Painting black uniforms

I follow the advice of the Osprey book on Modelling Panzer crewman. I paint with a base of black mixed with a touch of flesh. I can then do the shadows with straight black and highlight with a touch more flesh.

Bish

I follow the advice of the Osprey book on Modelling Panzer crewman. I paint with a base of black mixed with a touch of flesh. I can then do the shadows with straight black and highlight with a touch more flesh.

 

interesting, do you have a link for this book?

Do can buy it direct from Osprey, they have a seperate option for buyer in the US.

https://ospreypublishing.com/modelling-panzer-crewmen-of-the-heer

This and the one on SS uniforms i have found amongst the most useful of my referance books.

Bish

Do can buy it direct from Osprey, they have a seperate option for buyer in the US.

https://ospreypublishing.com/modelling-panzer-crewmen-of-the-heer

This and the one on SS uniforms i have found amongst the most useful of my referance books.

 

Thank you for the link you've been a great help. 

Tankluver

How do you do shadows on uniforms that's base color are black? I usually use the Andrea miniature paint sets that have varying degrees of shadow and highlights but how would I do shadow and Highlights for a Tanker in an all Black uniform? 

Don't use black, to start with.  Use a dark charcoal grey for the base color.  Then you can use black or other dark colors to mix with the charcoal grey for shadows.  That tip, I learned from Shep Paine's "Tips".  That was how he painted the Panzer crew uniforms in his Monogram dioramas.

Black by itself is too dark and doesn't look right in scale, in this application.

I can think of another example of a black object-Frank Frazetta's "Death Dealer".  He's mounted on a black horse, but if you look at Frazetta's original painting, or if you get to see any renditions of the resin kits that are out there, you'll see that the base color isn't black, but a very dark charcoal grey.  The shadows, then, have some black, dark blues, and dark browns, while the highlights are rendered with greys in various shades.

the Baron

 

 

Tankluver

How do you do shadows on uniforms that's base color are black? I usually use the Andrea miniature paint sets that have varying degrees of shadow and highlights but how would I do shadow and Highlights for a Tanker in an all Black uniform? 

 

 

 

Don't use black, to start with.  Use a dark charcoal grey for the base color.  Then you can use black or other dark colors to mix with the charcoal grey for shadows.  That tip, I learned from Shep Paine's "Tips".  That was how he painted the Panzer crew uniforms in his Monogram dioramas.

Black by itself is too dark and doesn't look right in scale, in this application.

I can think of another example of a black object-Frank Frazetta's "Death Dealer".  He's mounted on a black horse, but if you look at Frazetta's original painting, or if you get to see any renditions of the resin kits that are out there, you'll see that the base color isn't black, but a very dark charcoal grey.  The shadows, then, have some black, dark blues, and dark browns, while the highlights are rendered with greys in various shades.

 

Never realized that's it was bad to use a black base. Thanks for this tip

Tankluver

 

 

the Baron

 

 

Tankluver

How do you do shadows on uniforms that's base color are black? I usually use the Andrea miniature paint sets that have varying degrees of shadow and highlights but how would I do shadow and Highlights for a Tanker in an all Black uniform? 

 

 

 

Don't use black, to start with.  Use a dark charcoal grey for the base color.  Then you can use black or other dark colors to mix with the charcoal grey for shadows.  That tip, I learned from Shep Paine's "Tips".  That was how he painted the Panzer crew uniforms in his Monogram dioramas.

Black by itself is too dark and doesn't look right in scale, in this application.

I can think of another example of a black object-Frank Frazetta's "Death Dealer".  He's mounted on a black horse, but if you look at Frazetta's original painting, or if you get to see any renditions of the resin kits that are out there, you'll see that the base color isn't black, but a very dark charcoal grey.  The shadows, then, have some black, dark blues, and dark browns, while the highlights are rendered with greys in various shades.

 

 

 

 

Never realized that's it was bad to use a black base. Thanks for this tip

 

I bought the book, going to use the same methods in it on some 1/35 National Volks Armee tankers Im using for a what if diorama 

I'm not sure what advice and tips are in that book, but I know what works for me.

I do start from a black base and work over the highlights with little bits of white added to my black as I go. If I get to "gray" I use a black wash filter to darken it back up without losing the work I previously did with shading.

Fresher, newer uniforms will be darker with less highlights, but worn and slightly faded black uniforms will look less black and more grey with more shades.

