Have any of you painted any figures?

ET2SN · 04-13-22, 05:05 PM

I have a serious question, for a change.

Have any of you painted any figures?
I've been trying, on and off, to paint realistic (Caucasian) skin tones on some figures that will be part of my "long term on purpose" 1/24th scale Peterbilt 379 super build*.

I have a bunch of skin-tone paints and still no luck getting the figures to look human.

I'm keeping this post open, if you've gotten good results I'd love to know what brand and colors of paint you used. What did you use as a base? What did you use for highlights and shadows?

When I try to find video tutorials on YouTube, its always the same thing- Orks or soldiers on the Russian Front.

Which is not what I'm aiming for.

Any ideas, hints, or tips are welcome.

*- A long time ago, I wanted a real challenge as a long-term project. I settled on the Revell/Germany Peterbilt 379 specifically because I knew the molds were worn out long before they injected the plastic. For the most part, every piece of plastic from the kit had to be reshaped or carved. I also bought some of the old AMT truck kits to donate parts that Revell just got wrong (wheels, rear axles and suspension). The figures are made by Master Box and look perfect for my project (minus the cowboy hat):

mapuc · 04-13-22, 05:13 PM

Have you asked a portrait painter s/he would know what colour you should mix to get the right skin colour.

Markus

ET2SN · 04-13-22, 06:10 PM

What bugs me is that back in good old days (at least in the US) I would go to the hobby store and buy a bottle of Pactra "flesh tone" and be done with it.

Pactra was enamel paint and their "flesh tone" was the go-to base color. Just mix some with a tiny amount of "whatever's on the shelf" red for the lips and mouth area. Mix a tiny amount of "flesh" into white paint for the eyes then use the flesh tone on its own for the rest of the face and skin as a base color. Done and sorted.

Pactra went extinct sometime in the late 1990's and no one picked up their formulas.

mapuc · 04-13-22, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ET2SN

What bugs me is that back in good old days (at least in the US) I would go to the hobby store and buy a bottle of Pactra "flesh tone" and be done with it.

Pactra was enamel paint and their "flesh tone" was the go-to base color. Just mix some with a tiny amount of "whatever's on the shelf" red for the lips and mouth area. Mix a tiny amount of "flesh" into white paint for the eyes then use the flesh tone on its own for the rest of the face and skin as a base color. Done and sorted.

Pactra went extinct sometime in the late 1990's and no one picked up their formulas.

Made a search to see if either Humbrol or Revell had a colour near our skin.

Here what it says
"There is no such thing as a “skin” color. Skin color is essentially a combination of all 3 primaries: red, yellow and blue. That's right. Red plus yellow plus blue"

Markus

ET2SN · 04-13-22, 06:46 PM

If you allow it, "skin tone" will drive you mad.
What I try for is an accurate "quick look" color. You see it on the figure, it looks about right, and your attention moves on to other areas.

What surprised me was that the worst "flesh tone" paint comes from Tamiya, I call it "electric peach".

Onkel Neal · 04-13-22, 07:17 PM

Not me, I'm going to try to paint some crew members for the Gato when I get tot it but I'm not really confident they will good. I've watched some videos on it and they make it look easy, but again, my dexterity isn't that good. I'm certainly not good at drawing and that seems like the kind of coordination that helps.

ET2SN · 04-13-22, 07:37 PM

In many ways, the smaller scales (1/72nd to even 1/350th) are easier for figure painting.

Just find a good base color (keeping in mind the basic uniform color) and go for it. After that, maybe use a darker "wash" color to bring out some shadows and you're done.

The key to the smaller scales is "don't try to over do it". Keep it as basic as possible (including the uniforms) or else find a REALLY tiny brush.

