THE SCALE'S OFF OR IT'S ARMOR TIME!
Another installment in the world of paint; yes, I know it's about time. You say your paint's drying up in the bottle again and those cheap brushes you buy are shedding faster than a sick dog with the mange? I'm hereto help-maybe.
David Glick writes a simple question that has a big answer, "What's the best way to paint armor (plate and mail) and flesh on figures." It takes a man with a perverse sense of humor to ask that and another like me to answer. So here goes; read it and weep.
Let us view flesh first. A lot of companies sell a color that they, with a straight face, call "FLESH". Fat chance! These colors run from the cave dweller pallor of death to walnut. The reason for this is that these paints are produced, shall we say, "on the cheap". That means that they don't use the correct colors to mix the paint. Yes, yes, you're right; here it comes, another edition of the famous, flying ART LESSON.
Take a look at a good reproduction of an old master's painting--and I'm not talking about some coot who did 54mm displays--I mean Rembrandt and the rest of them. A good portrait will do. Now take a close look at the flesh, holy cookies! Look at that: blue, green, red ... WOW! And it's true, too. Presuming that you have a small bit of health left, take a look in your mirror in decent light and you'll see touches of blue and all the other colors emanating from stuff inside of you. Now, the object is not to teach you to paint like Rembrandt but to make you aware of color.
The trick is to mix your own flesh color paint in small quantities and store it in a sealed bottle for further use. Of course, this is much easier for those of you who use acrylics. Use an eyedropper or spoon to mix the colors and the Jeckel-like secret formula is as follows: ONE part each of blue, middle-green, and red to SIX or TEN parts of white. The reason for the difference is due to the difference between the paints used in mixing; you may have to vary this formula according to the type of paint you use.
I must confess, though, I do cheat, especially on 15mm's. I use Hyplar or Liquitex red oxide mixed with Plaka flesh (which is a peach color; but it also will flatten out the acrylic look of the red oxide which is a definite plus for me since I really hate that acrylic effect). The result is a tanned look which is acceptable. On actually painting the figure, I usually do flesh first, and when the first coat is dry, I dry brush a lighter version to highlight areas such as the bridge of the nose, cheeks, knuckles and any other exposed areas. This serves to create natural shadows.
SILVER THREADS AND GOLDEN NEEDLES
Armor isn't all shiny or dull. Many times it is painted, enameled, rusted, bronzed, or just plain gilded. The easy type is good old plate; if the figure is in full plate you can take it as it comes and give it a wash with black oil paint thinned with turps. Use just enough to fill in the details, and when the figure is beginning to dry, polish the armor with your fingers to your satisfaction. When the figure is totally dry, carefully prime any remaining areas to be painted. If plate is to be another color, it must first be primed; then a wash should be done in the base color mixed with black, and then, when the base coat is dry, dry brushing should be done in the real color. To get an enameled effect, then paint the armor with an acrylic gloss. If the armor is to be silvered, paint the wash color over a coat of silver.
Mail is treated just like the black wash, with silver dry brushed onto any exposed area. Now, to give armor a rusted look, I use two methods; one is the painting of the armor in silver, then brushing on a coat of Pelikan Special Brown ink. The other is the reverse; priming, painting brown, and then dry brushing silver.
That should do it for now. I hope these few hints will give you an urge to experiment with that stuff they peddle as paint. Happy painting in the air-conditioning and may your brushes ever be pointed.
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