As predicted………

You can hardly see the figures now they are `on the job’ as it were and you have to wonder if it was worth the effort. This is on a model that I am now trying to finish to a deadline.

Given that it took me close to two days to get raw 3D printed figures mounted on rods, painted and installed in their workplace a more slapdash and quicker approach might have done.

I am pleased with the results and am therefore going to come down on the side of it being worth the effort for the following reasons.

• I know they were done properly
• I have to push myself with my modelling
• It’s part of learning to do a better job

The thing is this. Not having painted figures before I think I’m no good at it. Not totally true, I’ve splodged paint on engine crew in the past and from those rubbish efforts I know how bad they were.

I kept putting this off but then decided that it was time to learn to do it properly with base colours and then shading with washes and filters. The figures were primed and than sprayed black from the feet towards the head. The aim there is to get back in the underside of folds and edges where there would be shadow. Next they were sprayed from above lightly with white. This is to get white on the upward facing surfaces where light would shine.

Only now did I add any actual colours and I’ll let you into a secret, the only blue I had was sky blue, way too light & bright for overalls but by spraying it lightly over the pre shading it took on slightly different shades of blue and, done mostly from above it didn’t get on the shadowy undersides of jackets and creases. I finished of with post shading, washes and filters applied to enhance the `lighter’ bits and darken the shadows. Lastly a spray of matt varnish brought a mix of finished together.

Its actually a good thing you can’t see their faces because that is the worst part of the figure painting. Part of the problem is that the facial features on the printed figures is poorly defined but the colours don’t work.

Skin isn’t just pink! This has some carry over into my photography interest where light is everything and you can highlight or shade with light to enhance or hide features.

Do I still not like painting figures?  No, but worryingly I feel a figure painting rabbit hole opening up. Speed wise for the O scale figures rather than doing two chaps at a time I ‘d set up and do the prep and initial spray work on a batch of figures as this will reduce the waiting time for paints drying, Brush works could be done later to customise each figure without the full desk chaos. I am tempted – post deadline -to get some larger `fleshy’ 3D models and practice skin tones on them.