Editor in Chief Forward by Bob Letterman

Bob Letterman

I first met Brett Avants in 1995 at Mastercon IV. At that time he had yet to acquire the
Project Manager skills he now possesses. I was immediately impressed with his character and moral values.
Many people I have known talk the talk, but Brett walks the walk as well. Over the years I
David Harper
have watched him make the transition from novice to intermediate and in the last couple of
years to an excellent figure painter. In September of 2OOO, I proposed this book to Brett,
Assistant Project Manager and he almost fell out of his chair, but that is so tlpical of him. Sometimes I wonder if he
Steve Hoard
has an ego at all, which is very refreshing in a top notch modeler. Being local to VLS, he
has done box art for both Warriors and Custom Dioramics, and hopefully he will continue
to do so, as well as write several more books for Letterman Publications.
Principle Photography
David Harper

Secondary Photography
Brett Avants
PHOTO LEFT: 1st Lt. Avants in the Gulf war
where he served as a Platoon Leader with the
Layout & Design 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment. General H.
David Harper Norman Schwartzkopf stopped by to check on
his troops and Brett was fortunate enough to
get a quick snapshot of himself shaking hands
Graphics with the General. This photo was taken some-
VLS Graphics where in the Saudi desert shortly before the
start of the ground assault.

Contributing Editors
David Harper Acknouledgetnents
Bob Letterman
Susan Letterman
No book would be complete without thanking all of the people that made it possible.
While the author's name is on the cover, there are so many people that make it possible
Steve Hoard
that any work like this is a joint effort. First, I would like to thank Bob Letterman for
Bill Chilstrom making this possible. I never would have believed it. Second, I would like to thank Chris
Mrosko, who gave an unknown, striving figure painter a chance to paint some box art.
This one chance allowed me to improve my skills and, I think, get a little better. Chris
Sales & Marketing
also gave me numerous tips, introduced me to a whole bunch of people, and allowed me
Julie Noah to learn more than I ever thought I could. While Chris puts on a big (BIG) show for the
most part, he is a good person and a great friend.

O Copyright 2001 by
Letterman Publications
a division of
The VLS Corporation
1011 Industrial Court
Moscow Mills, MO 63362
USA
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be
reproduced in any form,
stored in a retrieval system or
transmitted in any form and/or
by any means, be il electronic,
mechanical photocopying
or otherwise, without the written
consent of Letterman Publications
and The VLS Corporation.
I would also like to thank a few great figure painters for putting up with my questions
and drool on their work: Doug Cohen, who is a great person as well as one of the best
painters in the world, Mario Fuentes, also a really nice person and an awesome painter,
Joe Hudson -a great painter and an even greater friend, Bill Horan and Shep Paine, for
bringing the hobbyto newheights, Kreston Peckham, Jon Harbuck, Bob Langenberg
(one day I will paint a Napoleonic...), Bill Taylor, Jim Sullivan, Warren Judge, Don
Wardlaw, and a host of others that I should mention but haven't.
I would like to thank my parents, especially my Dad, for buying me that Monogram 1/48
Stuka Tank Buster model when I was 7 years old. They put up with all of the spilled
paint on the floor and table, glue spots on my clothes, and all of the models in the closet.
I love you. And to my brother Brad, whose models way back then made mine look good
(just kidding)!
My wife and family are the greatest gift of all, truly a gift from God. Thanks to my wife
Karen for all of her encouragement, critiques (constructive of course), her patience, and
love. My younger daughter Krista doesn't really appreciate this hobby (yet), but my
older daughter Renee already wants Daddy to teach her, and she is getting better at this
all the time. Hobbies are fun, and relaxing, but families are forever.

And finally, I would have nothing and be nothing without the goodness and grace of God
and his Son, Jesus Christ.

Introduction
ainting figures is a great hobby. Whether you
are painting figures by themselves that you will
display at a figure show, such as Chicago or
Tulsa, or painting a few figures for a diorama
that will complement a tank, it is very rewarding. There is
a wide assortment of figures, from all different periods, to
choose from.
Choosing a figure is an imporlant step. Some figures are
beautiful; while others take so much work that it is gener-
ally not worth the effort to paint. Some are a miniature of
a human being, while others must have been proportioned
after an alien from space!
There are a number of good figures out there from a num-
ber of great figure companies. Figures from companies
like Warriors, Verlinden, Andrea Miniatures, Hornet,
Harper Castings, Wolf, Jaguar, Kirin, DML/Dragon,
Tamiya, Historex, Pegaso, Shenandoah, and many others
are great ones to start on. The better quality a figure from
the box means that there is minimal clean up and the
sooner you can start painting.
Most figures come in three media: Plastic, Resin, or Metal.
Plastic figures are very familiar to most modelers as many
come in tank kits, and have been around for a long time
from companies such as Tamiya, Air{ix, Historex, and
DML. The new Tamiya figures are excellent quality
4
1*
t \/
. /-'\;'
\-'."/'t
I;rqi l:6 1: ,N/ . , t!
.. "..*
and detail, rivaling figures made of resin and metal.
Resin figures are probably some of the most popular, from
such companies as Warriors, Jaguar, Kirin, Verlinden, and
many others. Resin allows figure manufacturers to repro-
duce very small and crisp detail that is often impossible for
plastic manufacturers to duplicate. It cleans up fairly easi-
ly, and they go together with super glue or epoxy.
Metal figures are very popular in Europe, and to some
extent in the U.S., being produced by companies such as
Andrea Miniatures, Pegaso, Post Militaire, and
Shenandoah. Metal figures are also knornm for their crisp
detail and clean casting. They are relatively easy to clean
up with files, some sandpaper, and a polishing wheel in
your Dremel.
Materials
Brushes are probably one of the most important if not the
most important tool in your toolbox. I use Winsor Newton
Series 7 red sable brushes. They are the best, and unfortu-
nately the most expensive. Believe me, they do make a dif-
ference. I used to use the cheap $2-3 brushes you get at
any tlpical chain art supply store, and didn't believe that a
brush could make that much of a difference. Why pay
$1o.oo for a brush that you r,vill eventually dip in super-
glue, I was told. I tried the Series 7's, and was immediately
converled. These brushes hold their point incredibly well,
allow you much better controi than cheap brushes, and
come in a lot of various sizes. I have both regular length
brushes, and some "miniature" bristle length brushes. I
sometimes find the miniatures are better at painting fine
detail. While these brushes are not cheap, if you take care
of them they will last a long time. I clean mine periodically
with shampoo and conditioner. After all, they are made of
hairl Several discount art stores on the Internet sell them
at good discounts, such as The Palette and Red Pig Art
Supplies. VI-S also carries them at good Master's dis-
counts. Save your pennies and take the plunge - you will
not be disappointed.

I thin acrylic paint usually with distilled water that I buy at

Wal-mart or some other discount storefor cheap. Sometimes,
when painting Jlesh and when I want a smoother surface, I may
use Liquitex Slo-Drg, made especially to increase the drying
time slightly for acrylics.

For acrylics such as Vallejo, I clean my brushes during a

painting session with ordinary tap water. To thin paint,
however, I use distilled water. Tap water has minerals and
Iuse a seuen pouer Optiuisor. I also haue o 70 pouer, but only other impurities that can affect the mixture and flow of the
use that for super fine detail painting. I used a 5 power for a paint. Believe it or not - yes, it is true! I have experiment-
while, but too much painting and age moued me to a 7! ed with tap water and distilled water, and even combina-
tions with a little alcohol mixed in, but have found that I
An Optivisor is a must in my opinion. I was a hard sell for prefer straight distilled water. You can get distilled water
a long time, but once I started using one, I can't figure out at any grocery store or WaI-Mart for next to nothing.
how I painted without it. I started out using a 5 power, but
quickly moved up to 7 power and I even own a 1O power
for those extra fine details. I find this tool to be indispen-
sable when painting camouflage patterns, or for that mat-
ter, just in general when painting a 1/3Sth scale figure. I
really believe it makes a difference when painting details. I
highly recommend getting some type of binocular magnifi-
cation device to help in painting details. Unlike monocular
devices, binocular devices provide depth perception so that
you can see where you put your brush.

The wet palette. This is a mustfor painting in acrylics. This has

saued me so much time and kept my colors consistent and uet
for ueeks.

