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Sd.Kfz 181 Tiger 1 SUPERTHREAD


M3talpig

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Basic hull and turret assembled

 

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Rear engine deck has had all detail bar the inspection plates removed and edges bevelled for the addition of weld seams

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The same bevelling has been done on the turret roof for the missing weld seams there too, hatches will be blanked off next, all location holes will be filled then engraving all the areas for weld seams once that is done time to texture the surface.

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One aspect of all the Tamiya Tiger kits is the towing mounts on the front of the hull are the wrong shape especially if doing a initial build.

So to start off as I have done with the other Tiger builds I had to alter them.

 

The standard towing points

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I cut of the original mounts

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Using a little plasticard I then replaced the originals with two blanks making sure they were oversized to give me wiggle room

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As can be seen in this close up of 142 and all initial Tigers there is a step in the towing points as they meet the bolted area for the transmission housing something that again is not present on the Tamiya kit.

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To replicate this feature I mounted the bolted transmission bracket to a sheet of plasticard and trimmed around the bolt housing leaving enough above to thicken the towing mount.

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This was then glued in place which gave me the final shape to trim the lower part of the towing points and the step that can be seen in the above pic of the real trans housing and tow points.

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Then carried out the final trim and shaping

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And finally the weld seams..... I will add the blanked off hole detail a little later when I can be bothered to find my punch and die set..... a simple fix but needed to be done as the Tamiya towing points were completely the wrong shape for an initial.

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Continuing at the front the glacis area at the mudguards was thickened and missing welds added.

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And the rest of the welding on the front

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All the welds on the hull are done (at least the visible ones) the ones under the hull wont be seen once the tracks and wheels are on .

Torch cut marks done as well.

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Texturing work to be done next...then move on to the turret for the same treatment.

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Another small but noticeable detail on initial Tigers is the difference in the central casting around the water filling cap for the radiator.

The Tamiya kit depicts the correct shape for early, mid, late Tigers but some reshaping is needed for an "initial"

 

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And reshaped with some careful sanding

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1 hour ago, Cerberus said:

My childish mind would be tempted to convert from Philips to Pozidrive... ;)

Was thinkin hex heads but they can strip too easy :D

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Bare with me here as this is the first tutorial I have done :blink:

 

And the start,,,,,

The figure we will use

spacer.png

 

Some of the tools and putty we will use for prep

spacer.png

 

First we need a solid base for working so we need to pin the figure.

The wire is 1.2mm copper robust enough to not bend at the slightest touch and small enough to go through the foot.

Drill the hole bigger than the wire so when you use cyano there is enough room for it to flow around the pin and create a solid connection.

spacer.png

 

Once dry and solid mount the figure in a pin vice or if you prefer a cork...

I prefer a pin vice as just a small twist of the fingers you can turn the figure 360 degrees

spacer.png

 

Next time to inspect the figure for flaws and do the filling

This figure was fairly simple being cast as a single piece minus lower arms.

To make filling easier and to make the transition of the filler to resin smoother and less visible I cut wider grooves around the join lines in the arms,

spacer.png

 

Using milliput white I then filled the gaps and used a damp brush (water) to smooth the filler over be sure not to recess the filler

you want the filler to remain just slightly proud of the surface for the sanding later

spacer.png

 

Next I used a fine brush to apply a second fill of Mr surfacer 500, this will take care of any very fine holes or brush marks

spacer.png

 

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Once all that is dry carful sanding with 2000 grade wet and dry paper to get a very smooth transition..

remember you cant hide your bad sanding in the uniform, bare flesh requires some patience...

if needed after sanding fill again to get it as smooth as possible.

At this stage I had also cleaned and sanded any mould seams and any casting imperfections

spacer.png

 

Next after your happy with the clean up time to undercoat.

This will show up any area you missed during the cleaning faze.

First wash the figure in warm soapy water and rinse then set aside to dry.

