First Figure WIP-8/8Update, First figures DONE, TAKE A LOOK!

Ill give you the same site I give everyone for doing flesh, I find it works really well, its hard to do in 1/35 but its possible with a steady hand.

http://www.acesofiron.com/skin_tones.htm

Also, his right arm isnt on correctly, its to low.

Awesome Bill I know personally how daunting starting from scratch painting figures can be, but the end results are well worth it.  Guy looks great, but it might be the picture but it looks like you might want to put some milliput underneath his left arm pit.  It looks like you can see the backdrop right through his arm.

Also you might want to sand underneath his chin and neck and repaint those areas.  The paint will build up really quickly htere and will make blending and feathering very difficult.

Sorry don't want to sound negative or picky on your first figure.  I had to sand and primer my first figures a couple of times as ll.

Good start!!!

Let's Do This!

Thanks, guys, and yes, something is wrong with that right arm.  He is supposed to be holding a rifle at about a 45 angle.  I'm not sure what's wrong, but it matches up perfectly at the rear and top, it looks funny from the front.  I knew there was a gap, but I figured the rifle butt would fill the crease, butI don't think it will, and that was before I spotted the blue background in the giant photos.  I will take a look tomorrow and either pry it off or add some putty.

I will also look at his chin area.

Thanks, guys.

 EDIT--Wow, check that mold line on his left index finger, man, I forgot how mcu shows up on the old photo blow ups.

Slight delay, i will fix and report back.

Bill

Hi Bill,

It's looking good so far. Just a couple of observations.

Your primer coat looks a little granular, particularly on the upper half of the figure. This may have been caused by your paint being too thick or by spraying from too great a distance, allowing the paint droplets to dry before they reach the surface.

The grunginess of the neck/collar line may be partially a result of this, particularly if you painted this area using vertical strokes and pushed the "grains" down to the collar line with the tip of your brush. To prevent this, paint the edge with strokes parallel to the collar line.

Another thing that I've noticed with Vallejo paints is that when you dispense and thin the paint, if you are picking up paint from the edge of the "puddle", this edge can start to dry quickly and subsequent dips of the brush can start to pick up bits of dry paint. This can also contribute to "lumpiness".

Thanks, all, don't be shy about these comments.  I'm a big boy.

I pulled that arm off this morning, and also filed around the collar line and the index finger seam.  The arm mating surface and the shoulder mating surface sem to match, I will try a remount.  I am gong to have to re paint the undercoat, but no big deal there.

About the granularity/primer issue, should I soak him in Simple green and start over with some sprayed primer?  I used Tamiya rattle can fine surface primer the first time just because I didn't want  to turn on the compressor. 

I don't mind setbacks, especially on this scale (pun?), I've only got about 20 minutes of actual painting time on him.  

camo junkie wrote:

and are you going to apply some of that red/brown wash on the face/eyes/mouth?

Camo junkie,

Yes, but see above, I actually put some wash on him last night, but in looking at the pictures I took, and seeing the coments, some re work is necessary before I move forward.

Bill  

How about throwing a side arm in his left hand, to hide the sink line? Just a thought.

Mic wrote:

How about throwing a side arm in his left hand, to hide the sink line? Just a thought.

Hi Mic, yes, he will be holding an MP44, but the stock is so short, I don't think it will fit in his shoulder pocket.  I don't think the arm was right, i pulled it off this morning for another try.    

Oh, in one post, I thought you were remarking on the mold / sink line in his left index finger (raised hand), and I was thinking the MP44 would be in his right hand.

Sorry 'bout that.

Tonight, I repositioned the pesky arm, used a tiny bit of putty, then re primed, re base coated the face and hands, painted the jacket while the face was drying, then did the same thing to the other guy, and then I washed both faces and hands twice with a red/leather brown mix.

I am happier with his arm, and the washes came out pretty good.  I know there are still many steps to go, but I feel like I am making progress here.

And the other guy, he looks like he is a boxer

Bear with me, I am still working out the are of the close up, I am trying to balance good light, the proper backdrop, and the distance from the camera.  I had to dump a lot of fuzzy pictures.

well, as always, open for comments, and thanks for looking.

Bill

ETA--guess it's time to break out the opti visor, huh?

I got a lot done today, I used my wife's hair dryer to speed up the process, and I think I finished the heads, gave the dudes some hair, and did the base uniform colors and did the unifirm highlighting. 