Eichhörnchen · 04-23-22, 08:19 AM

Here's a 110mm white metal kit from 'Andrea Miniatures' I painted up using a mix of enamel & acrylics

What you need to know is there should be some blue in your flesh tones. Humbrol 61 and Revell 35 are no good straight from the tin but need the addition of some red (a darkish one) and blue to get a colour that's less jaundiced-looking... then some white to lighten it . More white for a smaller 54mm figure because you want to be thinking about 'scale colour' too

I first paint on a base of matt flesh colour, then dampen the dried surface with water to allow a faint dab of a rose red acrylic colour to be softly tickled into the cheek areas using a small brush. The damp surface means you can soften this so it just slightly colours the cheeks up. You can see this in my photo

Then I'll use the same method to work a thin grey-brown colour around where facial stubble would be on a soldier who didn't always get time to shave. Also do this on any bare forearms, although a 'scumbling' of grey brown using a 'dry brush technique' (stroking across) makes for the most realistic arm-hair

A more general wash of very thin red-brownish acrylic can be useful to bring out any good relief detail such as around the eyes and ears, although this shouldn't be overdone

For the lips I use the flesh colour I've already settled on but add a little more blue and red to give a 'plum' colour - but not too dark

Eyebrows and pupils I then pick out with a small brush using a thin acrylic brown. And I NEVER ever paint the whites of the eyes; when you're standing a distance from someone you just don't really see these. So many great figures get ruined by 'zombie eyes'. Leave them flesh colour and just stroke in a tiny curved line to describe the upper eyelash line, then a short stroke downwards from this for the pupil... that's all I do

Aktungbby · 04-23-22, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eichhörnchen

Here's a 110mm white metal kit from 'Andrea Miniatures' I painted up using a mix of enamel & acrylics

What you need to know is there should be some blue in your flesh tones.

As a frigid Minnesota boy in my own right(-40 F.!!)

most certainly in those Stalingrad dioramas!

ET2SN · 04-23-22, 11:35 PM

Something you all may want to avoid:

Vallejo Face and Skintones (Art. 70124)

I had some high hopes for this (acrylic) paint set but it always seems to "just miss" its target. The paint itself can also be overly delicate and hard to blend with other acrylics, making shading and highlights a frustrating process.

ET2SN · 04-24-22, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eichhörnchen

More white for a smaller 54mm figure because you want to be thinking about 'scale colour' too

This concept could be a topic all on it's own, but would you consider expanding on it?

For example, if you were painting a large "bust" type of figure, how would that be different than painting smaller figures? Should you add highlights and shadows at all?

As another example, if you were painting a 1/35th scale diorama of a tank and its crew, should the figures be 'weathered' just like the equipment or should the figures look more 'natural', possibly looking like someone else painted them?

These are leading questions and I have my own theories

, but I would really like to see what you think.

ET2SN · 04-24-22, 04:23 AM

Speaking of figures, check out the first kit Andy reviews:

Its Aktungbby's office from Gray Wolves.

The scale (1/16th) of this kit is going to be weird. With the span of the rotors, the kit will always be one ping pong ball away from disaster.

Eichhörnchen · 04-27-22, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ET2SN

This concept could be a topic all on it's own, but would you consider expanding on it?

For example, if you were painting a large "bust" type of figure, how would that be different than painting smaller figures? Should you add highlights and shadows at all?

As another example, if you were painting a 1/35th scale diorama of a tank and its crew, should the figures be 'weathered' just like the equipment or should the figures look more 'natural', possibly looking like someone else painted them?

These are leading questions and I have my own theories

, but I would really like to see what you think.

I just work on the idea that the smaller the scale the "further away" the thing should seem, so I use lighter tones

As for figures, I don't dry-brush highlights as this can often be overdone and looks false. However, dry-brushing a lighter colour to imitate weathering is different, plus I do use dark washes to show up relief detail (see the hands and boots on these Airfix US Marines)

Just by the by, for the straps on helmets and guns etc like here, I use the soft metal from collapsible paint tubes or wine bottle necks as it's easy to coax into 'hanging' right

ET2SN · 05-30-22, 03:22 PM

This is a pretty good demonstration.

You'll want to turn on captions even though a lot of it translates like "alliteration" and I still don't like Tamiya's "flesh" as a base coat, but its a good process he's following.

My one critique is that, over all, I think the shading is too much. There's "scale effect" and then there's "going overboard".

