That is, quite honestly, one of the best 1/35 faces I've ever seen- it has the Italian skin tone and the nice beard shadow done to perfection. The expression is easily seen and understood thanks to the painting.
By the way Mike, how do you go about doing the eyes?

@Jerry: Yea, I've got that "old man eyes" syndrome, too. I resisted as long as possible until my battalion commander busted my b*lls about it at a Command and Staff meeting -

"Hey, Sergeant Major, I'll have somebody put a chair up front so you can see the slide screen and not have to squint so much!"

Oh yea, the next week, there I was with my new glasses on...

Anyways, I now use a magnification headset (a budget knock off version of the Opti-visor), and I have to say the first thing I do now when I walk into my workroom is to put on my "eyes." It makes a huge difference, and I don't know how I ever built anything without them.




@Karl: Thanks for the complements.

In regards to the eyes, I wish I could offer up some simple, fool-proof way to paint them, but I still struggle way too much to claim that.

(For instance, today I had to scrape off one of the eyes I was painting and re-do it. The other eye was fine, but I just couldn't get one of them right. Finally just had to scrape off the paint and redo it.)

I would say that I use a variation of Mark Bannerman's technique that he explains and illustrates quite well in his Osprey book, "Modelling Panzer Crewmen of the Heer."

Osprey::Modelling Panzer Crewmen of the Heer

If you want to paint figures in oils, this is one of the best, least expensive how-to's available. In it, Mark provides an excellent SBS on face painting.

So, painting the eyes is an integral part of the face painting. (Keep in mind that I also paint with artist oils over acrylic undercoats.)

The figure is first cleaned up, primed and undercoated. The flesh color I used to under coat these figures was Reaper's Bronzed Skin Tone.

For the color coats, the first step is to establish the very dark shadows. I use a wash of mineral spirits and burnt umber all over the face and neck.

Allow this to dry-out some - maybe 15-20 minutes - enough for the mineral spirits to evaporate. Next use a clean brush slightly damp with mineral spirits to clean the burnt umber off of all of the highlights.

Next add the flesh oil color only to the highlights just cleaned off. I use a mix of titanium white, burnt sienna, and yellow ocher at a ratio of about 4:1:2. This ratio can be adjusted to create darker or lighter skin tones.

The flesh is then blended into the burnt umber left over from the wash to make the shadows.

At this point, I generally start giving the eyes some definition and shape with the shadows. I generally try to keep the flesh paint out of the eye ball area, but I do add the eye lids.

Next comes the highlights made by adding titanium white straight onto the highlight areas. The white is blended into the flesh tone paint left after the shadows are blended. Note that this process will give the shadows, mid-tones (straight flesh) and highlights. The advantage is that it keeps the amount of paint applied to the face to the bare minimum.

At this point, I then start the eyes.

I usually do the upper eye lid first leaving some of the straight burnt umber under its bottom edge.

Next comes the white followed by the pupil. The pupil should take up about 1/3 of the total eyeball, and it's easier to get the direction of view if the eyes are pointed off to one side or the other.

If necessary, I add back the burnt umber to define the bottom edge of the eye ball. Finally, I add the lower eye lid leaving the shadow already blended under it earlier.

Usually, the next thing I do is add some "warmth" back into the face using a very small amount of burnt sienna in the hollows of the cheeks and other areas as seem right for the figure and blending this into the underlying colors.

The lower lip is painted with a mix of the base flesh and Alizarin crimson highlighted with a touch of white.

I then usually add very small touches of Paynes gray for the 5 o'clock shadow areas - blend this into the underlying colors.

Eye brows are last and done starting with the shadow color for the figure's hair (usually something with raw umber in it).

Of course, there're the usual back-and-forth's with additional highlights and shadows, but that's the basic process. I usually need about 3-1/2 to 4 hours to paint a face. This doesn't count any headgear or hair - just the face and neck.

I do most of my face painting using just two brushes - a size 00 W&N Series 7 red sable and a 100x0 Artetje red sable brush. The W&N brushes are easy to find, but the Artetje brush can be sourced from Alliance Model-Works:

AM-Works:Arteje Micro-Paint Brush

In the absence of the Artetje brush, you can use a splinter from a wooden toothpick (cocktail stick). This is what I use to add the whites and pupils to the eye balls and also to do a lot of the finer highlights and shadows.

Needless to say, all of this is much easier with well sculpted faces - Hornet, Alpine, etc...

