Troubles with paint/highlighting (oils)

[Odi.et.amo]

Hi folks

I have a question for you all. I've been working on a 1/35 scale figure from Alpine. I've primed the mini with Citadel spray primer and applied acrylic underpainting. Then I made a basic tone for trousers and applied it to that area thinly( I took a small dot of oil paint and brush it out till I saw the brush is "running dry"). All with unthinned paint. After that I began to highlight the trousers. I took some of the highlight tone and put it on it's place, but when i tried to make the transition, I was able to do it with no problem, but the highlight paint was spread on places where it shouldn't be (again no thinning). I was using feathering (or how we call in Czech - spreading) to form the transition between hilghlight and base tone. I'm not sure if I did something wrong, so I tried to make a test. I took small amount of paint and made a tiny dot on figure's trousers and tried to feather it, but same thing, the paint spread like a virus in quiet bit circle. I don't know If the problem is on my side, or the oil paints are meant to be work with this way... Please could you guys give me some advice? I used completely dry brush for the feathering, I've tried short strokes with its tip, long strokes with side of the brush, everything was the same.
Let me try to demonstrate. Look at the palm of your hand. In my case, if I made a small line with my highlight color and then tried to feather it, it would reach at least a half of your palm. If I did the line from where the fingers begins to center of your palm and then tried to feather, the transition would reach somwhere on your wrist(maybe little further). That is my problem. Is there some kind of solution to this? Please tell me.
Thank you

 

[megroot]

As far as I understand it you do nothing wrong.
maybe the brush is to large. I use very small dots (brush 2/0) for the highlight and then stipple with a flat brush only at top of the fold. Then there is something from the highlight color to the side of the fold,but that way I get some descent transitions.
Maybe your brush is to large.

 

[Odi.et.amo]

As far as I understand it you do nothing wrong.
maybe the brush is to large. I use very small dots (brush 2/0) for the highlight and then stipple with a flat brush only at top of the fold. Then there is something from the highlight color to the side of the fold,but that way I get some descent transitions.
Maybe your brush is to large.

Thank you for your answer.
I used 2/0 and 3/0 for painting highlights and shadows and then Army painter highlighting brush and Citadel fine detail one for feathering.

I've created this picture. Left drawing is basecoated area. Middle drawing is painted highlights and third one is after feathering.

Could it be that acryling underpainting is less absorbant? I've used Citadel foundation paints with some Tamiya flat base in it

 

[megroot]

I understand it better now. The area that you touch with the highlight paint is to wide.
You use only the top of the fold. If you feather it out then you have more base on each side of the fold.
The area with highlight is to big.

For using oils try this (my way but not the only way to Rome). I let the oils soak out on a index cart, or with a paintknife I press the oil out of the paint on inktjetphoto paper.
Then i put the paint on my pallet ( a white tile) and with a very thinny, thinny drop W&N liquid i paint the figure.
Then i do the same with the highlight paint but don't use W&N liquid. The paint is flowing well and give's me nice transitions. The same is with the shade, starting into the deepest of the fold.
Then i put the figure into a drybox. After 4-6 hours the paint is flat and dry. Most at the time I do the high and shades again with little liquid and basecoat + higlight in one stroke. Above that i use only i stroke high-highlight.
The same with the shade.
Hope this helps.


Marc

 

[Odi.et.amo]

I understand it better now. The area that you touch with the highlight paint is to wide.
You use only the top of the fold. If you feather it out then you have more base on each side of the fold.
The area with highlight is to big.

For using oils try this (my way but not the only way to Rome). I let the oils soak out on a index cart, or with a paintknife I press the oil out of the paint on inktjetphoto paper.
Then i put the paint on my pallet ( a white tile) and with a very thinny, thinny drop W&N liquid i paint the figure.
Then i do the same with the highlight paint but don't use W&N liquid. The paint is flowing well and give's me nice transitions. The same is with the shade, starting into the deepest of the fold.
Then i put the figure into a drybox. After 4-6 hours the paint is flat and dry. Most at the time I do the high and shades again with little liquid and basecoat + higlight in one stroke. Above that i use only i stroke high-highlight.
The same with the shade.
Hope this helps.


Marc

Thank you Marc for the tips I appreciate it.

I'll try to make the line as small as possible, but I'll try to buy some of the Vallejo or Andrea paints to do my underpainting, since Citadel paints may not be the best for this task. I may as well buy some Humbrol paint to do the priming as this is suggested by Michal Křepelka, one of the best Czech figure painters. Only thing is that my idea of staying away from enamel paints will be unsuccessfull

So to summarize it all up, i should use very thin lines?
I'm interested in this, because lot of the painters in Czech forum suggested feathering more than stippling because of the fact that stippling can move the paint where you don't want, but in my experience it the same
I've already asked some of the painters from Czech forum, but today starts the big figure painting workshop so they are quite busy Damn I wish I was there XI

 

[Einion]

I'm sure Marc is right and you're simply applying too much of the highlight colour at one time, so it's naturally going to spread further than you intend because there's a lot of it there. Remember, like with salt in cooking you can always add more if you need to but it's much harder to remove it

...since Citadel paints may not be the best for this task.

Purely on the basis of cost it can be a good idea to steer clear of Citadel paints since you can get stuff that is as good or better for less money nearly everywhere. It's the same for all the materials and tools they offer, which are amongst the most expensive of their type.

Their white primer for example can be over double the price of alternatives without providing any benefit for the cost, and their black isn't primer at all.

I may as well buy some Humbrol paint to do the priming as this is suggested by Michal Křepelka, one of the best Czech figure painters. Only thing is that my idea of staying away from enamel paints will be unsuccessfull

It's worth repeating that just because some top painter uses a certain method or technique doesn't mean it's the way to do it - there are multiple ways of priming, undercoating and painting in oils and each has numerous modellers who use them.

...lot of the painters in Czech forum suggested feathering more than stippling...

Try both, see which one you prefer. You may find you like both methods, each for slightly different applications.

Einion

 

[socko47]

Try these Andreas Trost videos for help.

http://s136.photobucket.com/albums/...rrent=SpeedbemalungmitSoundokfertiggeschn.mp4

http://s136.photobucket.com/albums/...urrent=SpeedbemalungmitSoundokfertigges-1.mp4

http://s136.photobucket.com/albums/...urrent=SpeedbemalungmitSoundokfertigges-2.mp4

 

[Odi.et.amo]

wow, I apologize for not responding, but I had some health problems. After another try i discovered the problem. I was putting too much of a basecoat on that miniature. This and your tips about putting less of the paint really helped. Thank you to everyone who answered.