Painting advice requested.

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Arthur Krull
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Painting advice requested.

Post by Arthur Krull »

All,

I'm building Timeslip's Rising Star. I've painted the ship a very light grey with dark blue and tan panels per the pix from Battlebuck.com. At this point, it looks much like the studio model.

On the screen, the ship looks bluer. I thought I'd lay a thin coat of a light blue over the whole model to reduce the contrast and make it look a bit more like the ship does on the screen.

My question is how is that best done? A thin coat of paint airbrushed on? How should it be applied? (e.g. thin paint with low pressure)? Or would a wash be better?

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Art
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Kylwell
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Post by Kylwell »

Sounds like it needs a filter.

What is a filter you ask. It's a very, very, thin wash applied over a matte finish to tint it one direction or another. By thin, I mean 1 part oil paint to say 80 parts turpeniod (I prefer odorless).

But, this may not give the effect you want as it will add more color in the corners and lines.

So, what else. I've tried thin light colored paint to lighten things and it works but can be a PITA to do right. Pause to long in an area and the effect goes bad. My best bet is to apply a thin coat, like you planned with an airbrush, and then let dry. If it still looks off, hit it again, and let dry.
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Lt. Z0mBe
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Post by Lt. Z0mBe »

One thing I'd add is to check your onscreen reference on another screen. Make sure that the "real" one is really that blue. The real ship may look different on a PC monitor versus an LCD TV, versus a CRT TV.

Sometimes in our art, unless you've got something in hand stating "the hull color was the color FSXXXXX" you just have to settle for getting really close, but still a damn nice piece of art. :)

You may save yourself some work.

I hope this helps.

Kenny

www.sigmalabsinc.com


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photoguy
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Post by photoguy »

Don't forget the studio model was filmed under studio lights - probably color gel'ed studio lights. Your painting may be extremely accurate, but it is your lighting that is off. When you display it, would it be possible to add one of those small spotlights from Lowes or Home Depot with a light blue filter over it?
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ignatz
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Post by ignatz »

If you're using acrylic paint, thin with Transparent Airbrush Extender. This will effectively turn the paint into a sprayable filter. Make it as light as possible and give that a shot. You might want to seal with a clear lacquer first so if the effect isn't what you're looking for, you can clean it off without ruining the painting underneath.
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