painting figures with acrylics...

You will need to add an extender/retarder to your acrylic paints, most companies that produce acrylic colours should have it as it is commonly used when airbrushing acrylics.

An extender/retarder works great as it keeps the acrylics moist longer so you can blend them...also another idea that works is what they use in folk art painting, double load your brush with the light and the dark color on opposite sides of the brush, work it across a plastic plate or paper to blend it slightly in the middle of the brush and paint away!

Thx for the tips. Where can I get this extender/retarder? The acrylics I'm using are Apple Barrel acrylics from Wal-Mart, and I don't recall seeing any extender/retarder. Is there another brand I could use?

QUOTE: Originally posted by DDRmaniac122002 Thx for the tips. Where can I get this extender/retarder? The acrylics I'm using are Apple Barrel acrylics from Wal-Mart, and I don't recall seeing any extender/retarder. Is there another brand I could use?

You'll have to move up the retail food cahin to at least an Michael's or AC Moore if not a real art supply store.

Don't bother blending. Painting figures with acrylics is better done with a different technique. Here's a link that shows you how techniques for painting figures using Vellejo acrylics.

http://www.ttfxmedia.com/vallejo/cgi-bin/_modelis.asp?p1=ing&p2=modelcolortecnicas#modelcolortecnica01

For my figs i use the thicker acrylics found in the crafts department. The colors are infinite. Also since these paints are thicker you can thin them to taste. i have't had much of a problem with drying time issues. I do NOT recommend them for alcohol based washes however because I beleive that whatever the thickening agent that is in them seems to "clump" in alcohol. But they are cheap and work great for me. i only use the thinner more expensive acrylics on my armor. i have the craft paints on everything from 1/35 to my award winning 16 inch T-800 from Terminator 2.