painting figures

fudbfu wrote:

i have tried for years to paint figures .the books dont help unless you are born to do it then just paint all the faces pink

It depends on what you want to do... If you're shooting for being a figure painter, it's gonna take a LOT of time, and practice, and the bigger the scale, the tougher the job.. It's gotta be FUN too, or you'll never do it enough to get good at it..

Me, I'm no figure painter, I just paint figures to go with my dioramas..  You don't have to paint figures photo-realistic for dioramas (although if you can, you do)...  Things to consider when doing dio figures are to keep in mind that Soldiers are out in the sun a LOT.. Their skin is literally light brown or tan, not the "Flesh" colors that come in a bottle... I start all mine with a base color of Testor's MM Radome Tan.  Also, the eyes will make or break a figure... Keeping that in mind, Soldiers will squint alot.  That means that you can get away with narrow black slits in many cases, rather than painting the set of eyes...  Moustaches, beards, five o-clock shadows all reduce the amount of "skin" you have to paint... So will dirt, mud, blood, and cammo-paint residue. 

Don't forget too, that the average viewing distance of about 12 inches is going to put your figures at as much as 20-30 scale feet away, so you only need to include the detail that would be visible from distance.  Even if your viewer's eyes are closer, the closest they can veiw an object is about 4 inches before it blurs, so unless photography is your MAIN pupose for figure-painting, you can fudge a bit...

 

M1Carbine wrote:

Octobers issue of FSM has a great how to by Jim Wechsler.  Easy to follow with great results.  Dont get discouraged, keep trying, ou will get it. Bob

This was previously discussed and the article was found wanting, to say the least.

Some advice. I've been painting figures for longer than I care to remember and I still have the occasional figure I'm not at all happy with. You gotta keep going.

Next, get decent figures. The old Tamiya blobs really aren't worth wasting paint on. They lack detail.

Third, invest in good tools: high quality paints and top notch brushes. Vallejo acrylics are desiged for figure painting and work exceptionally well. If youy choose oils, get artist quality oils, not student quality. Don't even dream of using Tamiya paints for figures. 25 years ago, yeah, they were great, but that's ancient history.

Fourth, stop reading and start painting. The more you paint, the more likely you will be to succeed.

If you can't find a local mentor, post pictures on-line for advice. Don't accept endless accolades when you know you want to improve. Guys blowing smoke and sunshione are doing you no favors. Check out other sites as well, Armoram, Time Lines and Planet Figure.

Now, forget using just about any commercially prepared flesh. Assess colors based on how they look next to your hand. Don't be afraid to try mixing colors to get a flesh tone that's pleasing to you. As you experiment, jot down the color mixtures so you'll be able to replicate your results. Try to keep the mixtures simple if you have to do repairs.

Keep practicing.

 

 

fudbfu wrote:

i have tried for years to paint figures .the books dont help unless you are born to do it then just paint all the faces pink

So...what's the point of your post?  Almost all of us have "tried for years."  We keep trying. 

 

I used to think the same thing, but with some trial and error, I can now paint a decent figure.  Octobers issue of FSM has a great how to by Jim Wechsler.  Easy to follow with great results.  Dont get discouraged, keep trying, ou will get it.

 

Bob

I like "stikpusher's" signature quote ...

"Be happy with your work."

and Camo nailed it .... Don't even think I could add to it.

well, if you feel you have a defeatist attitude you wont ever be able to paint them. you certainly cant expect to just pick up a paintbrush and apply paint like the pro's. with a little effort and careful attention to detail and alot of practice you can become very good at it. dont misunderstand me as i am no expert but i feel (and alot of other people) that i get pretty good results. i have read all the books and tried all the tricks. the only real way to paint a figure is to sit down and do it. figure out for yourself what looks good and what doesnt. it helps to have an understanding of shadows, highlights, etc. all of which i knew nothing about when i first started. i cant stress this enough, you can not base your painting skills/work on anyone else's as there is always going to be someone who's better at things than you. you therefore have to find what works for you and what makes you feel like you can "compete" with everyone else...otherwise all your doing is setting yourself to failure as you will never be "good enough" in your eyes. look around this forum as there are alot of figure painting tutorials and guides and people willing to help you in any way we can...including myself. good luck!