Need Help with painting Human face on Bust or Large Scale

[Glitterwolf]

Hi,

I think there must be a thread somewhere about this, but I can't find it.

 

Occassionaly I paint busts and large scale figures.

Until now they were mostly beastmen, undead and such, just one ( it was my first) human and she had warpaint covering her eyes.

 

I have seen some stuff about painting human faces on this scale, dividing the face in a yellow, a red and a green/grey zone.

Could anyone explain this some more?

Do you basecoat the face in 3 different colours and then glaze over it with skincolours?

What is the right approach?

 

And if it is a large scale figure with bare arms and legs, do these zones need to be applied on the limbs too?

And how?

 

I would really want to learn more about this since I have some more busts waiting ( among others, A French Imperial Guard,A Centurion, A Crusader, A Pirate Girl, A Beserker, A Viking Girl, A Hoplite and A Celt)

 

I would like to be able to paint more realistic faces with shadows, stubble, and such.

Preferable using Reaper and Scale 75 paints. If possible give me a hint which colours to use in what stage?

 

I would appreciate a nice tutorial or examples, if possible mentioning paint colours/brands..

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

Edited July 27, 2017 by Xherman1964

[Silvervane]

I know corporea had a thread on painting skin tone  demonstrated using a bones female giant.  On phone so linking tends to be problematic for me.  Never painted a figure that size yet myself.

[ub3r_n3rd]

Look for stuff done in WIP thread from David Powell (bailey03). He does big busts and larger figures. 

 

Also good tutorials here: http://figurementors.com/painting-flesh-tones-with-layered-glazes-by-david-soper this one is specific to painting faces. 

[Glitterwolf]

2 hours ago, Silvervane said:

I know corporea had a thread on painting skin tone  demonstrated using a bones female giant.  On phone so linking tends to be problematic for me.  Never painted a figure that size yet myself.

 

Actually I found @Corporea'sthread, but since Photobucket changed it's policy I can only see one pic.

That's the one that got me thinking about this.

 

Basically, how to proceed from there?

 

 

1 hour ago, ub3r_n3rd said:

Look for stuff done in WIP thread from David Powell (bailey03). He does big busts and larger figures. 

 

Also good tutorials here: http://figurementors.com/painting-flesh-tones-with-layered-glazes-by-david-soper this one is specific to painting faces. 

 

Great stuff and indeed Bailey03 is a great painter.

 

I need to level up!!!

Edited July 27, 2017 by Xherman1964

[Glitterwolf]

More tips and hints???

 

How about creating texture on Busts, like a coat or a cape.

Is that kind of stippling?

[ub3r_n3rd]

1 hour ago, Glitterwolf said:

More tips and hints???

 

How about creating texture on Busts, like a coat or a cape.

Is that kind of stippling?

 

Age spots, beauty spots (like moles), freckles, darker lines/areas for wrinkles or creating laugh lines. 

[Wren]

You wouldn't want to paint the face with basecoats in distinct zones like in the photo. That's more a guide to the concept. You'd bring the colour in through shading choices and glazes. The idea is that in general, there is a colour cast of that colour in that zone of the face. That photo is from a post by traditional artist James Gurney (his blog is wonderfully informative). If you look at the post it's from, you'll see some 2D paintings that use the effect and demonstrate how it's subtle but present.

 

http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/05/color-zones-of-face.html

 

The upper third of the head doesn't have a lot of blood vessels close to the surface of the skin, so it has a bit of a yellow cast. Using some yellow in your highlight mixes will help convey that.

In contrast, the cheeks and sides of the nose have a lot of blood vessels, so the middle third of the face has a red undertone. Glazes in the appropriate area are a good way to bring that out.

The lower third of the face often has a dull blue or green cast to it. This is partly due to reflection of clothing, and in male characters much more prominent due to beards or stubble lying just under the surface of the skin. For a clean shaven character a bit of blue or green mixed into shadows would do the trick, for actual stubble you'd use more stippling and a mix of a blue black and flesh colours. This effect is more subtle on female characters.

