Hi guys,
As a break from sailing ships and napoleonics I like to do a japanese anime resin figure now and again. Now my problem is trying to get that skin through stockings/tights effect. On the small 90mm Phoenix figs i had some success with artists charcoal well drybrushed. This doesn't seem to work so well on the larger 1/6th and 1/8th Japanese girl kits..and black only suits certain figures anyway.
On a flat surface when I practise airbrushing i can get a pretty good effect but trying it on a cylindrical leg produces an inconsistant effect..
I won't even begin telling you about fishnet effects. I did try a trick I saw on a car site where spraying through fine fabric like Tule was used to give a carbon fibre look to wheel arches but it is the wrap around look that eludes me!!!!!!
Jim.....(Ex-pat Brit in Warsaw)

I would not mind a secretary like her!

An airbrush is about the only way you're going to get consistent results in those large-scale figures. One way to simulate the gleam of stockings would be to add a bit of silver to the black (or Tamiya smoke) and practice, practice, practice. By using a bit more black in the shadow areas and a bit more silver on the highlight areas through the airbrush, you should have a more three-dimensional look.
Good luck.
Jim

If she comes to life, you can always send her to me. I'll buy some stockings for her.

For what its worth, in a situation like this I thin my paint even more (almost colored water) and rely on multiple layers to achieve the opacity. I let each layer dry - or use a hairdryer - before moving on to the next layer. Try to spray from a consistent distance, and work on the center of the leg in "stripes" to avoid build-up on the edges. This way I have more control, and a stray pass won't ruin the job. It takes more time this way, and it's still nerve-wracking to get the legs even with the proper shading. I've done the same thing with a brush on smaller figures, but for this size I think the airbrush is best. Girl figures are fun, but sometimes I think they're harder than the Napoleonics! Good luck. Let's see how it turns out.

The first of the two basic airbrush methods I know of is to 'glaze' over a skintone base with a blackish mixture*, concentrating the spraying in the recesses and where the material might bunch together more (back of knee, ankle).

The second is to spray a base stocking colour** and work in reverse, spraying a skintone mixture to lighten, working heavier where appropriate. You may find you need to use a flesh mix with less white in it for this to work.

Basic point about how stockings look (in case you're not a leg man ) when they're being worn, the colour deepens from thigh to foot - since the material is stretched more at the top it naturally appears lighter. And of course it'll look lighter where it's stretched tight, like at the front of the knee and over the calf.

Myself, I would also aim for some overhead lighting effect too, so darker undersides and lighter top surfaces.

I think an expert might be able to do it without having to be hesitant but I have to use very thin sprays (thin paint, medium air pressure, pressing lightly on the trigger) and build up slowly. That way if you make a slight error in where the cone of spray goes it's nearly never noticeable at the end of the day.

Yeah, real shame but there's just no way I could possibly think of to do it on something in the round, if the finished model has to be viewed from all sides. For a shadow box though, m-a-y-b-e...

No stockings on this but the basic methods could be useful:
http://www.gremlins.com/modelers_resource/tes.html

Second example on Mike James's page here might give some ideas too:
http://www.gremlins.com/modelers_resource/tes.html

*A mix of black and dark brown works better than just black usually.
**Dark brownish grey.

Same here. Literally coloured water in my case for the really subtle stuff towards the end of the spraying procedure.

Einion

Hi lolok,

What can I say!! Simply BRILLIANT, really nice painting job you have done with your figurine.

Regards.