Painitng tips, 1/3
John Desmond
PAINTING TIPS, 1 / 3
Some of these were previously printed in *Spearpoint* #s 47-48. As
the then editor of that 'zine left my name off the article, I feel
morally justified in reprinting them here.
I'm not a professional figure painter or a regular award winner, nor
am I ever likely to be. I just want to be able to grin and nod
affirmatively when someone asks "Did you paint these yourself ?" Some
things I've learned ...
A spring-counterbalanced lamp and magnifying grass combination - mine
is a 'Polaris Magnifier Lamp, model IM 295 A', from Ledu Corp. of
Trumbull, Ct. - is almost as useful as twenty-four Reg A EHC.
To keep acrylic paints from drying out while you're working with them;
Get a plastic or metal tray or large shallow box, preferably with an
airtight cover. Cover the bottom with two or three layers of high-
quality paper towels cut to size (I like +Viva+) and saturate with
water. Cut a piece of white paper - you want a grade that won't
seperate into fibers when wet - to fit atop. Good-quality
electrostatic duplicator +(Xerox)+ or laser-printer paper works well.
Saturate with water - you want the papers to be very wet but not so
wet that the paints run into each other - and squeeze your paints onto
the paper. Cover when finished for the day.
Modelers' Mart (and probably some other vendors) packages some of its
figures in snap-shut clear plastic packs, about 4" x 2 1/2' x 3/4"
deep. These make excellent mini-palettes - with the lid closed they
can be left overnight without drying out.
I like to plan my painting sessions in an 'intensity curve'. I start
with something easy to 'warm up' - big brush and wide swaths of
color, go on to the fine detail work and 'ten-zero' brushes, then
finish up with some more easy stuf. The problem with this is that I
accumulate boxes of figures with tunics or whatever 'roughed in', and
must pledge myself to 'finish two stands for each one I begin'.
Sometime or other, you probably have had your significant other
charge into the workshop yelling "When are you going to call it a
night and get to sleep ?" One way to pace yourself at your painting
sessions (assuming you use acrylics) is to go by the dishes of water
you use for cleaning brushes. Fill up a dish and work from light
colors to black. When you dump it down the drain and rinse it out,
check the time (and the morale of your support group), then decide
whether to resume wielding your paintbrush or break off and recover
expended fatigue points.
'Wingel', which Windsor & Newton sells as a medium for oil paints, is
the only thing I know of that'll stick to the Esci & Revell
polyethylene figures, and is very useful for mounting metal figures
to a wood or cardboard base - white glue is what I use when I know
exactly where I want the figures mounted, but Wingel gives me time to
slide the figures around on the base and get the phalangites into an
even rank. It drys to a non-glossy finish, which is often helpful.
I like to use brass or copper wire for spears and pikes. It's easier
to cut or bend than steel and doesn't rust. It will bend - in the
event that your figures get stepped on or dropped - before the lead
of the figure bends - thus keeping the figure and its paint job from
being damaged. Brass wire, also, eliminates the risk of stabbing a
hand put down in the wrong place.
25 mm 'fantasy' figures can be used as the central statues in Graeco-
Roman temples, for your 15 mm armys' base camps - if you've been up
against me in a DBA tournament, you may remember the temple of
"Artemis of the Chainmail Bikini". The local hobby shop has
dowels shaped, smoothed, and ready for making into simple Greek
columns ( No, Alanis - Ionic is fancier ( and Corinthian is much
fancier ) - these are plain old Doric. )
Anyway, giving these dowels a fluted appearance and making
miniature Ionic or Corinthian capitals has me stumped.
Any advice?
Yours, John Desmond - jdes...@bbs.cpcn.com
London Calling
>Anyway, giving these dowels a fluted appearance and making
>miniature Ionic or Corinthian capitals has me stumped.
>Any advice?
Greek/Roman style columns no problem he says!
Many moons ago we had a party with a lovely cake. Party over, cake eaten, clearing
up begun...but wait there was something left over from the cake. Cake stands!!!!
