Can anyone offer tips on painting those little figures. Someone just gave me a bag of about four billion of them. What kind of brushes are good? What does one use to apply tiny amounts of paint to eyes and ears? I was thinking the end of a needle dipped in paint might work. All helpful hints greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Unless it's O gauge folks or larger, I don't think anyone attempts to paint the eyes (that is if you mean painting the white and blue, green or brown parts).
The local hobby shop or art supply store should have a good supply of very small-tipped brushes. If they're Preiser figures (white plastic) I paint the "flesh" color first, face, hands and legs (for ladies in skirts). If it's a man you can leave the shirt white and paint the pants blue, grey or brown. If the figure is wearing a suit, you can paint the jacket the same color as the pants. Then I paint the hair brown or black or pale yellow (for blond) and the shoes black or brown.
I like to do them as much as possible while still on the sprue, and do them in "assembly line" fashion. Paint the flesh color on say 10 figures then set aside to dry. Then add blue pants to some figures and set aside to dry. Then paint some figure's pants brown and let dry. Come back with some pink for the ladies dresses.
Like anything else, you just have to take your time and practice. At first just try to do simple paint jobs and do them "good enough" to use say inside a passenger car or in the backgrounds. Over time you'll get better and better at it.
I try to find the smallest brush i can and buy a few of them, and cut about half the bristles off near the top and use the brush then. Be careful and experiment by cutting a few at a time, also the local hobby shop should carry the tiny micro brushes in a 10 pack I think.
I do a fair amount of looking at other hobbies like military modeling and fantasy figure painting. Most guys that paint figures usually use very good quality natural hair brushes such as Sable and Kalinsky types. The natural fibers usually have better spring in the brush and tend to keep their shape better than hobby brushes you would buy in your LHS. Also different manufacturers have different styles and sizes of brushes. For instance, in an art supply store you may see 10 different brushes each labeled number 0 but clearly different sizes. Some have longer bristles and hold more paint others are very short. Each has their own purpose.
Chris
I've read somewhere that cat hair makes good brushes. Just tape the hair to a skewer and Whalla, a brush.
I think of painting teeny btiny little people like I am a casting director for a movie. I look at a batch of unpainted... or commercially-painted figures as like a mob of hopefuls at the studio casting office who want a job in the movies- maybe if just as an extra. I know the script of the movie, the scene and time and mood we are trying to create. Then I look at the would-be actors and see which could fill those roles. Sometimes I will find someone a little different from my preconception, but I also see sometimes a way to make them into a character somewhat different that what they walk in as.
Casting the people in front of the small town moviehouse. My transition era layout makwes me think of 1950s movies. And I had a figure that looked as if she could be made into- if not Marilyn Monroe, a small town woman who THINKS she looks a lot like Marilyn Monroe. At the right side in front of the jewelry store. Maybe nobody will catch that, but having a characterization like that in mind will help me paint people that don't look all alike.
The child figures standing at the curb are brother and sister. The girl, 14, is in charge of her little brother, earnest about it. But they were told to stand in front of the theater when the movie let out, and they can't think of looking anywhere except directly in front of the theater. They don't realize that their mother has to park a couple spaces down from the theater fire zone and they haven't noticed her honking or waving. So Mom, in beige-orange dress, had to get out to get them. The slightly creepy man at left with bhis bhands in his pockets is trying not to let anyone notice he is staring at the 14-year-old girl.
In the kitchen of the bayfront nightclub restaurant, a couple of the chefs came from plump figures. One was a German folk costume figure in short lederhosen and suspenders. I could use the cast-on lederhosen suspenders to make shoulder straps for chef's aprons.
100 figures in bathing suits for under $10 postpaid in an internet deal from China. Over 90% came with black hair and 10% had bright red hair. I guess that is how Chinese figure makers see hair. I needed to have a reasonable proportion of blondes and brunettes. I tried to repaint some pink skin as tanned and some as burned. But none with an African-American brown or black, because my beach is Texas in the mid 50s. Sorry, but segregation is the historic truth.
All the female figures were in two-pieces bikinis. NOT typical for 1950s. Had to repaint most as one-piece. And I needed to paint many with bathing caps. I'm not satisfied- may have to make another run before installing these on my beach. Still, I have enough figures to create a good mass effect even if individuals are less than pleasing.