ET2SN · 06-09-22, 02:54 AM

So, I'm trying something new after reading about it years ago.

This time, I'm starting with a solid base coat of Tamiya Wooden Deck Tan (acrylic XF-78) then letting it fully dry before I use different colors from the Vallejo Face and Skintones set as highlights. Tamiya acrylics are fairly durable even when painted directly over plastic and the Deck Tan just gives a better "feel" as a base coat than their "flesh tone".

Since I'm mostly working on 1/24th scale figures, I can't go too far overboard in terms of multiple (primary) color washes or under-skin "mottling" so this will be a fairly basic process of base coat, under tones, and highlights. The Deck Tan is already slightly dark and has a nice combination of yellows, reds, and blues that I can build on.

I'll let you know how it works out.

04-13-22, 05:05 PM	#1
ET2SN ET2/SS Join Date: Oct 2017 Posts: 2,505 Downloads: 58 Uploads: 0	Have any of you painted any figures? I have a serious question, for a change. Have any of you painted any figures? I've been trying, on and off, to paint realistic (Caucasian) skin tones on some figures that will be part of my "long term on purpose" 1/24th scale Peterbilt 379 super build. I have a bunch of skin-tone paints and still no luck getting the figures to look human. I'm keeping this post open, if you've gotten good results I'd love to know what brand and colors of paint you used. What did you use as a base? What did you use for highlights and shadows? When I try to find video tutorials on YouTube, its always the same thing- Orks or soldiers on the Russian Front. Which is not* what I'm aiming for. Any ideas, hints, or tips are welcome. *- A long time ago, I wanted a real challenge as a long-term project. I settled on the Revell/Germany Peterbilt 379 specifically because I knew the molds were worn out long before they injected the plastic. For the most part, every piece of plastic from the kit had to be reshaped or carved. I also bought some of the old AMT truck kits to donate parts that Revell just got wrong (wheels, rear axles and suspension). The figures are made by Master Box and look perfect for my project (minus the cowboy hat):

04-13-22, 05:13 PM	#2
mapuc Fleet Admiral Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Denmark Posts: 17,835 Downloads: 37 Uploads: 0	Have you asked a portrait painter s/he would know what colour you should mix to get the right skin colour. Markus __________________ My little lovely female cat

04-13-22, 07:17 PM	#6
Onkel Neal Born to Run Silent Join Date: Jan 1997 Location: Cougar Trap, Texas Posts: 21,283 Downloads: 534 Uploads: 224	Not me, I'm going to try to paint some crew members for the Gato when I get tot it but I'm not really confident they will good. I've watched some videos on it and they make it look easy, but again, my dexterity isn't that good. I'm certainly not good at drawing and that seems like the kind of coordination that helps. __________________ SUBSIM - 26 Years on the Web

04-23-22, 08:19 AM	#8
Eichhörnchen Starte das Auto Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: The Fens Posts: 15,740 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	"Nach Moskau" Here's a 110mm white metal kit from 'Andrea Miniatures' I painted up using a mix of enamel & acrylics What you need to know is there should be some blue in your flesh tones. Humbrol 61 and Revell 35 are no good straight from the tin but need the addition of some red (a darkish one) and blue to get a colour that's less jaundiced-looking... then some white to lighten it . More white for a smaller 54mm figure because you want to be thinking about 'scale colour' too I first paint on a base of matt flesh colour, then dampen the dried surface with water to allow a faint dab of a rose red acrylic colour to be softly tickled into the cheek areas using a small brush. The damp surface means you can soften this so it just slightly colours the cheeks up. You can see this in my photo Then I'll use the same method to work a thin grey-brown colour around where facial stubble would be on a soldier who didn't always get time to shave. Also do this on any bare forearms, although a 'scumbling' of grey brown using a 'dry brush technique' (stroking across) makes for the most realistic arm-hair A more general wash of very thin red-brownish acrylic can be useful to bring out any good relief detail such as around the eyes and ears, although this shouldn't be overdone For the lips I use the flesh colour I've already settled on but add a little more blue and red to give a 'plum' colour - but not too dark Eyebrows and pupils I then pick out with a small brush using a thin acrylic brown. And I NEVER ever paint the whites of the eyes; when you're standing a distance from someone you just don't really see these. So many great figures get ruined by 'zombie eyes'. Leave them flesh colour and just stroke in a tiny curved line to describe the upper eyelash line, then a short stroke downwards from this for the pupil... that's all I do __________________

