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Military figures of all shapes and sizes.
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Quick questions about painting figures....
GungHo
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Texas, United States
Joined: April 14, 2005
KitMaker: 48 posts
Armorama: 15 posts
Posted: Monday, September 21, 2009 - 06:01 AM UTC
Good afternoon, I've previously painted a few 1/35 figures and they turned out satifactory to my liking. Although I really liked my work, I'm ready to try and hone some skills and turn out better work. I know that I'm capable of it....so I want to see just what I can do to help myself.

First off, I've been using Tamiya acrylics.... and they are ok, but I've heard of others using "Vallejo" brand. I'm in need of some new paint anyways...so what brands would yall suggest? I don't have a local hobby shop, so these will be bought off of Ebay or somewhere else online.

I primarily like to model the Vietnam era.....so if I go with Vallejo brand what colors would yall suggest I start with for US uniforms,flesh tones, and etc.???

Secondly, does anyone have any good book recommendations that might focus on painting minatures?? Something that might focus in detail on detaling figures?

I greatly appreciate any and all help....... I'm just looking to start relaxing a bit and enjoying this hobby more and more.

Brian
insolitus
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Goteborgs och Bohus, Sweden
Joined: July 28, 2005
KitMaker: 649 posts
Armorama: 207 posts
Posted: Monday, September 21, 2009 - 10:28 AM UTC
Hi Brian,
Can't help you with fitting colors or instructions, more than reading here on the forums and especially on Historicus Forma. But I can definitely recommend you Vallejo acrylics, they are the best I have tried so far and I feel that the weak point is now myself and neither my paint nor paintbrushes. And by the way, if you don't have decent paintbrushes, get that, it will spare you a lot of trouble.
GungHo
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Texas, United States
Joined: April 14, 2005
KitMaker: 48 posts
Armorama: 15 posts
Posted: Monday, September 21, 2009 - 12:12 PM UTC

Quoted Text

And by the way, if you don't have decent paintbrushes, get that, it will spare you a lot of trouble.


Yeah, quality brushes are a must for sure. I've got plenty of decent brushes.....

It's time for me to invest in some good paint....hence why I figured that I'd ask the members here

Thanks for your help
AJLaFleche
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Massachusetts, United States
Joined: May 05, 2002
KitMaker: 8,074 posts
Armorama: 3,293 posts
Posted: Monday, September 21, 2009 - 01:18 PM UTC
Another vote for Vallejo. Since you're starting out, you might want to look at some of the color sets. As to flesh colors, each of us has our own preferences, I like beige red for a caucasia base. Their games dark flesh tone is what i use for shading and pale flesh is the highest light. I also have suny skintone, medium flesh and at least one other flesh tone in my box of skin paint. be sure to read the tyutorial at their website under model color. As far as dealers, Colorado Miniatures has teh full line up as well as many starter sets.
GungHo
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Texas, United States
Joined: April 14, 2005
KitMaker: 48 posts
Armorama: 15 posts
Posted: Monday, September 21, 2009 - 03:37 PM UTC
Thanks again for the info..... I've just gone through the Vallejo color chart and picked out 13 different colors of greens and skin tones that I believe that I can start off with.

Now I need to clean off my desk to get ready to start crackin' on some figures .....as soon as I order my paints and they arrive
mat
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Limburg, Netherlands
Joined: November 18, 2003
KitMaker: 894 posts
Armorama: 643 posts
Posted: Monday, September 21, 2009 - 09:51 PM UTC
yeps,

Valleyo is great, but they took me a time to master them. Once I learned to build up small layers of the same colour to achieve shadows etc. my results started to give me very good results.

Personally I don't use the skintones for skin colour, they are too orange or pink for me. I use red leather (yeah really) as a base and then I build it up by adding white and beige red.

Another tip, if the tip of the bottleis clogged with paint, don't squeeze the bottle. A friend did this once and the whole tip blew off, resulting in me of getting a coat of black paint. And although it's acrylic, you cannot get that out of a white T-shirt like he claimed

I once found a very nice tuturial around here of a guy who showed where to put highlights and shadow on figures. He had a picture of a face and marked step by step where to put which layer.
lespauljames
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England - South West, United Kingdom
Joined: January 06, 2007
KitMaker: 3,661 posts
Armorama: 2,764 posts
Posted: Monday, September 21, 2009 - 10:45 PM UTC

Quoted Text



Another tip, if the tip of the bottleis clogged with paint, don't squeeze the bottle. A friend did this once and the whole tip blew off, resulting in me of getting a coat of black paint. And although it's acrylic, you cannot get that out of a white T-shirt like he claimed



Amen!

linky Mr Tan He's our man, if he cant paint 'em No-one can
35th-scale
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Kildare, Ireland
Joined: November 21, 2007
KitMaker: 3,212 posts
Armorama: 2,807 posts
Posted: Monday, September 21, 2009 - 10:54 PM UTC
The current issue of FSM has a nice article on painting figures....

Sean
GungHo
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Texas, United States
Joined: April 14, 2005
KitMaker: 48 posts
Armorama: 15 posts
Posted: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 - 12:11 AM UTC

Quoted Text

The current issue of FSM has a nice article on painting figures....

Sean


I stopped by a local store yesterday after work to check out the latest issue of FSM....and sure as heck, I saw the tutorial. I bought it, read the article....but If I'm being honest, doesn't that head that's being painted look a bit too red or orange?? Maybe it's just me.....