Stippling is also useful for highlighting faces the size of a bust to give the impression of pores or add a bit of texture in the ways ub3r described. It can also be used to create texture for clothing. Lines can also be used in that fashion. Do a Google image search for Kirill Kanaev and you should see some examples by a master of bust painting and using texture. Most of what I'm telling you I learned at a bust painting workshop I was able to take with him. I've been implementing that advice on some gaming scale figures. Here are some examples of what I've done for textured cloth and leather. This kind of thing is pretty important to do on something larger scale to give interest and variety to various surfaces and textures.

http://www.reapermini.com/Miniatures/Special Edition Figures/latest/01605
http://www.reapermini.com/Miniatures/Special Edition Figures/latest/01602
http://www.reapermini.com/Miniatures/Special Edition Figures/latest/01604
 

[Pochi]

I was going to suggest Corporea's Tiefling Bust WIP but I can't see any of the photos on it anymore.

 

Good sources already listed here though. Maybe go through Putty & Paint and find busts that you like and see if the artist has a blog or WIP's.

[Glitterwolf]

6 hours ago, Wren said:

You wouldn't want to paint the face with basecoats in distinct zones like in the photo. That's more a guide to the concept. You'd bring the colour in through shading choices and glazes. The idea is that in general, there is a colour cast of that colour in that zone of the face. That photo is from a post by traditional artist James Gurney (his blog is wonderfully informative). If you look at the post it's from, you'll see some 2D paintings that use the effect and demonstrate how it's subtle but present.

 

http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/05/color-zones-of-face.html

 

The upper third of the head doesn't have a lot of blood vessels close to the surface of the skin, so it has a bit of a yellow cast. Using some yellow in your highlight mixes will help convey that.

In contrast, the cheeks and sides of the nose have a lot of blood vessels, so the middle third of the face has a red undertone. Glazes in the appropriate area are a good way to bring that out.

The lower third of the face often has a dull blue or green cast to it. This is partly due to reflection of clothing, and in male characters much more prominent due to beards or stubble lying just under the surface of the skin. For a clean shaven character a bit of blue or green mixed into shadows would do the trick, for actual stubble you'd use more stippling and a mix of a blue black and flesh colours. This effect is more subtle on female characters.

Stippling is also useful for highlighting faces the size of a bust to give the impression of pores or add a bit of texture in the ways ub3r described. It can also be used to create texture for clothing. Lines can also be used in that fashion. Do a Google image search for Kirill Kanaev and you should see some examples by a master of bust painting and using texture. Most of what I'm telling you I learned at a bust painting workshop I was able to take with him. I've been implementing that advice on some gaming scale figures. Here are some examples of what I've done for textured cloth and leather. This kind of thing is pretty important to do on something larger scale to give interest and variety to various surfaces and textures.

http://www.reapermini.com/Miniatures/Special Edition Figures/latest/01605
http://www.reapermini.com/Miniatures/Special Edition Figures/latest/01602
http://www.reapermini.com/Miniatures/Special Edition Figures/latest/01604
 

 

 

Thank you!

 

I was wondering about the zones, if they were basecoats or applied through glazes/shadows. Thanks for clearing that up.

I have painted a few busts but most were beastmen ( Hyena, Lion, Ram) these are my efforts on busts so far.

 

I was most pleased with the Countess and the Hyena until now.

But I need to learn..get better..

 

http://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/65484-legendarion-hyena-warrior-bust-gebhuza-by-xherman1964/&/topic/65484-legendarion-hyena-warrior-bust-gebhuza-by-xherman1964/?hl=bust

 

http://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/68366-tuma-windrider-lion-bust-by-xherman1964/&/topic/68366-tuma-windrider-lion-bust-by-xherman1964/?hl=bust

 

A Vampire ( Countess Karnstein)

 

http://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/72130-countess-karnstein-bust-by-xherman1964-solarwind/

 

and I started with Kyra a Human Barbarian.

http://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/63938-kabuki-bust-ky-ra-female-barbarian-16-scale-xherman1964/&/topic/63938-kabuki-bust-ky-ra-female-barbarian-16-scale-xherman1964/?hl=bust

 

Right now I'm working on a Ram warrior.

