Work in Progress

French and Indian War first attempts

Posted by Rich W on 07 Aug 2018, 23:00

Thanks BB. If I'm honest, I don't have much spare time and very little patience so I'm not going to invest much more time in each set than I already do. I'll try and thin the paint out (although I don't feel like I put much paint on the brushes in the first place!) and see how it goes. But I'm not sure my figures will ever match the skills demonstrated by others! But that's ok, because what I'm achieving now is 100x better than what I was painting 18 months ago!
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Posted by Bluefalchion on 07 Aug 2018, 23:26

Marginal improvements are all I can manage, myself. Keep painting and please keep posting!
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Bluefalchion  United States of America
 
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Posted by Susofrick on 08 Aug 2018, 07:55

I don't paint at all right now and fully understand the lack of time to try to change (or improve) one's style. I've started with brushes (!) (used toothpicks before) and washes. And that's probably it. The most important is that we have fun together and I really like to see more of this. Especially the trees!
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Susofrick  Sweden
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Posted by MABO on 08 Aug 2018, 08:12

I think the figures painted with acrylics are much better now. If you would like, give the white colours a washing as well. If you took a grey with a lot of water it should work. And as CM Dodson has said: A dry brushing is also a very good idea. You take a lighter colour, or mix the used colour with white. Then you take only a little bit of the rest of the colour left on the brush after brushed over a kleenex. Then brush softly over the corresponding part of the figure.

You can try if you want. But take your time. Nothing will work if you are not in the right mood for trying something.

I am far away to be a real good painter, but trying some simple techniques can change the level of your painted heroes. And that is a good motivation.
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Posted by Rich W on 27 Aug 2018, 00:36

Thank you to everyone who has given me feedback and encouragement on this thread! My first diorama has been completed and can be found on the gallery page. Enjoy!
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Posted by Rich W on 23 Sep 2018, 23:39

Bit of advice needed please as I continue my FIW project. When using a wash, should it go over the varnish coat or before the varnish coat is applied? Also, if I were to buy a ready made vallejo wash, could a black wash be used over the whole figure or only selected parts? For instance, would a different colour wash be needed for flesh compared to red coats etc. I've really struggled with washes so far and just want to keep it quick and simple!

Thanks for your continued help and support!
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Posted by Traveller1865 on 24 Sep 2018, 16:44

Use black wash for metals, like rifle barrels, bayonets and knives etc, you could use the black wash all over your figure but then it would be very dark! Instead, I suggest using flesh tone, either from Vallejo or GW on skin parts, face and hands, then depending on cloths, light wash for light colors, I prefer to use Army Painter Soft Tone on lighter colors like white, for red you can use a brown wash like Army Painter Strong tone. For grey you can use a black wash. For green use strong/brown tone, blue looks great with a dark tone. If you'r really lazy you could use just one wash like soft tone or strong tone, I tend to go with soft tone as I don't want my figures to look too dark or dirty.

I really suggest you invest in the small Quickshade bottles from Army Painter, buy soft, strong and dark tone, and use the dark tone on weapons, it's basically a black wash. There's nothing wrong with Vallejo but from my experience the quickshades are really better. As for varnish, don't use it, if you must before the painting, as the varnish will mess upp the effects from my experience.

Free shipping here:
https://arcanesceneryandmodels.co.uk/sh ... -tone-ink/
https://arcanesceneryandmodels.co.uk/sh ... -tone-ink/
https://arcanesceneryandmodels.co.uk/sh ... -tone-ink/
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Traveller1865  Sweden

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Posted by Rich W on 25 Sep 2018, 23:15

Thank you for the advice Traveller 1865, I have ordered the three bottles and will see how i get on.

Would you use it neat from the bottle or mix it with something else?
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Posted by Traveller1865 on 26 Sep 2018, 05:19

Use directly from bottle, wipe off excess, let dry. There's a mixing medium from same company but I haven't tried it yet. But experiment, use the shades that suit you best, personally I want my figure to stay pretty much in the same tone as it was painted and use a lot of soft tone, because the shades will make your original paint darker, so keep that in mind, a black wash all over your figure will make it very dark, I only use it over figures with a full or part scale armour over them, like knights.
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Traveller1865  Sweden

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Posted by Rich W on 07 Oct 2018, 01:26

Here are more completed grenadiers of the 44th. They are Hat and Zvezda Prussians and will be used in the scene of the vanguard initially being ambushed. As always feedback is welcome!

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Posted by Rich W on 04 Nov 2018, 22:23

Ok, here is my next batch of figures...more Native Americans.

The last few photos show the comparison between figures I painted back in April and now-I hope you can appreciate the difference (I have tried to take on board all the great feedback from yourselves). These are still no-where near at the amazing standards set out by others, but I'm still pleased with these!

Feedback is, as always, very welcome!

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Posted by MABO on 05 Nov 2018, 08:40

This is a real progress! Congrats. I think the comparison clearly shows the difference. Now you can try to drybrush the colours you have washed before. Use a lighter variant of the colour you have painted with and drop your brush in it. after that you remove nearly all of the colour in a tissue. With the small rest, that is still on the brush, you can highligh the coulours used. It brings out the details very well and your figures looks much better. If you have no exakt list which colours work together as base, wash and highlight, you can add some white to the base colour.

Keep on painting!
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Posted by Susofrick on 05 Nov 2018, 09:25

Wow! That is progress!!! You have gone far from April until now! Who knows how far you will go with this pace!!!
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Susofrick  Sweden
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Posted by C M Dodson on 05 Nov 2018, 09:28

Well done indeed.

I am no painter but your progress in such a short time is lovely.

The comparison reminds me of some of my earlier figures that have now been upgraded, what was I thinking?

Keep up the good work.

Best wishes,

Chris
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Posted by Roland_Kupski on 05 Nov 2018, 09:32

Another hint: Dont use green for the ground. Green is, as first "mixed" colour at the colour wheel, a highly aggressive colour, which highlights every red (the other aggressive tune) and kills all yellow and blue, that means especially the skintones (they will be turned pale!). Better use a neutral brown or ocre.
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Roland_Kupski  Germany
 
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Posted by Graeme on 09 Nov 2018, 19:29

That's a big improvement in a very short time. Well done to you and well done to the forum members that gave you tips along the way.
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Graeme  Australia
 
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Posted by Beano Boy on 10 Nov 2018, 13:33

That is so Cool! :thumbup: BB
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Posted by Rich W on 13 Nov 2018, 22:20

Thanks everyone as always for your supportive and constructive words. As Graeme says, well done to all the members who have been sharing advice-it works!

I've just started a new job requiring more hours of my time (and more stress!), so I think my already slow output of painting will get even slower.
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Posted by MABO on 14 Nov 2018, 08:18

Take your time. But you have to work for gold to turn it into figures.
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Posted by Susofrick on 14 Nov 2018, 08:37

That's the reason we do work, to get money to buy figures and paint.
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