Practicing on a couple of figures.

[tonylee-Rest In Peace]

I think these came with my 1/35th Tamiya Wespe kit and while I waited on the washes to dry the last two days I thought I would practice on them because i'm still learning.

So critique away good or bad and helpful tips would be much appreciated.

This is my second attempt at figure painting so I need all the help I can get.

Thanks
Tony lee

[tigrazor]

Not bad for your 2nd attempt. Theyre not far away from looking top notch - and all you need is just a little rework.

What always helps is to highlight the uniforms with its base color again, plus eventually base color and a tiny amount of white for the highest spots - if you feel the need for it.

Which washing do you use?

[deafpanzer]

Second attempt?!?!? You should have seen mine! You did well!

It's hard to see the pic at this moment. If those guys are freezing their butts off, then I would add soft pink around the cheeks. Just send your wife out for fifteen minutes without her jacket then let her back in you will see her pinky cheeks if I am correct. Maybe nose too?

[tonylee-Rest In Peace]

"Which washing do you use?"

I applied a heavily thinned Payne's Gray first then a light Brown for the dirty look Tig.
It's an over cast winter day so there would not be a lot of contrast in the folds of the uniform,my thinking anyway.

Andy I did place a Rosie Pink to the nose and cheeks but the wash removed it. I plan to reapply the pink high light in a couple of days.

Thanks for the pointers guys.
Tony lee

[John Everett]

Could you post a close-up both front and back?

[joelsmith]

Tony, those figs are from the Tamiya Wespe. They would go well with your Sig 33.

[panzerjager2]

I know that "opinions" are like a certain body part, we all have em and they all smell.................

However I think your just fine.... it's a natural progression, you and only you are gonna do the trial and error on your projects..... 

Hell any nay sayers probably voted libertarian...LOL




Do you think Shep went through trial and error??

[Leon]

For your 2nd attempt Tony,they look pretty darn good.

[tonylee-Rest In Peace]

PJ I want to know otherwise I wouldn't have ask. Ever one's opinion is of value and I am honored to hear them and expect them to be honest but I understand what you're saying.

John E.
I sure can.




Joel
You are so right,sorry about that.

Thanks All
Tony lee

[joelsmith]

No need to be sorry, as fast as you build I couldn't keep track of what kit I was working on, much less where two figures came from. Talk more soon, Joel.

[John Everett]

Ah! That's better. The shadowing in the clothing is pretty good. You might want to play around with highlight those spots which would stand out the brightest.

The faces look as though they've got a good basecoat but they need a bit of life. Add some shadows in dark red or brown just at the edges of the skin and clothing. Also use the same dark red or brown as a wash around the eyes nose and mouth. (This is one technique where I think thinned oils do a better job than thinned acrylics. The oil flows easily and naturally into the low spots. The water doesn't.)

If you go the route of thinned oil wash, wait a few minutes for the wash to dry and then pull the red/brown out onto the nearby skintone areas or, conversely, drag some lighter skintone into the dark washed spots where you want to knockdown the shadow. The long working times and easy blending are why I still use oil exclusively on skintone. But give acrylics a try. A lot of guys get fast results from those.

[tonylee-Rest In Peace]

Guys it seems most figure painters like the exaggerated contrast like you see in comic books kinda like this:



The look i'm after is much more subtle and natural looking like this:



The flesh tones are the hardest for me and most others folks as well looking at examples posted on the net. I also realize some people doctor their photos with Photo Shop too.

Thanks so much for your help thus far too.
Tony lee

[joelsmith]

Nicely done Tony. I wish I could get my figures half as nice as yours.

[panzerjager2]

Without being too much of a Jack-a-lope.......


Something I've been relearning is that Scale and dimension are the two killers in detail. It is hard for us in 1/1 scale visualize what correct scale and dimension might be in the scale we are working. Besides this lil fact, I am reminded of something I picked up from Shep Paine. If you were to shrink down anything in 1/1 scale to say 1/25th, it would LOOK LIKE "S"...... why scale and dimension. It is hard to master these two, especially in less than 1/32nd scale. That maybe why I am more moderate when evaluating figures..... as pointed out over weathering is easy.... any who that's my 3 1/2 cents worth

[adt70hk]

Tony

I've got to be brutally honest with you about the figures....

....I think they look very well done indeed. Especially given that they're only your second attempt.

Seriously, I mean it!!!

Andrew

Jan 24, 2017 9:05:03 GMT -5 John Everett said:

Ah! That's better. The shadowing in the clothing is pretty good. You might want to play around with highlight those spots which would stand out the brightest.

The faces look as though they've got a good basecoat but they need a bit of life. Add some shadows in dark red or brown just at the edges of the skin and clothing. Also use the same dark red or brown as a wash around the eyes nose and mouth. (This is one technique where I think thinned oils do a better job than thinned acrylics. The oil flows easily and naturally into the low spots. The water doesn't.)

If you go the route of thinned oil wash, wait a few minutes for the wash to dry and then pull the red/brown out onto the nearby skintone areas or, conversely, drag some lighter skintone into the dark washed spots where you want to knockdown the shadow. The long working times and easy blending are why I still use oil exclusively on skintone. But give acrylics a try. A lot of guys get fast results from those.