The disco guy was first, and i got into the shadow/highlight groove that I forgot the other guy, so his shadows are much darker, I didn't use 2 shades of darker, only the darkes shade.

I think this is an in progress shot

I need to start on the straps, equipment, and get these guys some headgear.  I think I like this figure painting deal, but I need to see these pictures to see how they look.

First figures, so with that in mind, comments welcome.

Bill

Hey Bill,

Sorry I got really busy with work and family priorities and got behind on this.  They look like my first ones buddy!  Awesome going to new places with your skillsets is fun huh?  I like the color you used for the boots.  Give us more info what is your base colors for the uniforn and what colors are you going to add to the basecoat color for highlights and shadows? 

Hi Edmund, no need ot apologize, hobbies are the last thing on my list, too.  I figured you would surface at some point.

The smocks are straight German gray, the pants are the German Gray, with a touch of black, the boots are straight leather brown.

To darken for both the smocks and pants, I put some black in the next pallette dish, and dipped the brush in once for the first shadow, and again for the second.

To lighten, I used yellow first, then white into that mix.  I need to try to get some better color shots, the highlighting looks pretty good by eye, but, like postshading on olive green, it's hard to show it in a photo.  It's most prominent in the knees in the first photo, I was trying to fade the knees like happens in my jeans.   

My mistake was I did the disco guy first and forgot to use the interim shadow and highlight on the boxer guy, so his shadow and highlight is pretty stark.

I gave them dark blond hair, I need to get their headgear on, princess said they look "OK," but was concerned they have flat heads.  

edmund, the first guy...never mind i just saw how you think he looks like he's "discoing"!! for first guys, they're better than most. i think now with some good practice you will progressively increase your abilities.

Bill,

This is good timing! I to am moving into "figs" by reading and watching other members techniques. I have already locked in on "Schnobs", "MR" and now you.

My question for you is what to you think of your "Vallejo" paints. I am looking at purchasing a set myself since I have tried oils and enamels with poor results.

What I do know so far is...PREP, PRIME, and work slowly.

Hi I build.

I like the Vallejo, with the caveat that I just bought it last week and have nothing to compare it to.  On the downside, it was a totally new paint line, and I don't think I can use it for anything but figures and stowage.  So there's a minor investment, but I have had a chance to read a lot, and Schnobs' figures, as you know, are realy something.  I want to be able to put figs on my builds, and not fear the process.  The paints operate exactly as I read they would, make sure you thin with clear clean water, and shake shake shake before mixing, and stir stir stir while using them.  Also, wick the paint off the brush on a rag before using it or you will flood out your work.

The paint goes on very smoothly, I have yet to see a brush mark, but it seems delicate, I have rubbed it off with handling before it is set up i guess, but it looked dry to me.  Beyond, I am pretty certain that parctice is the key to where I want to be.

So get some Vallejo and post some pictures.  I went from thinking I would never to a figure because it looked "tricky," to posting a WIP of my first figure in a span of about 10 days.

OK, more progress tonight.  On Scnobs' learned counsel, I started alternating between oil umber washes on the uniform, and highlight with lighter colors, several iterations, 3 or so, I am a lot happier with the uniform now.  I also started painting the various details, the MP44s, the mag pouches, the spats, t shirts, etc.

Here's where we stand now:

Disco Franz,

I like how his hair turned out 

And boxer Hans

He's the stepson, I haven't done much shading on his uniform, and the paint doesnt want to stick to him.  You can only be disappointed so many times, I will finish him, but I am not giving him as much attention as Disco boy.

And just for grins, actually practice, I got some severed resin heads to practice on, I will probably graft them on the DML tank riders I already have.  I've only just started the first resin head, the first piece of resin I have ever touched, let alone worked on, I am totally converted, the detail makes painting a breeze.

Here are some shots after 2 coats of vallejo dark and flat flesh I mixed up, then a red/brown wash to emphasize the lines and creases, almost none of them could be found on the DML injection molded guys.

At this point, it's already the least pathetic figure I have ever cranked out.

Then I took some straight flat flesh and added highlights with a thick wash

Edit to add--mini machine guns 

Then I put some lighter flesh, just the straight flat, into a thick wash and highlighted the high areas.  I think I will do alternating oil washes with smaller and smaller and lighter and lighter highlights.  This is my weak link right now.