These were lots of individual fluted columns with wide square bases top and
bottom, suit any scale from 15mm to 25mm, white(probably made of plaster), exactly
like the columns you're after. Far too good to throw away. They're very good and
they're probably dirt cheap.
So after you've been down the art shop (John) try the cake shop!
Tiz
wearing the mythical "Cap of Frugality" :)
London Calling
Hello John,
>'Wingel', which Windsor & Newton sells as a medium for oil paints, is
>the only thing I know of that'll stick to the Esci & Revell
>polyethylene figures, and is very useful for mounting metal figures
>to a wood or cardboard base - white glue is what I use when I know
>exactly where I want the figures mounted, but Wingel gives me time to
>slide the figures around on the base and get the phalangites into an
>even rank. It drys to a non-glossy finish, which is often helpful.
I don't fully understand this. I'm about to paint up a load of plastics and know all
the horror stories about paint peeling etc and the various solutions, but 'Wingel'
is a new one to me. Is it a primer, varnish or do you have to mix it with the paint
(I'm a strict acrylics man)?
I've been following the thread on these decoupage glues to seal the figs which
sounded like a good idea. What I'd really like to get hold of is the sort of paint
that people like "Britains" use for their plastic figs, extremely durable stuff. I
have heard this sort of paint referred to as PVC paint though it might only be
useful for that simple "Toy Soldier" look.
Thanks
Tiz.
Steve Burt
>
> I've been following the thread on these decoupage glues to seal the figs
which
> sounded like a good idea. What I'd really like to get hold of is the sort
of paint
> that people like "Britains" use for their plastic figs, extremely durable
stuff. I
> have heard this sort of paint referred to as PVC paint though it might
only be
> useful for that simple "Toy Soldier" look.
>
> Thanks
>
> Tiz.
flaking from polythene figures. I use artists 'flow formula' acrylic
straight out of the tube for the undercoat (dilute stuff runs off the
greasy polythene). Once undercoated, paint like any other figure.
You can bend muskets to your heart's content and the paint won't come off -
I speak as someone with many thousands of bendy plastic figures. The old
ones painted with enamels flake like there is no tomorrow. the new ones
painted with acrylics never flake. (I suspect that oils would be OK, as
well, but I've never tried them)
Steve Burt
sb...@mdsi.co.uk
David G. Bell
In article <5e217b$9...@pheidippides.axion.bt.co.uk>
fran...@angec1.agw.bt.co.uk "London Calling" writes:
> Hello John,
>
> >'Wingel', which Windsor & Newton sells as a medium for oil paints, is
> >the only thing I know of that'll stick to the Esci & Revell
> >polyethylene figures, and is very useful for mounting metal figures
> >to a wood or cardboard base - white glue is what I use when I know
> >exactly where I want the figures mounted, but Wingel gives me time to
> >slide the figures around on the base and get the phalangites into an
> >even rank. It drys to a non-glossy finish, which is often helpful.
>
> I don't fully understand this. I'm about to paint up a load of plastics and
> know all
> the horror stories about paint peeling etc and the various solutions, but
> 'Wingel'
> is a new one to me. Is it a primer, varnish or do you have to mix it with the
> paint
> (I'm a strict acrylics man)?
I'd guess that this is an acrylic medium. I'd also guess that paying
more attention to cleaning the traces of oil (from the mould releasing
agents) from the plastic surface has a lot to do with getting paints to
stick. And a medium intended for oil paints will have less of a
problem.
The usual technique is to apply the chosen glue-like substance as both
a primer and as a varnish. Since "white glue" (Poly-vinyl-acetate?)
doesn't set in as rigid and as brittle a form as many paints, this helps
hold things together.
And you should have no special problems using acrylic paints.
--
David G. Bell -- Farmer, SF Fan, Filker, Furry, and Punslinger..
Paul Will
RE: Columns and Pillars...
Detailed info on columns given in the current issue of the B-WARE Ultimate
Gamedisc...info on
http://www.b-ware.com