The Acrylic paint I use for this step, a few drops of black primer mixed with roughly the same amount of thinner and a few drops of lucky matt varnish.

A matt finish is important as the later oil stages will rely on this finish to work correctly.

Apply the black layer in very thin coats and avoid build up in the details (especially around the face)  

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Next after an hour or so for the first black coat to dry it's time to do the highlight.

Again I used the same mix as before but with white as the main shade.

At this point you need to decide where your light source is coming from.

To keep things simple i went for a 12oclock high light source.

So you will need to fire your paint from a 12 oclock position so the white only hits the areas the light source would (in this case from the head down)

Below is what you should have at the end.

Now leave the figure for a day or two to harden off thoroughly

 

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Now for the paint thinner and tools you will use for the next stage.

The below is W&N oils Abteilung 502 matt effect thinner (enamel) a pallet various sable brushes and some pippets for the thinner.

With the oils you see here you can mix just about any colour you want from olive drabs to panzer greys and everything in between.

spacer.png

 

The brushes are important Kolinsky sable are best and for me price versus quality the Amy Painter range are fantastic

There not ridiculous in price and are very nicely sculpted tips which make for a very pleasant experience when working with them.

The "Regiment" brush is used for general application over a large area 

The "Detail" is used for application of lining and shadow detail

The last two are for the face, The "Psycho" is also very good for tiny adjustments to uniform, flesh and eyes

Clean them regularly and keep the tips nice and sharp by pinching them between your moistened lips (oooeeer missus)

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So now we are going to apply the first layer of oil to the flesh, i do not drain my colours on card first to get rid of the linseed oil.

You may want too...

i have found that working with such tiny amounts it makes very little difference especially since you will be mixing them with enamel thinner which more or less neutralizes the oil anyway.

I used for the base flesh a mix of Burnt sienna and zinc white then thin to a slightly transparent mix

Remember that a little goes a very long way with oils

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Once your paint is mixed and the consistency is light and transparent it's time to apply to the figure.

This is were a video would help explain things but i dont have the equipment for this.

Apply to the figure using the Regiment brush and apply so you can see the base underneath, if you cant see the base apply a little more thinner to you brush (damp no more) you don't want the oil turning into a wash....keep working the paint so that there are no puddles or sections of detail that are flooded....

The brush should barely be touching the work and should be moved in small motions till the paint is even and smooth...

you will know when your getting there as the paint will take a matt finish as you work.

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Below is what you want to have after the first application....remember take your time oil is very forgiving and you have lots of time to work.

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This concludes this part of the tutorial ..i will do the second part as soon as i have gone deeper with the painting and got more to share with you.

Hope you like so far if there is anything i missed let me know. 

 

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Very thought provoking. Historically I bought the "correct" Humbrol colours and painted as I would a tank or a truck. This method looks much more artistic and creative. I wonder if it will translate into 1/72.................................

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17 minutes ago, echen said:

Very thought provoking. Historically I bought the "correct" Humbrol colours and painted as I would a tank or a truck. This method looks much more artistic and creative. I wonder if it will translate into 1/72.................................

The method above is one i used a long time and works very well in all scales...i did for a few months try pure acrylic paints for doing flesh a uniforms but the drying time is so short i couldn't get smooth transitions between colours and all my attempts looked forced and clumsy, so recently i have gone back to oils as they have a long working time allowing for very controlled blending and colour transitions..... you will see what i mean when i upload the next part

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5 hours ago, M3talpig said:

Hope you like so far

 We do yes, thankyou Steve :thumbsup:

 

 So the first flesh layer/colour coat is just a very thin kinda oil stain on the surface of the primer? and those Army Painter brushes look very nice, I like how one of them is called... The Psycho 🤣

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11 minutes ago, Cerberus said:

So the first flesh layer/colour coat is just a very thin kinda oil stain on the surface of the primer?

