This is the first figure I done in over 3+ years. All acrylic paints. I'm not too happy with how the sword blade looks and the right eye is little too wide open. I should cut in in a little more at the bottom. These are my initial critique just from looking at the pics. Please be critical as possible. That's the only way I can improve.
Chuck

Hi Chuck
First off lovely job if that's the first one in three years - you clearly know how to swing a brush

You're right about the eye needing cutting back in of course (Isn't it horrible how an enlarged photo shows up all the 'wrinkles'

Overall I like the tone very much but here are a couple of suggestions for you -

It's difficult to distinguish between the silver lace and the fur of the pelisse. I really like the silver lace effect which is difficult to get looking right. If the fur is light grey try using a different colour for the base (something with a warm or brown tone always works with animal pelts)

The face is very nearly there, but it's the bit that everyone looks at so it's worth spending extra time on it
For the sclera of eyes I'd avoid white which always makes them 'pop' too much. I also use acrylics and for light skin tone I use light flesh on the whites of the eyes and something darker with a Mediterranean skin tone. Adding a catchlight to the eyes really brings a face to life so it's worth persevering with. I add a little glaze medium to the white which makes it flow a bit better and with your best brush try a tiny adding a dot of white. If it's not right you can wipe it off with a dampened clean brush immediately and try again (The glaze medium slows it down enough to allow this)

When you've done those (and they are dry!) it's worth adding a few very thin glazes to different areas of the face. I like a tough of burnt red to the corners of the nose. Some red around the hairline, purple in teh eye sockets and grey or dark blue to the chin area (for a man) These glazes should be so thin that it doesn't look like you have applied anything initially and they will show only very faintly as they dry. What you are aiming for is thin enough that you need to apply it 3 or 4 times before you can see any effect.

Hope that helps
Paul

ps -Here are a couple of mine to give you an idea. (All 54's)

Thanks Paul for the suggestions. I knew when I started this figure that some areas would be a struggle. I actually did the face twice as the first one I wasn't happy with at all. The thought of the light catch for the eyes is really helpful as I don't consider doing this with 54mm and smaller figures. Using the medium should prove very helpful. As to the fur, I painted it with a dark gray mixed with some silver then highlighted it with a silver/white mixture yielding a very pale metallic light gray. Am I correct in thinking that the glazes you recommended for the face should be about 80-90% water and the grey/blue glaze for the chin is to indicate a 5 o'clock beard effect?
Chuck

PS you figures look great, especially the faces.

Thanks Chuck

Yes They want to be really thin. I don't have a %. I usually put a drop of colour on the wet pallet get some paint on the brush and put in a separate area and then dip the brush into the glaze medium and mix till it's transparent perhaps adding some water as well. Basically if you add just water you will make a wash which will settle in the crevasses the glaze medium makes the colour transparent but it still retains enough 'stickiness' to stay on the peaks so you can add a touch to the tip of the nose, say, without it pooling around the side. Depends on the humidity of where you are, but ideally you want the paint to flow nicely and sit where it's brushed.

For these small touches I'll often paint a touch of colour onto the thumb nail of the hand I'm using to hold the figure to make sure the brush isn't too loaded with paint (splodges) and it comes to a nice controllable point with the paint flowing off under control

Here's some more pics showing the eyes corrected and adding the light catch to them as Paul suggested. I also reworked the fur as well as some touch up to the blue and red areas. I removed the paint from the sword blade and it's now the bare metal. Still welcoming additional critiques.

Thanks Nap for the kind words of encouragement.
Chuck