Painting eyes on 1/35 scale figures

Page 58 in shepherd Paines' book "How to Build Dioramas"

somenewguy

Page 58 in shepherd Paines' book "How to Build Dioramas"

Im going to go ahead and tell you how rude of a comment that was.  First he came here to ask for help, we dont know what materials he has at hand, if he has that book or not.  I know I have been building for years and do not have it.

While your at it, why dont you go tell him to use the search function, or even to google it.

_______

That being said, in 1/35th the eyes are so small your best bet would just to put a bit of black, painting the eyes often makes it look odd, if you put the white.  Im working on a bust in 200mm and it still looks wierd putting white in the eyes.  Put a bit of black in there and it shuold be fine

Arched do transfers,

They look good, are available in lots of sizes, but as I don't do figs.... I have used their other stuff & like them...

http://www.archertransfers.com/

here: http://www.archertransfers.com/AR99001.html

You can also use Google.com to search

Consider not painting them.  In 1/35th scale, eyes are extremely small and whites are usually not visible.  Use a dark brown around the eyes and mouth (I use Testor's Rubber).  After the dark has dried, dry brush Flat Desert Tan over the face.  Facial features will begin to pop out.  The eyes and mouth will be there.

Smeagol, I have not been at figures for very long myself. I could go ahead and tell him how I do it, but my results are not fantastic I must admit. I read the thread title and knew that Neshyfaith was in need of help. I also noticed that there were no replies yet. So I thought I would be courteous and do what I could and tell him exactly where he could find a superb figure painting reference, no matter how long it takes him to get his hands on it (if ever). Sure, I could've added that I'm not very experienced myself and that I didn't want to lead him in the wrong direction, but oh well, $#!+ happens, we all make mistakes.

Three things Smeagol:

1. In future if you are going to bark at someone please consider doing it somewhere discreet such as in a PM where other people dis-concerned don't have to ing put up with it

2. Many people on this forum suggest the search function without giving any other advice or help (but not so much for google).

and 3. If possible, buy "How to build dioramas"! It is excellent.

Happy modeling.

To get back to the actual topic... (*cough)

Try not to paint the eyes. When you google around for pictures of people who painted their (first) figures, and subsequently added a dot of white in the eyes you usually end up with that freaky "ghost" stare.

I have personally only painted a handful of figures in my modelling career (ahem...) but never used any white in the eyes. Instead i just add the shadows with a black wash with pretty satisfying results

Hope this helps

Richard

Near the bottom of this page there is a step by step he has other figures that may help as well.

larger scale modelers (1/6) use light grey or oyster for the eyes since eyes aren't actually white.

I gotta agree with Smeagol. As a new-bee it is very frustrating to ask a question and not have it answered. It has happened to me at least three times. Just because we are new to FSMs online world, doesn't mean we should be answered with often blunt or rude comments telling us we are lazy and not willing to work for our answers. Frankly I was surprised at my first "welcome". I guess I asked the wrong question or was in the wrong forum and was answered very rudely. Hey after 29 years as a Firefighter (retired 4 years ago at 47) I have very thick skin, but this bulls#@# of condescension is just wrong. Smeagol didn't air "dirty laundry" he is just sick of the attitudes. I MENT TO POST IT HERE NOT TO START SOMETHING BUT TO TELL IT LIKE IT IS!!!!!Now.....lets get on with building some models and having a good time and not be afraid to ask questions, even simple ones.

Even a broken clock is right twice a day...

I don't use any white on 35th scale eyes. My method is pretty simple - I use black mostly,,, I start by painting the eyebrow,,  then (below the eyebrow of course) I paint a horizontal line which would be the overall eye. Then I add a very small little dot on and below this line making up the eyeball.

In 35th scale not much more would be discernable in the eye-area

see below -

Hope this helps you out somewhat.......

Ok...

Indeed.

Yes I agree that when looking outdoors a person 50 ft. away will be squinting and eyes are not very noticeable.

Try this: View a person like said above until they appear 2" tall, this is close to 1/35 scale. Any details from this distance should be added.

Now!

You asked and I have a easy way for you:

After you are satisfied with the painted face coat with flat clear if flat colors have not been used. Flat clear will dull some colors yet you can touch up later.

