c - Completing the Glider Pilot

Finalist comicbkguy writes:

The next task for me as I paint the bat is to complete the pilot. I start with his exposed flesh as I work, once again, inside out. There isn't much to take care of here, just his nose, lower lip and forehead. Everything else is either beard or goggles.

I basecoat with a mix of GW Bestial Brown and GW Dwarf Flesh. I use GW Dwarf Flesh for my first highlight pass, and GW Elf Flesh for my second and final pass. Normally I would double the amount of highlights applied, but due to the small size of the piece and the small area being painted this should suffice. I would also use a darker color for the lower lip, but because it is recessed so far into the beard this isn’t necessary. Real shadowing takes care of the color. Using a darker color would make it appear even darker.

Next up is the pilot's hair. I decided to go blonde for a change. Just something a little different than the usual red, brown or black. My basecoat is a mix of Apple Barrel's Caramel Candy and Vallejo's Deep Yellow. This gives a color similar to brown mustard. I then lay down four highlights starting with the basecoat with more yellow added, yellow on its own, and two final passes both with Vallejo Ivory added in increasing amounts.

In order to complete the face, the goggles are next. I begin by basecoating the entire area with GW Chaos Black. The straps that are off to the side then receive a highlight of Vallejo Leather Brown. The second highlight is the same color with a touch of Vallejo Ivory. I use Ivory from Vallejo and GW's Bleached Bone with equal frequency to lighten my highlights. I use Ivory when I want a brighter pass, Bleached Bone for a slightly more muted effect. They are both great and equally indispensable to me.

For this project I wanted a lighter effect, so I used Ivory exclusively. For the lenses, I start with GW's Ultramarine Blue and highlight with GW's Lightning Blue. For the final flourish I decide to try a technique I had seen another painter use. In order to simulate transparent glass he airbrushed white streaks over a light blue pane of glass. The effect was very nice. Obviously I am not using an airbrush, but I layer very thin streaks of Vallejo White over the lenses. The final effect is good, but I couldn't strengthen it as much as I would have liked due to the small surface area of the lenses. Too much more and they would have just seemed white. The final look isn't bad, but it is very subtle. You have to look for it and it won't read in the photos, so hopefully at least the Editor will be able to see it. I'm done with the goggles for now.

I am going to paint the frames metallic. I leave them black for now, as I am waiting to do metallics at the end of the project. I usually paint all my metallics in the beginning of a project. I find that I can cover my mistakes better when I take care of metallics first. It also gives me a chance to clean everything so that none of my tools are contaminated with tiny metallic flecks that can ruin a paint job when you try to do both metallics and standard paint in the same sitting. I am waiting to do metallics at the end because a large amount of the metallics are on raised surfaces, for example the rivets that dot the wooden frame of the piece. In keeping with painting inside out these will need to be done at the last. I am also afraid that if I paint the gun at the front of the piece I will damage the paint by handling it as I continue to finish the rest of the piece. So for now the frame of the goggles will have to wait.

The pilot's shirt is next on the agenda. I start with a basecoat of GW Storm Blue and highlight first with a mix of Storm and Ultramarine Blue. The next coat is straight Ultramarine Blue. After this I add Ivory for the next two highlights.

For the pants, I only use three layers as they are a relatively small area. I start with Vallejo Grey-Green as a base and add Vallejo Sky Grey for the next two layers.

I decide to give the boots and gloves the same color and basecoat them both with Vallejo Leather Brown. I add GW Vermin Brown in increasing amounts through three additional coats. For the straps around the boots I start with Vallejo Burnt Umber and highlight with Leather Brown. This gives a darker brown than the boot underneath, with less of a red-brown color to the strap.

This is all I can paint on the pilot for now. The only things I haven't done are the metallics and any of the rigging lines that run across the figure (they continue to run across the entire piece). These will have to wait until I paint the rest of the lines while painting the frame, as I want a consistent look to all of the ropes.