It's not a wash , it's not the full thickness paint it's in between and thin enough to allow the base dark and light to guide you, the second part will hopefully make it clearer what i'm doing and why im doing it.... the next stage is called "The push and the pull" which will hopefully make sense when i post next.....:D

 

And the psycho made me chuckle when i first got it...i kid you not it's like 6 hairs and that's it :rofl:

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1 hour ago, Longbow said:

I’m still pinched between Moistened Lips…

 I've advanced prematurely to Push and Pull... but then I always was a fast learner... 🤣

 

This is my 500th post! I think I'm officially obsessed now, not sure...

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Thanks for the starting tutorial Steve. It’s very good and detailed.
  You did really well to sand/blend that gap on the arms (mine would look like swimming arm bands!). Figures are my favourite part of modelling and I think the hardest to master and you defiantly are mastering it, so glad to hear what you do.

  Like the army painter brush’s too, they look like good tips and comfy grip. 
  Interesting you don’t decant onto card board, I just did it because I was told too  but your right because it’s only a tiny pinch we use to paint with. So will give this a go next time. 
 My first and only attempt at using oils on figures (so far) was hilariously bad and I mean…. REALLY horrifically bad. Not sure what I was doing wrong but the paint wouldn’t stick to the figure. Possiably trying too much at once… so went straight back acrylics with my tail between my legs…. And the addition of Vallejo paint retarder!!! I’ll try the oils again in time and take in the posted advice. 

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On 5/3/2022 at 1:55 PM, M3talpig said:

Bare with me here as this is the first tutorial I have done :blink:

 

And the start,,,,,

The figure we will use

spacer.png

 

Some of the tools and putty we will use for prep

spacer.png

 

First we need a solid base for working so we need to pin the figure.

The wire is 1.2mm copper robust enough to not bend at the slightest touch and small enough to go through the foot.

Drill the hole bigger than the wire so when you use cyano there is enough room for it to flow around the pin and create a solid connection.

spacer.png

 

Once dry and solid mount the figure in a pin vice or if you prefer a cork...

I prefer a pin vice as just a small twist of the fingers you can turn the figure 360 degrees

spacer.png

 

Next time to inspect the figure for flaws and do the filling

This figure was fairly simple being cast as a single piece minus lower arms.

To make filling easier and to make the transition of the filler to resin smoother and less visible I cut wider grooves around the join lines in the arms,

spacer.png

 

Using milliput white I then filled the gaps and used a damp brush (water) to smooth the filler over be sure not to recess the filler

you want the filler to remain just slightly proud of the surface for the sanding later

spacer.png

 

Next I used a fine brush to apply a second fill of Mr surfacer 500, this will take care of any very fine holes or brush marks

spacer.png

 

spacer.png

 

Once all that is dry carful sanding with 2000 grade wet and dry paper to get a very smooth transition..

remember you cant hide your bad sanding in the uniform, bare flesh requires some patience...

if needed after sanding fill again to get it as smooth as possible.

At this stage I had also cleaned and sanded any mould seams and any casting imperfections

spacer.png

 

Next after your happy with the clean up time to undercoat.

This will show up any area you missed during the cleaning faze.

First wash the figure in warm soapy water and rinse then set aside to dry.

The Acrylic paint I use for this step, a few drops of black primer mixed with roughly the same amount of thinner and a few drops of lucky matt varnish.

A matt finish is important as the later oil stages will rely on this finish to work correctly.

Apply the black layer in very thin coats and avoid build up in the details (especially around the face)  

spacer.png

 

spacer.png

 

Next after an hour or so for the first black coat to dry it's time to do the highlight.

Again I used the same mix as before but with white as the main shade.

At this point you need to decide where your light source is coming from.

To keep things simple i went for a 12oclock high light source.

So you will need to fire your paint from a 12 oclock position so the white only hits the areas the light source would (in this case from the head down)

Below is what you should have at the end.

Now leave the figure for a day or two to harden off thoroughly

 

spacer.png

 

spacer.png

 

Now for the paint thinner and tools you will use for the next stage.

