-Known Member
I agree, if one can afford Kolinsky brushes they're more than worth the price. But some fine painters do use only synthetics.
Einion
pgarri27
Well-Known Member
Acrylics dry quick, so I like using them, even for faces. I found that the article by Tim Flagstaff in Historial Miniatures to be extremely helpful in painting eyes and faces in acrylics. There is another thread asking which issue it is, so check there, then see if a back issue is available. It will be worth it.
I have used many kinds of brushes, but I find paying the extra for Winsor and Newton Series 7 is worth it. They keep a point better than any other brush I've tried. My detail work is much easier with a W&N. To the Master who says he just paints with cheap brushes, that type of brush doesn't matter, just shows why he is a Master. As a 'run of the mill' average painter, excellent brushes help very much.
And good lighting and an optivisor for these old blind eyes is another must. But you may not have that problem.
Welcome to the planet and keep your brush wet.
Pete
I have used many kinds of brushes, but I find paying the extra for Winsor and Newton Series 7 is worth it. They keep a point better than any other brush I've tried. My detail work is much easier with a W&N. To the Master who says he just paints with cheap brushes, that type of brush doesn't matter, just shows why he is a Master. As a 'run of the mill' average painter, excellent brushes help very much.
And good lighting and an optivisor for these old blind eyes is another must. But you may not have that problem.
Welcome to the planet and keep your brush wet.
Pete
pgarri27
Well-Known Member
Oops, I forgot to add that there is a great article by Jaume Ortiz right here on the planet.
Jaume's face painting
Pete
Jaume's face painting
Pete
Dan Morton
A Fixture
Bill - Welcome to the planet and welcome back to the hobby!
I'm not particularly a painter - my interest is largely sculpting and just a novice at that. But I had a hard time initially also. One of the things I found is that I tended to be much too hard on myself initially. Possibly the single best thing I've learned communing with the folks on this site and practicing the craft over the past 2 years is that the journey is a lot more important than the results. A little Zen goes a long ways.
Enjoy!
All the best,
Dan
I'm not particularly a painter - my interest is largely sculpting and just a novice at that. But I had a hard time initially also. One of the things I found is that I tended to be much too hard on myself initially. Possibly the single best thing I've learned communing with the folks on this site and practicing the craft over the past 2 years is that the journey is a lot more important than the results. A little Zen goes a long ways.
Enjoy!
All the best,
Dan
Hi there!
Welcome to "The Planet"!I'm using acrylics and I think I could help here.
First of all,in order to learn how to use acrylics you could read an article by Mario Fuentes that exists on "Vallejo Acrylicos" webpage.(Give it a search in Google...).
No surprise painting eyes on the figure seems difficult to you,since till now you were using oils.When painting face with oils you have to paint the eyes whn the face is done,which is very difficult and needs to be very familliar with micro-painting,so that the result is realistic.With acrylics you have the advantage to paint eyes in the begining.I always paint the eyes first,so that,in case that I fail,I don't have to remove the paint from an already painted figure.
For the eyes,this is my technique:First paint the hole eyeball in black.Don't be afraid or too careful about this step,you may fix it later(when painting the face...).
Then paint the eyeball in a white-like color(not clear white,add some flesh and brown...).You are suposed to let a thin black line that rounds the eyeball.If you make any mistakes while applying the white-like coat,fix it NOW with black(form a white eyeball surrounded by a thin black line.
Time to paint the iris(colored part of the eye).From now on you have to be very careful!Make a dark mix of the eye color(For example dark blue...) and make a point almost at the middle each eyeball(this depends on were the character is supposed to look at...just watch your own eyes in the mirror...).
Highlighting the iris:Make a lighter tone mix of eye color(light blue...) and make a smaller round point in the center of the first point.Watch out!The second point sould not fully cover the first!
Highlighting moreThis may be too much for you,so you could skip it,but try to practise it as you get used with painting eyes!).make a VERY small third point in the second point,not in the middle,but near to the edge(it depend on the direction of light,this last highlight imitates the lights reflection!).This should be in even lighter color tone,but not white!!!!
Last step:Here you have too options:
1-Make a VERY small point in the MIDDLE of the SECOND point.This last point should be in black.
2-Make a VERY small point in the MIDDLE of the SECOND point.This last point should be in white.
I would like to remind you that you could remove the paint from painted figure letting them in Nitro-Cellular Diluter for two days or more.Remove Cyanoacrylic glue and Epoxy clay letting the figure in Aceton for one about one day.This way you could repaint older already ainted figures you are dissappointed in.
I would sujest a 70mm figure,but you already did.Macbeath is a cool figure,but better try a figure with fully uncovered face,so that you could practise better on the eyes.
54mm is a good scale,too.Don't be afraid,they are big enough to paint beautiful eyes!I feel proud to have painted successfully eyes in 25mm figure,so i can asure you that it's not impossible!
That's all,I hope I helped!
Good luck and the most importanton't stop trying(again...).Ask what you need to know and try again and again.Noone is born great figure painter!
Cheerz!
-Kostas.
Welcome to "The Planet"!I'm using acrylics and I think I could help here.
First of all,in order to learn how to use acrylics you could read an article by Mario Fuentes that exists on "Vallejo Acrylicos" webpage.(Give it a search in Google...).
No surprise painting eyes on the figure seems difficult to you,since till now you were using oils.When painting face with oils you have to paint the eyes whn the face is done,which is very difficult and needs to be very familliar with micro-painting,so that the result is realistic.With acrylics you have the advantage to paint eyes in the begining.I always paint the eyes first,so that,in case that I fail,I don't have to remove the paint from an already painted figure.
For the eyes,this is my technique:First paint the hole eyeball in black.Don't be afraid or too careful about this step,you may fix it later(when painting the face...).
Then paint the eyeball in a white-like color(not clear white,add some flesh and brown...).You are suposed to let a thin black line that rounds the eyeball.If you make any mistakes while applying the white-like coat,fix it NOW with black(form a white eyeball surrounded by a thin black line.
Time to paint the iris(colored part of the eye).From now on you have to be very careful!Make a dark mix of the eye color(For example dark blue...) and make a point almost at the middle each eyeball(this depends on were the character is supposed to look at...just watch your own eyes in the mirror...).
Highlighting the iris:Make a lighter tone mix of eye color(light blue...) and make a smaller round point in the center of the first point.Watch out!The second point sould not fully cover the first!
Highlighting more
This may be too much for you,so you could skip it,but try to practise it as you get used with painting eyes!).make a VERY small third point in the second point,not in the middle,but near to the edge(it depend on the direction of light,this last highlight imitates the lights reflection!).This should be in even lighter color tone,but not white!!!!Last step:Here you have too options:
1-Make a VERY small point in the MIDDLE of the SECOND point.This last point should be in black.
2-Make a VERY small point in the MIDDLE of the SECOND point.This last point should be in white.
I would like to remind you that you could remove the paint from painted figure letting them in Nitro-Cellular Diluter for two days or more.Remove Cyanoacrylic glue and Epoxy clay letting the figure in Aceton for one about one day.This way you could repaint older already ainted figures you are dissappointed in.
I would sujest a 70mm figure,but you already did.Macbeath is a cool figure,but better try a figure with fully uncovered face,so that you could practise better on the eyes.
54mm is a good scale,too.Don't be afraid,they are big enough to paint beautiful eyes!I feel proud to have painted successfully eyes in 25mm figure,so i can asure you that it's not impossible!
That's all,I hope I helped!
Good luck and the most important
on't stop trying(again...).Ask what you need to know and try again and again.Noone is born great figure painter!Cheerz!
-Kostas.
Thanks, guys. You've given some great tips and suggestions. I'm getting my gear together to get started, and you've helped a lot. I plan to be at the Atlanta show in a couple of weeks, and I'm sure I'll get thoroughly inspired. I'll post again after I've started a figure or two. Keep the tips coming! Thanks again.
Ray-Bud
Ray-Bud
