Camo,
From a personal standpoint, I'd like to see more contrast in the folds of your clothing. You can also add some depth to your figures by shading the areas that you wouldn't normally think of. The areas that disappear into the coats lower hem, the underside of the arms as the light falls from top of the arm to underneath, the garments as they emerge from over garments, all add a nice depth to the overall look of the figure. Shading isn't just under deep folds in clothing but can go from top to bottom on cylinders (legs, arms) rectangles (torsos) circles (heads). Much like you have the shading of the neck getting darker as it is covered by the collar of the shirt or jacket.
Some outlining on the pockets and seam lines of the jackets would look good too. Your figures seem a little flat. I know they are in the desert and they are dusty, linen and cotton, but there can be more contrast in the fabrics.
The guy on the right looks a little popeyed too. Think of someone shooting, in the bright sun with shells ejecting etc. This is one of those cases where I think you could get by with a good squint and make it look good. Especially with the dark eyes of these guys from this region.
Nice stuff so far. I look forward to your progress on this project.
Boba,
With acrylics, if the paint is too thick, its easy to pick it back up into the brush on a second stroke. This results in the streaking you're getting. Thin your paint more and use layers rather than trying to cover in one shot. Yes it will take longer but the results will be happier and you'll obscure less detail with the thinner paint. With older paints, as we leave them open (especially with wide mouth jars like MM or Tamiya) some of the drying agent or alcohol evaporates out. This also includes a slight drying of the emulsion of the pigment. The result, thicker paint. Less emulsion and some pigment density changes. Mix the paints thoroughly, using either a small paint mixer or throw a bb into the jar. Add a drop of thinner into the paint until you like the consistency, or remove some paint from the jar and add thinner in your working resevoir and thin just what you'll need for that particular session.
Good luck.
Mike
"Imagination is the dye that colors our lives"
Marcus Aurellius
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!"
