First head paint - WIP Obi Wan

[paulcarson]

When I received my Obi Wan I was a bit underwhelmed. All of the figures I'd seen had these fantastic paintjobs on them, mine was a bit lacklustre, so it bugged me for a while until I got off my butt and decided to do something about it. It was a shame to hide Trevor's fantastic sculpt with what I believed to be a subpar paintjob , so off I went to work on it ...

Thought I would show this as I could use some feedback on it. Its my first head paint so please be kind, I need to improve so any feedback or comments that will help will be gratefully accepted .

The paint looks thick on the beard but it isn't its just the way it has photographed .

Please remember that it isn't finished and that I am also a poor photographer. The colours look far better in person . ( where have we heard that before ? )

Without further ado ...

 

[Mooncat]

Have to say youve brought out the Guiness in that superbly

 

[Darren Carnall]

I think this is a perfect sculpt for someone to start painting with. The folds and creases in the skin are great to paint shadow shades into, and very quickly it starts to look like a 'human' face.

yours is looking great so far Paul... can't wait to see it finished. Dont forget his beard is darker (a greyish brown) on the sides of his face, and that parts of his beard/moustache have that 'old man yellowing' going on.

You've picked a great head to start with... and I think you'll be more than happy with the results! (just go careful on those eyes... lol )

 

[hairlesswookiee]

wow...looks awesome so far. i liked the factory paint on this guy, but you took it a couple notches further. congrats.

 

[paulcarson]

Thanks for the kind words Mooncat and hairlesswookie ! They are much appreciated !

Also thanks Darren for your kind comments, I'll follow your suggestions and I'm also using your photographs of your fabulous work on Obi Wan as a guide for mine. I have to tell you though I am not looking forward to the eyes ! I may have to get you to do them for me .

The photos don't show it very well, but there is a subtle tone difference in the face colour, It may look better once I've dulled it down with some matt varnish.

Darren, what's the best way to darken the beard easily ? I'd appreciate any tips on how to try to achieve the same look you did on yours !

 

[Darren Carnall]

i used different washes (thin!) of brown, grey, light grey (almost white), different shades of brown, yellow ochre mixed in for that old man yellow... and basically painted it on with thin careful strokes and washes. Forward and back lighter and darker until I got it to match the photos

also, if you get a darker wash (thin, again) and are painting on something that has grooves and recesses (like hair, beard, obi-wrinkles) then a great way is to paint the wash on a part, then immediately wipe off the top with your thumb/finger... this leaves the paint in the grooves and when dry gves shadows.

Just one trick to help

 

[MaulFan]

Paul, you've done a really nice job, it's questionable that it's your first, your application is very nice and shows signs of a history of doing this and development of a technique. Good work, look forward to seeing it finished.

 

[Les Walker]

Very nice Paul. You might add in some slightly less whitish grey to bring the white level down a tad in the hair, just here and there, leaving the more white areas where they should be, as there are some, and I think you will be pleased with that. A very light warm greyish color, you'll see! Great work so far! Beautiful! Is this not a superb headsculpt!?!? Love your's already!

 

[paulcarson]

Thanks Darren ! I'll try some of those over the weekend when I have more time.

Sean I've probably painted this about a 100 times in my head. I've been reading about painting for quite a while and have kept a lot of the tips from the pros here, Les, Darren , Mikey, Josh etc in my mind. I bought some very fine brushes at the weekend and believe me there was a lot of apprehension before I even put brush to paint. I can't imagine doing this on a daily basis, the stress would kill me Kudos to those that can and do.

Les, thank you for your kind words as always. You serve as an inspiration for me in many ways and I can't wait to see what you do with yours ! It was seeing both your Obi Wan in progress and also Darren's finished paintup that gave me the push to go ahead. I must also add that I still have Mikey's pics of his repaint too and have also referred to them for ideas !

We'll see how I go.

 

[pixletwin]

Really nice. I like what you did with his beard under the chin.

 

[galactiboy]

Looking really good... can't wait to see the final product

 

[Matt S]

Very Nice job so far.

Everyone raves about Old Ben, but to me, the factory paint job is over done and makes him look 'zombieish'

Your repaint looks just like the actor so far. Can't wait to see it finished!

 

[DarkArtist81]

Awesome work so far Paul! Like the others said, this sculpt is a prime choice... Really nice one to start out on, Trev did a great job as always.

The skin looks superb as does the hair, and with the minor changes that Darren and Les mentioned... it will be a fantastic effort that you can be proud of.

Can't wait to see it finished!

 

[paulcarson]

Thanks galactiboy !

AmanaMatt, thanks for your kind words , I agree with you on the factory paint - at least on mine. He looked very pale. It was something that always bothered me . Now he looks like he has had a bit of sun around him !

Thanks Josh ! I'm not quite in the same league as yourself or the other fine painters we have here , but your comments have really boosted my confidence ! Thanks ! I've really surprised myself with this so far , you Guys make it look easy, believe me it isn't ! This is a really good one to start with, it seems to paint itself ! Kudos to Trevor again for such fantastic sculpting !

 

[Cocoboloboy]

That is REALLY cool! He's lookin' good Paul. Can't wait to see him all finished.

 

[SovereignStudio]

Damn fine work! I especially love the subtle shading of the wrinkles and the way you feathered the beard onto the neck. Very natural-looking

 

[Roc74]

Nice work Paul... looks very good!

 

[paulcarson]

Thanks pixletwin , Cocoboloboy , SovereignStudio and Roc74 for you kind words !

I've done a little bit more to it today, still trying to get the beard right. Its a difficult thing to get right, the colour seems to be in patches on Alec. In some pictures its more of a light brown at the sides in others its white. I've also darkened the hair just a touch, as before the photos aren't that great the colours are more evident in person .

I really don't want to go any darker than this as it doesn't look right to me.