The below is W&N oils Abteilung 502 matt effect thinner (enamel) a pallet various sable brushes and some pippets for the thinner.

With the oils you see here you can mix just about any colour you want from olive drabs to panzer greys and everything in between.

spacer.png

 

The brushes are important Kolinsky sable are best and for me price versus quality the Amy Painter range are fantastic

There not ridiculous in price and are very nicely sculpted tips which make for a very pleasant experience when working with them.

The "Regiment" brush is used for general application over a large area 

The "Detail" is used for application of lining and shadow detail

The last two are for the face, The "Psycho" is also very good for tiny adjustments to uniform, flesh and eyes

Clean them regularly and keep the tips nice and sharp by pinching them between your moistened lips (oooeeer missus)

spacer.png

 

So now we are going to apply the first layer of oil to the flesh, i do not drain my colours on card first to get rid of the linseed oil.

You may want too...

i have found that working with such tiny amounts it makes very little difference especially since you will be mixing them with enamel thinner which more or less neutralizes the oil anyway.

I used for the base flesh a mix of Burnt sienna and zinc white then thin to a slightly transparent mix

Remember that a little goes a very long way with oils

spacer.png

 

spacer.png

 

Once your paint is mixed and the consistency is light and transparent it's time to apply to the figure.

This is were a video would help explain things but i dont have the equipment for this.

Apply to the figure using the Regiment brush and apply so you can see the base underneath, if you cant see the base apply a little more thinner to you brush (damp no more) you don't want the oil turning into a wash....keep working the paint so that there are no puddles or sections of detail that are flooded....

The brush should barely be touching the work and should be moved in small motions till the paint is even and smooth...

you will know when your getting there as the paint will take a matt finish as you work.

spacer.png

 

Below is what you want to have after the first application....remember take your time oil is very forgiving and you have lots of time to work.

spacer.png

This concludes this part of the tutorial ..i will do the second part as soon as i have gone deeper with the painting and got more to share with you.

Hope you like so far if there is anything i missed let me know. 

 

 

Nice work all-round there Steve, love all the weld detailing and changes to make it more accurate. I'll try and catch up a bit on the thread and keep up with this new Tiger build;

now I have a little more time......:yes:

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9 hours ago, Muchmirth said:

Thanks for the starting tutorial Steve. It’s very good and detailed.
  You did really well to sand/blend that gap on the arms (mine would look like swimming arm bands!). Figures are my favourite part of modelling and I think the hardest to master and you defiantly are mastering it, so glad to hear what you do.

  Like the army painter brush’s too, they look like good tips and comfy grip. 
  Interesting you don’t decant onto card board, I just did it because I was told too  but your right because it’s only a tiny pinch we use to paint with. So will give this a go next time. 
 My first and only attempt at using oils on figures (so far) was hilariously bad and I mean…. REALLY horrifically bad. Not sure what I was doing wrong but the paint wouldn’t stick to the figure. Possiably trying too much at once… so went straight back acrylics with my tail between my legs…. And the addition of Vallejo paint retarder!!! I’ll try the oils again in time and take in the posted advice. 

Thanks bud ...i cant stress this enough though .... i am not a figure painter, there will be figure painters lookin at this tutorial in complete horror im sure , its just how i do it and if it helps then that's great, when you say you had problems with the oil not sticking there could be two reasons for that....the primer was not matt enough....or unlike acrylics which you can work fairly fast with oils need time, that's why there is a gap between the tutorials because once i laid down the first colour coat i need to leave it to set for two or three days.

 

1 hour ago, Redcoat2966 said:

 

Nice work all-round there Steve, love all the weld detailing and changes to make it more accurate. I'll try and catch up a bit on the thread and keep up with this new Tiger build;

now I have a little more time......:yes:

I was starting to wonder where you had gone Simon ...nice to have you back buddy :thumbsup:

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12 hours ago, M3talpig said:

oils need time, that's why there is a gap between the tutorials because once i laid down the first colour coat i need to leave it to set for two or three days.

