A little something i am working on as i wait for the verlinden figures to arrive. it is to partially help improve my figure painting, and to create a Viginette with a little colour!!!




sorry for the rubbish photography

no comments, not even to say how crap it is!??????????

It's not crap, and you will not hear it from anybody here on Armorama.
- You can start painting when your figure is cleaned up well. A fine figure is much more fun to paint. So : cleaning before painting. Smooth surfaces are really easier !
- Very important, try to put variation in the colors of the clothing, deep shadows in plies and folds, lighter tones on the folds. You can also add more dark toned color under the arms.
- Make pockets pop out by playing with colors. The pocket slightly lighter...
- A good help : try to see the dark places on your figure by putting it under a lamp.
- Buy a figure with enough detail on it, it's more fun to paint.
- I usually start with shadows, so dark tones, and finish with highlighting, and a lot of steps between the two.

I hope I helped you a little now. Greetz and I wish you luck and lots of fun ! G.

Hi Jimmy

As Guy said, you'll not hear those kind of comments here on Armorama. Only constructive criticism is invited, tolerated and encouraged. I see that you're waiting for better quality figures to arrive. Which Verlinden ones are you getting? Your German officer looks like he comes from the ICM set of the German Patrol. ICM are not know to be the best figure renderer out there but as you've pointed out, it gives you something to practice on. I'm not a figure painter, believe me, so my comments come from an interested onlooker that has a lot to learn about figure painting himself.

First, prepping the figure for painting is important. A smooth finish helps alot so some light sanding wouldn't hurt and a good primer is a big help. This levels the surface and makes a good base to paint on. And. yes, more shadows and highlights are going to do you a better turn when it comes to painting more figures. A monotone paint job ends up at the close of the day to look like a piece of painted plastic, not a scaled down version of a human being. The great portrait painters of history have learned how to render shadows and light very effectively and the principals are the same for model figure building and painting. You would greatly benefit from some books and how-to manuals on the subject if your serious about improving your skills. There are also more than a few web articles around on figure painting including I'm sure, some right here on Armorama.

All in all, I think you've made a very good start and have done pretty well for someone who I take is less experienced than some of the old hands around here on figure painting. Keep it up. I did and even though I'm a long way from being an expert, I learn something with every figure I do and I hope to get better just like you.



Bob

Jimmy you have made a good effort with the figure and you will see with every one you do it will improve,styrene figures are a good and cheap way to get the practice in and refine some tecniques but you will see the difference with better quality figure.Another very important factor with figure painting is the quality of the brushes used,get the best you can afford.
Is there a shoeshine boy to go with this one?

Steve

thanks guys. i might start on my entire figure collection tonight

verlinden crossfire, and british bren gun team for a dio. so i want to get as much practice as i can in.
thanks for the posotive feedback, its surprising how much moral is lost form no comments.!!
the shoeshine boy will be included, i am painting his top a nice green.
i have some nice tamiya figures i shall work on also. i will focus on the uniform shading.
after i ahve done 4-5 fairly well i will paint faces!!
thanks again guys

jimmy !!

Sounds like you're heading for the dark art of figure painting. In many ways, that's the part of this hobby that will get you the most notice from outsiders. Everyone knows what a human looks like, but most people couldn't tell a Tiger from a Panther.
Anyway, your paint loks rwlatively thick. If you are joining us, you may want to look into better paint as well as paint bruxhes. The best acrylic paints for figures are from Andrea and Vallejo. They are thinned with distilled water, (though tap water will do in a pinch) and lay down nice, smooth thin layers.
As mentioned, get the best brushes you can. Consider them a long term investment since if you care for them well, they'll last several years. Kolinski sables are the cutting edge of brushes.
The other guys have touched on the need for shading and highlighting on the uniform. The face needs that, too. I haven't used a commercial flesh out of the bottle in maybe 20 years. I now use Vallejo red beige as a base, often mixing in a little dark fleshtone. That's also the basis for my shadows and pale flesh is the highlights. I posted my method here.

the jacket brown hasnt been entirely shaded in these pictures. i always started with the darkest colours and built up.

the shadig is better in person but overall beter????