In a set of 100 inexpensive figures, there are usually repeats from the same mold. There were about a dozen identical female figures, short, slight, all in a coy hand-holding pose. All looking like anorexic 11 year old girls. Just too many in this same look to seem like random figures in a beach crowd.
However, they could be dance students standing waiting awkwardly for parents to pick them up outside a dance studio, and the look-alike appearance and poses could make sense. My execution of the idea needs to be redone.
I have a fascinating prototype, formerly a music school, now a kindergarter, to cast in the role of a dancing school. Building can be cast too.
Diamond Jim I've read somewhere that cat hair makes good brushes. Just tape the hair to a skewer and Whalla, a brush.
I bet your bald cat appreciates the tip..
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
Cheapskate that I am, I paint figures with acrylic craft paints using toothpicks. For HO scale figures you don't need to paint in the eyes or ears. I can paint on a mustache, though. I do file the toothpick to a finer point with an emory board.
John
If everybody is thinking alike, then nobody is really thinking.
http://photobucket.com/tandarailroad/
I understand a one or two bristle brush is needed.
I'm to lazy to be bothered painting HO figures.
Plus, my eyes are not that good. I AM nearsighted, and can read fine print without glasses., but to think of paint schemes for a bazjillion "little people" would drive me to distraction.
I'd rather buy the ones already painted.
Besides it's not like I need a stadium full of little people anyway.
Good luck in painting your windfall.
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
The LION *does* need a million people. (NYCT moves at least that many every day!) Fortunately I can populate most of my stations with "good enough" paint jobs. They will be crowded in there, with limited lighting and limited viewing possibilities.
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
I have a couple of bags full of unpainted figures for future use, and a rather smaller number of prepainted figures purchased in Japan in the 1960s. The fun will be converting them into believable 1964 issue Japanese characters - most utterly unlike their American counterparts.
When I first brought up this thread I half-expected someone to suggest getting photos and trying to duplicate the appearance of thespians, high school classmates and such... (Now where did I put the microscope?)
Some figures are unavailable at any price. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to make the rikishi for my sumo ring. I'm certain that I'll have to make the referee and judges, with their traditional robes... Guess I'll use the John Allen trick and layer something on a wire armature. I foresee a lot of experimenting...
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - people included)
I glue them to a stick of wood (3/4 X 3/4) using white glue. I do about 6-8 at a time on the stick, and paint with a #0 sable brush (pricy, but worth it). After the paint dries, I hit them with dullcoat (people prototypes are not shiney), then break them off of the stick and fasten them to my layout (white glue again, makes them easy to relocate).
I like to mix small amounts of the caucasion skin tone paint with tiny amounts of other colors to make my folks a little more ethnicly diverse.
By the way, I find that "aged concrete" color paint makes a good representation of gray hair.
Phil, I'm not a rocket scientist; they are my students.
I'm kinda in the school of prepainted figures (largely because my hands shake a bit) but I did see what I think is a good idea at a train show not too long ago.
The modeler was working on HO figures which he had painted black and then was dry-brushing them with various colours. The effect was to create the appearance of shadows in the folds of clothing and beneath the arms and legs etc. He obviously was experienced with the technique because even the faces looked more realistic then the typical solid flesh tones used on most RTR figures. The natural looking shadows really added some depth to the figures' appearance.
I have yet to try this process so I can only comment on what I saw, but the results looked pretty good to me. I have some downtown scenes that I want to populate with lots of figures so I plan to give this method a try. Don't hold your breath - it is way way down my to do list.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
On the other hand, if you want a more realistic look & have a reasonably good hand at video, you can put REAL people into your scenes. There's a lot of pre-keyed footage around, on YouTube or Google, for free, or you can shoot your own with a blue blanket, a video camera, & some understanding friends...
[?action=view¤t=LostPirate.mp4
My advise,buy the best brushes you can afford and look after them and they will last a long time and paint with flat acrylic paint that has no shine, Good luck! John.
Once Upon a time.........
My photobucket:
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/
I am a man of few words but lots of pics
I quit drinking beer because the download was taking longer than the upload !
BroadwayLion The LION *does* need a million people. (NYCT moves at least that many every day!) Fortunately I can populate most of my stations with "good enough" paint jobs. They will be crowded in there, with limited lighting and limited viewing possibilities.
Actually, the NYC subway system moves more than 5 million people a day. Manhattan could not function without it.
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
The Lion makes a good point about visibility of figures. I put a lot of people inside buildings, as part of the interior. Many of these are really old, low-quality figures I got when I was a teenager, back when TV was black-and-white and dinosaurs roamed the earth.
