My first 1/35 Figure done!

If you're using Vallejo, there should be no reason to "dull coat" your figures after painting. Vallejo, if well mixed (shaken thoroughly and when you think you've shaken enough, shake some more) finishes dead flat. And while you could argue that crews in the summer might have a sheen on exposed skin surfaces due to sweat and grease, generaly I think your safe in that being flat as well. Especially in winter or desert conditions.

Panzer crews wore leather pants and jackets and those had about as much sheen on them as a modern motorcycle jacket. Wool uniforms read flat.

Aestheticly I think you get more out of a figure if its not painted a base black but more of a dark, very dark grey and use the black as a shadow with a lighter base for highlights. Transtions should be smoother on wool uniforms. But this is my personal aesthetic. You paint what makes you happy.

As for faces, I've seen "cold weather" faces done that have much more color and contrast and are done well. The more depth you can put into your figures, the more animated or lifelike they will appear and really be striking. A redish brown or crimson mixed into your flesh colors to shade the hollows of cheeks, neck under the eye ridge sockets, the side of the nose will give a great deal of character and depth to your faces. With highlights done in a cooler tone, you can convey wintery conditions. A figure I saw done of French Napoleonic soldiers retreating from Moscow used flesh tones with a slight blue cast to convey really cold fatigued soldiers. You have to be careful with reddening up facial colors though as they too easily start to look clownish. My suggestion would be to ease into this techniqe and err to the conservative. The pale direction you use now looks good and is a nice start to show cold.

Also a question, are the two figures to be in the same vignette/diorama/vehicle?

SteveM wrote:

For future reference on the black uniforms; I wouldn't start with a dead black base... because then you have nowhere to go with the shading. I would suggest Vallejo's Black Gray or Dark Gray, with a touch ok black to it.Then use straight black for the shadows.

Personally, I don't shade black uniforms, since there isn't any color darker than black... I only highlight them with greys and ignore the shadow areas.  Maybe it's just me, but every figure that I look at painted the way you suggest makes the uniform look like it's made of black leather, possibly because the way that you suggest is also exactly how I paint black leather flight jackets, boots, belts and such.  It gives the "leather" the sheen I want without having to go with satin or semi-gloss overcoatings...  It's not just in here either.  There's a number of "How To" books I've looked at that suggest that technique, but the photos of the Panzer crews in those books look like they're wearing leather as well...  Perhaps in larger scales it would work, or with badly faded uniforms, but for 1/35th and 1/48th, I'll stick with overall black for the base color...  

I think they look really good. Especially the piping on the tanker uniform. Nice steady hand there!

For future reference on the black uniforms; I wouldn't start with a dead black base... because then you have nowhere to go with the shading. I would suggest Vallejo's Black Gray or Dark Gray, with a touch ok black to it.Then use straight black for the shadows.

Overall, I think you're off to an excellent start.

Steve

Looks pretty good to me, I'd only suggest you thin your paint significantly because you've got some pretty heavy brushmarks there.

Also, for winter figures, pale skin is okay but it needs to be pale brown rather than pale pink. Skin becomes pale when it's cold, but you still tan in the winter, too! Don't forget to add some reddish pink to the nose, chin, and lips to get a really cold look.

 Hey White R34,

 The figures look pretty good. especially for a first try. I agree about the dull coat. Very nice. Looking forward to seeing more of your figure painting.

 Mobious

Even in the winter time Mike? Some of the books I'm getting tips from show that winter faces should be pale and some what light pink in spots. But if ARMOR Mag is rong than that is that.

http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=AP99319

It might be the lighting, but both figures look too pale to me.  Troopers would have been outdoors and exposed to the elements most of the time.  They'd have tans.

My family said that same thing so I'm now working on tuching up the faces. An getting some of my othere men painted.

White_R34,

VERY NICE JOB!!    From the pics, it looks like the 2nd figure (the one you said you had used too much thinner) has a dirty face...almost a 5 o'clock shadow or just road grime from traveling in an open-topped vehicle.  You're probably still touching them up, but a shot of dull coat and you'll have some excellent figures to accompany your models!  GREAT JOB--keep up the good work and keep us posted!