This thread is for those who would like to try painting figures in a less conventional way.For those who have tried in the past but were unhappy with the results.For those self taught guys who are looking to do an acceptable job of figure painting without all the hassles.Please keep a open mind and you professionals out there please try to remember that this is geared towards guys like me who want to do an acceptable job without the benefit of any artistic training.(try not to laugh!)

Because I come from a different background than most modelers when it comes to painting figures my methods are a little different than you will see elsewhere.Not better,just different and very easy to do.Yes,I went through all the same problems that you may be having now but it was only when I stopped daydreaming about being the best figure painter in the world that I became an acceptable one.Some work a lifetime just painting figures,we dioramists should be so lucky! Figure painting is just one thing in a long list of skills that we must develop to become dioramists.We can't be the best at every facet of the game but we can be good at most.
Yes I have read most of the long winded explanations about painting and frankly I have found them boring, more geared to the trained artist than the ordinary guy just trying to do a nice job.Personally I have no training in the arts and I guess some would say that it shows! But I also don't have all the baggage of formal training to weigh me down and I like to think that I am a little more willing to experiment with new ways of doing things.
Yes,figure painting can be scary.Why? because all human beings are experts at picking up any flaws and mistakes and all the rest of our work can be judged upon how we painted our figures.The average Joe may not know what a horse really looks like but they sure know the human face.That is what frightens away most dioramists from adding figures to their work,they just don't look real to them and they spoil the rest of the illusion that they are trying to create.But what is a miniature world without humans around.Just that,a world devoid of humans and not very interesting to most humans.Imagine a movie with no actors or a book without human characters where they should be telling a human story.Sometimes in a small diorama or vignette we can get away with just suggesting human presence such as footsteps in the snow but most of the time they are essential to a good storyline.I have seen sailing ship models in full rig with nary a soul on board,not even at the wheel.Strange.........
I am not here trying to convince those who would prefer not to put in figures but for those who do ,I hope that my limited experience can help get you over the fear of giving it an honest try.

First and foremost it is all about having the right tools to work with,the skills you can develop with time.
My experience has been that most modelers use the stuff they see in the hobby shops for their figure painting.First mistake! or they go to craft stores which is almost as bad.
Think artists quality here.It may be a little more expensive up front but cheaper in the long run.Remember our goal here is to give ourselves the best shot at this as we can.You want the best paint,the best brushes and quality figures to paint.In our case the best paint is really not the most expensive.The brushes are expensive but some of mine I have had since the beginning.Learn how to care for them and they will last you a lifetime.Don't buy cheap figures.Try to find the most realistic looking that you can buy.
I have had only limited experience in the different scales ,having only worked in extreme opposites of 1/72 and 1/16th. I would recommend that you start with the larger scales for good detail and practicing your techniques.When I started painting it was raptors or birds of prey usually in 1:1 scale.Large birds but with minute feather detail ,so I got lots of practice on both ends of the scale.
You don't need a lot of different subjects to learn painting.I used to paint the same bird over and over, using castings.Sometimes this was hard to do because I thought what I had done was not too bad.It is also nice sometimes to keep a record of where you have been.
When I started figure painting they were mostly the Tamiya 1/16th scale figures that you find in most hobby stores.They are not too expensive and usually have lots of good detail.They require a little clean up here and there deburring and filling in the odd hole but nothing serious.The pieces usually fit together very well , the seams soak up the super thin glue with a minimum of hassle with very little sanding required.The more expensive resin casting can be left for later as our skills improve.
Today there really is little difference in the quality of detail between plastic and resin.
to be cont.......

Hi John, I look forward to your figure painting method. Anything that can speed this process up is a welcome thing. When I do figures I struggle for quite a while before I come come up with decent ones, but for me I get way more satisfaction doing vehicles. I do like the way figure improve the vehicles or dios, they really add a lot. But I don't need "stand alone" figures or "steal the show" figures just acceptable ones to add contrast and reference, the more the merrier.

Your examples look great, although, sorry I had to laugh, the guy on the right, his head is the size of a watermelon, but your paint looks very realistic and you've done a great job.
I was wondering why this thread was way out here but now it makes sense.

-Bruce

Secrets ?there are none!
There are no secrets about figure painting.It is mostly practice,practice,practice.
Like a friend of mine said,that is why he married a teacher,they make you do it over and over again until you get it right.
But seriously,to be successful using my method ,you must use my method.Not sorta use it ,use this but not that or cheat a little here and there.If you commit to this ,I can guarantee good results,if not don't even bother reading any further.I know this sounds harsh but it is born out of frustration ,as I have been asked in the past over and over "how do you paint figures ?"and when I explain what is required it is clear to me that no one really is listening.

