General Painting Questions for Newbie! (3 Viewers)

Keep plastic tub lids ( e.g butter or marge spreads)to use as pallettes for your paints.
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That is a great idea! Its the simple stuff like this that I find so valuable. I have been trying to find something suitable for using as a pallette, and a tub lid should work perfectly.
 
Kilted Vampire

Thanks for the response:

TSSD makes great 1/30-32 figures that take paint well. The winter Germans and Americans are some of my favorite. Also, the ACW figures are not to be missed. The Spartans in plastic made by Conte are real winners as well.
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I have seen the "conte" figures, but am still looking for something cheaper until I get a little better. I dont want to practice on the more expensive stuff.

However, what is TSSD or ACW? Is there a link for these? Thanks

Black Cat make great metal figures. Very well sculpted and cast. There are plenty of figure kits out there. Or, have you considered casting your own figures?
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I will take a second look at "Black Cat" as I really like the idea of using metal figures. I would love to "cast" my own, but I am trying to take this one-step-at-a-time. If the painting goes well, I may (at some point) move up to casting myself. But for now, I think that is a little far ahead of where I am now.
 
Okay, third post in a row. (I have just finished my law school finals for this semester and finally have some time to focus on soldiers!).

I think I have narrowed it down to one of two things. I really like the idea of being able to go to a local hobby shop and just pick up whatever I need (at least at this point). I am sure, in the future, I will get to a point where what I need is only available via online order, but for now, I am trying to keep things simple.

I am also trying to keep things fairly cheap as well. Until I get better at painting, I dont want to spend money on good/decent figures, only to screw them up while I learn how to paint.

So...here is my problem at this point.

I understand that most hobby stores carry the airfix soldiers, although I have not found any yet. I was only able to go to one place today (first place I have looked) and they didnt have any airfix! However, they did have Tamiya kits/figures. I asked one of the store associates and he said they rarely have the airfix in, but ALWAYS have the Tamiya in.

This made me contemplate just going with the Tamiya figures as the store was close to my house and is easy to get to. However, Tamiya is only 1/35 scale while Airfix is 1/32. That is not a huge deal, but all of my britains are 1/32! (That is why I thought airfix would be the best choice - so they would match the scale of my other figures). However, none of my other figures are WWII, and so maybe the scale wouldnt really matter (as only my WWII figures would be Tamiya 1/35).

Anyway, I was just curious as to your thoughts. (Should I go with Tamiya, which are easy for me to get but are the wrong scale; or hold out and try to find an Airfix supplier)!?


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As for my actual painting, I have actually started my first figure. I found a bag of $1.00 plastic green army men at the dollar store. They are horrible quality, but I figured would be good for "Practice." Worst case scenario, I find out I cant paint very well, and I am only out $1!! haha

So, I found the best ones in the bag, and have begun to trim them down as there is lots of extra plastic from the poor molding.

I then sprayed one with a white primer and have begun painting him. I am not really going for a good "end result" at this point, but I am really just testing different techniques. They are in no way accurate in terms of colors and uniform as (like I said) they are only for practice.

I didn notice that the paint wasnt going on and drying as nicely as I thought it would. It could be the paint I am using, however, it could be the primer. Then again, it could also be the figure himself (or maybe its just me).

Anyway, when I am finished with one of them, I will post a couple of photos of my very first try. I am sure it will be horrid!! But I must share my first, as you guys have been so helpful and maybe one day (as I improve) we can all look back and laugh at the first one!!.
 
Aggie, that's a pretty typical case, I think. I get most of my supplies locally--paints, brushes, tools--that is, I visit the store in person, not necessarily around the corner, though (I was at AAA Hobbies in Magnolia, NJ, over the weekend). In my neck of the woods, I have a Hobbytown, a Hobby Lobby, Michael's and AC Moore, and a couple of old-time LHS's--local hobby shops.

I get most of my figures online, though, probably about 80%, and most of those via eBay. The rest I pick up at shows or specialty shops (road trip to Milton, PA, to visit Chuck Robinson's Red Lancer store). That's just the way it is, few of the places where I buy supplies have figures on hand, except for wargaming figures, or sets sold by the scale model companies.

Now, to your specific question--it depends.

If I were building a diorama, I would not mix the scales that way. 1/35 is significantly smaller enough than 1/32 to be noticeable. The only exception would be to use the different scales to force perspective in a shadowbox diorama.

But with my metal figures, which I finish in glossy toy soldier style, I do mix scales, because the boundaries are much blurrier in our world than in the scale modeling world. So, a Stadden can stand next to an Imre-Risley, which is next to a Phoenix Model Developments figure, next to Puchala, and so on.

I don't know if that helps, but that's the vague standard that I apply to my own collection.

Prost!
Brad
 
Mike,

So are you saying that Airfix is not always in production? And that I can not expect to find them on a regular basis?

