Improve skins (heavy pics)

[Pandadosmares]

Hi,

one of the things i like to paint is flesh im trying to improve adding some colors to the skin tones (the tutorial is amazing )

But sometimes we are happy with the job and cannot see beyond, only wend looking at the jobs done here, i see the need of improvement.

Let me know what you think.

Click to see full-sized image
Click to see full-sized image
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The russ
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Click to see full-sized image

the Rage of antonius
Click to see full-sized image

The tanks were to give the big picture.

I dont like to use just inks or washes wend doing flesh to make the shadows.

thanks, hope its not heavy.

[Cyberpaddy66]

I'd be very happy if mine turned out like that, well done

[Nameless]

most skin part have grainy paint on it. In fact, other part have it too not enough water in your paint?

[Demi_morgana]

as for me I'd glaze flesh with diluted wash
that always enriches the color

[Pandadosmares]

Hi,

thanks

for some reason (that im a lousy photographer ) the photos are more grainy than the reality i must have changed thoa lower iso.

But im still fighting with the "dilute your paint" monster , but you are right i need to dilute, and glaze or both.

That brings me to a few questions.

The mini above are painted with:
Valejo model color skin tones
Vallejo game color
GW

i diluted them with water and i found that the above paints dont like water that is too much alcaline like the one i have at my home (or so i think)

Then i tried using distiled water and some colors also went grainy but with a lesser amount.

Then i added the glazes to the misture and it went much smoother, do i made some mistakes.
1- not using a wet pallete (paint drying too fast)
2- paint dry in the brush
3- not diluted enough

I guess those are some of the reasons, that im still working and trying to find the right paint dilution

so the last question are:

Is the quality of the brush as important as the quality of the paints (diluted paints) and the consistence of the paints (amount of water or glaze medium or both)?

Is the vallejo model color range more grainy (i do shake them)?

Do the shadows look alright are they flat or something?

Im painting now Sly Marbo, using more diluted paints, cleaning more the paint from the brush.

For now i went with the following mixture.

GW white prime
Tallarn flesh (i love the color)
GW dark flesh + tallarn (50:50)
Dark Flesh (just on the more dark places)

Ill try to go to some more bright colors with the highlights (photos only on the weekend)

as for me I'd glaze flesh with diluted wash Smile
that always enriches the color

Are you saying to use the wash flesh paint diluted with glaze?

Thanks

[Elfboy]

Brush quality is definitely as important as paint quality. Miniature painting is pretty tough on brushes and a brush that might last me a year or more with 2D painting will only last about 6 months of regular miniature painting.

I've found that for me, the best (in terms of brush life and cost) and longest lasting brushes are the ProArte Polar range, they're a white nylon bristle and designed specifically for acrylic paints.

If I could afford it, I'd invest in some all natural bristle brushes because they will, in theory, last a lifetime and tend not to degrade in the same way as the ProArte brushes.

When painting, be sure to keep a brush aside for fine detail and only use it for fine detail. You may end up with two sets, one set being some damaged brushes that are good for rough base coats and one set being in better condition for smarter details and blending. Regularly wash your brushes out and, if you can help it, dry your brush and get the point with a cloth or paper towel, not your mouth. Getting a point on a brush by using your mouth will tend to make the bristles curl and make it useless for most fine detail work (voice of experience).

As for your skin tones, I think you need to work a little on the smoothness of shading, using some wet blending and less paint. It takes a lot longer to do but it takes a piece from gaming standard to show-off standard. I think the colours you're using are good for basic caucasian skin, but try some different skin colours, the easiest of which is a good dark afro-carribean skintone, you get to play about with all kinds of paint that looks like chocolate then!

[shakes]

your tank commander's skin looks very good aswell as the marine at the top of the page. The following are some thoughts that i think may help.

try some acrylic flow release if your finding the paints drying on your brush, you mix it in like water. 1:10 flow release to paint. it makes the paint dry slower aswell as
making it flow across your model better, still controlable, just no gumminess as paint dries on the model

brushes are huge i find, i use citadel miniature (GW) brushes for basic stuff like basecoats or large surfaces but for blending, fine detail, free-hand etc, i only use my windsor and
and newton series 7 brushes. there extremely fine kolinsky sable. they unfortunately run about 25-40 canadian for small and regular size brushes. once you get to a GW tank
size brush your looking at a price of 150-200 dollars. i only have the 3 smallest sizes. 0, double 0, and triple 0.

id suggest doing quite a few more stages. my table top quality goes from dark flesh or scorched brown all the way to dwarf flesh then mixing in white. usually 8 different tones.
show pieces etc i use far more, as much as 20 different tones including glazes etc and far more stages. this will make it appear smoother and your transition will become more
seamless.

lastly id check what types of paint you use, im not very familiar with vallejo but i know reaper has different levels such as basic, pro, and master. or something like that.
the basic stuff i imagine will be grainier and not flow aswell where as the master series will be extremely fine with better pigment and more flow. thats what im assuming
anyway.

hope some of that was helpful keep up the good work

shakes

[shakes]

one more thought i think part of the graininess may be due to your primer. some primers dry ruffer which is good for making paint stick but to ruff and your models
will almost appear to have fuzz on them. this can be the primer, the distance from which your spraying, or the temperature your letting them dry at. id try spraying your
models from closer about 25cm to a foot, and letting them dry at around room temperature. im not that familiar with really hot climates but i have found that cold climates
can screw with the setting of the primer and make it very grainy, also the humidity if your letting them dry outside.

hope something in there helps

shakes