 

http://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/72600-shaâ-un-ram-tribe-warrior-bust-by-xherman1964/

 

I have more busts waiting and I have seen Kiril's work among others.

Eventhough I will never be able to get that good, I want to give it my best and learn more about this.

I have the French Imperial Guard bust for which he did the box art, and many more...

 

 

3 hours ago, Pochi said:

I was going to suggest Corporea's Tiefling Bust WIP but I can't see any of the photos on it anymore.

 

Good sources already listed here though. Maybe go through Putty & Paint and find busts that you like and see if the artist has a blog or WIP's.

 

Same here

I look at Putty and Paint every day.

It's just that you can see what they did, but not how they did it.

Hence my asking.

 

Any tutorials will be consumed by me, I hope to achieve something like what's shown on Putty and Paint one day.

[Pingo]

5 hours ago, Pochi said:

I was going to suggest Corporea's Tiefling Bust WIP but I can't see any of the photos on it anymore.

 

Good sources already listed here though. Maybe go through Putty & Paint and find busts that you like and see if the artist has a blog or WIP's.

 

Devoured by Photobucket's sudden change of terms and extortion?

 

Anyhow, she showed it at the World Model Expo earlier this month and I took pictures and posted them here:

 

[Pochi]

3 hours ago, Pingo said:

 

Devoured by Photobucket's sudden change of terms and extortion?

 

Anyhow, she showed it at the World Model Expo earlier this month and I took pictures and posted them here:

 

Yes. She still has the WIP but not sure without the pictures how effective it would be since you can't see what she is demonstrating.

[Wren]

Looks like you're having a lot of fun with busts!

Don't be afraid to use all that extra space and experiment. Or grab some Bones to do quick experiments on before applying paint to a bust. It's definitely great to learn techniques and see how other people do things, but it's not the only answer. If you have a core set of skills, you can experiment and figure out your own way to get to a similar end result.

In fact, I would say one of the things that most differentiates the 'top tier' level painters from the intermediate is that willingness to take risks and do some experimentation, and accept that sometimes it takes some effort and time to figure something out. Good painters don't necessarily just 'know' what colour to shade something with or how you would mimic a texture on a material. They are willing to grab some paint and sit down and figure it out.

As part of that, referencing real world photos/items as well as things you've seen painted by others that you like is invaluable. Our little area of art is a bit weird for not emphasizing use of reference material more. One of the things Kirill made very plain in his workshop was just how much he uses reference - worn leather, the subtle textures of hand crafted metals, just what wool or tartan or whatever looks like - he puts a lot of thought and effort into finding good reference and trying to paint to recreate those textures as much as possible. He does very little smooth painting (on that larger scale at least), and a lot more stippling and tiny dashes to bring texture into play. In the workshop he had a bunch of pictures of male celebrities and we each chose one and aimed to match both the colours of the skin and the direction of the lighting in the photo to the best of our ability, and he had reference for the various other surface areas of the bust we worked on, too.

So a couple of examples of what I mean about figuring stuff out on your own being another way to approach it. One from early in my painting career. I was unhappy with how I painted hair. There was a very good teacher of hair painting, but she happened not to teach that class for a year or so. So I had to look at what I was doing and look at stuff I liked and try to figure out what was different, what I wasn't doing. Eventually I figured out that I was concentrating on the vertical strands via drybrushing, where if you look at real people's hair, the highlights and shadows appear in more horizontal bands. After a time I was painting hair pretty well. I eventually was able to take Sue's hair class. We get to a similar end point, but we do it in slightly different ways, and both of those ways work. A lot of other ways work, too.

