|
|
Small Scale Figure Painting |
 |
by Christian Jakl, photos taken by Wolfram Bradac |
| |
| |
| |
Right from the start, small figure painting has nothing to do with standard
figure painting. In order to produce those fantastic figures we see in dioramas
at model shows we have to use different painting techniques. A few tricks
are all it takes to get good results. Many aircraft modelers are afraid
to do dioramas because they do not feel comfortable with small scale figure
painting. Some argue that they do not have a steady hand others claim that
their figures do not look realistic enough. In this article we shall show
you how figures can easily be painted with minimum effort and still give
excellent results.
 Preparation:
Body posture is determined by the role the figure plays in the diorama.
Once assembled, filled and sanded, painting can begin. The surfaces of resin
figures are covered by a greasy film that has its origin in the production
process. This film is brushed into the mould in order to make the removal
of the figure easier. A little cleaning with nitro thinner or thinned acetone
will do the trick. Do not submerge the figure into these thinners for any
length of time as they will deform the figure. In order to hold the figure
during the entire painting process, a hole is drilled into the sole of the
shoe and a copper wire glued into this hole. This not only makes it easier
to paint the figure but it also facilitates the mounting of figure to the
base.
Undercoating
(Primer coat):
It is necessary to apply a primer coat in order to have better adherence
of the paint. Priming with Gunze Mr.Surfacer 1000 has another good side
effect because it brings out the details with its light gray flat surface
and therefore makes painting easier. Various imperfections on the figure
also become more noticeable, normally hidden by the glossy surface of the
resin. This Gunze product can be applied with your airbrush and takes about
15 minutes to dry. Any mistakes can then be sanded. |
 |
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| Image 2: Undercoating
... |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
Skin
Color:
In order not to lose any contour details by using a brush, I apply the skin
color with the airbrush. The skin colors produced by the paint manufacturers
are for the most part too "clean". They are closer to the color of pink
pigs. That is why I darken Tamyia XF-15 Flesh with a little dark brown.
At this point one must use judgment how dark or light the skin tone has
to be. During this phase only the base skin color is applied; no highlights
and shadows yet.
Choice
of Colors:
He who believes that his own incompetence or lack of talent is responsible
for poor results could be very much mistaken. The paints or rather the type
of paint is usually to blame. The best results at brush painting are achieved
with Andrea or Vallejo paints. Both manufacturers have produced excellent
acrylics that cover well. Andrea colors dry matt, the matter how one applies
them. Vallejo colors dry a bit oily and semi-glossy if one applies them
in a thick coat. They do have quite a few uniform colors in their assortment
however. Both paints may be mixed.
Base
Colors:
The first step is to cover the large areas. Here the colors should not be
thinned or lightened. Parts of the figure that will receive a different
color are ignored at this stage. You should work carefully and cleanly right
from the start. Mistakes can still be corrected.
Highlighting:
In order to make the fabric look realistic we need to use dry brushing techniques.
Here the advantages of using these two brands of paint come to the fore.
The base color is lightened by adding white or light gray. Not too many
materials are needed here, a tooth pick and a firm base. The degree of highlighting
depends on darkness of the base color, but can be tried out without problems
on the figure. |
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Image 4: Choice
of Colors... |
|
|
| Image 6: Highlighting
... |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
Dry
brushing:
Take a soft good quality brush and tip it into the paint. Then take a cloth
and wipe the paint from the brush until only a little pigment is left on
it. These pigments will now be dragged over the elevated detail of the figure.
This process should be more of a rubbing process. Do not touch the dry brushed
parts with your fingers because the paint comes off easily. If time is available
let the figures dry overnight. If there is too much paint on the brush you
will notice unsightly blotches on the figure. These can be removed with
a finger immediately.
Details:
All areas of the figure should be painted according to the principles set
forth above. No expense should be spared to purchase good quality brushes.
Fine details are best painted with these high quality brushes. It makes
the job easier. Use lighter and paler color tones. Strong colors make the
small figures appear too obtrusive in the diorama setting. For instance
use Anthracite rather than black or light yellow rather than yellow. If
you have a magnifying glass by all means use it.
Oil
Colors:
Once the figure is finished let it dry thoroughly. Since various paints
are susceptible to interact with oil paint thinners it could happen that
your paint job may be destroyed. In order to accentuate the indentations
of the figure, a highly thinned mixture of black oil paint should be dabbed
into these recesses. The oil paint will find its own path. For skin color
a brown color tone such as umbra, sienna, or ochre should be used. When
the oil painting step is completed the figure should not be touched for
at least two hours. The oil color sets and the figure can have color residue
removed with a soft cloth. The oil color then remains only in the areas
where the cloth cannot reach. Finally the figure gets a matt finish. |
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Image 7: Dry
brushing ... |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
Finish:
Finally small details are painted such as buttons, insignia, belt buckles
etc. For the face I reach for a very light Andrea skin tone. I then dry
brush, nose, ears and cheekbones. With a black colored pencil I dot the
eyes. I would not attempt more in this scale since any attempt to paint
black and white would not look very realistic.
Conclusions:
Because of the dark and light painting method of individual parts of the
figure a three dimensional illusion is created for the eye. Facial features
are hinted at but any exaggeration does not harm the overall effect of the
figure. The matt coat only reinforces the effect. The figure is present
in the diorama but does not appear too obtrusive as it blends into the background. |
| |
| |
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
meet the author |
|
|
|
| |
Christian Jakl |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
I was born in Vienna in 1971 and now I live in the middle of the mountains in the Tyrol district. I am in marketing and my specialty is graphic design and layout. Ships, planes and automobiles is how it started and now I have taken up aircraft models only. I concentrate on the German and Soviet air force. My favorite mode of display are dioramas in 1/48 scale. Here I can let my imagination run wild and can produce many of parts. Experimentation and the use of new techniques are foremost on my mind. I also combine stock kits with other add on’s and try out new tools. There is always a lot to learn.
It is not all that important to me if a detail is no exactly in the right spot; the final product has to look right. If somebody stands in front of my model and is enthused then I did my job right. The only problem I have is the time factor and in this I probably not alone. I wish everybody a lot of fun with this page and hope that critiques and comments are forthcoming. |
|
 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
Email:  jakl.christian@gmx.at |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
This page: THEMES: Small Scale Figure Painting
was last modified on: Nov 27, 2005
The URL of the page is: http://www.rlm.at/cont/thema07_e.htm
© Copyright www.rlm.at
and the contributing author(s). All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.
Terms of use: All material within this site is protected under copyright
and may only be reproduced for personal use. You must contact the Author(s)
and/or Editor for permission to use any material on this site for any purpose
other than private use! |
| |
|