Thanks again for all of the help!!!!
AJLaFleche
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Massachusetts, United States
Joined: May 05, 2002
KitMaker: 8,074 posts
Armorama: 3,293 posts
Posted: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 - 01:35 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

The current issue of FSM has a nice article on painting figures....

Sean


I stopped by a local store yesterday after work to check out the latest issue of FSM....and sure as heck, I saw the tutorial. I bought it, read the article....but If I'm being honest, doesn't that head that's being painted look a bit too red or orange?? Maybe it's just me.....


Thanks again for all of the help!!!!

IMHO, that article is worse than useless. Well, maybe a 6 year old could use it. It may have been the proverbial last straw in my subscription to that mag, and I've got everyone since the beginning. That might give a marginally acceptable figure if you have hundreds in a dio, but even then, there's no reason to be sloppy like that. Dan Capuano puts out huge dios with as many as 50 figures at a time and every last one of them is superbly painted.
While you're considering colors, check out the link here.
GaryDaugherty
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Canada
Joined: August 21, 2009
KitMaker: 12 posts
Armorama: 9 posts
Posted: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 - 01:53 AM UTC
here is a link to a website from one of the great figure painters. He paints faces in acrylics, but there are others that use oils over acrylics to get beautiful results. If you need more, check out planetfigures website. It is jammed packed with SBS's.

http://www.planetfigure.com/articles/jaume_face_eng.pdf

Gary D
Tarok
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Victoria, Australia
Joined: July 28, 2004
KitMaker: 10,889 posts
Armorama: 3,245 posts
Posted: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 - 02:11 AM UTC

Quoted Text

If you need more, check out planetfigures website. It is jammed packed with SBS's.


Actually, Gary, you don't even need to leave the Kitmaker Network. We have our own figure site, Historicus Forma which is as jam packed with tutorials. Take some time to browse it. A lot of people have put a lot of effort into it.
GungHo
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Texas, United States
Joined: April 14, 2005
KitMaker: 48 posts
Armorama: 15 posts
Posted: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 - 03:37 AM UTC
Thanks again everyone..... I'm FAR from any expert, but that FSM article left me feeling "short changed" VERY basic..... and yeah, it looked sloppy....

I'll spend some time going through Historicus Forma and see what I can adapt to my work....
Tarok
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Victoria, Australia
Joined: July 28, 2004
KitMaker: 10,889 posts
Armorama: 3,245 posts
Posted: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 - 11:13 AM UTC
Brian,

Jaume Ortiz released a figure modelling book through Osprey Publishing titled 'Modelling Falschirmjager', or something to that effect. Despite it's name and the obvious focus of the book, German WWII paratroopers, the book covers many aspects of painting with acrylics, Jaumes techniques, as well as some nice groundworks tips. If you can look beyond the Falschirmjager subject the book is absolutely recommended. Jaumes flesh technique, similar to the one posted above, is included in the book.

Similarly I'd suggest Calvin Tan's 'Modelling Waffen-SS' by the same publishers. It follows a similar format of introductory, intermediate and advanced painting projects. The problem with Calvin's technique, one of (basically) several colour washes and stains over a black undercoat, is that it's a technique which he has mastered, and others may find difficult to understand and reproduce. That said, Calvin is a friend and undeniably a master modeller and the book contains so much more than just his painting technique, but like Jaume's book tips and ideas for groundwork and modifying figures. These books generally sell for US$15-25.

There are dozens of books available, but in each case your mileage may vary depending on your own needs and skills. I too have bought books based on the high recommendations of friends and master modellers only to take but one tip away from them, and not 'get' the hype.

As Al mentioned, check out Vallejo's website. The tutorial they use there gives a 'recipe' for the green used by the US Army during the Vietnam conflict.

RR
GungHo
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Texas, United States
Joined: April 14, 2005
KitMaker: 48 posts
Armorama: 15 posts
Posted: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 - 12:27 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Brian,

Jaume Ortiz released a figure modelling book through Osprey Publishing titled 'Modelling Falschirmjager', or something to that effect. Despite it's name and the obvious focus of the book, German WWII paratroopers, the book covers many aspects of painting with acrylics, Jaumes techniques, as well as some nice groundworks tips. If you can look beyond the Falschirmjager subject the book is absolutely recommended. Jaumes flesh technique, similar to the one posted above, is included in the book.

Similarly I'd suggest Calvin Tan's 'Modelling Waffen-SS' by the same publishers. It follows a similar format of introductory, intermediate and advanced painting projects. The problem with Calvin's technique, one of (basically) several colour washes and stains over a black undercoat, is that it's a technique which he has mastered, and others may find difficult to understand and reproduce. That said, Calvin is a friend and undeniably a master modeller and the book contains so much more than just his painting technique, but like Jaume's book tips and ideas for groundwork and modifying figures. These books generally sell for US$15-25.

There are dozens of books available, but in each case your mileage may vary depending on your own needs and skills. I too have bought books based on the high recommendations of friends and master modellers only to take but one tip away from them, and not 'get' the hype.

As Al mentioned, check out Vallejo's website. The tutorial they use there gives a 'recipe' for the green used by the US Army during the Vietnam conflict.

RR


Rudi, THANK you sir for the info...... I love the Osprey books...as well as Greenhill too. I primarily focus on Vietnam era...BUT, I'm also a fan of the WW2 Eastern Front and enjoy WW2 in general. I'm mainly a 1/6th collector...and a good majority of my 1/6 collection is WW2.

Thanks again to everyone for your time,tips, and help......
 _GOTOTOP