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Post by RobbieSKatz on Jan 1, 2012 20:45:59 GMT
I haven't bought any Shapeways models yet, but I'm dying to. I was wondering if anyone has tips, preferred techniques, or even step-by-step instructions on how they paint or color them.
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Post by Griffin on Jan 2, 2012 15:04:25 GMT
They have a superb amount of detail so drybrushing usually works well. I use acrylic paints. First I take the model and I completely cover it in a coat of paint thats a few shades darker than the color I intend the model to ultimately be. Then once that dries i take a new brush and put a little bit of the lighter shade paint on it (pat it on a piece of newspaper a few times to get any excess paint off) then I lightly go over the figure with that. Its a good way ti highlight the details on them. This is a thread showing the way mine turned out if you are interested. dinotoyforum.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=custom&action=display&thread=2424&page=1 |
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Post by RobbieSKatz on Jan 2, 2012 17:52:05 GMT
That's awesome, Griffin! That really helps me out. Your Triceratops turned out insanely cool. What material did you get it printed in?
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Post by paleoferroequine on Jan 2, 2012 19:11:24 GMT
That's awesome, Griffin! That really helps me out. Your Triceratops turned out insanely cool. What material did you get it printed in? Er, Griffin, I might be wrong, but I think that Trike is the resin one not Shapeways. If I'm wrong you can smack me on the head. ;D The position is different and there is mention further above about resins. Anywho, Shapeways figures soak up paint like a sponge, I primer them with a light sand colored Testors spray paint. It won't obscure the detail much. But it will help to seal the figure and provide a better surface to paint on. The WSF material is the worst. I then use acrylics and/or pastel chalks to color them. |
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Post by RobbieSKatz on Jan 2, 2012 19:24:02 GMT
That's awesome, Griffin! That really helps me out. Your Triceratops turned out insanely cool. What material did you get it printed in? Er, Griffin, I might be wrong, but I think that Trike is the resin one not Shapeways. If I'm wrong you can smack me on the head. ;D The position is different and there is mention further above about resins. Anywho, Shapeways figures soak up paint like a sponge, I primer them with a light sand colored Testors spray paint. It won't obscure the detail much. But it will help to seal the figure and provide a better surface to paint on. The WSF material is the worst. I then use acrylics and/or pastel chalks to color them. Okay, I'll definitely prime it. How hard is air-brushing, by the way? Would a beginner such as myself get the hang of it pretty quickly? Also, the first page does show an Antediluvian Triceratops, but the last page shows the Shapeways one  |
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Post by paleoferroequine on Jan 2, 2012 21:09:11 GMT
Okay, I'll definitely prime it. How hard is air-brushing, by the way? Would a beginner such as myself get the hang of it pretty quickly? Also, the first page does show an Antediluvian Triceratops, but the last page shows the Shapeways one D'oh! Hit me on the head, then! ;D Airbrushing takes a bit of practice, and to use one on small figures does require patience and a steady hand. Plus, to use on small ones means a better quality airbrush and that will be more expensive. But, I think it's easy.  |
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Post by RobbieSKatz on Jan 2, 2012 21:55:48 GMT
I've never been that good at painting anyway... I'll probably stick to brush painting. Hopefully one day I'll move on to airbrushing!
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Post by Griffin on Jan 2, 2012 22:06:00 GMT
Yeah I have both Triceratops  |
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Post by Himmapaan on Jan 2, 2012 22:08:01 GMT
Chris' (Griffin's) method is an interesting one. You can of course try the opposite, perhaps more conventional way: going from light to dark, which is what I do. There are a few pictures of a David Krentz Shapeways T. rex here. You can also see some progress pictures a few posts down on that thread (also a Krentz Antediluvian T.rex a few pages later). |
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Post by RobbieSKatz on Jan 3, 2012 1:27:19 GMT
I was thinking that light-to-dark would be more realistic, seeing as most animals have lighter underbellies (in the case of how I imagine dinosaurs, all of them do for some reason). The step-by-step pictures are very helpful, thank you!
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Post by DinoLord on Jan 7, 2012 6:54:56 GMT
Or you could just send them to Martin Garratt. |
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Post by RobbieSKatz on Jan 9, 2012 23:46:31 GMT
This is very, very true.
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Post by kevtk135 on Jan 10, 2012 5:28:51 GMT
I've never been that good at painting anyway... I'll probably stick to brush painting. Hopefully one day I'll move on to airbrushing! Yep airbrushing takes a little practice and it'll be slightly more difficult because the Shapeway models are so small. IMHO, take a jump over to You Tube and do a search for "miniature figure painting". They have an awesome way for painting smaller figures starting with the shadows first and then building up the highlights. Then using washes to even off the whole model. HTH |
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Post by bokisaurus on Jan 11, 2012 7:23:03 GMT
I personally think that airbrush is not the way to go with these figures, specially for something this small.
I use regular acrylic paints. I usually prime the figures first before painting, but not so much important with ShapeWays figures due to the material.
I have found that watering down your paint to almost water color in consistency is best. The material (especially t he SWF) absorbs the paint like sponge ;D Good thing, they dry fast.
I always like to finish with a good dry brushing to bring out those details.
You can check samples in the ShapeWay figures thread.
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