John

Thanks for the mini lesson.

Andrew

[deafpanzer]

Believe me you will get better and better every time you paint figures. You will laugh when you see my first set of figures I painted eight years ago when I returned to the hobby after 20+ years break. Promise you won't laugh??? Yours is far better than this...



My last work...



Here's what really helps... get yourself a good set of resin figures because better details really makes your job a lot easier to paint. And just practice and practice!!! More tones the better! I usually paint three different tones of same color... base, darker tone for depth then lighter tone on the edges. You will be amazed how well you can paint after few more figures.

I always enjoy your posts... keep painting!

[tonylee-Rest In Peace]

Hey Andy i'm already ahead of you my man. I've got some resin figures in the stash but need to get my feet wet first and not with those high dollar resin guys.
Last night I assembled five DML figures with one more to go making six to practice on. I left the heads off thinking it would be easier to paint them,we'll see.
I added back the pink and shadows to the faces on the other two yesterday and put them back in the Wespe box.

See Ya Later there's work to be done.
Tony lee

[deafpanzer]

AWESOME! You can't go wrong with DML figures too especially newer ones. I am even using one right now for my current build except for its head as it has been replaced with Hornet resin head. I remember your first work on figures for the British SPG crew (truck with a big gun) and I thought you did very well too.

Good luck!

[tonylee-Rest In Peace]

Oh yeah Andy my "Out of Africa" dio.

These are my next victims:

They are out of the 15cm sIG 33 kit. I used the gun for the Alan Bison II and the plan is to crew the Bison II's with them.

Later Folks
Tony lee

[kiwibelg]

Hi Tony Lee,
I think you are on the right track and your figures look waaay better than my tenth or eleventh attempts!!

Are you a member of a modeling club or able to visit a show where a figure painter gives a live workshop?

The reason I ask is that sometimes it's all good and well having a book, video or the internet at our disposal but seeing someone painting  live/ manner of working gives a totally different dimension to things.

Many moons ago I was fortunate enough to attend a workshop at my local club where Gino Poppe (Belgian figure painter) taught me how to paint with acrylics.

After one sitting my whole approach to painting figures changed, one of those Eurekea moments!!

At the workshop he stressed the importance of building up contrast and highlights and trying to shift away from giving a figure a certain type of wash to achieve shadows.

That isn't to say that you can't use washes,but there are alternatives to tackle things but with a different approach.

I personally like what you have done with the faces of the figures, the one on the left looks happy as Larry but his mate next to him slightly miserable!!

Cheers,
Shay

[tonylee-Rest In Peace]

Shay there's a club here but about all they build is trucks and monster trucks so I stopped going.
There's also a well know figure painter that lives here in town that I set up appointments to meet with him so he could start me off on the right foot but would never show up or meet with me so I wrote him off as a his s*** don't stink type.

I've had two heart attacks so I stay pretty close to home and don't travel to any shows.
I'm not worried about learning how to get the results i'm after,sooner or later it will come together.

I base color with acrylics and finish up with oils,I love working with oils because the blending of colors is so much easier for me.

I have a dehydrator and I can stick the figures in there and they are dry in just a few hours so drying time with oils is not a problem.

Thanks for the post Shay i appreciate it.
Tony lee

[tonylee-Rest In Peace]

Did some painting on the Bisons and while that is drying I applied the base colors on the figures.




Did some mix and match uniforms to add interest,noticed this M&M in researching the Bison II's.

Later Folks
Tony lee

[deafpanzer]

SWEET!!!

[tonylee-Rest In Peace]

Why Thank You Darlin

[deafpanzer]

[tonylee-Rest In Peace]

OK here's the first face:

A Hitler look alike with that dirty upper lip.


Your opinions needed and should I leave the mustache or shave his upper lip?

I'll apply a different method on the next one.

Speak now or forever hold your peace.
Tony lee

[Tobi]

Jan 24, 2017 13:35:45 GMT -5 tonylee-Rest In Peace said:

I also realize some people doctor their photos with Photo Shop too.

Photo Shoppers? What a poor bunch!

For the look you're after I would suggest the Osprey book #23 "Modelling Waffen-SS figures" by Calvin Tan

I'm working with his method, here's an example. No Photo Shop, guaranteed 

[tonylee-Rest In Peace]

I've got the Osprey "Modelling Panzer Crewman of the Heer"by Mark Bannerman Tobi.
My biggest problem is my poor old eyes and seeing where i'm placing the paint. I've got a higher magnification Optivisor i'm going to start using that should help.

Stay tuned bud and Thanks
Tony lee

[Tobi]

The Bannermann book I don't know, but I also have the Fallschirmjaeger issue by Jaume Ortiz Forns. He is working with layers of acrylic colors and exaggerated highlights, which doesn't suit me well.

I like the dry-brushing over black primer approach of Calvin Tan, followed by washes, as it gives quick results and good control where to put the shadows and highlights. From there you can work on details and smoothing out as much as you want to and your vision allows for. 

[tonylee-Rest In Peace]

Faces are now pretty much done except for touch up after they dry.






I'll finish painting the hands after the uniforms are painted.

OK your turn,what do you think,any suggestions?
Thanks
Tony lee