Figures or not?

[Tom Rigg]

Jens,
A big illuminated magnifying glass is good. I use one that clamps to the table all te time. Depending on how bad your eyes are you might try finding some VERY strong reading glasses. Here in the UK a selection can be found in chemists etc.
Another thing to consider is something like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Headset-Magnifier-Magnifying-Crafts-5-Detachable/dp/B01GTF06PS/ref=sr_1_10_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1497683578&sr=8-10&keywords=optivisor

It has the advantage of not getting in the way of the brush handle.
Regarding painting faces have a look at this.

Happy Modelling
Tom

[Guest]

Jens,
A big illuminated magnifying glass is good. I use one that clamps to the table all te time. Depending on how bad your eyes are you might try finding some VERY strong reading glasses. Here in the UK a selection can be found in chemists etc.
Another thing to consider is something like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Headset-Magnifier-Magnifying-Crafts-5-Detachable/dp/B01GTF06PS/ref=sr_1_10_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1497683578&sr=8-10&keywords=optivisor

It has the advantage of not getting in the way of the brush handle.
Regarding painting faces have a look at this.

Happy Modelling
Tom

Tom, my eyes are not that bad but with age I've had to get reading glasses like so many other.
My biggest problem with my eyes is that they get "tired" very quickly when I focus on really small things and when they become "tired" I can't see much at all...
I had an accident 7 years ago which pretty much demolished the lower part of my spine, and gave me a fractured pelvic bone - which is mended now, but the damage was bad enough to put me on painkillers (the strong kind) for the rest of my life and they are probably part of the reason why my eyes have a limited concentration-span.
When building models I find you only concentrate for a few seconds at a time for the small parts and I don't get as tired compared to painting - when I find myself concentration the whole time.
Perhaps practise can fix this? Who knows. This is however not a major issue compared to other aspects of my life post-accident so if I have to slow down and take many breaks, then that's what I'll do

I bought my grandmother one of those square, large, magnifying contraptions for reading. One you mount to the edge of a table. I'm getting one of those for myself now, with built-in lighting.
I'll make sure that the light is full colour, otherwise I'll do that modification myself.

I'm going to have a look at your video now!

Just started building a Panzer III with Rommel and crew so I've got another six figures to paint soon so I better get more training in order to improve my painting skills!
I did realise yesterday, as I said, that painting figures was a lot more fun than I'd expected - and that it gave me flashbacks from when I was a kid making tin-soldiers in the kitchen...

The best figures I've seen painted so far have all used more vibrant colours than I thought were more "accurate". Is this an accurate observation or is it just a coincidence?
With stronger, more vibrant, colours it must be easier (from a colour perspective) to create highs and lows I guess?

Anyhow, many thanks for the tips!

[Tom Rigg]

There are so many variables with colour settings on monitors, TV and printed materials it's hard to say how 'vibrant' a colour should be.
You could try a fig in more vibrant colours and tone it down with a wash if your not happy.

[Robert1968]

I always try to add figures to my armour builds. There's 2 main reasons why; it adds a sense of scale & tanks are very rarely left unattended. In fact I'm sure there's a German WW2 regulation forbidding this.

The Tamiya Jagdpanther is a great kit. I'd definitely recommend an aluminium barrel & pe engine deck screens. For about £10 for both its a small price for a much more realistic look.

Reading your comment Patrick this is defo a good plan on figs
Now I'm in the Armour builds I'll have to crack on with my figs

[grumpa]

Apart from its shiny look, that's a very creditable first attempt Jens!

I never prime with black, a darker tone of the main colour is best IMHO. Tamiya nato black is good for green uniforms.

When it comes to eyes, just a tiny dab of off-white in each corner is sufficient. Don't use white coz it's too bright & don't fill the entire socket as this invariably leads to it looking like a zombie!

Here's a very useful link to the figures section on Missing Lynx.

http://missing-lynx.com/articles/articles_figures.htm

Mike Bannermans article on face painting is well worth reading. When I do single colour uniforms, I adapt his technique by blocking in the various shades & then jabbing at the model with a brush very lightly moistened with white spirit. This blends the colours in & gives a natural effect.
The downside is because I'm using oils, the drying time is longer.
Here's a couple of crewmen from my Ostwind
[ATTACH]283134[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]283135[/ATTACH]
I still don't consider myself much good at figures, but these are way better than my early attempts. So it shows what simple perseverence can do!

A head worn magnifier is very helpful

Keep plugging away!

Show off

[Guest]

Show off

Haha any excuse Jim!

[Guest]

Ok, this post isn't explicitly about painting figures, but it's about painting in a way...

Have been putting primer on both figures, wheels and other loose bits earlier today and then I started painting a few of these.
Was sitting in bed watching youtube and I decided to start painting the face foundation on my Tiger I figure/commander with some Tamiya XF-15 whilst watching some stuff on youtube.
Being handicapped after an accident I get away with using my bed as both my bedroom and my office of sorts, and I'm known for even doing soldering in bed. (now also painting!)

