BMW R75 motorbike and sidecar with figures 1:35 - Italera

[pjgtech]

So had another go with the clear matt varnish, as my last coat ended up being a bit shiny?
This time giving it a good stir, as its an old jar and the last little remnants of whats left, but being a tight wad, don't want to waste it! Also gave me another opportunity to just tidy up a few more little bits here and there.
Gave everything a bit more weathering, some tiny highlights on the clothes and the bundles on the stowage, etc.
Added a few rust spots and highlighted a few flecks of chipped paint on the bike and sidecar, bit more of a fuel wash on the engine, etc.
Nothing major, but I'm reasonably happy with it.
Pics...

[Tim Marlow]

This looks good Peter. Nicely finished and well staged. You should be very pleased with this one ?
Pity about the slight shine though. Matt varnishes are an absolute pig to get to work when brush painting. The only ones I’ve got to work properly are Humbrol Matt Cote and Daler Rowney . The secret with both is to mix them for about three times as long as you think necessary.
Reading through you have also mentioned you find it awkward to paint eyes. I will give you my take on this, because I’ve done it hundreds of times on slightly smaller scale figures, but if it’s of no interest, or you are happy with what you do, just ignore it ?. Part of the secret, I think, is not to use white as a basis. I find it simply too stark and that it amplifies any mismatch between them. I use ivory instead of white because it covers better anyway, and looks more natural. The other way to avoid this problem is once you have painted in the eyeball, cut it back to size with whatever colour you’ve used for the flesh. No one expects you to get this right first time…so you shouldn’t either. Eyes are not round, by the way, at very best they are almond shaped, and in bright outdoor conditions they are usually little more than slits. As to iris and pupil, I wouldn’t bother with those details on a figure this small. Personally I go for the thinnest of thin black lines outlining the top of the eyeball, and then just put a vertical black line down through the eyeball where the iris and pupil would be. The whole forms a sort of T shape, better defines the eyeball, and is far easier to do, especially when you remember you can overpaint with the surrounding colours to get rid of any ragged or imperfect lines…..you will always find one eye easier to paint than the other, by the way (usually the figures left eye if you are right handed) because the nose gets in the way…. I minimise that problem by turning the figure upside down when doing the other eye ?

[pjgtech]

Sort of glad its not just me having probs with the matt being too shiny, I will try stirring a lot more next time. Thanx for the tip about the eyes, cheers. :-)