First and foremost ,save the paint that you have been painting with up until now for your cars ,airplanes or whatever, but don't let it even near your figures.
Go out and buy FLAT acrylic gouache paint.There are only 2 brands that I am aware of, JoSonja by Chroma or Acrylicos Vallejo (and no I don't have shares in either company nor have I ever even received a free tube of paint from any of them.)All of my experience has been with using the JoSonja brand ,so that is what I recommend you buy because there may be differences between the 2 brands that I am not aware of .
For those who know how to mix paints buy the primary colors,for those who don't ,try to stick with the tube colors.Why? because unless you mix twice as much as you need and save it ,you will have one hell of a time getting back to your original color. Acrylics also have this nasty habit of drying to a darker shade.
No matter what the hobby or art store guy tells you there are NO substitutes.Your success as a figure painter ,using my method ,depends upon using flat paint,period.
While you are in the art store ,you may want to pick up some Gesso.It comes in various colors usually black,white,burnt umber and gray.Be careful using white gesso because if it chips or somehow contaminates the surface that you are working on ,those damn little white specks will go everywhere that you don't want them to go.You can use white or any of the other colored gesso as a substitute for the tube paint ,as it will also dry absolutely flat.

Why all this emphasis on flat paint ? because future shading will be done will chalk pastels and chalk pastels will not stick to paint that has varnish in it!
Areas that require some shine to it like leather ,can be buffed with your bare finger prior to shading.The skin of your finger can be used as a very fine abrasive and facial oil from your nose looks great on leather.(well maybe there are a few secrets after all!)

Using the color wheel!
This is a color wheel that I made for my students when I was teaching bird painting years ago.It was made especially for the JoSonja range of colors.They have since added to their range ,what they call" carvers colors" .This was at the request of bird painters who found the original colors were too limiting.(more on this later) To find a tube color read the wheel from the inside out,you want red ,then buy napthol crimson.You want red-orange you will have to buy yellow(cadmium yellow medium )and red (napthol crimson) etc...etc...Don't buy a lot of paint now until you decide on a figure that you want to paint otherwise you may buy a lot of stuff that you will never use.

Hi John, Thanks for the tips, my figures are not the best and I'd like to improve, any and all info and tips that I can get are appreciated ! Thanks.

Bird or fine art colors.
These are what JoSonja call their bird carver or fine art range of colors.
You may want to revise your color wheel to reflect these changes.
Cad yellow medium becomes Cad yellow light
Napthol crimson becomes Cad scarlet and
Ultra blue becomes Ultra blue deep
They have also added some new colors to their regular line.I picked up Olive Green awhile ago and use it a lot for the military colors.
You may want to consider this color for your first figures underpainting.For highlights you will need a yellow-white pastel like yellow oxide and for shade dark green.
If your figure has a leather belt and shoes buy a nice medium brown or red-brown for underpainting.
For flesh use a mix of burnt sienna,yellow ochre and white for underpainting.
Underpaint the rest in colors of your own choosing.

The secret is out!
Well guys I guess my secrets are now all out.In review:
-use flat paint so your chalk pastels will stick to the finished underpainted surface.
-use chalk pastels for highlight and shade
-washes? fogeta-bout-it.
-dry brushing ?use to hi-lite the hair or other surfaces where pastels may not work as well.
-painting eyes? don't bother ,especially in the smaller scales.
-mixing your own colors? avoid if possible,use tube colors and modify them with pastels right on your figure.
Like I said ,easy and fun with guaranteed results .Now please take the time to practice and try to be very soft and subtle when shading or blending your colors.
Next I will post some pictures of my work and try to explain how I got there using my methods.

For details on surface preparation and cleaning your resin or plastic figures there has been much already written.
For our purposes here I will assume that we are dealing with a dry ,clean surface that has been properly prepared.(On a very slick or shiny surface preparation may call for a little very light sanding using 600 or higher sandpaper)
In keeping with our budding artists approach to painting figures lets start with an artist type base coat called Gesso.Gesso will stick to just about any surface and just about anything will stick to it.It comes in a few basic colors and I usually pick something that is closest to the finished color.Also you may want to use something that has enough contrast to the plastic to verify an even coat has been applied. Some artists that use a lot a transparent washes may want to use white gesso to give their finished surface more life.I don't like using white for my method because it can easily contaminate a finished surface with little white specks that are very visible and hard to remove.
I add about 50% distilled water ,(that has been treated with flow medium or surface tension breaker ),to my gesso.JoSonja flow medium does have a little varnish in it but the few drops that I add to a bottle of water has not caused me any problems.
Brush on your thinned gesso evenly and let air dry.Do not use a hair dryer here to speed up the drying process, as this may cause tiny holes that are difficult to paint over.Another thing about hair dryers,be careful not to hold it too close to the surface as you may cook it rather than drying it.2-3 coats of gesso may be necessary to get a nice even surface.Be super careful not to obliterate any detail on your figure. to be cont......

