Rob tries to figure something

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rob_van_riel
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Re: Rob tries to figure something

Post by rob_van_riel »

mjatx wrote:Good work on Napoleon. I like the detail-work on the gold trim.
Just a bit of (very nerveous and careful) drybrushing. I actually found myself wishing they'd put it on a bit bolder and sharper, so that I could have picked it out in full detail, but with the rather vague engraving, it seemed better to successfully imply the detail, rather than attempt (and probably fail) to paint all of the embroidery on freehand. Glad you like the result.
rob_van_riel
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Re: Rob tries to figure something

Post by rob_van_riel »

The horse has been spared yet another stripping. This will do.

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rob_van_riel
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Re: Rob tries to figure something

Post by rob_van_riel »

Another day, another lesson..

I already knew that ultramarine was not fully opaque, and also too bright to resemble the very dark blue I was looking for for the hussar (approximately Humbrol 104). Still, I figured anything would dominate white paint, which I planned to add for increased opaquity. To my surprise, I needed a lot less white to come anywhere close to the mark than expected. The combination of ultramarine and Paynes grey was fairly close to 104 though, so at least I got that right. In the end, I went with just dark blue, rather than very dark, mainly to find out if the paint was now opaque enough to cover the (almost black) areas where I'd overlapped yellow, which it was. I could barely see what I was doing (glossy dark blue on glossy dark blue isn't know for high contrast), so I probably slapped it on too thickly, but on the bright side, that gives me plenty of time to play with high- and lowlights later on; this should stay wet for a while...
rob_van_riel
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Re: Rob tries to figure something

Post by rob_van_riel »

Sometime in past months, I'd painted the trousers of the hussar with, in retrospect, far too much paint, so that it took ages to dry, and left stripey structure on the surface. Despite that, the colour was also uneven, with the base white shining through all over the place. I didn't feel like stripping the figure after all the work that has already gone into this, so I mixed up a new batch of paint. Last time (if memory serves) I'd mixed Titanium white and Ultramarine, which did actually produce fairly nice Sky Blue. Curious about the difference between Titanium and Zinc white, I used the latter this time. It does appear to be quite a bit weaker than Titanium, which for light colours means the mixture if more intuitive, at least for me. Despite the different whites, I think I got close enough to the desitred colour again. I took care to only put on a very thin, evened out coat this time. It looks like it covered the underlying mess well enough. Big question is how long it will take to dry this time round. I'll be very careful around this figure for at least a week, just to be safe..
rob_van_riel
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Re: Rob tries to figure something

Post by rob_van_riel »

My lifetime supply of thin lead arrived today. I somewhat misjudged the thickness, and according to my instuments the thickness is slightly greater than advertised, which combines to make even the thinnest a bit on the thick side for belts and straps. No problem, really, as that was not the primary purpose I had in mind for it, but it would have been nice.
Since it was experimentation time anyway, I decided to try and flatten out the lead a bit. This turned out to be surprisingly easy; even with nothing more than a thin wooden dowel and my cutting mat as tools, I managed to roll it down to about 60% of it's original thickness, which is the right size for belts and straps. A better quality setup for rolling will be needed, but I'm fairly certain all of the straps connected to the saddle will eventually be lead, as perhaps some of the straps on the hussar. The reins will probably be paper, since that's easier to turn into semi-loose hanging straps.
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Softscience
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Re: Rob tries to figure something

Post by Softscience »

Whoa! Nice horse!
ShaunW
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Re: Rob tries to figure something

Post by ShaunW »

I find figure painting to be a dark art Rob and IMHO it is arguably one of the most difficult modelling disciplines to get right. Great horse!
Doing - Tamiya 1/35th Universal Carrier.

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rob_van_riel
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Re: Rob tries to figure something

Post by rob_van_riel »

ShaunW wrote:I find figure painting to be a dark art Rob and IMHO it is arguably one of the most difficult modelling disciplines to get right.
I find anything beyond direct human control (weathering, battle damage, anything alive) to be a dark art, but that doesn't stop me from dabblling in it. I can afford the large black candles, and the, how shal I put this, other consumables, and the cats help with cleanup :twisted: . Now if only I could find an easier way to clean the robes :twisted:

Seriously though, I think it helps that I spent a significant part of my time between ages 10 and 20 working on figures. All but about a dozen of the items in the picture were done in that timeframe.

Image

Most of what I did then isn't particularly good, but it takes the intimidation factor out, and it gives you a way of looking at such things that never leaves. Add another 25 years of picking up new tricks, and you reach a point where you can take a decent stab at it :-D Work by the real masters still leaves me wondering why I bother though.. :roll:
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mjatx
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Re: Rob tries to figure something

Post by mjatx »

I've found that once you get past the intimidation factor, figure painting goes a lot easier. That, and finding ways to not have to paint faces...they still intimidate me.
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Clashcityrocker
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Re: Rob tries to figure something

Post by Clashcityrocker »

Lovely collection of figures.

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Softscience
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Re: Rob tries to figure something

Post by Softscience »

rob_van_riel wrote:
ShaunW wrote:I find figure painting to be a dark art Rob and IMHO it is arguably one of the most difficult modelling disciplines to get right.
I find anything beyond direct human control (weathering, battle damage, anything alive) to be a dark art, but that doesn't stop me from dabblling in it. I can afford the large black candles, and the, how shal I put this, other consumables, and the cats help with cleanup :twisted: . Now if only I could find an easier way to clean the robes :twisted:
I understand that goat's blood, bats eyes and a little bit of bicarbonate of soda, are great for calling up the spirits
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Re: Rob tries to figure something

Post by celt »

Well tidy mun.
rob_van_riel
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Re: Rob tries to figure something

Post by rob_van_riel »

More proof I'm a mad packrat: I couldn't bear to throw out a batch of perfectly good skin tone left over from my demon girl, so I bumped "Grumpy Dude" to the top of the pile just to have something to paint with it :roll:

So, who's Grumpy Dude anyway? He's the leftover head from the rather horrible US Paratrooper from Glencoe, which a fellow builder contributed to my spares box. The thing needed a title, and one bad day the overly cheerful look on his face supplied inspiration :twisted:
I made a quick and dirty cast of the nozzle that came with a tube of putty, and stuck the head on that, turning it into a sort of minimal bust.
Image

The idea was to give him some proper hair, just to practice that sort of thing, so I dumped a blob of grey Milliput mixed with Brown Stuff on his head, roughly evened it out, and started scratching away with big fat needle. I'm obviously a crap hairdresser, but hey, I have to learn sometime :-D

Image

So, a quick sweep of sandpaper once the epoxy is hard, that a quick blast of primer and base colour, and with any luck, he'll be ready before that paint dries out.
ShaunW
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Re: Rob tries to figure something

Post by ShaunW »

Interesting stuff, Rob, though I won't be coming over to The Netherlands for a haircut at your hands anytime soon :ha:
Doing - Tamiya 1/35th Universal Carrier.

Work is the curse of the modelling classes!
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rob_van_riel
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Re: Rob tries to figure something

Post by rob_van_riel »

Grumpy Dude is beginning to come alive. Still not a happy character, by the looks of it, but he seems to have gone from grumpy to worried somehow.

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