Time to get the brushes wet and have a go at face painting. It was suggested that I had a look at the tutorial by Jaume Ortiz http://www.planetfigure.com/articles/painting_faces_acrylics-jaume_ortiz/painting-faces-acrylics.php which I did. First job was to order the four paints used in the tutorial so I could directly compare the results.

Obviously, it's a bit more involved than getting the paints and following the steps in the tutorial, only experiance and practice will get the results I crave for. No tutorial can explain exacly what the mix and thinning is but getting these right for the effect you want is the learning process and this cannot be done without getting stuck in and being prepared to strip it off and start again so here goes.

The face I am using is not ideal as it is not a full round head and has a beard but it's a start. This is the face from the Young's Miniatures Crusader in Jerusalem.

I started by airbrushing Vallejo Grey primer followed by the base coat of Vallejo Brown Sand



Then attempting the mixes in the tutorial, I applied a trial of highlight and shadow not exactly as per the tutorial as I wanted to get a feel for the mixes and thinning of the blending colour and this is what is starting to happen but without the darkest shadow colours used in the tutorial. One step at a time.



OK, nothing earth shattering but I did get an idea as to how thin the paint needs to be...... Very thin! Next step will be to build the depth of the shadow colour and blend it together. No doubt by the end of this, it will be a mess but I will have learned a lot and I will strip it and keep using what I learn to improve it next time.

More to follow

Oooo, thanks for that Carl will give that a serious read tomorrow as at this time of night, it just glazes over........

Done a bit more 'Juicing' building the shadows and trying to maintain the highlight. Probably wrong but I keep switching from one to another. Might not be right but I am starting to grasp the blending theory, just need to control it a bit more. Any comments as to what is going wrong are more than welcome

Looks like you're off to a good start. And the bearded face could actually be easier to start with... less face showing to worry about. You're getting some nice transitions, just keep pushing those shadows deeper. Make sure you're getting the shadows under the brows too. I can't tell if they're there too.

In case you find it helpful, I'm working on the face for a different Young Miniature and I've put together a decent amount of info on my process. Not quite as detailed as that tutorial, but I've got all my paint mixes and some basic steps for how I've gone about painting the face.
http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/roman-tribune.64952/#post-663214

Bit more work and slowly, the definition is building in my eyes at least, difficult to get the pictures exactly like it looks in real life as I am sure you all know. Not sure if I should start to lighten the highlights more now. Don't want to get it too light as the face is deeply set in at turban type head dress and he is in a hot climate.

Looks very well indeed not sure if you want/need them but here's some excellent SBS for eye work
Steve
http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/painting-eyes.12330/
http://www.planetfigure.com/pages/Mark-Benette-Eye-Tutorial/
http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/painting-eyes-is-easy-sbs.46333/

Thanks Steve, I need everything I can get lol. I am putting off the eyes until I have something presentable as I get the feeling that when I do the eyes, it will be out with the stripper and start again. Well, practice makes perfect. Ever the pessimist ;-)

Stick with it mate looks good to me, I usually do the eyes first myself less to strip when I screw it up
Steve

Hi Graham
Look at this for eyes

Graham, I agree with Steve! ... get the hardest bit done first ! (eyes)! and work out from there. As there is nothing more frustrating than seeing hours of work going down the pan, because of one element. Crack this nugget and you will be off and running, with lesser damage in the future.

Regards,

Mark

Do you know how annoying you guys can be talking sense all the time lol. Yep, have to agree the eyes should come first but, to be honest, I thought this one would have been in the paint stripper long ago.

Read the tutorials, watched the video, thanks all for the links, and decided to have a go........ Well, not impressive but it's a start. Also blocked in the beard etc and put the face into the headgear to get an idea of how it is shaping up.



Could be a lot better but I am happy that I am starting to get the hang of techniques I just could not grasp last time.

It's good that you have the frame of mind and attitude for learning new technique's.
Play around with them to suit your own need/style and you can certainly progress.

Looks well mate nothing a bit of touching in won't cure there I'd also suggest a thin line of pink on the lower eye lid but thats about it
Steve

Right, I have decided to call a halt on the face other than to soften the highlighting on the beard and eyebrows.

The rest of the body is as it was when I first started this way back in around 2011 so I need to address that next as, to be honest, I am happy enough, for this one, as he is. I would love to get him ready for FW and show him under a bottom shelf near the back

I like that you have improved the eye's

That looks splendid Graham. Those links from Helm are really useful too, especially the first one. Thanks.