The Headless Horsemen!
These figure were lit from above to create max shadows in the depressed areas.They were all basically painted the same.The hands- in- pockets and the hands-on- hips guys are underpainted with the same olive green color.I worked a little dark grey pastels into the low depressed areas and a little yellow oxide and white into the high areas.The browns for the leather boots , belts and jackets are tube colors and are hand rubbed for a dull shine.The laces were dry brushed using the same brownish color with a little white added to it.Metal boot and belt buckles and tunic buttons are painted silver ,to which a little black gesso has been added, to get a kind of gunmetal look.The flesh of the hands has yet to be finished.The hand - on -hip figure's tunic and leather jacket color has since been revised.Most of the shine that you see here was created by my handling of them.
Lighting is the great variable here.How much,how little and what direction it is coming from are all important factors.What type of lighting or mixture of lighting ?natural,incandescent or florescent ? are all huge factors.

The important thing to remember about my way of painting ,using pastels over a flat acrylic undercoat ,is that you can modify the intensity of your pastels right on the figure.If a depressed area gets too dark you can come back with a lighter pastel and modify it.Want to give more highlights to raised areas ,add a little white to the mix by applying it directly to the figure.Just play with it until you are happy.
Some have asked just how permanent is the finish? well it is a lot more permanent than if you had tried to use any other paint than flat acrylics.My figures are used in my dioramas, so granted they don't get a lot of handling once installed.But neither do figures on pedestals especially those in glass domes.Why would anyone want to put their hands on a finished figure anyway,we are not talking toy soldiers here being moved around on a board.My answer to the "how durable" question is durable enough for the purpose for which they were intended ,to be looked at.Hands off please(and that includes you judges)
You can do your own testing and I will bet that you will be surprised just how durable the surface really is.
As far as fixatives are concerned,I have never used any myself.You may want to give it a try if you think your figures really need it .Personally,I would be a little concerned about their use in areas of subtle shading.

What about the dreaded face!
I can here you saying well that is fine for the body but what about the face?well the face is nothing more than a bunch of hills, valleys and crevasses like the body but mostly on a smaller scale.What about those eyes that no one can seems to get right? the hair how do I get it to look soft,almost touchable?
Well provided that the scupturer did his job right there should be lots of hills and valleys to work with.This is where the quality of the casting comes in. I am happy to say most figure castings offered for sale today are pretty good.Don"t try going cheap here buy the best casting you can afford.If possible shine a light down from the top .Do the features pop out at you? do they look natural?Is everything in the right place(remember we are all experts at the human face)Does the face fit in with your storyline?Will he be carrying on a conversation or gesturing to another figure?
I find that most painters overdo the face to the point that it looks painted.We want to avoid this at all costs.Subtle is the word here.What about the eyes?nothing looks worse than a bug -eyed face.Well relax,most scales don't even require that we paint them and at the larger scales we can fake it to make them look like they really are there.Now for a few examples......

My setup!
This is my setup for applying pastels.The two circular plastic plates is where I shave off the pastels sticks ,using an xacto knife held a a 90% angle. The pastel powder obtained is usually fine enough to use directly on the figure.
The bright colors in round tubes I sometimes use to modify the square stick colors.Mostly I use the browns,grays,black and white,burnt sienna that you see in the plates.
The brushes are mostly small soft brushes of various shapes.I really like the cats tongue brushes in various sizes.The smaller your scale the smaller the brush required.I even have a makeup brush or two borrowed from my wife.The important thing here is the the brushes be very soft and hold enough pastel to work with.Don't load up your brush but just transfer enough color to your figure that your first attempt may hardly even be noticeable, much like when you are drybrushing.Continue until you see subtle changes between the hills and valleys with no hard edges.Experiment,have fun and remember you can't make a mistake that can't be corrected when using this method.

Here is a painted face that is easily obtainable with my methods, of using chalk pastels over flat acrylics.I would consider this face as finished.

Here is the same face that I would consider overpainted to the point that it looks painted.