Anyhow, I've got a large tray between me and the laptop (in bed) and on that tray was also all the road wheels and sprocket wheels to my Tiger I, but I didn't mind them being there at the time because I was only going to put down some basic foundation to the face of my figure.

I opened the jar of paint, got a brush and was just about to start painting - when I decided I needed some thinner.
What happened next I'm not so sure about because I was looking in another direction, but suddenly the jar of paint was no longer standing up, and worse - it was oozing out paint all over my wheels for my Tiger I!!!
I quickly lifted the jar up, and at the same time I lifted the board with the wheels in order to save the bits that was on the tray. When lifting the board with the wheels to check the tray I apparently moved it over the keyboard on my laptop, and you can guess where said paint started to flow... sigh...

For a split second I debated what to save first? Wheels or laptop? I went for the laptop.

The wheels are now cleaned off as much as possible but they will need a fresh coat of paint tomorrow to get rid of the flesh tone they're in now. Luckily only a handful was affected, but still.
Keyboard cleaned up pretty well with some solvent and some cotton buds. Some sanding might be needed though?

Lesson learned: The bed is not the best place for balancing open paint jars - and if you still do it, watch the damn stuff!!!

I tried to scoop up as much paint as possible back into the jar, but luckily it's not a colour that's used as much as some others so I can live with the loss of half the contents of a full jar for now.



Needless to say the figure's face never got any paint on it - but everything else bloody well did!

I recently said something about how much fun it was painting figures... Hmm... Not like this anyway.

Over and out... ops:

[Guest]

I thought I'd post something here as a continuation of my progress.
The figure I painted wasn't exactly inspiring and I just put it in a box and closed the lid.

I've been getting better in the paint department over all but I was struggling with the finer detail and last week I read a post/article somewhere about how little money people were prepared to pay for their paintbrushes compared to all the other models, paints and equipment they needed for their hobby, and this made me think.

I bought a cheap set of Humbrol Palpo brushes when I started back in May/June sometime and they are not good for detail. I've tried to rotate them so many times on a piece of paper to get the paint to a finer point but it doesn't work.

Not knowing anything about paintbrushes in these sizes I just decided to order one that was more expensive. Not really expensive, but more expensive to see if it made a difference or if it was me who was broken?

I ordered a £4.50 Rotmarder-Kolinsky Springer Pinsel size 0 and it made a HUGE difference!

I've already posted this picture in my King Tiger build thread so I'm sorry for cross posting - but this was my first thread/question on the forum and I felt like updating it if another learner reads it in the future they can get something more valuable from me than just a quick laugh...



I'm still miles away from your fantastic figures, but for me it's big progress and it certainly is helping the confidence!
I even managed to paint the eyes white and then adding blue irises. That felt really good and the kids though their dad had gone bonkers when I told them to come and look what I'd done... hehe...

Compare to this, my previous - and first ever figure I painted...



There is hope

[grumpa]

I thought I'd post something here as a continuation of my progress.
The figure I painted wasn't exactly inspiring and I just put it in a box and closed the lid.

I've been getting better in the paint department over all but I was struggling with the finer detail and last week I read a post/article somewhere about how little money people were prepared to pay for their paintbrushes compared to all the other models, paints and equipment they needed for their hobby, and this made me think.

I bought a cheap set of Humbrol Palpo brushes when I started back in May/June sometime and they are not good for detail. I've tried to rotate them so many times on a piece of paper to get the paint to a finer point but it doesn't work.

Not knowing anything about paintbrushes in these sizes I just decided to order one that was more expensive. Not really expensive, but more expensive to see if it made a difference or if it was me who was broken?

I ordered a £4.50 Rotmarder-Kolinsky Springer Pinsel size 0 and it made a HUGE difference!

I've already posted this picture in my King Tiger build thread so I'm sorry for cross posting - but this was my first thread/question on the forum and I felt like updating it if another learner reads it in the future they can get something more valuable from me than just a quick laugh...



I'm still miles away from your fantastic figures, but for me it's big progress and it certainly is helping the confidence!
I even managed to paint the eyes white and then adding blue irises. That felt really good and the kids though their dad had gone bonkers when I told them to come and look what I'd done... hehe...

Compare to this, my previous - and first ever figure I painted...



There is hope

I like your first (ever) figure better, painting in eyes imo (in my opinion) can have the appearance of non-reality.
Base coating and dark washing then dry brushing progressively lighter hues brings out minute detail already molded into most figures, this along with creative shadowing effects when photographing figures gives a much more realistic look I think and leaves a bit more to the imagination.

I do think adding a figure or two does enhance any vehicle even if it's only a turret mounted commander.......Jim

[col68]

Jens check out an Irish modeller longlance 67 onpainting uniforms and international scale modelling for painting faces on YouTube the way they do it is so easy. I know there videos helped me a lot