Well, every single person reading this has probably got a lot more time in figures than I have, so let's hear it, please?

Thanks for following this one, I am on uncomfortable ground at this point. 

Bill         

Hi Bill!

Awesome progress Bill! I was thinking when I was reading your post what I would of wanted to hear on my first figure post and what I did hear that meant a lot to me and here it is.

Great job facing your own fears and each one will get easier and turn out better than the last!  Your figures will eventually look as good as your tanks and add not detract from the presentation.

Amazing the difference between resin figures and plastic huh!

Keep it up Bill bring these figures home!

These are great looking figs, shapping up very well.

I'd say you deserve a pat on the back.

I think I'll need to invest in some Vallejo paint for my builds, turns out great looks like!

psstoff995s lbro wrote:

I think I'll need to invest in some Vallejo paint for my builds, turns out great looks like!

They are definitely well worth the investment. Also, if you're not already using them, get a couple of artist grade brushes to go with the paints.

Schnobs wrote:

Hi Bill! Awesome progress Bill! I was thinking when I was reading your post what I would of wanted to hear on my first figure post and what I did hear that meant a lot to me and here it is. Great job facing your own fears and each one will get easier and turn out better than the last!  Your figures will eventually look as good as your tanks and add not detract from the presentation. Amazing the difference between resin figures and plastic huh! Keep it up Bill bring these figures home!

Thanks, Edmund, I certainly would not even be trying this without your help.  It's dues I have to pay, I will most definately finish these guys, and the head guy, then the rest ofthe DML tank crew and the 3 resin guys I got, by then< I should have almost 10 figures under my belt, they should be looking presentable by then.  Can you think of any reason the paint will not stay on the boxer?  I can't get a handle to stick to him, so I hold him a lot, but the paint just seems to wipe off.

My new plan is to put some late russian tank riders on that IS 3 when I turn ba  ck to the heavy metal.  The resin detail makes it SO much easier, both in holding the dark washes, and in giving you a detailed road map of where to highlight.  I love resin.

Bill

psstoff995's lbro

Thanks for the kind words, and yes, you need to try Vallejo, it goes on like silk, very smooth, it's easy to go from full strenght to a wash, thins with water, easy clean up, it just works.

Thanks again, psstoff995's lbro!

Bill

It has been my pleasure Bill.  The only thing that comes to mind is that your oils from your hands has prevented the primer or base coat from adhering to the figure.  I am very religous about all my plastic and resin pieces having a dawn dish soap bath before painting.  All the horror stores I heard about not cleaning before paint stuck with me I guess.

Resin is cool!

These are looking good. The faces are definitely coming along. I too use VA paints and love them. Flesh areas always look iffy until the very end when that last coat just makes them pop.

If you searcht the threads, look for "Flash Out" and "SF Quick Build". These are two of my most recent figures (in 120mm), painted w/ VA paints. There's a few pics I posted of the face-in-progress. They should give you a good glimpse of what you might be seeing in your progress. Probably the best thing I figured out btwn these two figs, was that on the SF fig, I went back at the end and added a highly thinned coat or two of a pinkish-flesh color. This made the "life" pop out.

The one thing that I learned thoughout the process of building figures has already been touched on ... You're never going to get any better if you don't practice on things that you're not good at. Even just "going for it" makes you better at it.

Give it a shot .... the worst that can happen is that you have to respray it w/ primer ...

GOOD LUCK!!! ... and have fun!!!

Oh yeah, almost forgot to ask .... for your fig that the paint doesn't want to stick .... 1) Are you washing your figs in luke warm water w/ a drop of soap? 2) Are you applying primer? 3) Get religious about washing your hands. I know that you've been building armor, but for some reason, when you get to building figs .... your fingers just want to run all over them!

Thanks, Edmund and Modelchasm,

I did prime them, and the vallejo paint goes on fine at first, giving good coverage, it just seems to refuse to stick.

I forgot to wash them, normally I pull the whole project out of the box the night before, soak and gently scrub in warm water with dishwashing soap, and then air dry. 

I suspect that another factor is the Disco guy is properly mounted on an old pencil, but I couldn't get the other guy to stick, so I have been handling him a lot.

I'll remember to wash the next guys, and I will pick up some dowel and mount the guys for painting.

Thanks for the insight,

Bill