Mag the Mighty - pushing contrast

[PaulinKendal]

Until now, I've been painting skin as follows: zenithal prime, followed by Vallejo Game Ink 'Skin Wash', then mixing skintones using Vallejo Game Color 'Pale Flesh' with other colours in my arsenal - often 'Leather Brown', 'Black Grey' and 'Ice Yellow', but various other colours as well.

After general dissatisfaction with what I could achieve like this, and watching a video by Duncan Rhodes (Faces 3 Ways), I thought I'd push it on a bit.

I bought a couple more paints (Vallejo Model Color 'Dark Flesh' and 'Medium Fleshtone') and came up with this. For a first try I'm pretty pleased with it.


Order of painting was as follows: zenithal prime, followed by two thin coats of 'Medium Fleshtone' (which covers superbly well, much but than 'Pale Flesh', for sure). Then 'Skin Wash' diluted 50/50 with water. This creates a very dark, shaded base to build up from, with 'Medium Fleshtone', then 'Dark Flesh', then 'Pale Flesh', with intermediate blends of these same colours. Added some 'Warlord Purple' mixed with appropriate skin colour and a touch of 'Black Grey' in the shadows.

I've pushed contrast to the limit - maybe too far - and I've not worried too much about smooth transitions, as I'm generally happy with a more, um, impressionistic approach to the final, overall effect. The super-high contrast gives a dramatic effect, but it may be too much. I'll know once the figure's finished.

I usually hold off painting faces till the end, feeling I could build up to the challenge. This time I took a leaf out of Tim Marlow's book and painted the face (and hands, body and feet) at the start. Tim says this brings the figure to life, and I've got to agree. I also think I was delaying face painting out of a certain timidity. Once the figure's completed I'll have a better sense of whether changing the order of painting like this makes a difference or not.

As an aside, I was wrongfooted by paint names. 'Medium Fleshtone' is significantly darker than 'Dark Flesh', which seems a bit daft.

 

[JR]

Stunning work Paul, Tim will appreciate these I'm sure.

 

[Tim Marlow]

Absolutely superb mate. Contrast is spot on for me. He will really pop on the tabletop. The bonus is that it’s far easier to paint clothes over the top than it is skin underneath….not often you get to paint toenails either LOL.

 

[PaulinKendal]

Thanks chaps. Yeah Tim, I'm not sure about those toenails - I hope they look a bit battered, but they might just be varnished . Lots of time to tweak and change it - I'm doing a preliminary ink wash of his hair at the minute, and managed to get a big blob of sepia on his nose, so that now definitely needs attention!

 

[PaulinKendal]

He's now pretty much finished - apart from the base, of course. Once that's done and he's been varnished I'll put him in the appropriate forum section.

Yellow has a reputation for being difficult. I've not found it so. This is Vallejo Game Color Sun Yellow with a little Vallejo Model Color Ice Yellow (which I'll admit is a difficult colour to manage) over a zenithal prime. Then a dilute wash of brown ink, then highlights brought up with more of the Sun Yellow mix and final highlights of Ice Yellow. Works for me.

 

[Tim Marlow]

Excellent work Paul. Great job on the banana trousers in particular, and that’s one hell of a codpiece
By the way, I found that Ice white is semi transparent, rather than opaque, so is great for adding to other colours for a highlight. Not so good at covering other colours though. Game ink yellow is great for using over a Zenitel prime as well. The prime must be very neutral however. If the primer has a blue tone you’ll get a muddy lime green…..

 

[JayCee]

Lovely painting Paul. Great muscle definition.
John.

 

[PaulinKendal]

Excellent work Paul. Great job on the banana trousers in particular, and that’s one hell of a codpiece
By the way, I found that Ice white is semi transparent, rather than opaque, so is great for adding to other colours for a highlight. Not so good at covering other colours though. Game ink yellow is great for using over a Zenitel prime as well. The prime must be very neutral however. If the primer has a blue tone you’ll get a muddy lime green…..

Thanks Tim.

You mention Vallejo Ice White - I can find Vallejo Pure White, Off White, Rotten White, Dead White, Insignia White, Foundation White - and Arctic White. Did you mean Arctic White?

I've tried Vallejo yellow ink over a zenithal prime, and even though I'd just used Vallejo black and white primer, it still went muddy green.

I've also found that trying to tone down yellow with any sort of grey sends it greenish - they must all have some blue in them. I now stick to using browns to tone yellows down.

The key with ice yellow seems to be to use it straight away - if I leave it on the wet palette for any time at all it goes crumbly, flaky, blobby. But used immediately I find it very useful.

 

[Steve Brodie]

Brilliant work

 

[Tim Marlow]

Thanks Tim.

You mention Vallejo Ice White - I can find Vallejo Pure White, Off White, Rotten White, Dead White, Insignia White, Foundation White - and Arctic White. Did you mean Arctic White?

I've tried Vallejo yellow ink over a zenithal prime, and even though I'd just used Vallejo black and white primer, it still went muddy green.

I've also found that trying to tone down yellow with any sort of grey sends it greenish - they must all have some blue in them. I now stick to using browns to tone yellows down.

The key with ice yellow seems to be to use it straight away - if I leave it on the wet palette for any time at all it goes crumbly, flaky, blobby. But used immediately I find it very useful.

Hi mate
I meant ice yellow, not ice white I think foundation white is primer, by the way…..
Most blacks seem to include a blue component, hence the green when covered with transparent yellow…….. I tend to use the reddish browns for under shading on yellows, but yellow is always hard…..mostly I just avoid it LOL.
As to the wet palette issue, that’s over dilution. Once the paint is on the palette it draws moisture in. Most light colours can go chalky or powdery like that if over diluted, but some are worse than others. That’s one of the reasons it is best to make glazes from dark colours, rather than light ones.
Still think he’s an excellent figure

 

[PaulinKendal]

Right. I've always struggled with pale glazes - seems like it's not me, it's the paints that causes the issue. I'll have to use different techniques for pale colours in future. And I certainly find Ice Yellow is great as an addition to other colours - never considered it might be a transparency thing. As for paints self-diluting on the wet palette, there seem to be wildly different rates they do it at - some are relatively stable, while others instantly start diluting themselves. All very odd.