My 2nd Union regiment, the 57th Pennsylvania, is complete. Much improved on the 63rd, both in painting and photography, thanks Sean for the advice.
I have this ongoing quandary with eyes. Some figs don't have obvious eyeballs and it is simple to just shade this area, but many, these Perry figs included do and I feel obligated to paint them. The problem is the pupils. If I leave them out then look fine on the table ("don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes") but up close they are the undead (see below). If I put them in then to avoid the vacant staring look they end up looking quizzical, surprised or even like they have been groped (see drummer in previous submission). What is the opinion of others?
Confederates next for a change.
From Curt:
Ah, yes, these show up much better! Lovely work Martin. The uniforms look very vibrant and I particularly like the detail work you put into the drum - wonderful. Personally, I pretty much never do eyes as, in these scales, you would never really see them, as often they are in shadow from the brow. Also, as you point out, they can be damnably tricky to pull off properly and I'd much rather be moving on to painting another figure. Just my opinion though, and I know others will disagree with me. Horses for courses, I suppose.
These Yanks will be worth 92 points, with extra for the flag and drum.
Very nice work! As mentioned in another post I also struggle with eyes... one of the reasons I prefer the 15mm scale were you can almost always ignore them!
ReplyDeleteLovely drum and the facial hair of the officer looks nice too.
Lovely looking Yankees Martin :)
ReplyDeleteWell done on these. I particularly like the drummer!
ReplyDeleteEyes are difficult for me as well so I do them first to get them out of the way. This is my method. First I paint the whites of the eyes using a Linen White rather than a pure white. I fill the entire space with it. . Next I use a dark blue or dark brown to line them. Black is just too dark. With this you can "cheat" a bit and line just outside what is sculpted giving yourself more area to work with. For the pupil I use the tip of a ballpoint pen. For the pupil let your paint thicken a bit so it doesn't run. I hope that helps.
Micron pens will give you a little bit more control than a ball point pen as they come with a much finer tip, perfect for pupils... not that I can ever get eyes right either mind ;)
DeleteReally fast and brilliant painting work!
ReplyDeleteA fine looking unit. Smoothly and cleanly painted.
ReplyDeleteEyes: My normal method is to paint a thin black line in the socket and dot two (really tiny) pin-pricks of white paint in each corner using a very small and well-pointed brush. This takes practice, and through doing this it helps to develop a steady hand to paint with.
I paint the eyes at the same stage as the skin's basecoat (though obviously atop it) and then if a tidy-up is required I can do so. I then paint the lighter layers of paint around the finished eyes.
This is now my prefered method, having tried a few others, which I'm not so good at. Personal preference will count in how each person will paint their eyes.
I'm with Curt on eyes - not for everyday figures.
ReplyDeleteYou can't see eyes on a person standing 30 ft away if they are wearing a hat. I don't bother with them.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments and suggestions. I agree that you can't see the eyes at distance but if I don't do something with the eyes when I pick them up it's like a loose thread that need pulling. Which is odd as I'm not a perfectionist at all.
ReplyDeleteI sharpened a Sharpie (that has to be some form of unique phrase) and used it on the eyes of my next unit and they were much better. Will try the layering approach next.
Eyes are over rated... Just because you can , does not mean you must. Stick em on the table 4 feet away and not painting , them..but properly simple shaded works far better IMHO.
ReplyDeleteAnother great unit of damned Yankees .
Nice bright looking unit. Eyes....I dont usually bother. Just a darker area of shade for me usually. cheers
ReplyDeleteworthy and fast work
ReplyDeleteA nice strong submission.
ReplyDeleteSo strong that I am now doing some.
Eyes. I do paint them but it is pure personal choice. Whatever you do as long as you are happy with the result then it's the right decision.
Nice work on this unit too. I'm glad my advice helped, I do think the pictures are good. I recently found some old goggle eyed figures from 1990 I had painted. I received several tips and bought a 0.1mm pen to try. I got mine from a craft store.
ReplyDeleteluckily there is one next to my work so that's the plan tomorrow
DeleteYeah, I only bother with eyes for "character" figures or very small-scale skirmish games like Malifaux. Usually a bit of shading and a wash is sufficient.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am now reminded of my first forays into Warhammer at the tender age of 14, and how my friend painted gigantic "anime" eyes on all his High Elves... ::shudder::
I have a warhammer Viking army from the 80's (Auden's Ravens) and some of them have eyes like that. Not very intimidating
DeleteThey all look really good. Really nice banners too!
ReplyDeleteI don't paint eyes neither. A good flesh wash will do for me! Even for 28mm figures! Great addition to your Union troops!
ReplyDeleteGreetings
Peter