HTH,

Mike- thanks a million for the very detailed reply. I actually have the Arteje brush myself, I find it a must-have for painting eyes with acrylics. I find myself only able to paint eyes to a sufficiently detailed standard with Hornet or Alpine heads because, like you said, they are so well detailed. On any other heads I tend to either drill the eyes out with a very small drill bit or simply line the eye with brown then block it in as best as possible depending on the level of detail. I tend to use the acrylic wet-on-wet technique to paint faces- basically just using retarder to slow the drying time and increase blending properties- the problem is the eye area is way too small for this and to be honest a 1/35 face is very tricky to do with this technique. Thats really why I'm asking about oils.

I used to use oils but switched to acrylics ages ago but after seeing the results you've achieved here I think I should maybe experiment again with them- what is particularly attractive is the ease with which oil can be removed if a mistake is made, with acrylic that is more difficult.

Again, many thanks for the detailed response and good luck with the rest of the figures !

Happy to share, Karl.

I actually went the opposite direction and experimented with acrylics for about 5 years before switching back to oils. I was trying to learn to use glazing for shading and highlights and got that figured out pretty well, but found it too tedious and never could get the level of fine detail that I wanted.

Anyways, long story short, I went back to oils about 10-12 years ago. I had gradually switched to all oils in the early 90's after figure painting with hobby enamels since the mid-70's (a student of the "Sheppard Paine School" if you will), so I guess oils just work for me...

I didn't mention it, but the technique I described above will also allow for several "degrees" or levels of eye detail.

At the simplest, you can just leave the burnt umber wash in the eye ball and highlight the eye lids. This creates the classic "Clint Squint" which was Sheppard Paine's recommended technique for small-scale figure eyes.

This is what I recommend to guys who are just learning. Basically, apply and clean the wash, apply the mid-tones and blend the shadows, then highlight and add the burnt sienna "blush" to the cheeks and just touch and blend a little Alizarin crimson to the lower lip. This is surprisingly easy, quite fast with just a little practice, and gives very good results, especially in 1/35 scale and smaller.

Next would be to add in the pupil "dots" on top of the burnt umber line to emphasize the eye and give some direction to the gaze. Do this before highlighting the eye lids. This was actually my technique for a couple of decades and gives, IMO, a very nice result and is much easier.

Finally, of course, is to add the "whites" as described above.

A lot of guys I talk to think that adding the whites is a waste of time, and to be honest, at normal viewing distances, they are essentially invisible.

However, their purpose should really be thought of as "super highlights" for the pupil and eye ball. That is, the whites really emphasize the direction of the gaze, and that, in turn, helps to give the figure a sense of individuality and character. If you approach it like this, you can see that you really don't need but the tiniest bit of white to show.

Happy modeling!

Thanks Mike,I tried using an optivisor type thing and the problem is,I am so befuddled with the magnification that by the time I figure out the relationship between the brush and the figure under the magnifier,the paint is dry on my brush!! Heehee.
Don't you just love getting old?
I still aspire to paint as good as this stuff here though. Maybe when I progress back to wearing diapers in a few years my eyes will go back the other direction as well and I will get clearer vision?
J

Hey, that's my plan, too!

I'd actually like to be able to use a higher magnification, but the working distance is already about as short as I can manage and still fit the handle of the paint brush or X-acto knife in. Even at that, I still bang the lenses with the end of the brush handle or something all the time.

Oh well...

Moving right along, here're a few pics of the crewman reaching out of the side hatch:













Now on to the "scut work" of painting the dark blue tanker uniforms. I'm saving the motorcycle riders uniform for "desert" to keep up my motivation by giving me something to look forward to!

Happy modeling!

Blimey!! I am working on a 1/16 scale dude and am going to try your method on him. That way I can try your technique and still see what I am painting. Thanks for listing your steps earlier in the thread.
J

These guys certainly look Italian. I'm painting all my uniforms first, and then I'll frustrate myself with the faces after.

Mike you are a true master!!! These faces are your best yet that I have seen. You inspired me to pick a figure and get to work myself. Although I resorted back to my acrylic ways the next one will be done with your method. Like you said repeatedly in your figure painting demo, PRACTICE and lots of it. Switching straight to oils isn't easy I learned quickly but I am anxious to keep trying. See ya Wednesday.