I also use a wet palette. While this is not necessary, it is

certainly useful. Chris Mrosko hammered me for a long
Notice hou I mark the tops of the bottles with a drop of the actu-
time about using a wet palette, but I didn't listen to him.
aI color.
Finally he was so fed up with me that he bought me one!
Chris persuaded me to use it - he is a big man! Again,

5
after using it, I was completely convinced. A small one like tos and color plates of the many types of uniforms, and
I use can be bought atjust about any art supply store for these are all helpful. I will go over a few of the particular
about $5.oo, and is a nice investment. The paper palette is books that I use often. This is by no means a comprehen-
soaked in water and placed on top of a wet saturated sive list. I always find new books at the various shows, but
sponge. Mix paint on the paper, and the palette keeps the these seem to be the staples.
acrylics wet and useable for weeks. This is really nice
when you mix colors and have to go back to retouch some-
thing or want to use the same colors over and over again.
Use distilled water here, too, and be sure to close the lid
after each session. They can dry out, especially under the
ffi"*
le4o-45 (2)
rrirce
e:-', l:,
tsro-E.- 'r.* ,

two 1OO watt bulbs that I paint under! t4-I*|Effi

THE GERI,IAN ARMY
t93e-4s (sl

Osprey Series

Osprey Publishing has been publishing uniform books for

collectors and modelers for many years, and they have
become the standard. The soft-cover Men-at-Arms series,
These are some examples of the acrylic paints that I use. Both the Warrior series, and the Elite series are all excellent
Andrea and Vallejo haue an extensiue range of colors, and their sources for uniform information as well as good short his-
fine pigmentation is perfect for miniatures. tories on the men and units they you are painting. The
color plates found in all Osprey series books are invaluable
There are a lot of acrylic paints on the market, but I prefer references, and the figure poses themselves are often so
to use the Vallejo or Andrea paints. The Vallejo and interesting that they serve as good ideas for scratchbuild-
Andrea paints come in a wide variety of colors, and the ing or conversions! These books are all reasonably priced,
Vallejo paints even have pre-packaged sets for WWII and available at most hobby shops worldwide.
German, WWII Allied, and \{WII Waffen SS. Both of
these brands of paints cover very well, even the whites, and
will keep forever due to the dropper bottles. To mix the
paint, just shake the bottle! I particularly like the Andrea
Field Gray. I have nearly the whole set of Vallejo colors,
and a lot of the Andrea colors, but I use only a few of them
over and over for painting WryWI figures. I still have a lot
of old Polly S, which I use, and I use a few colors from the
Model Master Acryl colors also.

For painting faces, I tried acrylics and stayed with them for
over a year, but now I switch back and forth from acrylics
to oil paint. For soft skin tones and shading and highlight-
ing, you can't beat the subtle blending of oils for skin
tones. I usually use Winsor Newton oil paints, but I also
have several tubes of many different makers such as
Grumbacher, Daniel Smith, and others. However on the
examples in this book, I used almost exclusively acrylic
paint. Histoire and Collections

Research HC publishes several nice hardback books for uniform col-

lectors and modelers which feature models wearing
Like any other area of model building, good research is a authentic or replica uniforms from various wars or cam-
keypart. There are a lot ofbooks out there that have pho- paigns, usually from WV\rII. Several of my favorite titles

6
are Afrika Korps, German Soldiers of World War II, and Wehrmacht, simply entitled Wehrmacht. This is a good
Spearheading D-Day. They are excellent resources. Their book and shows all of the equipment and weapons, such as
two-volume set on the British Army in World War II is one pistols, small arms, and other weapons that were used
of the best reference works on uniforms, organization, and extensively by the German Army in Wry\rII. This is a hard-
equipment of the British Army on the market today. These back and is about $40.OO, but again a great buy.
are a bit expensive (around US $SO.OO or more per book)
but are worth every penny and then some. The uniforms
and equipment is the real thing, and you can't beat good
color photos ofthe real thing to get ideas for colors, tex-
tures, and features.

Schiffer Military Publishing

Windrow and Greene
Schiffer is a very prolific publisher of military books, and
W&G used to publish a set of soft-cover reference books they have a lot of uniform and unit books that have tons of
that also featured models wearing actual uniforms on dif- great photos of soldiers in combat or at war. These are
ferent wars, such as WWI, WWII, the American Civil War, indispensable in determining how the soldiers wore equip-
and the Napoleonic era. These were the Europa Militaria ment, what the conditions were like, and how the uniforms
series, and were excellent, but are now unfortunately out of wore in combat situations. Most of the books I have are
print. Some hobby shops still have a supply, and if you can hardback, such as "Camouflage Uniforms of the Soviet
find them, buy them. They are around US gt5.0O each, Union and Russia," and others. Schiffer published one of
but again are excellent works. W&G also published several the best, if not the best, book on Waffen SS camouflage,
hardback books that are excellent. One entitled "The World called "Camouflage Uniforms of the Waffen SS." This is an
War II GI in Color Photographs" is the best reference on expensive book, but is by far one of the best and most com-
WlflI U.S. uniforms on the market today. The W&G edi- prehensive photo and history book on SS camouflage. A
tion is out of print, but Motorbooks has re-released this definite must.
classic. It is not cheap - around US $4O.OO, but is a must
for any fan of \,Vl\rII GI's. W&G also published a couple of
books of live firing weapons from \AAVI and \,\,ryVII, one of
which is called "German Automatic Weapons of World
War II." These books are good in that you get a Iot of
detailed close-up shots of the weapons themselves, how rffircr.r*t
soldiers actually fired them, and a lot of good photos of
re-enactors firing them in uniforms of the day. The
weapons are show broken down so that you get an idea of
the basic parts and basic maintenance. These are also
out-of-print, but you can probably find them on the
Internet as used.

Ryton

Ryton is best known for their awesome works on the vari-

ous German armored vehicles, but they recently published
a volume on the weapons and equipment of the

7
 Other Publishers
There are many other publishers that have good reference
material on units and uniforms, such as Concord
Publishing, Brassey's History of Uniforms series (their
WVII German and British volumes are great), the out-of-
print Arms and Armour Press Uniforms Illustrated series
(similar to the Armor and Aircraft Illustrated books), and
the Squadron/Signal books.
Everyone has their favorites, and with some experience,
you will find books that you always refer back to when
painting. Books are a weakness of mine, and it is obvious
because I have a huge library. I think you can never have
too many books. Books seem to be released and go out of
print regularly, so my excuse is, buy it, because it will
probably go out of print tomorrow! While this is just me, I
do believe that research, no matter how little, really makes
a good figure and gives you confidence as you paint
because you have a good idea ofthe colors and textures
you want before you put paint on the figure.
The author's usorkdesk. I knou this looks crotoded, but euery
thing is well raithin reach!
crylics are a little different to use than enamels
or oil paints. The section below wiII explain in
general terms how to paint with acrylic paints
such as Vallejo or Andrea paints. Afterwards,
we will dive into a figure or two.
Fundamentally, painting with acrylics is different than
painting with oils or enamels. However, once you quickly
get used to their properties, you will find them a great
medium to work with. They dry quickly, go on smoothly,
and cover very well. You cannot blend acrylics like you
blend oil paints or enamels. You get the "blended" effect
with thin layers of paint and with subtle gradations of
color.
When using Vallejo or Andrea colors, you must first mix
the colors very well. You do this by shaking the bottles vig-
orously - I mean vigorously! With enamels and oils you
usually mix the goo at the bottom with the oil at the top,
but not with acrylics. Shake...shake...shake... Shake your
bottle... (to borrow a phrase from KC and The Sunshine Band!)
Next, squirt several drops or more out on the wet palette.
The paint is usually too thick to use directly from the bot-
tle, so I add a few drops of distilled water to the paint, and
mix with an old brush. I keep distilled water in an old
dropper bottle that had contact cleaning solution in it that
I scarfed from my wife after it was empty. Wash and rinse
these out thoroughly, and you can have a good supply of
dropper bottles to hold water, or special mixtures of paint.
Thinning the paint on the wet palette is not an exact sci-
ence, but more of an art. I like the paint to be relatively
thin, and apply two or more coats on the figure to get a
good clean smooth paint coverage. I like to think the paint
is the consistency of whole milk or a bit thicker'
Experiment with various amounts of water and paint until
you get a consistency you like and are comfortable with'
I also use distilled water to thin the paint because some tap
water is heary with minerals that may react with the paint
and cause it to dry glossy or with a white chalky sheen.
Distilled water ensures that what you are using as thinner
is only water. Believe me, I have had issues with some tap
waters, so I use distilled water to thin and even clean my
brushes. It is cheap; at Wal-Mart you can get a gallon for
under a buck, and it will last a long time.
After the figure has been primed, I apply the base coat. I
always use primer on a figure that I paint with acrylics
because the acrylic paint does not stick well to bare resin
or metal.
I apply the base coat with a relatively large sable brush,
such as Winsor Newton Series 7 #2 or larger. Again, I use
the Series 7 brushes almost exclusively because they are of
such high quality and really make a difference.
Once the base coat is dried, usually within an hour or so, I
stari applying the highlights and shadows. While you can-
not blend acrylics like you do oils or enamels, you can get
some very subtle color gradations with acrylics if you do it
right. I generally use a combination of thin layers of paint
and subtle color variations.
From the basecoat on the wet palette, I usually prepare
three shades ofshadow colors and three shades ofhigh-
light colors.
8
 off on a rag, getting most of the liquid out of the brush.
When you apply a thin layer on the figure, the paint should
seem to dry as you move the brush across the figure.