 

I have heard of some people using Lighter fluid and i also have some VMS Oil expert (but never tried it), would these help to speed up the drying time?

 

The tutorial is great btw Steve.

 

George

Edited by Geo1966
smelling :)
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13 hours ago, M3talpig said:

Thanks bud ...i cant stress this enough though .... i am not a figure painter, there will be figure painters lookin at this tutorial in complete horror im sure , its just how i do it and if it helps then that's great, when you say you had problems with the oil not sticking there could be two reasons for that....the primer was not matt enough....or unlike acrylics which you can work fairly fast with oils need time, that's why there is a gap between the tutorials because once i laid down the first colour coat i need to leave it to set for two or three days.

 

I was starting to wonder where you had gone Simon ...nice to have you back buddy :thumbsup:

 

Thanks Steve, not far away. My model bench is down at present working on some DIY. Once I'm back up I'll kick off the jagdpanther G2  full interior. I'm spending my time at present getting all the upgrades - brass shells, anti aircraft armour etc. I'm also picking up all the upgrades for every kit I have in the stash as it looks like there's going to be supply problems all round for some time. I was told yesterday that Friul hasn't made any now stock since early COVID......plus with China in lockdown, all I see is out of stock notices for most UK sellers on many things.

 

I switched back to Ali Express to pick up some R-Model tracks as nothing was available in the UK for an Sd.Kfz.8 Schwerer Zugkraftwagen 12t that I picked up cheap off Ebay that had no tracks.

 

Anyway, looking forward to progress on the new Tiger.

 

all the best..:yes:

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5 hours ago, Geo1966 said:

I have heard of some people using Lighter fluid

I have never heard of this approach ...interesting, might have to play with that and see if there is any improvement........

 

5 hours ago, Geo1966 said:

VMS Oil expert (but never tried it), would these help to speed up the drying time?

And as for the VMS oil expert i have never used it but have heard good things about it, as for whether it would speed up the drying time honestly mate i have no idea..... to be straight with you i personally don't want to speed up that part of the process as it gives me time to walk away and then come back look at the figure and judge it...if things look off it gives me time to adjust, it's the whole reason i switched back too oils over acrylic, with acrylic(at least for my clumsy approach) what you do is set in stone almost straight away ....cock up badly enough and there is no way back. Oils give you a second chance.

 

4 hours ago, Pig of the Week said:

Lovely stuff there Mr Pigg... 👍

ps your battered thumb is nearly as bad as mine ! :)

Cant stop chewing it at the moment...must be the stress :giggle:

 

3 hours ago, Redcoat2966 said:

I'm spending my time at present getting all the upgrades - brass shells, anti aircraft armour etc. I'm also picking up all the upgrades for every kit I have in the stash as it looks like there's going to be supply problems all round for some time. I was told yesterday that Friul hasn't made any now stock since early COVID......plus with China in lockdown, all I see is out of stock notices for most UK sellers on many things.

Yeah i know what you mean Simon ..have been doing very much the same thing ....my next 4-5 projects have all been treated to there upgrades even though i know they won't hit the bench for six months or more, also been on ali express recently ordering figures as i can wait for those and the longer post times...be nice to see you back in action again mate been missing your builds. 

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This part of my tutorial is a little harder to do, not the painting but knowing when to grab pics, this part of the process is slow and takes patience.

The differences are small at first and as such i occasionally found myself pushing on and had to stop myself to get the pics.

Again i cannot stress this enough ........ i am not a figure painter this is just about as good as it's ever going to get for me.

I have kept the colours to a minimum, real figure painters use multiple shades of flesh tones and layer and blend and that's why there stuff looks photo real and mine still look like models.

Take from this anything that's useful and modify/change to suit your own style.

 

First the paints used

French ultramarine blue, cadmium red, burnt sienna, zinc white, Yellow ochre.