The figure below is one of my best. The cap and gloves are faded more than the blouse and trousers from use.

Overall you can tell it's a black uniform and that's the result you're looking for.

M. Brindos

I'm not sure what advice and tips are in that book, but I know what works for me.

I do start from a black base and work over the highlights with little bits of white added to my black as I go. If I get to "gray" I use a black wash filter to darken it back up without losing the work I previously did with shading.

Fresher, newer uniforms will be darker with less highlights, but worn and slightly faded black uniforms will look less black and more grey with more shades.

The figure below is one of my best. The cap and gloves are faded more than the blouse and trousers from use.

Overall you can tell it's a black uniform and that's the result you're looking for.

Good luck and post results. 

 

 

That looks amazing, you can see the contrasting highlights. i can somewhat see the white on the highlights. The best figure I ever did was using the Ammo Mig winter uniform paint set on a Stug Crew member. I also somewhat struggle with faces, they don't seem to blend well for me 

Look for a YouTube video by Dr. Faust's Painting Clinic on painting flesh tones. That was the best tutorial I've ever seen and the results can be seen in that figure I posted. 

His technique helped me a ton.

The secret was keeping the layers really thin so they don't build up too thick. 

You can also use water colors and oils. Oils blend better, but water colors stain. You can achieve some seriously amazing effects with practice.

Eyes are not too hard if you use a sharp pencil for the pupils. Works all the way down to 1/72 scale.

Just don't forget the eyebrows lol.

M. Brindos

Look for a YouTube video by Dr. Faust's Painting Clinic on painting flesh tones. That was the best tutorial I've ever seen and the results can be seen in that figure I posted. 

His technique helped me a ton.

The secret was keeping the layers really thin so they don't build up too thick. 

You can also use water colors and oils. Oils blend better, but water colors stain. You can achieve some seriously amazing effects with practice.

Eyes are not too hard if you use a sharp pencil for the pupils. Works all the way down to 1/72 scale.

Just don't forget the eyebrows lol.

 

Im gonna look for this, I currently use the Andrea miniatures flesh paint set and I think I either need to thin it or go another direction because I'm not getting the results I want. It's also very vague in the directions as well.

Hi;

    This was one of the Questions I always posed to my first wife. Her hobby was doing Portraits and Outdoor scenes of very old buildings. She taught me that Black in miniature is too dark.  So use a very Dark grey base then shade or wash in varying shades of, believe it or not! Grey-White and Dark Blues.

 Now these washes would look almost clear. Over time and coats they would add the texture and shading you would hope to achieve. I use a product( don't remember what it's called)  to gain dimension in the layers between my pictures. I break away from modeling once in a while to paint Custom Acquarium backdrops for friends. 

     This keeps me up on the shading and washing techniques for these . It helps in modeling, but, for me only on the figures I use. I don't weather my ships much. I like that "Shipyard New" Look to most of them. My figures are only for the older Auto kits I build. I give the " Toy Soldiers" to neighbor kids.

Tanker-Builder

Hi;

    This was one of the Questions I always posed to my first wife. Her hobby was doing Portraits and Outdoor scenes of very old buildings. She taught me that Black in miniature is too dark.  So use a very Dark grey base then shade or wash in varying shades of, believe it or not! Grey-White and Dark Blues.

 Now these washes would look almost clear. Over time and coats they would add the texture and shading you would hope to achieve. I use a product( don't remember what it's called) gain dimension in the layers between my pictures. I break away from modeling once in a while to paint Custom Acquarium backdrops for friends. 

     This keeps me up on the shading and washing techniques for these . It halps in modeling, but, for me only on the figures I use. I don't weather my ships much. I like that "Shipyard New" Look to most of them. My figures are only for the older Auto kits I build. I give the " Toy Soldiers" to neighbor kids.

 

Thank you, that's some good advice. i bought the Osprey book on painting heer tankers so I'm hoping to blend all this information and use it accordingly when I get home and paint.

I made a YouTube video for some friends on painting Black. Here's the link. Hope it helps.

https://youtu.be/E84dVZcFJNc

This finished version plus the latest "Black" for an upco article in FS on my Batman.

Sorry can't figure out how to add pictures  

Highlander242

I made a YouTube video for some friends on painting Black. Here's the link. Hope it helps.

 

https://youtu.be/E84dVZcFJNc

 

Thank you, i forgot about this post but it's still something I'm persuing. i have a few more projects before i circle back to this!