Step by Step – Painting a Joker bust
In this article I will describe the steps and techniques covered in the third weekend Miniature Painting Workshop of 2020 using a Joker bust by FC Model Trend.
The bust was undercoated using a black primer and then the zenital light was applied using a white sprey.
The whole workshop was based around two distinctive „projects“. One was all the textile surfaces – on Saturday, the other the head (with skin tones, scars, face paint and hair) – on Sunday. Since I was not sure how the attendees would tackle the textile surfaces and how much time it would take them, I decided to do that first – and if need be to extend the alotted time to Sunday as well. Luckily, it was not needed.
I'm writing this to explain why we started with the textile. Normally, I would start with the head. Which is how I will explain the process to you here.
I used mostly Scale 75 colors and Citadel washes/shades and glazes so I will use those names (you can easily use a paint conversion chart to determine which colors from different manufacturers you can use).
FACE
The idea behind painting the skin is to use a really light skin tone as a base coat ( I used S75 Light Skin). Using glazes made from S75 Basic Flesh and then S75 Indian Shaddow, I added shades. How to make glazes? Use small ammount of paint and add some Citadel Lahmian Medium and a drop or two of water until the mixture is milky, semi transparent. Then just add layer upon layer of those glazes.
I used a relatively large brush (size 1) to do the shades because the color in that state flows relatively freely in each pore.
If you are not in a mood to wait for the layers to dry, use a hairdryer to speed up the process.
Once the shades were done, I started with the highlights. Again, I mixed a glaze from S75 Pale Skin and Lahmian Medium. The highlights were applied with a small brush (000 – like the ones in this box). Why? Because you paint the highlights, almost draw them… so brush control is vital.
To end the process, you can add some Druchii Violet Shade under the eyes and inside and around the scars. I suggest diluting the Shade with some Lahmian Medium and doing it in several layers.
SCARS
Next up were the fresh scars – they are done with Tamiya Clear Red paint mixed with Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade.
FACE PAINT
Half the face (not smeared part) was painted with glazes of S75 White. The other half was done with Ammo by Mig Jimenez Washable White Camo. Apply it, leave to dry for about 5-10 minutes and then using a damp brush remove the excess paint in places where you want the face paint removed.
The black/blue/red face paint was done using Ammo by Mig Jimenez Oilbrushers. Apply them carefully drawing the patterns you want. Then using Odourless Thinner (also by Ammo) remove excess paint and smear it downwards or along the creases in the face/scars.
HAIR
Hair was painted using a grey and white drybrush (just be careful not to smudge the face). Once dry, I again applied several green oilbrushers and using Odourless Thinner smeared them along the length of the hair. If needed, in the end, add some Nuln Oil in the deepest recesses of the hair as shade.
This marks the end of the face painting part. We now turn to textile. We covered three different textures: silk (for the tie), cotton (for the shirt) and tweet (for the vest).
All three have the same first step. Pure basecoat of some light color (doesn't matter what color you choose, just pick a light shade of it). Paint in thin layers until you get an even coverage.
TIE
We started with the simplest job – tie. The silky feel is created by adding some metallic paint to the original color. I added some silver to the light blue. Using a Blue Glaze I added some shades, and then added white to the metallic blue mixture did several highlights. Also, the silk tends to reflect light in a sort of colourshift fashion so you can add some red/purple to the mix in the deepest shades.
If you are doing a light and vibrant, warm colour (orange, yellow etc), instead of metallic silver, I recommend using a golden color.
SHIRT
Next up was the shirt. I added some stripes with a lighter color and then with a darker color than the basecoat. Upon reflection, I decided to make a checked pattern so I added some perpendicular lines as well. Once this was done, it was time to shade the shirt. I used Citadel Red Glaze to which I added more and more Ogryn Fleshshade with more and more Lahmian Medium. When the shading was done, I used the lighter shades of the stripes on the raised parts of the shirt to make the highlights.
VEST
The trickiest part to paint as it requires a lot of patience. Again, using a lighter color than the basecoat, I started drawing small zig zag patterns (fishbone). Easiest part to start with would be the pocket and then the collar. By the time you finish with them, you should have the motion in your hand to dfinish the rest of the vest.
Once the pattern is drawn, you can add the shades. Again, I used Citadel Yellow Glaze to which I added more and more Seraphim Sepia Shade with more and more Lahmian Medium. Carefully apply the layers to the bottom of the creases as shades.
When I was done with the shading, I used a lighter tone of yellow (than I used on the fishbone pattern) and carefully added highlights to the creases. Don't use lines on the highlights in this case. Apply small dots (to mimic the light reflection off the weave).
The backside of the vest usually doesn't have the pattern, so to the basecoat I just applied lighter dots using stippling method. The shading was done as with the front part of the vest.
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