faces come out blotchie

[mrmstwk]

I have painted several faces, new to this, and the faces seem to come out blotchie with the colors seeming to be not smooth. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Mercius]

What paints are you using and how much are you thinning them down will probably be the first questions you will get. Faces are some of the hardest areas to paint for me, but with thinned paint you should get a decent result, you will just have to paint the same area more than once to get coverage.

[Serenity]

A picture or two would be helpful for those trying to help you. That way, they could see the paint and more easily determine what kind of blotchiness is occurring.

 

Getting your paint thinned to approximately skim milk consistency for the basecoat is a good idea, so you can get full coverage in two or three layers. If you go thinner, it will take more layers to get the paint looking smooth and even. With Reaper Master Series or Pro Paint, you ought to thin with water alone at first, about 4:1 paint to water. Depending on the thickness of the paint, you might need more water or a bit less. Oh, make sure you're using good water. Hard water can make for rough painting, I've heard, so if you're unsure about it, it is best to use distilled water.

 

Another hint is to make sure you don't touch partially dry paint with your brush. Paint a thin layer, wait for it dry sufficiently, then do another layer. Thin layers dry pretty fast, but you can speed it up with a blow dryer or a lamp if you're in a hurry.

[mrmstwk]

What paints are you using and how much are you thinning them down will probably be the first questions you will get. Faces are some of the hardest areas to paint for me, but with thinned paint you should get a decent result, you will just have to paint the same area more than once to get coverage.

I am using reaper and Vallejo paints. I think I am not thinning them enough. I use about 5 to 1 paint to water. Thanks for the help

[mrmstwk]

A picture or two would be helpful for those trying to help you. That way, they could see the paint and more easily determine what kind of blotchiness is occurring.

 

Getting your paint thinned to approximately skim milk consistency for the basecoat is a good idea, so you can get full coverage in two or three layers. If you go thinner, it will take more layers to get the paint looking smooth and even. With Reaper Master Series or Pro Paint, you ought to thin with water alone at first, about 4:1 paint to water. Depending on the thickness of the paint, you might need more water or a bit less. Oh, make sure you're using good water. Hard water can make for rough painting, I've heard, so if you're unsure about it, it is best to use distilled water.

 

Another hint is to make sure you don't touch partially dry paint with your brush. Paint a thin layer, wait for it dry sufficiently, then do another layer. Thin layers dry pretty fast, but you can speed it up with a blow dryer or a lamp if you're in a hurry.

 

I am now using distiller water and I was using 5 to 1 paint to water. I will try to post some pics later this week but will try your tips. Thank you for your kid reply.

[awong]

...I was using 5 to 1 paint to water...

I also use a fair amount of Vallejo. If I'm reading your ratios correct (5 parts paint to 1 part water) then I'd say you definitely need to thin more. More like 1 part paint to 2 or 3 parts water. Vallejo's do tend to separate more when thinned like this so be prepared to stir the paint (I use my brush handle end, not the bristle end) often.

 

Also, as mentioned above, do not expect to cover your base coat in one go. Multiple thin layers, applied over completely dried layers, is the way to slowly build up your color. Apply shadows and highlights with even thinner paints to aid in blending.

 

Pictures would definitely help.

-A(crawling out of lurking mode)W

[Midnight Lurker]

In addition to thinning your paint more, make sure you're not putting too much paint in your brush. An overloaded brush will flood the mini with too much paint and run everywhere. Then when it dries you have rings or "tide marks" of paint. After you load the bristles you should wipe off a little bit of it on you thumb or a paper towel. The brush should look damp, not soaked. Like AW said, the key is layers and patience.

 

Jen