O
Ba* Color

OO
Pure Shadow color

t
Third Shadow

O
Se@nd Highlight

Second Shadow

'tO
Third Highllghl
First Shadow

#
Pure Highlight Color
Base Color

Highlights and Shadous: Stqrt with the base color, and progres- First Highlight
siuely add drops ofthe pure shadou color to the base color to
get interrnediate shqdotDs. Do the same with the pure highlight
color to get intermediate highlight colors. Final shading and Second Highlight
highlighting should be done uith a uery thin application of pure
shadora color and pure highlight color.
Third Highlight
I then thin the paint a bit more than usual, and start with
the first shadow color. This is very close to the base color,
just a slight shade darker. Paint all of the shadow area
Pure Highlight Color
with this color. After you do this, paint the first highlight
color in the same manner. Then, take a very thin amount
of base coat on a small brush, such as a oo, and paint a
Applying shadows andhighlights. Thrs diagram should giue
thin line on the edge between the base and the shadow and you a goodfeelfor preparing the uarious colorsfor shadows
the base and the highlight. This will soften the transition andhighlighfs. Notice hou much contrqst there is befipeen each
between the highlight and the base, and the shadow and color and the base color. You use only three colors to mix all of
the base, and make it appear to be blended. Also paint a these uariations - the base color, the pure sha.dou and the pure
small thin line of base color between the edge of the shad- highlight colors.
ow and the highlight colors to create the same effect.

Repeat this for the next shade of highlight and shadow, ffi
lessening the area painted. Finally, you should be painting
a very thin dark shadow and a very thin highlight with the
ffi
pure respective colors. This final dark shadow and light
highlight serve to make the figure pop out and give it that
"wow" Iook.

Take a look at the graphical simulations/diagrams. You

will get the feeling of how much to vary the different
shades and highlights to get the effect.
Another way to get visual blending is called layering. With
layering, you use a very thin paint solution and paint suc-
cessive layers over the same area to get a build-up of paint.
This technique can be used also for highlighting and shad-
owing. As shown in the diagram, the paint is thinned
about 1 part paint to 5 parts water, but can be thinner if
necessary. A wider brush than normal is used, usually
about a #l or #2. Dip the brush in the paint, and wipe it
A graphical example of layering. Use layering to gradually build
up color on afigure. You can use thin layers to build up the base
cocft on afigure, andyou cqnuse the same technique to buildup
shqdows and highlights in a gradual manner. Building up shad-
ous and highlights in this manner is ako knoun as glazing. Bill
Horen, and many of the European painters are excellent at this
technique. In the example below, thefirst highlight layer is uery
thin paint, qbout 1 part paint to probably 5 parts wqter. The
first layer should be barely uisible. The second layer is again a
7:5 mixture, and is applied in the same location. Successiue
layers gradually build up the color and it appears to be blended.
Again, most of the paint should be released or unloaded
I
from the brush before starting to paint. Otherwise, you get
a runny mess on the figure. Gradually build up these dry
thin layers to get a good gradual build-up of color.

Two other techniques need to be discussed. One is called

outlining, and the other is called edging. Outlining is
where you take a very dark color, such as black, black gray,
or a dark brown, and outline the details such as belts,
straps, seams, cuffs, etc. This serves to separate these
details from the surrounding areas and defines them a bit
more. Outlining also acts as a very dark bold shadow.
This gives these details a little "pop" and makes them jump
out at you. I think you need this in miniature so you can
discern the details better, and it adds that extra shadowto
emphasize parts of the figure more.

Another uieto of thefigure showing shadows and highlights.

Again, notice the sharp contrast in the seams (from outlining
and edging), under folds, and under the collar.

These are some basic techniques. Let's start a figure and

see what happens.

Painting a WWII German Tank Buster

This new Warriors figure is a very nice and clean figure.
The pose is awesome, leaning on the panzerschreck with
that cocky, don't-mess-with-me look. This figure was
painted entirely in acrylics.

Notice the examples of the uarious dffirences in the basecoat,

dark, medium, and light shadows, highlights, outlining and
edging. Edging and outlining can really make the dffirence in
amediocrefigure and areally nice one.

Edging is basically the opposite of outlining. With edging,

you apply a very light thin line that also separates details
from the surrounding areas and defines these details more
dramatically. Edging is like a very bold bright highlight,
and increases the contrast of the detail with the rest of the
uniform.
 Clean up the frgure
I like to pin both feet so that the figure doesn't spin around
I will not spend much time on cleaning up the figure, but I the temporary stand as you are painting.
will say that nothing looks worse than a very nice figure
with an unsightly seam running down its leg. Look over Once the pins are secured in the feet of the figure, stick
the figure very well, under your Optivisors, and make sure them on a temporary stand. I use blocks of balsa wood for
you clean up every seam, air bubble, and blemish. I use this. Balsa wood is sturdy enough to allow a good grip, but
small files to get most of the big stuff. I also use an X-Acto soft enough to just stick the figure into the wood without
knife sometimes to gently scrape off some of the mold any drilling. If you want, you can glue small plastic pieces
lines. One of my favorite tools is called Scotch Brite. This on the bottom of the balsa wood for better support.
is available at most Wal-Marts in the paint section and is
usually green in color. It is like a soft sandpaper or steel
wool. I use it for smoothing out parts of the figure after my
clean up. It can also be used for a limited amount of fine
sanding.

Pinning the figure on a painting base is a crucial step. This

allows you to firmly hold the figure without touching it so you
can paint it toith a steady hand and not mess anything up!
These pins also allota Aou to secure thefigure to a base after-
u.;ards. Don't you hate it when you paint a beautifulfigure, take
it to q show, only tofind out that the supergluewasn't so super and
the figure utas in the bottom of the box all scratched up! Pin it!

Mount/nin the figure

Always pinyourfigure. There are several reasons. The
pins make it easier to mount the figure on a temporary
stand for painting. You never want to handle your figure
once you start painting. The oil on your hands can cause
the paint to rub off, chip, and/or gloss up. These pins also
serve to support the figure on the base after he is done.
You don't want to spend hours painting a masterpiece only
to have it pop offthe base as you are transporting it to a
show, have it rattle around the box a bit, and come out
looking like it really was in combat!
Use a pin vise or a motor tool at a very low speed to drill
small holes at least 1/B inch to 1 inch deep into the boots
the figure. I usually put the hole in the heel of the boot. I
then insert a brass rod dipped in superglue into the hole.
This pin needs to be sticking out ofthe boot at least 1/2
inch to be useful. Don't be afraid of getting the rod too
long. You can always cut it dor,vn to size.
The figure cleaned, pinned and secured to the painting base, and
primed.
Prime the figure
Once the figure is sufficiently cleaned up and all seams and
imperfections removed, you should prime the resin figure.
of You can use a wide variety of primers, from lacquer to
enamel to Wal-Mart brand auto body primer. I use Tamiya
primer or Tamiya acrylic paint to prime figures. Acrylics
are easy on the airbrush, and easy to clean up. Plus, it
won't kill your kid's brain cells if they happen to be close
by. Foryou it is too late!
11
Spray an even coat ofpaint on the figure, taking care to Flesh: Vallejo 8o4 Beige Red
cover the entire surface of the figure. Remember to get a Bread Bag: Vallejo 9BB Khaki
good coat but not too thick. You do not want to obscure Mess Tin: Vallejo 83O Field Gray
any small details. I usually let the primer dry overnight Water Bottle: Vallejo 871 Leather Brown with Vallejo
before I start any painting. B3o Field Gray cup
During my first session, I usually basecoat the boots and
trousers. Once I am completely done shading and high-
lighting the trousers, I then go ahead and basecoat the
shirt/jacket, and other parts including the flesh. In this
case, I basecoated, in order, the boots, trousers, jacket,
equipment, flesh, and cap.

