OOPS...DROPPED A HALF PAINTED FIGURE

Get the Sandpaper and steel wool out.

That's what I would do, as IMO it is the quickest and best way to recover from such a mishap. I guess it is a White Metal figure and not a resin piece.

a paintbrush and thinner appropriate for your paint. Use a heavy application for the first coat and then use a dry brush to pull off the softened paint. This well let you "surgicaly" remove areas of paint and not have to sacrafice surrounding areas.

Thanks guys! It is a white metal figure. It is a figure that is given when you sign up for "INTERNATIONAL MODEL FIGURE", I think that is the name of the magazine. It was created Mike Blank. I painted the chain mail and it looks pretty good and did not want to get rid of that part.

Mike, I am finally starting to paint my first figure. It has only been about 6 months when I metioned that I was going to attempt a figure. I was so close when I dropped it on the floor. I guess next time I will stay over the work bench.

Scott

Glad you started one. And a good figure to start on. Mike Blank is an exceptional sculptor and has some great subject matter.

Take your time, have fun, and remember, if you don't like it, there's always thinner.....

I found one of the first figures I painted from 30+ years ago. It was fun to look at that first atempt and see how far I've come. Hold onto this first figure and use it as a reference for your progress over time. Hopefully we'll see some pics of your handywork?

RENARTS: Will alcohol work even though it has dried for a couple of days? I tried to rinse of the Tamiya paint but seems as though it dried quickly. I did rinse off all the debris. How well does steel wool work and what grade of wool would you recommend? This figure seems to be nicely detailed. It also has a learning curve to it. I tried using Windsor & Newton acrylics but the paint did not want to go on smoothly so I painted over the cape with the same color in Tamiya. Tamiya paint just seem to flow better. I was going to use Andrea paints but I did not have a green with the set I bought. Also, do you know if I can mix gloss with flat okay or is it best to keeps the types separate. I think that the gloss would take on a flat look. I will keep you and everyone else aprised of the progress made.

You'll have to work it around the surface but it will take it off. It may take a few applications. The tamiya paints are fine but the andrea paints are better. For figure work and smooth finishes, don't try and paint it with one coat. Mix the andrea down about 2:1 or 3:1 water to paint. (used distilled water if you have hard tap water) It will look like a heavy wash after the first application but the second or even third application will smooth it out and give you an even surface. You can use heavier coats(2:1) for these successive applications of paint. Ive found you can treat tamiya paints like andrea the same way. Tamiya's dryng agent works a little faster so a thinner paint mix works well.

You can make green with some yelow and blue. Red will make it more olive and black will make it a little more like hunter or forest green. By varying levels of blue, green or even white (for a softer or pastel shade) you can give yourself several shades and tones of green. Play with the mix off on the side to get what you think you'll like. (All colors are made up of the primary colors blue, red and yellow. By adding things like black or white you can change opacity and tone. My advice is pick up a color wheel or make a copy from one of the many modeling publications that include them within their text. From it you can mix up complimentary and contrasting colors for any color you want, just by mixing those colors. It will also give you more effective highlights and shadows. i.e. to highlight red and avoid it going pink, use yellow instead of white. To shadow red use blue. Shep Paines books on dioramas has one and many of the figure books have one. Almost any art book will have one printed. I keep one taped up over my workbench for those late night sessions when my brain goes numb and I can't think.)

The difference between gloss piant and flat paint is the amount of pigmentation:carrier. There is more particulate matter in flat paint causeing it to refract the light and break the light up on the surface of the paint. Gloss paint has more carrier or solution. This is what rises to the surface and forces light to reflect off the pigment, creating a gloss finish. By mixing the two, dependent on the mixing ratios, you can create everything from a slightly dull gloss to a slight matte sheen to paint surface. Later when you feel more comfortable you can play with mixing in flow enhancers and airbrush mediums to give your acrylic paints characteristics more similar to enamels or oils in their working chacteristics. But I advise you sit down and spend a couple of days experimenting before tackling a figure with these. You should know the results of your mixing ratios to determine the finish you are looking for.

Always try to paint in long even strokes and try to avoid going back over the previous stroke if possible. You can actually pull pignemt or paint away the surface by doing so because of the drying agents working with the air. A round is good for this base coating.

Steel wool is just that and you must be careful when using it. You can soften crisp detail by going too far. I have a nylon brush that I use on my dremel that I lightly and gently work softened paint finish off of surfaces. For a broader area you can use a toothbrush. It is much more gentler on metal surfaces, especially since figure mfr.s use a tin/pewter and bizmuth mix in their figures making them relatively soft metals. If you want to use steel wool you can, but use the finest you can get a hold of and go gently. Don't be in a rush. I've found that patiently working the paint with a stiff paintbrush and thinner appropriate to the paint is sufficient to remove paint down to the enamel primer coat and I can start over. The layers aren't all that thick and 15 or 20 minutes working it can clean it up and salvage an figure I've spent several hours on in prep, base coats and details. If you are going to remove the paint on the cape with steel wool, you should finish up with a lengthwise rubbing to remove or smooth out any scratches that are perpendicular to the "flow" for the cape.

Hope this helps and I'm looking forward to your finished piece.

Regards