These were soaked out on card for an hour and then transferred to the pallet.

Some of the original flesh tone was mixed and a small amount of matt effect enamel thinner also placed in the pallet.

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Brushes used are basically the same as the first post with the addition of a very soft and fluffy blending brush 

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Now to the push and the pull

I normally start with basic highlights and i start on the chest area first..... much like anything in military modelling small areas at a time.

When you start things are gonna look crude and awkward .... don't lose faith, It's hard at this stage to see where your figure is going and it's tempting to try and do it all in one pass ...... don't. Break it down, chest, arms, neck and head and finally back. Again this is just how i do it.

 

Because your base flesh oil is still tacky (not wet) blending should be fairly simple, lay with the finest brush the white on to the areas you want to stand out, take your brush dip into the enamel thinner and thin the white so its thick but easy to transfer to the model, try and do it in a single stroke and not work the paint to much. Do the same with the shadows.

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Now this is where i went full bore and forgot to picture the blending of the highlights, i realized my mistake as i laid the first shadows (the shadows are layed down exactly the same as the highlights and look just as crude before blending) so this next pic shows the first layer of highs and the first layer of shadows already blended........... SOOOOOOOOOORY :blink:

To blend i used the big fluffy ... you barely want to touch the surface of the figure and i used a stipple/ light brush in the direction of the highlight to blend.

You don't need to wait to blend, lay the colour and blend and then move to the high or low...keep the blending brush clean and dry ( CAN'T STRESS THIS ENOUGH NO ENAMEL THINNER ON THE BLENDING BRUSH ) I use a piece of blue paper towel to keep the blending brush clean and dry, if your doing it right there should be minimal paint transfer to the brush anyway.

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Now when figure painters talk about push and pull they are talking about moving back and forth between the highlights and shadows.

You can spend hours doing this trying to get the right balance.

The next few pics are just me pushin and a pullin between the shadows and the lights...same process as the first ones you laid down and more or less the same colours.

White blended with the base flesh- highlights, and burnt sienna with the base flesh- shadows.

Something i did forget and that is fairly important is the theatre your guys are fighting in ..... cold weather you might want to lighten all the colours a tad.

This figure is going to go with my Tunisian Tiger so he needs to look tanned and sun kissed.

The below pic is the second run at the push and pull and you can see that work on the arms is just starting.

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More push and pull and both arms now starting to come together

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Both arms are nearly there fingers are more detailed and some more too and fro with the chest ..head and neck have not been touched yet

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First run of highs on the face more subtle work on the chest and arms.

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The face now has the lows placed and using the tiniest amount of blue the five o'clock shadow and just a trace of red on the cheek area.

When i say tiny amounts of red and blue i really do mean that, the red on the cheeks was barely a dot and for the stubble barely the thinnest of lines blended

I don't paint the eyes ....never could do that without it lookin googly...... so just a highlight pass on the lower lid and a dark pass under the brow is enough for me to suggest the eyes are there.

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The push and pull goes on .....the neck area has had some blending and for the final part of this very crude tutorial i will take you through the details (hair, cap, watch, ring and so on) and the uniform or lack thereof, work will still go on with the flesh.

Couple of tips that help me ...... look at the figure while working under various light sources, try using a mirror to look at the figure (perspective change can help) and of course walk away for a break every now and then and come back to it, sometimes problems will show themselves after a break and some fresh eyes are on it.

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Again hope this helps and again apologies if i have missed anything ...... remember patience is the key and stay positive..... oils are very forgiving

 

it's not over until the large rotund female sings :giggle:

 

Any questions just ask

 

 

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Really impressed Steve!

 

I like it that you are basically only using 4 colours. On previous tutorials i have watched, they seem to use about 10+ shades of flesh colour, which just blows my mind and puts me off.

 

I was going to ask why you don't use an acrylic base, but i now understand you need the base oil coat to be blendable. On that note, how long does it stay blendable and how long to totally dry?

 

Keep up the good work,

George

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