Thefigure with afirst base coat of Field Grey (tunic), Dark The finished combqt shoes. Notice the shading, highlighting ,
Green (trousers), and Leather Brown (shoes). Notice some of and scuffed toes. Boots and shoes are often ouerlooked.
the spots I missed with thefirst application of paint. I usually Spending just a little time on them can really make a difference.
giue the figure two or three thin coats to make sure I get all the Both shoes or boots usually take me only 3O minutes, but it is
nooks and crannies. You need good couerage of the bqsecoat to time well spent.
facilitate painting all of the shadowing, highlighting and details
later. Brown Combat Shoes
Base coating the figure
I painted the boots first with 871 Leather Brown. Then I
mix a little Black with the Leather Brown and paint the ini-
Once the primer has dried, then it is time to start putting
tial shadows. I paint this initial shadow between the sole
paint on the figure. Most painters paint from top to bot-
and the shoe, under the seams, between the shoelaces, in
tom, and from inside out. I just have to be different. I
and around the eyelets on the shoes and under any wrin-
usually start from the boots and work my way up, inside
kles or folds on the shoes.
out. Do whatever you like and whatever you are comfort-
able with.
The next step is the initial highlight. This is done with 983
Flat Earth. I paint this initial highlight on the upper sides
I used the following colors to base coat this figure:
ofthe shoes, on the toes and the top ofthe wrinkles near
the toes, the top of the seams, and on the highpoints on
Boots: Vallejo 8Tl Leather Brouryr
back ofthe shoe.
Trousers: The Italian camo pattern is basecoated
with Vallejo 893 Dark Green
The next step is painting the dark shadows. This is done
Jacket: Andrea Field Grey #1
with straight but thinned Andrea Flat Black. This dark
Helmet: Oak Leaf Spring pattern basecoated with
shadow is painted between the soles and the shoe, under
825 Pale Violet Brown
12
some of the more obvious seams, and in and around the
shoelaces.
The light highlight is next. This is a 50/50 mixture of 981
Orange Brown and 983 Flat Earth. This goes on the toes,
and above the seams to highlight them.
The final step is painting the shoelaces and wear and tear
around the toes. The laces are painted with 9lz Tan
Leather. The wear and tear around the toes is painted with
860 Medium Flesh.
Once the highlights and shadows are applied, I then apply
the camouflage pattern with 984 Flat Brown and 988
Khaki. One of the nice things about doing this camo pat-
tern is to outline the brown and the khaki with a very thin
dark brown color, usually a 5o/5o mixture of 984 Flat
Brown and Black. While this may not be the most realistic,
it certainly makes the camo pattern pop out and separate
from the dark green pants. You don't want to overdo it,
but a subtle yet noticeable outline makes a big difference.
Look at the photos to see what I mean.

This seems like a lot of work for the shoes, but you will be
surprised at how few people really do more than drybrush
the boots or shoes. And with practice, a pair of boots or
shoes will take about 15 minutes or so.

WIVII Italian Carnoufl age

When painting camouflage, I usually paint a base coat,

shading and highlighting it as if it was the only color. In
the Italian Camo case, I painted the trousers with 893 US
Dark Green. The colors used were:

Basecoat: 893 US Dark Green

Shadow: 893 US Dark Green + 862 Black Gray
Highlights: 893 US Dark Green + 9BB Khaki
The Khaki in the highlight gives the trousers a bit of a
washed out and worn look.

The finished camouJlage pants. Notice the camo pattern, and

the slight outlining of the pattern. This outlining may not be
really realistic, but it sure makes the pattern pop out and adds a
nice touch. Be subtle and don't ouerdo it, though.

When painting camoufalge patterns on t/35 scale figures, I

usually try to find a good photo of a pattern in one of my
books, and then paint that exact pattern on the figure.
This way you know the pattern is accurate, and it is usually
easier to copy a complicated camouflage pattern onto a fig-
ure than to paint camoufalge from scratch or from memo-
ry.
One of the first steps in painting camouflage is to paint the base
color, and highlight and shadou; it as ifit u;ere the only color.
Then start laying in the camouJlage scheme.

13
 Here is shoutn some of the initial highlight and shadow colors on
the.front of the tunic.

The completedfi-eld grey tunic. Notice the outlining and edging

that make the details pop out. The belt is euen highlighted!
Don't ouerlook these small but important ospects of the figure.

Field Grey Jacket

I base coat this with Andrea Field Gray. I then prepare on

my wet palette the highlight and shading colors.

1st shadow 1 part 862 Black Gray 5 parts Andrea Field

Gray
2nd Shadow 2 parts 4 parts
3rd Shadow 3 parts 3 parls
4th Shadow 4 parts 2 parts
5th Shadow 5 parts O parts
1st highlight 2 parls 886 Green Gray 5 parts Andrea
Field Gray
And this photo shows some of the initial highlight and shadow
znd Highlight 3 parts 4 parts colors on the back of the tunic. The placement of these colors is
3rd highlight 4 parts 3 parls critical and the effect should be natural.
4th highlight 5 parts 2 parts

The tunic is nou, completely highlighted and shadoued. The

This is the back of the completedfield grey jacket. Note the sub- details such as insignia and rank are not painted, and the equip-
tle shading in the larger;folds, and the sharp contrast due to the ment still needs some color. You can see where the colors fall,
outlining of the seams. Remember this photo is probably 3-4 and the elfect of the edging and outlining.
times actual size!

14
 Flat Black
Base Color # g
.4.4r=
+s
': .=. z 6'
* ,5-
-Y=o =q
E'
5r -a
E-e-

Painting Black. Less is more when painting highlights and

shadous on black. This diagram will giue Aou an idea of the
color uariationsfor black, and how subtle they can be.

The finished black tqnker's jacket. Note the very sabtle high-
Before
lighting and contrqst to the uhite pants. With black remember,
less is more!
LEFT: Sometimes the con-
trast between the high-
Tankers Jacket - Paintirig Black lights and the basecoat can
be too sharp uhen painting
Black can be a pretty hard color to paint. It is easy to over- with acrylics. To correct
do the highlights, and there are no shadows darker than this andto softenup the
black! It took me a while to learn the technique for paint- edges between the basecoat
ing black, but once you get the hang of it, painting black and the highlights or shad-
can be relatively easy. Remember, less is more. ows, I apply a thin layer of
flat black along the edges
ofthe highlight color and
I use the following colors to paint black: the basecolor, as rn this
diagram.
coat:
Base Andrea Flat Black Flat Black
f!
d
Shadow: Vallejo Flat Black (this is a bit darker Base Color
a=
than the Andrea color) @
=
Highlights: 1stHighlight - l part 984 Flat Brown + 3 N
o
parts Black (very dark brown)
2nd highlight - add more flat brown to a
' medium/darkbrown After
3rd highlight - add 912 Tan Yellow for a
Greybrown
4th highlight - add more Tan Yellow LEFT: After you apply one
or two thin layers of color
The third and fourth highlights should be very diluted and along the edge, the edge is
bard visible - generally 1 part paint to 5 parts water. softened and uisually
blended. The paint is not
If the contrast between the highlights is too star\ you can actually blended as uith
oils, but the effect is the
tone it down in either one of two ways. One that I prefer is
sqme. This softens the
to paint a very thin and diluted line of Flat Black at the edges and creates amore
intersection of the highlight colors. This diluted paint will subtle look and transition
serve to visually blend and obscure the line between the between the basecolor and
base coat and the highlight color. See the diagram for a the highlight.
graphical example and the photos for an actual demonstration. I
Flai Black
Base Color
Black boots are painted the same way as a black tankers @ =
a=
jacket. With black boots, however, I usually paint a scuff.ed 5
o
toe or other wear and tear. o
15
The tanker's jacket is basecoated with Andrea Flat Black,
and the gloue is Andrea Field Grey. The suspenders are
still primer, and usill be painted last. I usually basecoat
all black garments uih Andrea Flat Black. Occasionally,
I uill use Vallejo Flat Black to add shadous, since it is a
bit darker thanAndrea Black.
16
The back of the tanker's jacket shouing some highlighting
on the sleeues and the shoulders. Notice the natural light
reJlecting off of the uery dark brousn highlights. Since
there is really no darker color than black, for shading I
use Valleio Black, tohich is a bit darker than the Andrea
Black usedfor a basecoat. Sometimes, I uill not paint
shadous on black except to touch up some of the black
areas. Remember, u;hen painting black, less rs more. It
is better to under-highlight black than to ouerdo it.
 The finished black tanker's jacket, uith highlights and
details. The suspenders are still primer. Notice the subtle
but noticeable highlights on the collar, the sleeues, and the
front of the tunic just aboue the uhite winter pants. The
details are "painted" on uith a siluer pencil auailable at
some hobby stores or art shops such as Hobby Lobby,
Michael's or uhateuer. A siluer pencil is a great tool to
paint small insignia on uniforms. Just make sure it is
really sharp!
Some of the details to remember are to paint the highlight
under the button hole on the collar, and to edge the tunic
utith the final highlight color.
17
The beck of the figure. Note the subtle highlighting of the
black, and the smooth shadouing of the uhite pants. The
belt has been highlighted. Again, the suspenders are last.
Notice again the edging of he black tunic toith the high-
highlight color and along the seams of the sleeues and the
collar. The highlight colors on the back and the shoulders
haue been uisually blended using he layering technique
shousn in the diagram on the preuious page.
'lllrc.firtisherl-fiqtn'e.hat, gloue, artcl sccn'f cu'e o1.so
Tl'Le The back of the -firLished ficlu'e. 1'|rc ntspendet's ot"e nou-)
shadoued and hicll-Llighted as crrttl other.field grey glar- painted. L\trofice they are also cnilined u-dth black grey,
fi1ent. ancl eclgecl u-tith ptLre uhite.