Scott

I liked the expression on the guy in the tank when you showed him un-painted and I was wondering how he'd look all painted up- and its great to see it done- masterful work Mike.

@ Jerry: Hey, you're welcome, but I can't claim any credit or ownership for these techniques - They're ones that have been developed and perfected by far better painters than I.

I'm happy to share what little I can, though.

@ Jesse: I'll be looking forward to seeing what you're working on in Atlanta in February.

I find that if I don't paint the figures before I finish the model, than I'm much more apt to talk myself out of doing them at all. As for my sequence, I find that if I've gone to the trouble of painting the faces, then I won't usually stop and will complete the entire figure.

@ Scott: Ah, ye of little oil faith!

Scott, put down your acrylics and come to oil-side...

See ya Wednesday. I'm looking forward to those brownies. (No! Not those kinds of brownies, guys!)

@ Karl: Thanks again for the props, Karl. This guy was my favorite of the three right from the start.

If you want to see some REAL figure painting, though, then look up:

Bill Horan, Gunther Sternberg, John Rosengrant, Patrick Ang, Stefan Muller-Herdemertens, Phil Hyslop, Calvin Tan or, of course, Sheppard Paine, to name a few real masters.

Then, look up some of Keiichi Aoki's work and really be amazed!

One day, when I grow up to be a real figure painter, I want to paint just like those guys!

Happy modeling!

- Me too!

I reckon I've seen most of those guys work at some point- I'm certainly very interested in Calvin Tan's work- his acrylic wet-on-wet projects inspired me to give it a go- its a very interesting technique- there's a great deal of room for experimentation with it to achieve different effects.

Keiichi Aoki's stuff is just mind-blowing though, its hard to believe what you are actually seeing is 1/35 scale. I think I read once that he uses a microscope to do some of the work!!

I've heard the same thing, but don't how true it is. It wouldn't surprise me, though. In addition to applying fiber hair to some of his figures, I also understand that he uses a mixed-media technique with tempera and acrylics. Technically phenomenal work, though, however he does it.

I think my two favorite painters are John Rosengrant and Bill Horan. Both are great sculptors, and both are able to put so much emotion and character into their figures.

Any hooo... No shortage of inspirational work out there which leaves me plenty of room to get better!

Great work on the figures Mike. not only are the faces nicely painted, the poses are excellent ... which is the more important factor ... in my mind. I think if you get the poses right, you can get away with more regarding painting(?)
Love those big Italien helmets ... remind me of the Mel Brookes/Spaceballs film

Well, it's been almost two months since I've posted any updates on this project.

But, at the gentle insistence of a couple of my friends (thanks, Keith!), I'm back at the work bench and making a little progress again.

I'm still working on the figures for this vignette. I have managed to paint the coveralls for the two crewmen along with their bandoleers.

They're not very inspiring, really. The uniforms are rather bland, being a dark indigo with no insignia or other details. The bandoleers and holsters are simple black leather.

One thing that might be noteworthy is how their colors are blended to an overall black for the parts that are inside the tank. This is to (hopefully) fade the exterior view into the black and featureless interior.









The real Italian WWII tanker coveralls are actually a bit darker than my paint job, but I couldn't resist making them a more faded blue.

The hands will be painted later on all three figures at the same time (well, actually one after the other...). This way I only have to mix up the flesh colors one more time.

Here's the rucksack and musette bag that will go on the motorcycle's luggage rack. I painted this next so that I could get the khaki colors mixed right. The two bags are actually slightly different colors, the ruck is a bit more faded than the musette bag.

I'll use the two slightly different colors on the pants and jacket for the motorcycle rider.







(BTW: I thought the bags were very nicely sculpted by Model Victoria.)

Here's the rider. Today I painted his pants in the slightly greener, less faded shade of Khaki.





All of the paint on the figures and ruck still has a slight sheen since it's not totally dry. This does cause some "false" highlights and "glints" in the photos. This will be eliminated with an over spray of Testors Dull Coat after they dry completely.

Hopefully now that I'm back to the work bench, it won't be two months before my next update!

'Til then, happy modeling!

Its great to see some more progress on these figures Mike. I've always thought those blue Italian coveralls were quite fetching and you've done a great job painting them- I reckon the more faded look you have done is spot-on as they would probably take a battering from the harsh conditions in the desert and fade quite easily. That bag is a mini-masterpiece though- if you kind of look at it on the screen from an angle it looks as if its real. I love the uniform on the rider too- there's plenty of nice color in it from the boots to the chevrons and the leather webbing pieces. I can't wait to see more of these- good luck with them!