If that is the case, then that helps with my decision. (As I want something I can readily get my hands on).

TheBaron,

Great info....and I understand your point about not mixing scales. That is something I really dont want to do. That is why I was worried about getting into Tamiya WWII Figures at 1/35, only to find out that there are 1/32s available, and/or the scenic stuff I find doesn't really fit them very well, etc. (B/c at that point I would be stuck/invested in the 1/35 scale).


However, at this point, everywhere I go I can find Tamiya...but have yet to find any WWII plastics of other brands (no airfix or anything). I did find some made by ArmiesInPlastic.com, but they dont make WWII figures apparently.

For this reason I am probably going to go with the Tamiya's at 1/35. It just sucks knowing that the Britains I have (or want to buy online) at 1/32 will not mix with them!!
 
Okay, for those who may be interested, I said I would post my progress. So, here it is so far.

Again, I wasnt going (at this point) for historical accuracy or even real quality, but I was really just testing out some paints, brushes, techniques, etc. And just checking to see if I had a steady hand!

For my first try, I went with a plastic "army man" (very generic) that I found at a Dollar Store. The quality of the figure is pretty low and I don't think they are 1/32 scale. They might be 1/35, but then again, I am not really sure.

I started by washing the figure and trying to carve off any excess plastic. This was pretty hard to do, as it was a cheaply made figure, but I did my best.

I then used some white-colored basic painting (spray on) primer, and began painting. Mixing the colors was interesting, but I was finally able to get what I think I wanted in terms of color.

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You can see in the photo above, the figure I am talking about. A couple things I would like to point out:

1) I am still not very good a shading or "inking." The figures left hand could really use some "definition" to it, and I tried to add some by shading the palm (and finger creases) with a darker skin tone, but it didnt seem to work very well.

2) You will also see that I am not very good with some of my lines yet. Look again at the figures left hand where it meets the gun, and you will see that there is some bleed-over from the gun to the hand, and vice-versa. However, I will say that some of this was due to the poor quality of figure, as a lot of his lines were hard to see. It was often hard to determine where one thing (such as a hand) ended, and the other thing (such as the gun barrel) began.

3) When I finished painting the figure, I found a plastic candy container (very thin plastic) that was the perfect shape of a square base. The plastic square was not very thick, so I cut it out and used super-glue to attach the figure to the base. This gave him a larger stand area, and prevented him from falling over so much. He wasnt extremely top heavy, but he was top-heavy enough that the bigger base really helped out. I believe you can see a corner of the base sticking out from under the moss (at the corner closest to you in the photo).

- I did make a mistake with the base, in that I forgot to prime it before I painted it. This made it difficult, at first, to get the green paint to stick to it, but after the first coat, it was okay.

4) Finally, the "moss" that I used for grass/ground cover didnt turn out like I thought it would. First, it was very hard to get it to stick to the base. I essentially used a mix of 2/3 "Elmer's" Glue and 1/3 water. I coated the base with the mix and placed the moss on it.

- Once I could tell that that was not going to be enough to get the moss to stick, I began using my brush to essentially paint the moss with the glue-mix I had made. Allowing it to seep down into the moss, glueing all the moss together and also hopefully to the base as well.

- After it dried, it didnt stick as well as I wanted it too. So, I gave it a second coating (only this time the mixture was more glue, and less water). The reason I thought to use "Elmer's Glue" was that I knew it would dry clear! So far, the glue has dried clear.

- However, the moss I am using is way too thick for ground cover (at least in my opinion). It is so thick that you pretty much can not see the figures boots as they are burried in the moss. On the other hand, I do sort of like the look of the moss....so I need to find a middle-ground.

- This was my first attempt at ground cover and I really had to make it up as I went. So we shall see how it turns out. When it is completely dry, I will use some scissors to trim off the excess that is hanging over the edges of the base/stand. (And just try to clean it up a little bit.)


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In this photo, you can see the straps across the figures back. This is probably my worst attempt at "coloring inside the lines." I had a very hard time keeping the brown (for the straps) off of the jacket. I probably re-painted this area a couple of times and used a few different approaches, but kept getting the same result.

I think this is probably one of those things that will just take a lot of practice.

Also, in this second photo, you might be able to see his face. I really didnt do much except try to use some light grey coloring to shade parts of his face for depth. However, I am just now realizing that I didnt get a good photo of his face (or the detail of his hair, etc.) so I can't really show that here.


Well, that is it for now. This was my first figure, and I have already started two more. We shall see if they turn out any better than the first. I dont know if I can get worse....but I can definitely get better!! haha.


Please, if you have any advice, post it here. Or, if you have critiques, pointers, suggestions, or just something you notice, post those as well. All comments welcome as I am trying to learn what I can....and I know there are plenty of people on this site with information to share!!