White edging on
the suspenders

18
 Painting White Winter Clothing Before
White clothing can also pose some problems for the same
reason black does. If you shade white too much, it looks
Iike a very dirty off-white or even a brown, rather than
white. While at times we do want a dirty white, let's not
overdo it. Again, the key to white is less is more, and be a
little subtle.

My color palette for white is as follows:

Base color- 82o Off-white

1st Shadow - 9O7 Pale Greyblue
2nd Shadow - 9o7 + very small amount of Black Gray
3rd Shadow - 2nd shadow plus a bit more Black Gray
Final Shadow - 862 Black Grey
Highlights - 951White

Sometimes the contrast bettoeen the shadows and the baseco(tt

canbe too sharp when painting white. To correct this and to
soften up the edges betueen the basecoat and the shadows, I
apply a thin layer of Offwhite along the edges of the shadow
color and the basecolor, as in this diagram.

After

-r!
Flat Offwhite (t
Base Color o
J
0)
The fi.gure primed with tahite and the shoes completely €
painted. I usually prime fi.gures uith white uniforms 6t
tuhite for ease in painting the uniform. (D

After you apply one or tuo thin layers of color along the edge,
the edge is softened and uisually blended. The paint is not actu-
ally blended as with oils, but the effect is the same.

19
This photo shous the basecoat of Offwhite and the initial
shading of the white trousers taith the blue-gray color.
Note the subtle yet noticeable shading. After all is said
and done, the uhite pants should still look uhite, and not
a dingy gray!
If you look really closely,Aou can see the difference in the
Vallejo B2o OfrtDhite and the bright u.thite primer. The
Vallejo Offwhite is a really nice color for simulating white
garments as it seems more realktic and euen o bitweath-
ered than the bright pure Jlat ushite.
The front of the pants with more shading and some tuhite-
u)hite highlights. Because the pants are basecoated uith
Offuhite, I use pure uthitefor the highlights.
The shadous are noticeable enough, but still not as dark
as they need to be. With u;hite, though, as ruith black, less
is generally better than more. You don't ant to ouershad-
otu white or the tuhite pants toill tuind up looking like
gray or blue.

Most uhite clothing tDas not really pure rahite anyuay,

and afeus days in thefield and afetu cleanings of a sol-
dier's uhite gear resulted in an offtuhite color.

The B2o Offwhite also allous you to highlight with pure

Flat White.

20
The back of the trousers. Note the relatiuelg sharp delin- This photo shotus some additional shadowing, and some
eation betu;een the shadous and the rest of the pants. I uisual blending of the shadou color into the pants. The
uillfi-r this later tuith a thin coat of offuhite to layer and shadous nou look a bit more subtle and the edges are less
uisually blend the shadous into the rest of the pants color. sharp.
The pants haue nou been outlined, and afeu more deep This photo shous the belt. Euen the belt gets highlights
shadotus haue been added under some of the deeper folds. and shadotus, and some outlining as uell.
The outline must be uery fine and thin. Don't ouerdo it or
it will look like stripes on the pants!

Don't forget the

button holes

Vallejo 862 Black

Gray edging

Very dark 862

Black Gray
shadows in the
deepest folds
 As you can see, I generally use Field Gray, and weather all
of the metal pieces with a silver pencil to simulate wear
and tear on the paint. I always outline all of the detail with
a very dark color, usually Flat Black or black mixed with
some other color like Flat Brown or Black Gray.

Painting German Equipment

The German Army soldiers usually carried a lot of equip-

ment like their US counterparts. Some of the more com-
mon pieces were the water bottle, the gas mask, the mess
kit, ammunition pouches, usually a shovel or an entrench-
ing tool, and a bayonet.

Below are some examples of how I paint this equipment.

MP4o ammo pouch - The base color is Vallejo Khaki with
Leather brown straps. Notice the deep shadows painted uith
Color: Field Gray
Weatfiered with a sha.p silver
Burnt umber and the edging with pale sand and the outlining
Buckle: Flat Biack hiqhlighted with
a silYer pencil
pencil with Burnt Umber. The button snaps are outlined, and they are
Outline Color: FIat Blac* or Black highlighted with a siluer pencil. The stitching on the straps is
Highlight Color: Leather Brown +
Gray euen painted!
Flat Eadh Base Co,o.: Leather B.own

German Belts and Web Gear

Shadow Color: Flat Brown
+ Flat Black

Strap Colo.: Flat Earth German belts, straps, and support belts (web gear) were
edged with Orange Brown
usually leather and black. For a base coat, I usually paint
everlthing with Andrea Flat Black. Then I take Flat Broum
Water Bottle: and mix it with Flat Black to get a nice dark chocolate
bror,rm. This is used to edge the belts. I also outline with
Base coat: Leather Broltm this brourn the lower half of the belt holes. Finally, I paint
cup: Field Gray. Outline detail with Black Gray a satin finish on the entire belt and strap to give it that
or Flat Black, and weather with a sharp leather look.
silver pencil.
Strap: Flat Earth
Highlights: Leather Bror.rm + Flat Earth
High Highlights: Highlight color + a
small tint of Orange Broum
Outline details with Flat Brov,n + Flat
Black (to get a very dark black brown).

Mess Kit:

Base coat: Field Gray (Andrea or Vallejo) Weather

with a sharp silver pencil.
Strap Color: Flat Earth. Outline detail with Black Gray
or FIat Black.

Gas Mask Container:

The belt and holster is painted raith Leather Brown and high-
lighted uith Orange Brown. The shadotus and outlining is toith
Base Coat: Vallejo Field Gray or Field Gray + Black
Flat Black. Notice the highlights under the holes in the belt.
Gray. Outline detail with Black Gray or Flat
Black. Weather with a sharp silver pencil.
23
 Weathering Uniforms
Soldiers are always in the dirt, even if you are REMFs
(slang for rear echelon soldiers such as supply and cooks).
Adding a touch of wear and tear and dirt on the uniforms
can be very striking and realistic, but must be done with
care. Too much can look somewhat realistic, but can over-
shadow all of the work you have done to the uniform so
far.
Adding wear and tear around the lower legs, knees, elbows,
butt, and coat and sleeve edges will add a nice touch.
My basic color palette for adding this kind of weathering is
Flat Earth, Medium Flesh, and Burnt Umber. I never use
the Medium Flesh for flesh, but this is a great color for
weathering. It is a tan yellow bronm color that is really
neat for caked-on dirt.
This guy has dirt and dust caked on his pant legs and his shoes.
Soldiers in thefield don't moue ouer the terrain as much as they
moue through it. If you are modeling soldiers in the field, be
sure they look like it!
To apply the dirt on a gpical field gray, US khaki, or green
uniform, I first start with a thin solution of Burnt Umber.
Dip the brush in the paint, then unload it on a rag to make
sure most of the liquid is out of the brush, and then paint a
thin layer of Brornm on the areas mentioned above. Again,
make sure that as you drag the brush across the figure, the
paint seems to dry right behind the stroke. You should see
the areas "highlighted" with the Burnt Umber color.
24
Next take the flat earth color and thinning about 1:2 paint
to water, take a wide flat brush and stipple the paint on the
knees, legs and butt. Basically this is poking the brush up
and down on the figure rather than stroking it across the
figure. This adds a grimy caked-on look. Do this sparing-
ly. Do the same thing with the Medium Flesh color.
Remember to thin with water, unload/wipe the brush off,
and then stipple. Too thin is better than too thick. You
can keep adding paint if it is too thin, but if it is too thick,
it is hard to get off.
Again, notice the dirt and muck caked on this soldier's helmet
and pants. This trooper has obuiously been in the field a long
time. To get this caked on effect, add a little dirt (yes, real dirt)
to the paint mixture and paint it on with an old stiffbristled
brush. The dirt will dry in the paint and look realistic. After all,
it is real dirt. I generally don'tuse pastels to get this weathering
effect, but use uarious colors of paint. I also use uarious tech-
niques such as thin layers of paint, dirt mixed uith paint, or
heauy paint stabbed on toith a stiffbrush. Experiment to get dif-
ferent effects.
 Lt. Highlight - g8l Orange Brown + 983 Flat
Earth
Shadow - Andrea Flat Black + 871 Leather
Broum
Dark Shadow - Andrea Flat Black
Dirt/wear on toes and sides of boots - 983 Flat Earth +
86o Medium Flesh
Light highlight/wear on toes - 86O Medium Flesh or
other tan color

The boots have been explained in a previous section.

The trousers are painted next. I mix the base color, and
then several shades of shadow colors and highlight colors
with the following colors:

Base color - 75% Andrea Field

Gray,25%o 886 Green Gray
Highlight - 886 Green Gray
Shadow - 862 Black Gray

Look at the diagram and the various photos to see the sub-
tle and not-so-subtle differences in the various tones of the
shading and highlighting. Continue this process for sever-
al layers of highlights and shadows.

After the uniform is painted, paint the equipment such as

the web belt, ammo pouch, and the pistol. The colors are:

Web belt and canvas

ammo pouch - 988 Khaki
Shadow - Burnt Umber
Highlights - 976Buft

Paint the holster, as you would black leather.

Painting a WWII U.S. Tanker
This Warriors figure is a good example of a U.S. tanker in
the one-piece tankers coveralls with a pistol belt and the
brown combat shoes. He is painting a name or some detail
on his tank. The overalls are generally close to the same
color as the reed green German uniforms and the U.S.
Marine pacific uniform.

The first steps are of course the cleaning up, mounting,

and priming of the figure.

The tankers overalls are a mixture of 75% Andrea Field

Gray and 2\%Yallejo 886 Green Gray. I also use straight
Andrea Field Gray sometimes. This is a great multipur-
pose color and can be used for a variety of different uni-
form colors.

The next step is, at least for me, the painting of the figure
from bottom up, and that means the boots first. Below are
the colors I use:

Base - 8Tl Leather Brown

Highlight - 983 FIat Earth

25
The US tanker in coueralls showing the contpleted combat
shoes and sonte initial shading on the uniform. Notice the
subtle shades in the shadous rather than stark contrast-
ing stripes.
Darker shadows in the
deeper folds
This photo shours sonte initial shadowirtg and some high-
lighting as u:ell. Again, note the subtle slrudou-ts and
highlights on the back of the figure uhere the folds are
larger. This fi.gu'e has not been outlined or edged yet, but
it still looks pretty decent.
Very subtle shading
created by visual
blending

Notice the subtle

first shadows -...

26
 The finished uniform and belt on the US tctnker. The uni-
form has been outlined and edged, including the belt and
amtno pouch. The ammo pouch shorus hou outlining can
really make the details pop out. Outline the belt and
emmo pouch themselues to separate themfrom the uni-
form. A dark outline under the belt and the emmo pouch
simulete dark shadows and separate the items, u:hich
really adds a dramatic effect to e uerA smallfigure.
The back of the uS tanker uith afinished uniform and
belt. Note the subtle lcrger shading and the sharper
shading in the deeper folds on the leg and around the
butt. The highlights compliment the shadous to giue the
;figure a great amount of animation.

Darker shadows
are noticeable
Highlights are visible
here
here

Notice the boots and

the highlights and
shadows

27
 The colors you will need to paint flesh are:

Base: BO4 Beige Red

Initial Shadows: 4OoA 947 Burnt Umber + 60% 8O4
Beige Red
Medium Shadow: 60% 947 Burnt Umber + 40% Bo4
Beige Red (7o/3O also works)
Dark Shadow: IOOoA 941Burnt Umber
Light shadows around the cheeks and cheekbones, etc.
BO4 Beige Red + 98l Orange
Brown + Cavalry Brown (1/3 each)
Highlights: 804 Beige Red + 955 Flat Flesh
High Highlights: 955 Flat Flesh
5 o'clock shadow: Bo4 Beige Red + a few drops of
Black or Burnt Umber

Painting Flesh tone in Acrylics:
Painting flesh in acrylics is a bit different that painting
flesh in oils. Like painting the uniform, there is no blend-
ing, which makes it tough to get the nice subtle changes in
tones on the face. Not to mention that on a t/35th scale
uniform there is a bit more room to paint!
Don't despair, though. It is not that hard, once you learn
that you need to approach it differently.
I use only a OO and/or O0O Winsor Newton Series 7 to
paint the details on the face. Usually a number 0OO gets
the majority of the work. Make sure the point is still good,
or it will be frustrating.
The first step is, after you have cleaned up the face and
made sure that there are no imperfections on the visible
areas, is to give the flesh tone areas a good coat ofVallejo
BO4 Beige Red.
After the base coat has dried for a couple ofhours, first
paint the eyes. I usually paint a dark area in the eyeball,
including the upper and lower eyelids, with a dark brown
such as Burnt Umber + Black, or Flat Brourn + Black. This
gives a nice deep, dark brown. Then paint the whites of
the eyes with a mixture of offwhite and Flat Flesh. If pos-
sible, I try to paint the eyes looking to one side. If this is
not possible, then care must be taken to get the whites
even. I do this by painting a thin "white" stripe in the cen-
ter of the dark brown eyeball. I then paint another dark
brown area in the center for the iris. If you want blue or
green eyes paint this small dot in the center of the dark
brown iris. The dark brown acts as an outline and makes
the color really visible, even in 1/35th scale.
Next step is the initial shadows. This is Burnt Umber +
Beige Red, and is painted in the recessed area between the
eyes and the nose, under the lower eyelid, under the eye-
brow, behind the ears, under the nose, under the lower lip,
and under the chin and jawbone. Also outline the nostrils
on the side ofthe nose.
A medium shadow is then painted again in the areas
between the eyes and the nose, under the eyes and above
the eyes usually, and under the nose and lower lip.
I then paint a fleshy shadow under the cheekbones, around
the chin, on the side of the nose, and usually in the temple

Shadows made with

Burnt Umber and
Red

Shadows made with

Beige Red, Orange
Very dark shadows Brown, and Cavalry
from Burnt Umber Brown
5 o'clock shadows

28
areas. This shadow consists of Beige Red, Orange Brown,
and Cavalry Brorarn. Yes, a weird combination. Look at the
photos for examples on where to put this shadow. This is
not really a shadow, but just adds depth and color to the
face.

Then I paint a first highlight of 50/50 Beige Red and Flat

Flesh on the tip ofthe nose, the bags under the eyes, the
nostrils on the side of the nose, forehead if possible, the
top of the chin, and on top of the upper lip. I also paint
this highlight on the cheekbone area.

High highlights go on the tip of the nose, the nostrils, the

tip ofthe chin, andthehigh area ofthe cheekbones. The
ears also get highlighted.

The dark shadow usually goes under the lower lip, under
the nose, and just a small dot between the nose and eyes in
the recess.

I like to add a 5 o'clock shadow on my figures to give them

a good field look. I mix Beige Red with Burnt Umber or
Black, and thin it out pretty well. At least 1:1 or 1 part
paint to 2 parts water. Then I paint this mixture on the
jawbone/lower chin area, where a man would normally
grow hair. I also paint this mixture on the upper lip, but
leave the highlight on the edge of the upper lip for effect.
Look at the photos for how and where this is applied.

