Figure painting

[RBH29]

Whoa! Have you guys seen this? I'm not sure it belongs in this model train forum but sometimes miniature figures and AI are addressed. I know there's been critical discussion about the use of AI. I'm not a big proponent of it myself but I like this application. The music is appropriate like something's been let our of Pandora's Box and there are some humorous aspects where it looks like some soldiers have horse manure stuck on their boots as they march. https://youtu.be/rioRZziWIyE?si=S8nSdNtXrMy-fLgm

[healey36]

Pretty amazing paint jobs, not to mention the animation.

[gregj410]

After you get the basic block-painting done, give the figure an overspray of clear gloss. This is important when you go to the next step. You need the wash to flow to cracks and crevices, not soak into/stain flat paint

Hi Paul,
I’ve been working on some figure painting and I hope to post some results soon. In the meantime I have some questions. Should the gloss overspray be a rattle can or an airbrush? At the time I had neither so I brushed a light coat of gloss on, as a result I think it was a little thick and I don’t think the wash flowed into the crevices as well. However I’m not sure the figure had the sculpted detail especially in the face. Is gloss recommended for better flow or could I spray it with any sheen of clear?

[healey36]

Hi Greg...glad to hear you're still plugging away on stuff.

I use a rattle can of Tamiya Semi-Gloss Clear (TS-79) over the base coat. I know some folks use Rustoleum clear lacquer, but I've had mixed results with that stuff. It's a bit heavier and can obliterate some of the casting/print sculpt detail. The Tamiya stuff is much thinner and you don't need much, just a cursory overspray in my experience. A small can of Tamiya can easily set you back close to ten bucks, but I think it's worth it.

I've not tried applying clear gloss with an airbrush, but I would think that would work well if you can control the spray and make it as light as possible. Over the years I've built up this resistance to using my airbrush because I'm psychotic about cleaning it after every use. Sarge tells me I'm unnecessarily wound up about it, and frankly, I'd agree with him. There's a lot you can do with an airbrush...I just need to get beyond my "OCD" re: cleaning it, lol.

One other thing about using an overspray of clear gloss or semi-gloss...it seals the underlying paint from being overly tinted dark by the wash medium. I have found that using a wash, especially an ink-based wash, will sharply darken the color. Sometimes you want the colors to stay relatively bright, just have the paint retreat into the crevices. The only way to really do that is to "seal" the paint with a topcoat. Most flat paints, enamel or acrylic, will absorb the stain and darken up. Same with a matte topcoat; it will absorb the ink and stain the underlying color.

Now, sometimes that's not necessarily a bad thing. This is where the notion of scale colors comes in. For example, in real life the eye perceives a bright red shirt much less brightly from 100 yards away. So if you can "manage" the tone of the darkened color, it might actually result in a more realistic color than trying to maintain the brightest color. IT's really a matter of taste.

Tired molds are a big problem when it comes to sculpting detail. It's tough to get a good wash application if there's not much detail in the casting. Even some of the Arttista casts suffer from lack of facial and clothing detail. The guys over at Rusty Rail are printing some nice figures...here's a link:

https://www.rustyrail.com/oscalepeople.html

Bonus...I think these might work well with your Western-motif. Take a look.

Anyway, hope this helps.

Paul R.