Sharpen a white wax crayon (I used ones for marking tarps) Add the white with the wax crayon. Now do not fear if a bit more is on, now chip the white off with a sharp toothpick until satisfied, less is more in this case.

Sharpen a colored pencil crayon to add the iris color. A rotating action is better than anything else.

 1/35 scale Ultracast resin figure. *study other modeler's work. Here is my first try @ eyes:

1/35 scale Ultracast resin figure. This fellow was squinting so that was easier:

Another modeler's work. I think 90mm note the realistic skin tones:

You guys are awesome!! Just what we needed. Now I can at least get started. I'll  post some pics. when I'm done. Thanks a bunch . Keep on modeling!!!!!!

To the OP, I would suggest going over to a couple of my favorite figure based sites, timelines and Planet figure.

With all due respect to my fellow posters here, you really should learn to paint eyes, even in 1/35. There are guys who can get good results in gaming figures, something less than 1/48. You can get by with a wash and dry brushing, maybe, if you have a big bunch of figures and lots of scenery on a dio, but a single figure will come alive with realistic eyes.On the other hand, check out this thread of some work by Dan Capuano, who works at an amazing rate in 1/35. That dio took something less than a year.

Yes, learning to paint them is a skill unto itself. There's a lot of trial and error along the way, but eyes, thousand yard stares, etc. but when you nail it...think how proud you'll be. For some top notch examples, take a look at Marion Ball's work here. The 54 mm figures are only a bit larger than you 1/35s. I've only seen Archer eyes used on a few figures at the IPMS national in 2002. My reaction was they looked like dol eyes.

Also, avoid using pure white for the sclera (white). I use a Vallejo's Pale Flesh and a drop of brown, green, or one of several shades of blue for the iris. You'll need a fine tipped brush, Kolinski sable is considered the gold standard. In busts, I'll often add a very thin wash of burnt sienna after I'm done with the eye to get a look of blood vessels at the corners.

Quite welcome Chazzer

One of the ways I have done the eyes on a 1/35 figure is to follow what I read in the book Armour Modeling, which was to paint the large area of the eye a color lighter then the overall skin tone. Then to take the needle point on like a set of dividers and make a little pin hole where the iris should be.

I think it works rather well and I do not have to paint as much.

Cheers,

Thom

Another tip for easy face painting is to have a excellent face sculpt to begin with.

This alone can be key to using washes & dry brushing to bring a figure to life.

Most will agree to swap out plastic heads for resin ones. Plastic tends to not be as 'crisp' of reproductions nor can hold the delicate detail of resin. Its a tad bit more $ yet still cheaper than full resin figures.

Sounds pretty simple, Thom,,,  thanks.

I will give this method a try as well

I hate to disagree with all those who have been around far longer than me, but whenever I paint eyes in 1/35th, I always paint the whites first, with a light ghost grey (matches the whites of any person's eye perfectly). Then, I go and paint the rest of the face flesh tone.

IMHO, putting just a dot looks too "cartoony". Even in 1/35th, the whites are visible, right down to the colors of the iris (sometimes, I'll even put in a pupil with Gloss Black). Make sure the white areas aren't too big, though, or you'll end up with "Shocked Soldier #1", or "Bugeyed Bill".

I have tried both methods, and found that painting the whites allows me to play with the expression of the person's face. For instance, I fiddled with a 1/35th German machine gunner and made him look like he was actually squinting down the sight of his weapon. I also had fun with a 1/35 scifi spaceman, making him look as though he is wistfully peering into the distance. All made possible by varying the shape of the whites of the eyes.

Practice makes perfect--find a method of painting eyes that is pleasing to your eyes. You can never succeed without practice. Keep on building.

PS- I'd love to share my work thru pics, but my camera flat out refuses to cooperate on figures.

agentg

Regardless of whether you paint the whites or not, here's a tip.

Hold the figure upside down when you put those itty bitty dots in the eye sockets. Don't know why, but it will go a long way in keeping your figgy from looking like he/she has a lazy eye. It helps with the spacing.