The second example is more recent. After taking Kirill's workshop, I wanted to try to paint the texture of crushed velvet. We'd done wool and linen, but neither seemed readily adapatable to look like velvet. So I dug around in Google image search for both close-up  pictures of the texture, and pictures of a full length dress similar to what I was painting. To me it was patches of dark and light that made the texture. Overall the shapes were still brighter in highlight areas and darker in shadow areas, but there were bits of dark in the light and vice versa. I grabbed a figure and mixed up paints I thought would work and did a quick test on a few folds of cloth on a test figure. It seemed okay, so I proceeded to the main figure. After painting for a few hours it looked okay, but not quite there. So I had to sleep on it, go back and study the reference, and have a think and try to figure out what was off, and eventually I did.

(In case you're curious, the figure is here - https://www.facebook.com/pg/wrenthebard/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1006533136139870)

 

I didn't need any different skills than what I had at either of those points. I needed to get better at really _looking_ at something for reference, and I needed to get better at looking what I painted and playing spot the difference between my work and the reference. Learning to draw, even a little, can help a lot with both of those things. The book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is all about tricks to help you get better at really seeing something. (It sounds like it should be obvious and easy to do, but our big bossy left brains get in the way a lot on this.)

Bones have been invaluable to that kind of experimentation for me since it's often possible for me to find a Bones that has something in common with the figure I'm working on (cloth folds of a certain type, shape of weapon, whatever.) and get straight to the testing without having to do any priming or prep. They're not going to be quite as useful to experimenting for a bust, though you may have some with areas of fur texture or whatnot. Maybe you could find dollar store toys or ceramic figures to use for similar experimentation.

[Thes Hunter]

Just like the excellent zones post above, is that skin has much more color to it than you may imagine. On a larger figure, you are a bit more free to play with it. 

 

This is not my favorite painting, nor my favorite self portrait, but it has some examples of what I am talking about when I say you can punch the color, especially in the shadows. 

 

 

I used a lot of purple and greens in the various shadows. (And no my neck isn't really that long.)

 

You can see a few more of my paintings in my Google+ Album. I can't link them because they are technically nudes. Some of the nudes have a much more intense representation of how you can push color, and still have the skin read as skin. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/sFOb9wOwaAr8yUd42

 

Hopefully this helps give you a few more examples of how you can play with color on the larger figures. 

Edited July 31, 2017 by Thes Hunter

[Glitterwolf]

@Wren and @Thes Hunter  thank you so much for your input.

 

Very valuable info and thoughts.

 

Both the Skin and textures of clothing on busts are things I would like to improve on.

Also the Vikings and the Roman Centurion that are waiting have great shields, so freehand will also be part of it.

 

Thanks!!!

I really appreciate your ( and anybody else's ) input.

 

It's one of the reasons I love this Forum so much.

If it wasn't for Ub3r's challenge a few years ago, I might still not have painted a bust.

I was always like..no..I'm not good enough for that yet.

I have since then abandoned such thoughts.

 

I'm almost 53, if I don't start painting and trying the big stuff now, I will never...

 

There are a lot of great things in this hobby.

On the one hand, I like to create and paint armies, making up my own background ( like the Lost World Project), I also like to build dioramas and since a few years I love to paint busts.

When I was younger I painted and build Military Kits.

 

Recently I acquired a 75mm Hoplite and a 75mm Mounted Celt, more challenges.

 

I wish I had more time though.

So much I want to do, so little time.

 

I even have been thinking about painting a flat one day.

Maybe put it in a frame on black cloth.

 

Anyway...thanks all!!!

This forum is a great place to learn, improve and discuss the hobby.

[Wren]

Flats are on my to-do list for sure. I have positioned one at eye level in my painting area to remind me I want to work on it soonish!

Playing around with colour in the shadows of skin can be super fun and really add a lot of depth and interest.