Any and all help is appreciated.

Enjoy...for what its worth!!
 
For a first attempt, Aggie, that's not too bad. It is a good idea to keep this one permanently so you can see the progress you make as you gain more experience. In a couple of months time when you compare it with your latest offering you will be pleasantly surprised at the improvement.
 
Hi, you are doing fine, your first attempts look better than mine did. I wouldn't go with the 1/35 scale figures if thats not what you really want. They don't fit in with 1/32 scale and the sense of disappointment you feel will be permanent. I prefer painting metal, and like the BlackCat kits but I have also painted a lot of plastic. Plastic figures range from the excellent to the awful and I wouldn't bother with the inexpensive kind. They are made with the cheapest mix of plastic and they are often poorly sculpted. Ultimately, you will be disappointed and you won't be saving money in the end if you end up with a bunch of soldiers that you won't want to display. I would spend the extra five or ten dollars and get the TSSD {toy soldiers of san diego} or Conte figures. You can buy them online through the links shown earlier and they will be delivered straight to your door. They both use good quality plastic and are very well sculpted. Don't worry about your painting skills, you can always touch them up later. I gather from your posts that your primary interest is WWII. Both of those companys make excellent WWII figures. Look at the TSSD website and the Conte Collectibles website plastic page. Armies in Plastic makes good figures, very nice to paint, but the poses are a little stiff and they haven't made anything in your time period yet. I bought a box of the Airfix reissued Wehrmacht Germans and I didn't like them. They were a little small, I didn't like the type of plastic they were made of, and they were sculpted back in the sixties or seventies, and just not up to the standard of what TSSD and Conte make. I don't know where to go in Texas to buy them or in what city you live, so online might be your best option now. There is a Toy Soldier Show in San Antonio once a year, you may want to check that out.
 
Just wanted to give everyone an idea of how crappy this figure was when I started. This is not the exact figure I started with, but it is pretty much the same one. I bought two bags of soldiers for $1 each from the same store. One was dark green (the one I painted) and one was light green (the one shown here).

Other than a few minor differences, you almost can't tell them apart. Anyway, this is what I started with.

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So as you can see....even a crappy figure can end up looking at least half-way decent.
 
Nice going on your first attempt here. It sounds like you've got all the essential questions and concerns in mind at this point so with continued practice I suspect you will continue to see the improvement in technique that you are hoping for. As you reflect on what you liked and didn't like on the last figure you will naturally find yourself incorporating that, or not, in the next one and ultimately develop your own style.

I have gotten into the habit of writing down some of my favorite recipes for things like leather and gunstock wood and lip color and brass bits and so forth.

As you pointed out, the poorly defined figures tend to have ambiguous boundaries between one part and another so if you do end up trying some nicer figures you will be thrilled with the more detailed casting. Much easier and exciting to paint.

Also consider investing in a magnifying visor of some sort (try optivisor brand) and you will be amazed at how much more confidently you can see what you want to do as you are painting.

Thanks for sharing your efforts and keep at it. Looking forward to seeing more....

MD
 
I know another guy who adds white glue to his acryllic paints. Says it sticks better. Nice job for a start. Train Hobby stores have great stuff for covering bases. I now mix various types of ground cover to add to the bases. I sometimes paint the base last and add white glue to it. Ground cover sticks pretty well.:salute::
 
Aggie...

Lots of painters here have posted with terrific recommendations. After reading your post on the flocking (moss), I thought of just one more thing worth noting...

In figure painting and modeling, just like fine art painting...always be as specific as possible.

For example...what does the moss represent? Grass? Leaves? Brush? You see, you cannot create something specific if you do not choose something specific for it to represent. It will be the same with your painting detail.

If you examine miniatures pieces that you admire, chances are that what you most like about them is that the designer had a specific concept and followed through with specific execution.

Just something to keep in mind. You are making good progress...enjoy!
 
For example...what does the moss represent? Grass? Leaves? Brush? You see, you cannot create something specific if you do not choose something specific for it to represent. It will be the same with your painting detail.
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Very good point. I like the way you said that.

I struggled with the moss for a bit, as I wasnt sure it looked like what I wanted it to look like. However, I had to remind myself that this was just a practice run. In the end, I was fairly happy with how it looked.

Either way, I like the way you said the above quote. I will think a little more about it when I move up to nicer figures.
 
Great thread. I picked up several pointers but I've been painting a couple of years now. We're never too old to learn something. My advice to you Aggie is go ahead and try the nice figures. Acrylic paint is very forgiving. If it doesnt look like you want it to you can always paint it again. Also if your going to mix your own colors, it is a very good idea to mix a large enough batch to do all the figures that you want to use it on. It can be really tough to match a mixed color. I found a hobby shop near me that sold empty little paint bottles. I use them for that very thing. So stop worrying and jump on in...the water's fine.
 
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