G

Another tip I recall from Shepard Paine's books is to inspect your work in a mirror as it forces you to interpret what you actually see and not assume is there (or not)  

I never bothered attempting Shep's sequence to paint eyes as it seemed like a lot of paint build-up that could start to effect the detail of the sculpt. Also after all that one slip and its back to starting the eyes over.

*Proof is in the eyes, I (pun intended) would like to see more pictures and less text to back up some of the claims made on this thread. 'A picture of a eye for a eye painting technique.'

I don't try to paint them---I try to "suggest" that they are there by using dark colors in and around the socket.  Truth is, in this scale, whites in eyes--or any color--would almost be impossible to see in most instances...

Only in 90mm and up do I attempt to "paint eyes":

Excellent figures Manny!

I knew you had the Horton's 2-29 throw down!

(once again another intentional pun)

There is a theme and style to your figures that works well. My favorite is the scene in front of the white washed Tiger I.

The colors in the skin tones, uniforms and gear is perfect!

One item if I may is to not use black unless absolutely necessary or just in black items of course. I know black makes details 'pop' yet resist the dark side and reach for a darker shade of the color or a dark brown.

SuppressionFire

 

*Proof is in the eyes, I (pun intended) would like to see more pictures and less text to back up some of the claims made on this thread. 'A picture of a eye for a eye painting technique.'

A few 54MMs:

And in large scale busts:

Excellent work Alfie!

The native American sculpts captivate your interests, I too admire their spirit, courage and honor.

One out of the 54mm figures interests me as well, who produces the 'Mad Max' figure? Sooner or later a manufacture will produce a series dedicated to the vehicles & characters involved in 'the Road warrior' in 1/35 scale.

Thanks for posting your work, like the expression says 'a picture is worth a thousand words'

I personally think there's trial and error with any method you choose and, yeah, it will depend on the manufacturer as well. Hornet eyes are clear as a bell, and you can get right in there and provide as much detail as you are able. Others, such as Dragon and (alas) even TANK heads are not so sharp and too much detail looks phony IMHO. On these, I try to suggest the eyes, as has been previously mentioned in this thread. I can say that I always do it one way but, realistically, I just work it until it looks OK to me.

I like the idea of "over"painting the eye a bit, and then going back over the eyelids with fleshtone to tighten it up. I basecoat the face with Vallejo beige red, then go back over the eye with light fleshtone. Use a very fine sewing needle that's glued into paint brush handle, I then use oil paint (so I can wipe away errors) for the iris. The color I use generally depends on the nationality of the figure I'm painting.

Here are some examples of what I'm "getting away with" using this method...

(unfinished) Italian in Russia:

Japanese American (Hornet heads)

German with Hornet head

practice practice practice practice practice

Steve

A lot of good ideas here. My problem is that my figures (the few that I have done) either end up crosseyed or walleyed (one eye going on direction and the other going in the oposite direction. The biger the figure the less problem I have with that.

SuppressionFire

One out of the 54mm figures interests me as well, who produces the 'Mad Max' figure? Sooner or later a manufacture will produce a series dedicated to the vehicles & characters involved in 'the Road warrior' in 1/35 scale.

Thanks for posting your work, like the expression says 'a picture is worth a thousand words'

That's an Andrea figure. Right now, it's on sale for under $10 (USD) at Military Miniatures Warehouse.

John Lyle

A lot of good ideas here. My problem is that my figures (the few that I have done) either end up crosseyed or walleyed (one eye going on direction and the other going in the oposite direction. The biger the figure the less problem I have with that.

As the cabbie said to teh pianist, practice, practice, practice.

There are few of us who get decent results on our first tries.

Besides the mirror trick noted above, a couple other things to try are starting with the eye opposite your dominant hand, e.g. if you're right handed do the eye on the left facing your, (the figure's right eye). Also, if you avoid having the figure look straight ahead, the problems you noted are not so evident. I'll choose aiming the eyes where a hand is pointing, to the side a head is tilted, etc.You'll have a more animated figure this way as well.

Wow this is amazing feedback with this topic I started. Much appreciated.

  Neshyfaith..Thanks for the questions  I learned a heckof alot!!!!!!!

Dead cow eyes:

Dogs have eyes too:

Or just do this: