Stripped for the fourth time

[megroot]

Hello Guys,

Some off you are wondering, Marc is posting no new painting figures.
That's trough. I was learning to strip paint. :angry:
I've done this figure http://www.pegasomodels.com/details_en.asp?code=75-015
four time, and it was four time's a good face, good, helm and cuiras.
The only thing that never goes right was the cloak and the leather in white.
So, i'm off with the white color and here is the quistion.

Can i paint this specific figure with a red cloak, brown leather and the rest of the figure in brons and brons gold.

Any help is welcome.

Marc

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Hi Marc!

Perhaps you should set this figure aside for a while and do something differnt to get some perspective on it?

Not knowing much about Romans I wonder how youve dealt with the white and what specifically went wrong?

Cheers

 

[megroot]

Janne,

I did the white on a basecoat from light grey and build up to white. That was all wrong.
Then i build up with a basecoat from sepia with white (warm grey) and build up to white, but i never got the highest white.
I made a basecoat from raw umber with white and build up. never come to white because the basecoat was i think to light.
The fourth time i did the basecoat from white, burnt umber and a touch of blue (to break the umber) and it all going well. At the end i got no white but a brownish white that i good not get whiter.

Somewhere i go wrong but i do not know where.

marc

 

[Johan]

Marc,

I guess you paint in oils, right ?

Well, I once read an interesting article in Military Modelling a long, long, long time ago, by Derek Hansen, in which he described how to paint white - judging by the pictures the result was quite good, and I did see the actual figure (a german cavalryman in white stable duty fatigues) in reality at Euro Militaire about 15 years ago.
He did it much in the same way as you do, adding Burnt Umber and Blue to Titanium white, to get an off-white or light grey base ; then more white for highlights, and more BU and Blue for shadows; you can add more brown or white acc. to your taste for a warmer or colder white.

... And finally ... Derek did his last highlights not with oils but with Humbrol enamel matt white and last step, to blend it all in when everything had dried, he painted a transparent oil paint coat of FLAKE WHITE over all of the white clothing.

HTH,

Johan

 

[megroot]

Originally posted by Johan@Mar 11 2006, 12:41 AM


... And finally ... Derek did his last highlights not with oils but with Humbrol enamel matt white and last step, to blend it all in when everything had dried, he painted a transparent oil paint coat of FLAKE WHITE over all of the white clothing.

HTH,

Johan

I think that there its going wrong.

Thanks you so very much Johan.

marc

 

[frank h]

Hi Marc
All credit to you for taking on that amount of white

As Johan said the Derek Hansen article seems to be the way to go
in oils

As for changing the colour scheme
the white would seem to be like full dress
so a more seviceable campaign dress
would work equaly well

wishing you every success with this project
whatever you decide to do

Frank

 

[megroot]

Thanks for the support Frank.
Now i now it is possible to change to colurs.
I let you see within a few months what i decided.

marc

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Most of the whites I paint is made by a basemix of White, Flesh and a little bit of Black.

More Flesh and Black for shadows. More White to the base mix for highlights.

The basecolour can be somewhat tinted with other colours depending on the material.

Hopes this and the other replys help you, Marc.

Cheers

 

[Cicero]

Hi Marc,

I think that I already explained this in a former post on the subject, but here I go again.
A Roman was called a 'candidatus' when:
1) he officially presented himself to the public in the run for political office,
or,
2) (as a soldier) he awaited a military promotion.

The word 'candidatus' comes from the Latin 'candidus' meaning shining white. Now, the men presenting themselves for political office or awaiting military promotion were allowed to wear the so called 'toga candida', which was an artifially extra whitened toga.

So, in that respect, if you're planning to name the figure explicitely 'candidatus' then I would suggest to keep the white colour of the cloack and tunic, as this was obviously the mark of his status. You have to remember that in Roman society everything was based on honour and outward appearance.

Take care.

Johan

 

[kenb]

hi Marc

I have a somewhat different approach to painting Whites
attached is photo of some work Isculpted and painted some time ago.
I too have struggled with whites but have developed a method that works for me so heres some food for thought.

I base coat with pelacan plaka mixing a colour that is approx that of the finish colour. I use plaka because it 100% ensures the oil matts off fully however this is not a problem with white so you dont have too rush out and get plaka ( though I would recomend it as it has a number of added benifits)

I follow this simple rule with regard to shadow and highlights

Use warm colours reds/yellows on the highlights.
Use cold colours blues in the shadows .

this rule is taken from landscape artists who use the colder tones to make a plane recide ie the Background and then warm things up as they work toward the forground.

This I use for all colours except white

I found that this approach killed off the white

After experementing I found that I could introduce a real lustre and vibrancy into white if I reversed the rule WARM UP the shadows and cool down the high lights
hope fully the images give some idea of this effect

remember though we are talking very small amounts of colour just enough to give
a slight warming or cooling bias
two images slightly different lighting
hope this helps
cheers ken

 

[kenb]

hi Marc

I have a somewhat different approach to painting Whites
attached is photo of some work Isculpted and painted some time ago.
I too have struggled with whites but have developed a method that works for me so heres some food for thought.

I base coat with pelacan plaka mixing a colour that is approx that of the finish colour. I use plaka because it 100% ensures the oil matts off fully however this is not a problem with white so you dont have too rush out and get plaka ( though I would recomend it as it has a number of added benifits)

I follow this simple rule with regard to shadow and highlights

Use warm colours reds/yellows on the highlights.
Use cold colours blues in the shadows .

this rule is taken from landscape artists who use the colder tones to make a plane recide ie the Background and then warm things up as they work toward the forground.

This I use for all colours except white

I found that this approach killed off the white

After experementing I found that I could introduce a real lustre and vibrancy into white if I reversed the rule WARM UP the shadows and cool down the high lights
hope fully the images give some idea of this effect

remember though we are talking very small amounts of colour just enough to give
a slight warming or cooling bias

hope this helps
cheers ken

 

[kenb]

sorry for the duplicated post
ken

 

[megroot]

Thanks Ken,

That second is indeed better then the first. And sure it is white. Got to try this on a sheet of styreen.

Marc

 

[kenb]

hi mark
let us know how you get on
cheers ken

 

[CorySF]

Marc, I've done this figure and all that white actually at first intimidated me but I kind of experimented with him and was really pleased with the outcome. But, like you I did the cloak twice. At first I tried painting him as I normally would paint anything else going from mid color and doing shades and highlights but it just did'nt look right. Then I tried going from light to dar and that did'nt look right either, then I tried going straight from the darkest shade I would normally use through to the lightest white (Vallejo's foundation white). It was a lot of work and a lot of layers, but well worth it. And as for the white leather, I just painted that like I normally paint anything else and then go over it with white oils. I then took thinned burnt umber oils and did a controlled wash (if there is such a thing) along the edges and in the stitching. As I said this worked well for me and the people who have him now are also well pleased.
Cory

 

[megroot]

Thanks Cory,

Arent the stitches gold???
I gonna try this i think. The figure is in the primer again.

marc

 

[Jeff]

Hang in there Mark, I have just realised how rusty my painting skills are during my curent project so I feel your pain. I just striped a figure my self. I have spent a little to much time sculpting and not near enough painting.

Do you have any figures in your gray army that you could expermint on. I have some that I will never paint for one reason or another. Find something that you care a little less about and expermint on it. You may feel a little less intimitaded by an old cheap figure. Again hang in there. You will get it just keep trying.

Best
Jeff

 

[CorySF]

Marc, the pteruges ("feathers") were not necessarily stiched in gold and evidence points to twisted "string". Also evidence also seems to indicate that most pteruges were not even leather but layered linen. Now as for the imperial bodyguards (Candidatii) were concerned no one knows for sure what they were made of, all they are sure of is that they were white.
Cory