The Scampington & Chipside Garden Railway
Project: Figure Painting
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During the building of the S&CGR several modelling mini-projects have been undertaken. Among them was a plan to improve the look of the figures provided with the LGB starter set. This page attempts to show the steps taken to improve one of the figures - the spanner-wielding mechanic.
1. Before
Here's our hapless victim - err, I mean willing participant - 'straight out of the box'. A very basic paint job, with the figure still retaining the very toy-like 'plasticy' appearance.
2. Apply Primer
Firstly, the figure is given an undercoat of white matt paint - I prefer to paint colours onto a white base, but each to their own. The main reason for undercoating is to give the paint a better keying surface. It also highlights the detail of the moulding, as well as revealing moulding lines that may then be filed or sanded off. If using spray paint to prime, always work in a well-ventilated area. Try not to spray on too much, otherwise you risk losing moulding detail under too-thick layers of primer.
3. Primer Applied (close-up)
A close-up of our undercoated hero - looking a bit bemused it seems, and who can blame him!
4. Paint Face and Hands
I always paint faces and hands first - not sure why, I guess I'm weird! In general I tend to start with lighter colours and work down to darkest colours. All of which means it is adviseable to have a rough idea about colour schemes for clothing and so on beforehand. All the colours used here are acrylics, either 'as is' or mixed with others to get the colour and tone that I want.
5. Paint Clothing
I decided that green overalls would be the order of the day, so...
6. Paint Hat / Belt / Boots
Hat, boots and belt - we're getting there... although our hero has taken on more than a passing resemblence to 'Captain Haddock' these days. Remember that boots and belts do come in a range of colours and tones other than black...
7. Apply 'Shadow'
Now the real fun starts - picking out the wrinkles in the clothing, the collar folds, and also the pocket flaps. In doing this, I operate on the assumption that for the article in question, the 'low' spots are represented by a darker tone of the basic colour (suggesting that the affected area is at least partially in shadow)...
8. Apply 'Highlights'
... while the 'high' spots are represented by a lighter tone, indicating more exposure to daylight.
9. After...
Here's the final shot of our mechanic. Note our hero has foregone the rugged unshaven countenance in favour of the more dapper mechanic-about-town look... Basically I didn't like the look of his face so I rearranged it... Note too that the low points between the fingers and around the face have been given the 'shadow' treatment with a slightly darker flesh tone.