The hands are all painted with the same colors. Look at
where the shadows and highlights fall on the hands and
arms in order to get them right.

As you can see, there is no blending in this process. It is

aII about color placement, several layers of color grada-
tions, and some thin paint. The blending effect is more
visual, due to the gradual color gradations and thin paint
applied in certain places. The best way to learn is to look
at the photos, and ofphotos ofpainters such as Doug
Cohen, who also paints with acrylics.

Step by Step: Painting faces in AcryIic

Photo 1 (Top): The two heads, basecoated uith Beige Red.

The eyes are painted and the initial shadous are laidin
under the eyes, around andunder the nose, inthe eye
sockets, under the lou;er lip, and under the chin.

Photo 2 (Middle): Another look at the headsf-romthe

side. Note the uery dark brown line that separates the
lips, and the shadous under the chin and jau.

Photo 3 (Bottom): Thefaces uith the light shadous

added to the cheek ereas, under the nose on the upper lip,
and around the chin.

29
Thefaces uith more shadotu on the cheek areas and
around the chin, and some highlights on the upper cheek
bones, nose, on the top of the chin, and on the louser eye-
lid. Remember the paint needs to be a bit thinner than
usuel to auoid the "tiger stripe" look on the face. If you
get the face too stripey, then do some uisual blending
using beige red or a similar fleshy color. Belieue it or not,
Aou can actually get a face to look as smooth uith
acrylics 0s Aou can with oils.

The faces usith some high highlights on the ttpper cheek

bones, the tip of the nose, the edge of the upper lip, the
eyelids, and theforehead. Also note the shadows and
highlights on the neck. Be sure and paint the ushole head
utith the same attention to detail os Aou do the face. The
neck is often uery uisible, and a well painted face sitting
atop a one-color neck looks a little useird!

The 5 o'clock shadotu is applied around the chin erea, on

the upper lip, and to the sides of the face. Be subtle. You
utant it to be noticeable, but not look like a grey face. As
you uill see in many of the photos in fhis book, I reallg
like the stubble look. Soldiers in the field rarely had time
to shaue, and often they usould haue seueral days of
growth uisible. In modern times, hotueuer, manA soldiers
arerequiredto shaue, euery day ifpossible, sothe stubble
doesn't affect the seal of the gas mask. Facial hair uill
cause the modern gas mask to improperly seal, and this
could mean death to a soldier. Consequently, most mod-
ern photos of soldiers, especially in the U.S. army, uill
show clean-shauen soldiers. Of course, there are excep-
tions to euery rule!

30
Thefaces completed. I haue bssecoated the helmets, and
haue added the camouJlage pattern to the German helmet.
Be really careful tuhen painting the helmets on heads that
haue beenfinished. One slip of the paint brush and that
beautifully paintedface is green or brotun! Also, be sure
and paint the underside of the helmet uith a dark shad-
otu. This ser'ues to separate the headfrom the helmet, giu-
ing each some added controst. Again, be careful not to
slip and mess up an othertoise beautifulface.

Another uieru of faces and helmets. Note the siluer pencil

effect on the US helmet. This adds a touch of useathering
that makes the head and helmet stand out from the other
fi.gures and shotus attention to detail. Also note the out-
Iining and edging on the German helmet's canuas couer.
Be sure and pag attention to detail on the helmets, as
these are prominent pieces of equipment that can make or
break a nice face and head.

The back of the heads. Again, note the neck highlighting

and shadotuing, and the scratches on the US helmet. The
German helmet is painted to look like the SS Oak Leaf A
pattern. Colors used uere Vallejo 825 pale Violet Brottn,
Vallejo 862 Black Grag (or Vallejo 822 SS Black Brou;n),
and Vallejo B5o Oliue. It is ahrays nice to look at photos
of actual equipment to get the pattern as accurate os pos-
sible.

31
Vallejo Paint
Colors and Mixes

White Uniforms
Russian WWII Sheepskin Winter Coat Base - 82o Off-white
Base - 819 Iraqi Sand + drops of91B Ivory 9o7 Pale Greyblue as an initial shade
Shadow - 941Burnt Umber 9O7 + very small amount of Black for darker shading
Deep Shadow - 941Burnt Umber + Black 862 Black Grey for final dark shade
Highlight - 918Ivory Highlights - 951White
Light Highlight - Off-white
SS Palm Camo Pattern
German WV\rII Wehrmacht Splinter Camouflage Base - 929 Light Bro'vrm + 8O5 German Orange
Base - 821 German Camo Beige 822 SS Camo Black Brow-n
969 Park Green Flat 833 SS Camo Bright Green
825 Camo Pale Violet Brourn
9Bo Black Green splinters

German \I\MII Wehrmacht Splinter Marsh Pattern

Base - 821WWII Beige Camo
825 Camo Pale Violet Brown SS Dot pattern camouflage, Fall
892 Yellow Olive Base - 804 Beige Red
9Bo Black Green splinters Colorl-gBBKhaki
Color 2 - 825 Camo Pale Violet Brovm
Paint thin version of the green and brown to repre-
a very Color 3 - 822 SS Camo Black Bror,rm
sent the soft edge, then paint a solid green and brown in Color 4 - 833 SS Camo Bright Green
the middle, leaving a small border of the lighter color.

32
 U.S. Khaki (]s'Itg4t/43 Field Jacket)
Base - 20% 976Buff + 80% 988 Khaki
Highlights - 976B]uff
Shadows - 941Burnt Umber

WWII US Marine Fatigue Green

Base - BO% Andrea Field Gray + 20% Andrea Russian
Khaki
Shadows -862 Black Gray
Highlights - 886 Green Gray

Brown Leather
Base - 871 Leather Brown
Highlight - 983 Flat Earth
Light Highlight - 981Orange Brown + 983 Flat Earth
Shadow - 950 Black
German Field Gray Dirt/wear on toes and sides of boots - 983 Flat Earth +
Base - 83O German Field Grey 86O Medium Flesh
Highlight - 886 Green Grey or Andrea *1 Field Grey Light highlight/wear on toes - 860 Medium Flesh or other
Shadow - 830 Field Grey + 862 Black Grey tan color
Or 979 Dark Green
Deep Shadow - 862 Black Grey Red Clothing
Base - 9o9 Vermillion
Base - Andrea +1 Field Grey Highlight - 9o9 Vermillion + g8l Orange Brown
Shadow - 862 Black Grey Shadow - 909 Vermillion + 950 Black
Highlight - 886 Green Grey

33
 SS Oak Leaf A Surnrner pattern
Base - 825 Pale Violet Brown
862 Black Grey
B5o Vallejo Olive
German Gebirgsjiiger Anorak
Base - 887 Brourn Violet 66% + 992 Neutral Grey 33%
Shadow - 887 + 862 Black Grey
Deep Shadow - 862 Black Grey
Highlight - 992 Neutral Grey 66% + 887 Brown Violet 33%
High Highlight - eez Neutral Grey

WVVII Model 1929 Italian Camoufl age

Base - 893 US Dark Green
984 Flat Brown
9BB Khaki

German SS Plane Tree Camouflage

Base - 825 PaIe Violet Bronrn
Dark Spots - 822 SS Camo Black Bror.tm
Dark Green - 833 SS Camo Bright Green
Light Green Spots - 857 Golden Olive
Highlight - Light Brown
Shadow - 822 SS Camo Black Brown

Black Boots
Black base
1stHighlight - 984 FIat Brovrn + Black (dark brown)
2nd highlight - add more flat brown to a medium/dark
brown
3rd highlight - add 9l2Tan Yellow for a Grey bro'rnm
4th highlight - add more Tan Yellow
34
Caucasian Skin Tone
Base - BO4 Beige Red
Shadows - Burnt Umber + 8O4 Beige Red
Dark Shadow - Burnt Umber
Cheek shadow: 8o4 + g8l Orange Brown + Cavalry Brown
5 o'clock shadow - 8o4 Beige Red + Black
Highlights - 8o4 Beige Red + 955 Flat Flesh
High highlights - 955 Flat Flesh
SS Oak Leaf B, Fall Pattern
Base - 992 Neutral Gray
Highlights - 80% Neutral Gray + Zo%White
Shadows - 862 Black Gray
Pattern 1- 981Orange Brown + 984 Flat Brown
Pattern 2 - 822 SS Camo Black Brown