I use acrylic craft paint for my figures. First, I give the faces, arms and bare legs a coat of flesh tone. This is easily done, as I don't particularly worry about "staying inside the lines." I've found that craft paint works out better if I plan to apply two coats.
Next, my big secret which should not take anyone by surprise: Use a magnifier lamp. I got a cheap one for $16 from an electronics place. It's fine for my purposes.
From then on, it's just a matter of adding colors. I like to do people in batches, and I do one color at a time, let it dry, add a second coat if necessary, and then let that dry. Craft paint dries quickly, so I can do several paint cycles in an evening. I use a very fine brush for this, a decent one I bought at a craft store. Don't be afraid to go back and touch up spots.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
BATMANCan anyone offer tips on painting those little figures. Someone just gave me a bag of about four billion of them. What kind of brushes are good? What does one use to apply tiny amounts of paint to eyes and ears? I was thinking the end of a needle dipped in paint might work. All helpful hints greatly appreciated. Thanks. Brent
Until I moved to metro Washington DC, I played Dungeons and Dragons with some good friends in Syracuse (2000-2009). My friend who ran the game was close to my age and one of his side hobbies was painting miniture figures for the game - he had a work bench in the basement where he had collected hundreds of mini's including armies of orc's, skeletons, and all manner of creatures and humanoids. One year I bought him a Christmas present, as crookneck magnifier lamp - it allows you to hold items with both hands under a large magnifier and it has a fluorescent lamp to alluminate the item you were looking at. It was perfect for his painting tiny figures. I suggest you buy one of those - it is a good investment for painting small things!
Also you can get brushes which are for tiny details, that have only a few hairs in the brush, good for tiny figures.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Medina1128 Diamond Jim: I've read somewhere that cat hair makes good brushes. Just tape the hair to a skewer and Whalla, a brush. I bet your bald cat appreciates the tip..
Diamond Jim: I've read somewhere that cat hair makes good brushes. Just tape the hair to a skewer and Whalla, a brush.
The cat has little to fear, unless the guy is going to mass produce brushes and sell them in cases!
tomikawaTT I have a couple of bags full of unpainted figures for future use, and a rather smaller number of prepainted figures purchased in Japan in the 1960s. The fun will be converting them into believable 1964 issue Japanese characters - most utterly unlike their American counterparts. When I first brought up this thread I half-expected someone to suggest getting photos and trying to duplicate the appearance of thespians, high school classmates and such... (Now where did I put the microscope?) Some figures are unavailable at any price. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to make the rikishi for my sumo ring. I'm certain that I'll have to make the referee and judges, with their traditional robes... Guess I'll use the John Allen trick and layer something on a wire armature. I foresee a lot of experimenting... Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - people included)
I know Preiser makes Sumo wrestlers....
http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?quick=sumo
She's got Betty Davis eyes...
These are Woodland Scenics figures. I didn't paint them. I did give them a hit of Dull-Coat, though.
This is worth checking out:
http://www.brifayle.ca/2abaseshadows.html
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
I've been painting small figures as long as (maybe longer than) I've been model railroading.
HO figures -- both toy soldiers and railroad figures. and, like Riogrande's friend, miniature fantasy figures (although these are 25mm, which is more like 1:72 or S scale, and lately "heroic 25mm" which is actually 28mm).
Paint: I've been using hobby acrylics as long as they've been available (solvents in the enamels give me a whopping headache). These days, I use ModelMaster Acryl and PollyScale. Make sure they're thin enough to freely flow off of the stirring stick when you lift it from the paint (this keeps brush marks from showing). If you need to thin them in the bottle, use a thinner designed for that type of paint.
Tools: Light / magnifier (although I use a desk light and cheap reading glasses). Hot glue gun. Brushes (see below). Strip wood or scrap lumber. Hot glue each figure on a piece of wood before you begin painting. Use this to hold the figure. I prefer this to keeping them on the sprue, because it gives you something to stand them up on, rather than having to wait for paint to dry before you can lay them down.
Brushes: As people have said, the best you can afford, and take care of them. I buy mine at an art supply store, generally sable or taklon, and they cost between $8 and $10 each. Clean and condition them with a brush cleaner / conditioner (I use Mona Lisa Pink Soap) after use, and never leave them standing on the bristles in a jar of water. Condition and shape them after each use. For sizes, I use a 10/0 liner for large areas, an 18/0 liner for smaller work, and a 0000 spotter for detail work (buckles, buttons, etc.).