Thanks for the update Mike.

Having seen these chaps in person and listened to the painting method (that you make sound all too bl@@dy easy)... I am still amazed at the realistic finish and yes I know they are not.

The whole diorama is coming together wonderfully well.

Explantions with detail are so helpful to us who struggle with making our figures resemble something other than looking like they belong in the 'Munsters'...

My wife tells me some of my figures eyes resemble 'Marty Feldman' (Throw Mama from the train!)

Keep the updates coming and thank you for all your coaching and teaching.

Keith.

I really like your color values here buddy. You may say that the blue coveralls are uninspiring but a solid color like that is hard to pull off and yet you suceeded brilliantly!!
Nice leather stuff as well. I think you may be the first guy I've seen that has imparted that special look that clothing gets in the desert. Your M/C rider has that look in his shirt. I trained at the NTC 3 times and of course was in the Middle East for 8 months so I have experienced that texture to the clothing caused by a lot of sweating,then drying,dust and dirt and no shower for sometimes weeks at a time. The uniform gets kind of stiff and has facets to it that will really cut into a sunburned neck.
I am sure you,my airborne buddy,know of what I speak? Out standing job sir,for some one that never used to paint figs,
J

@ Karl: Thanks for the kind words, as always. The bag was really fun to paint - the more detail the better and more interesting.

@ Keith: Thanks for the encouragement and motivation! Trying to find my muse has been pretty hard lately, and I really appreciate how you and the other guys in the club have helped me to "keep my feet together and the tips in the fall-line."

@ Jerry: Yea, ol' buddy, figgies never were my strong suit, but I'm trying to up my game, so to speak. I'm really trying to master them as one of those progressions that I need to make in my model building.

Hopefully the heads and faces will carry the "blue guys."

In the meantime, today while I was painting I stuck the motorcycle rider in front of the camera to see if I could capture the steps I use while painting the uniforms.

The pictures came out reasonably well, I suppose. I've put them on a series of slides that I'll use one of these days for another figure painting demo at our local model club, but I thought someone here might find them interesting (or at least entertaining!).









This technique of starting with an oil wash to establish the dark shadows and then blending the intermediate shadows directly on the figure is a modification of Mark Bannerman's face painting technique. (Which is, itself, a fantastic and very effective method.)

I know that artist oils have fallen out of favor and that most guys now use acrylics for figures. However, for anyone having problems mastering the acrylic glazing technique for shadows and highlights, "old school" oils are very forgiving and offer a pretty steep learning curve. For anyone who's painted figures using hobby enamels, blending them on the figure, you'll find oil paints a very natural transition.

At any rate, happy modeling!

Mike.
When we have been distracted or diverted from our course for whatever reason it sometimes take a gentle push to get us back on track. In your defense your road block was huge, (enough said).

The 'fall line' as you aptly put it is always there but if your skis are across the slope, all your gonna do is fall down.
You have to make a turn, even a small one in order to start moving again... You Sir just needed a prompt.

The information and above details are priceless and invaluable in my book and many here will now be able to salvage their painting sanity, I know I will.

Looking forward to eyeballing both figures, bike and Tank soon.

Keep up the good work and keep the updates coming.

Keith.

Yo brutha!! Time for an update!!
J

I'm curious if this makes a showing tomorrow at the Atlanta AMPS regional.

Along with your Chaffee?
J

My Chaffee will be there, by itself. My little vignette/dio will hopefully be ready for April's big show.

Hey Jer...

I actually just finished painting the figgies for this vignette, but they're still drying a bit more before I Dull Coat 'em.

I was planning on putting up some new pics next week after I get back from Hot-lanta.




Hey Jesse,

No, sorry, but I had to deal with some personal problems over the holidays which put my model building on hold. I had planned on having the vignette finished in time for the regional show, but no joy.

I also spent a lot of time of my hobby-time working up one of the seminars for the Atlanta show. Maybe you'll catch me on Saturday - "Bases and Groundwork."

I am, however, on track to finish it for the International Show in April.

'Fraid I won't have anything to put in the show tomorrow except my Italian Alpini, Graian Alps, June 1940.

Hope to catch up to you at the venue, though, and I'll be looking forward to seeing your Chaffee!

I'm really looking forward to the show this weekend, though!