Afrika Korps Tan

Base - 9l2Tan Yellow
Highlights - Pale Sand Black
Shadows - 941Burnt Umber Base - Andrea Flat Black
Shadow - Vallejo Flat Black (this is a bit darker than the
Andrea color)
Highlights - 1st Highlight - l part 984 Flat Brown + 3
parts Black (very dark brown)
2nd highlight - add more flat brown to a medium/dark
brown
3rd highlight - add 912 Tan Yellow for a Grey brown
4th highlight - add more Tan Yellow

Alternate Base - Field Drab

Highlights - Field Tan
Shadows - 941Burnt Umber

35
 Figure Gallery
Harper Castings U.S. Marine
What You Need:
Uniform:
Andrea Field Gray
Andrea Russian Khaki
Vallejo 862 Black Gray
Vallejo 886 Green Gray
Holster:
Vallejo 984 Flat Brown
Andrea FIat Black
Shoes:
Vallejo 871 Leather Brown
Vallejo 981 Orange Brown
Vallejo 983 Flat Earth
Vallejo 860 Medium Flesh
Andrea Flat Black
Helmet:
Vallejo 988 Khaki
Vallejo 893 U.S. Dark Green
Vallejo 983 Flat Brown

36
 Custom Dioramics
US Tanker loading ammo

What You Need:

Uniform Pants:
Andrea Field Gray
Vallejo 862 Black Gray
Vallejo BBG Green Gray
Uniform Jacket:
Vallejo 9BB Khaki
Vallejo 941 Burnt Umber
Vallejo 976 Buff
Vallejo Field Drab
Holster:
Vallejo 871 Leather Brown
Andrea Flat Black

Shoes:
Vallejo 871 Leather Brown
Vallejo 981 Orange Brown
Vallejo 983 Flat Earlh
Vallejo 860 Medium Flesh
Andrea Flat Black

37
Custom Dioramics
US Thnker loading ammo

What You Need:

Uniform Pants:
Vallejo Field Drab
Vallejo Burnt Umber
Vallejo Field Tan
Helmet:
US Olive Drab
Andrea Flat Black
Silver pencil

38
 Custom Dioramics
US Tanker loading ammo

What You Need:

Uniform:
Andrea Field Gray
Vallejo 886 Green Gray
Vallejo 862 Black Gray
Helmet:
US Olive Drab
Andrea Flat Black
Silver pencil
Belt:
Vallejo 988 Khaki
Vallejo 941 Burnt Umber
Shoes:
Vallejo 871 Leather Brown
Vallejo 981 Orange Brown
Vallejo 983 Flat Earth
Vallejo 860 Medium Flesh
Andrea Flat Black

39
 Warriors German Thnker
What You Need:
Uniform Coat:
Andrea Flat Black
Vallejo Flat Black
Vallejo 984 Flat Browm
Vallejo 912fan Yellow
Uniform Pants:
Vallejo 820 Offwhite
Vallejo 951 Flat White
Vallejo 917 Pale Gray Blue
Vallejo 862 Black Gray
Belt:
Andrea Flat Black
Vallejo 984 Flat Brown
Vallejo 981 Orange Brown
Glove and Hat:
Andrea Field Gray
Vallejo 886 Green Gray
Vallejo 862 Black Gray

40
 Andrea High Noon
Painted by Joe Hudson

Joe used all acrylic paint for the

entire figure except the flesh
tones. Note the subtle shading
and highlighting in the pants, and
the nice offwhite shirt with subtle
shadows and highlights.

41
 Warriors Afrika Korps

What You Need:

Tan Uniform:
Vallejo 912fan Yellow
Vallejo Pale Sand
Vallejo 941 Burnt Umber
SS Camo Smock:
Vallejo 984 Flat Brown
Vallejo 981 Orange Brown
Vallejo 992 Neutral Gray
Vallejo 951 Flat White
Vallejo 822 SS Camo Black Brown
Shoes:
The usual colors!

42
#

43
Warriors SS Russian Front
What You Need:
SS Winter Coat Uniform:
Vallejo 984 Flat Brown
Vallejo 981 Orange Brown
Vallejo 992 Neutral Gray
Vallejo 951 Flat White
Valtejo 822 SS Camo Black Brown
Field Gray Winter Pants:
Vallejo 830 Field Gray
Vallejo 886 Green Gray
Vallejo 862 Black Gray
Shoes:
The usual colors!
Dirt and Muck on Pants:
Vallejo 860 Medium Flesh
Vallejo 983 Flat Earth
Real dirt mixed in!

44
 Andrea 7th Cavalry
Conversion

This is a conversion of several

different Andrea kits depicting
Custer's last stand at Little Big
Horn in 1876. Everything is in
acrylic, including the horse,
flag, and all of the figures and
groundwork. The blue uni-
forms are all mixtures of vari-
ous Vallejo, Andrea, and Jo
Sonja acrylic colors.

45
Warriors Afrika Korps lnfantry

What You Need:

Afrika Corps Tunic:
Vallejo Green Ochre
Vallejo 912Tan Yellow
Vallejo Pale Sand
Vallejo Burnt Umber
Afrika Korps Pants:
Vallejo Field Drab
Vallejo Field Tan
Vallejo 941 Burnt Umber
Shoes:
The usual colors!
Helmet:
Vallejo Green Ochre
silver pencil

46
 Warriors Afrika Korps
lnfantry

These Warriors Afrika Korps

soldiers wear various desert
colors. I use Vallejo Desert
Yellow, Tan Yellow, various
green mixtures, Field Drab, ancl
Green Ochre to get the many
shades of desert uniforms.

47
 Warriors German
Tankers and lnfantry

These Warriors Germans all

have Field Gray and ltalian
camouflage pants. I love the
Andrea Field Gray color on
these figures. This color may
be a bit light for typical field
gray, but it is really striking and
looks great.

48
Warriors U.S. Tanker

This is one of my favorite Warriors

figures. lt is well-sculpted, and is a
great pose. I like the one-piece
tankers coveralls, and they are easy
and fun to paint. Believe it or not,
the Andrea Field Gray is a great
color for US coveralls and a good
starting base for Marine Green also.

49
Warriors Soviet Tanker
This bad looking guy is locking
and loading on a German
escapee. He is wearing the long
sheepskin coat, painted all in
acrylic. Painting the long subtle
shadows can be difficult, as the
paint needs to be very thin. The
boots and the trousers are black,
with some subtle shading.

50
Warriors German lanker
Conversion

This is a Warriors tanker con-

version with a new head, new
sculpted arms, new hands, and
a new weapon. As you might
be able to tell, I like this uniform
scheme with the Field Gray
tunic and the ltalian camo
trousers.

51
 Warriors German Assault
This is also one of my favorite
Warriors sets. This set shows
the contrast between the Vallejo
Field Gray (on the guy with the
grenade bags) and the Andrea
Field Gray (the tunic of the sol-
dier running flat out). This set
cries out to be put on a base!

52
 Warriors Germans
These Warriors Germans show
a variety of uniforms that can be
painted well in acrylics, from
camouflage to long leather
coats. Note the edging and out-
lining on each figure, and the
different shading and highlight-
ing techniques.

53
 Warriors Germans at Stalingrad
Custom Dioramics Refugees
These Germans again have the long
leather coats that can be a pain to paint
in acrylics, but can be done. Patience!
The refugees are a nice set that add life
to any diorama, from a multitude of peri-
ods. Painting women is different than
hard-nosed combat veterans, and civilian
clothes are different than combat uni-
forms! References of period clothing
come in handy!

54
*e..eai-s
,t '=}J

'a L ,%.,"|e.
;iT6;*-"e'

55
56
 Custom Dioramics Box Art
Painted by Bill Chilstrom

Artist & Sculptor Bill Chilstrom

used the same techniques
described in this book to paint
these figures he sculpted for
Custom Dioramics.

57
 LP OO1
Mastercon 8
Show Coverage
and More.
(60 pgs)

Mastercon 8 full color show coverage and several

in depth articles on the building of some of the big
award winning models. (60 pgs)

LP OO2
Panzer's Tactics
Painting & Weathering
ffiffiffiffiffi
Military Vehicles
(60 pgs)

Nationally acclaimed modeler Chris Mrosko shares

his tips & techniques for painting & finishing
award winning armor models. (60 pgs)

LP OO7
Getting Started
Painting Diorama
Figures in Acrylics
(60 pss)

Award winning figure painter Brett Avants shares

his tips & techniques for painting outstanding dio-
rama figures. (60 pgs)