Preparation: Wash the figures in warm, soapy water, rinse, and air dry. Don't touch the figure with your bare hands after you do this, use either cotton or latex gloves. Then prime them with spray primer (I use ModelMaster rattle can primers). Either white or gray works fine, although gray primer will make some light colors appear much darker. Let dry for 72 hours. I actually prime figures one weekend, then paint them the next.
Technique: When painting, hold the temporary base in one hand, the brush in the other, and rest the bottoms (heels) of your palms against one another. This way, if your hands shake, they both shake together and the motions are not transmitted to the brush as much. This works much better for me than a stationary mount for the figure. Paint "inside to out", meaning the most recessed details first, then the areas on top. Don't worry too much about "staying inside the lines". Little slips that are obvious under magnification really don't show to the naked eye. Fix only the gross misses. Add a second coat if necessary once the first is dry to the touch. Don't try to paint eyes, eyebrows, or other really fine detail (more on that later). If you have duplicate figures, take extra care to paint them differently (unless, of course, they're soldiers and are supposed to look alike).
Finishing: Acrylics dry to the touch in a couple of minutes, but they're not fully cured at that point. Let your figures dry overnight, then apply a thin black wash (1 part paint or India ink to 8-10 parts thinner). Apply this sparingly over your figure. It will settle in the nooks and crannies and bring out details like wrinkles, eyes, pockets, etc. If you get too much pooling in one spot, blot it off, either with your brush or the corner of a paper towel. Let dry 24 hours, then coat with a clear flat acrylic varnish I use the ModelMaster brush-on variety, although you can use an airbrush for this step. Now, let the figure dry for at least 72 hours with minimal handling, then cut it off of the wooden base with a hobby knife.
I stress the drying times, because it's tempting to rush and add the next coat before the first is fully dry. For model railroad figures that will only be touched a few times, that's probably overkill, but for toy soldiers or fantasy figures that will be repeatedly handled (and flexed, too), it's absolutely essential.
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
You have to be careful not to get bit when retrieving the hairs. Try a long piece of duct tape. While the cat is sleeping slap a 2 foot section across it's back with a foot hanging off. It makes it easier to grab and rip off.
Springfield PA
Hamltnblue Medina1128: Diamond Jim: I've read somewhere that cat hair makes good brushes. Just tape the hair to a skewer and Whalla, a brush. I bet your bald cat appreciates the tip.. You have to be careful not to get bit when retrieving the hairs. Try a long piece of duct tape. While the cat is sleeping slap a 2 foot section across it's back with a foot hanging off. It makes it easier to grab and rip off.
Medina1128: Diamond Jim: I've read somewhere that cat hair makes good brushes. Just tape the hair to a skewer and Whalla, a brush. I bet your bald cat appreciates the tip..
A cat is different from a primate. The cat's hair does not continue to grow as if they were the hairs on your head. They grow only so long and then stop. The hair shaft falls out and a new one grows. The old hairs sort of remain where they are, helping to keep the animal warm. But all you need to do is walk past the beast wearing a black suit, and you will have all of the cat hairs you could ever want attached to your suit.
Trust me, they will be happy to share them with you.
ROAR
BATMAN Can anyone offer tips on painting those little figures. Someone just gave me a bag of about four billion of them. What kind of brushes are good? What does one use to apply tiny amounts of paint to eyes and ears? I was thinking the end of a needle dipped in paint might work. All helpful hints greatly appreciated. Thanks. Brent
Just think, You could be painting Z scale people...
great post CTValley RR
Dean
30 years 1:1 Canadian Pacific.....now switching in HO
mactier_hogger great post CTValley RR
Thanks1
As the wise man says, "Be careful what you wish for."
galaxy Just think, You could be painting Z scale people...
Is that even possible?
Thanks for the tips, tutorials and links everyone.
I like the idea of gluing them to a small piece of wood to do the work. The idea of holding your hands together to help steady things reminded me that I use to do that when doing the finer painting on my R/C aircraft. I was also reminded that priming with a black or very dark colour is what I read about painting our mountains and ground cover. Something about starting with an absence of colour. It does make a difference in the finished product. I already have the Goose neck lit magnifier ready to go.
You don't know what you don't know until you ask. I am glad I did. Thanks again.