04-13-22, 06:10 PM	#3
ET2SN ET2/SS Join Date: Oct 2017 Posts: 2,505 Downloads: 58 Uploads: 0	What bugs me is that back in good old days (at least in the US) I would go to the hobby store and buy a bottle of Pactra "flesh tone" and be done with it. Pactra was enamel paint and their "flesh tone" was the go-to base color. Just mix some with a tiny amount of "whatever's on the shelf" red for the lips and mouth area. Mix a tiny amount of "flesh" into white paint for the eyes then use the flesh tone on its own for the rest of the face and skin as a base color. Done and sorted. Pactra went extinct sometime in the late 1990's and no one picked up their formulas.

04-13-22, 06:46 PM	#5
ET2SN ET2/SS Join Date: Oct 2017 Posts: 2,505 Downloads: 58 Uploads: 0	If you allow it, "skin tone" will drive you mad. What I try for is an accurate "quick look" color. You see it on the figure, it looks about right, and your attention moves on to other areas. What surprised me was that the worst "flesh tone" paint comes from Tamiya, I call it "electric peach".

04-13-22, 07:37 PM	#7
ET2SN ET2/SS Join Date: Oct 2017 Posts: 2,505 Downloads: 58 Uploads: 0	In many ways, the smaller scales (1/72nd to even 1/350th) are easier for figure painting. Just find a good base color (keeping in mind the basic uniform color) and go for it. After that, maybe use a darker "wash" color to bring out some shadows and you're done. The key to the smaller scales is "don't try to over do it". Keep it as basic as possible (including the uniforms) or else find a REALLY tiny brush.

04-23-22, 11:35 PM	#10
ET2SN ET2/SS Join Date: Oct 2017 Posts: 2,505 Downloads: 58 Uploads: 0	Something you all may want to avoid: Vallejo Face and Skintones (Art. 70124) I had some high hopes for this (acrylic) paint set but it always seems to "just miss" its target. The paint itself can also be overly delicate and hard to blend with other acrylics, making shading and highlights a frustrating process.

04-24-22, 04:23 AM	#12
ET2SN ET2/SS Join Date: Oct 2017 Posts: 2,505 Downloads: 58 Uploads: 0	Speaking of figures, check out the first kit Andy reviews: Its Aktungbby's office from Gray Wolves. The scale (1/16th) of this kit is going to be weird. With the span of the rotors, the kit will always be one ping pong ball away from disaster.

05-30-22, 03:22 PM	#14
ET2SN ET2/SS Join Date: Oct 2017 Posts: 2,505 Downloads: 58 Uploads: 0	This is a pretty good demonstration. You'll want to turn on captions even though a lot of it translates like "alliteration" and I still don't like Tamiya's "flesh" as a base coat, but its a good process he's following. My one critique is that, over all, I think the shading is too much. There's "scale effect" and then there's "going overboard".

06-09-22, 02:54 AM	#15
ET2SN ET2/SS Join Date: Oct 2017 Posts: 2,505 Downloads: 58 Uploads: 0	So, I'm trying something new after reading about it years ago. This time, I'm starting with a solid base coat of Tamiya Wooden Deck Tan (acrylic XF-78) then letting it fully dry before I use different colors from the Vallejo Face and Skintones set as highlights. Tamiya acrylics are fairly durable even when painted directly over plastic and the Deck Tan just gives a better "feel" as a base coat than their "flesh tone". Since I'm mostly working on 1/24th scale figures, I can't go too far overboard in terms of multiple (primary) color washes or under-skin "mottling" so this will be a fairly basic process of base coat, under tones, and highlights. The Deck Tan is already slightly dark and has a nice combination of yellows, reds, and blues that I can build on. I'll let you know how it works out.