b - Painting the Glider Wing and Tail

Finalist comicbkguy writes:

I paint, like many painters, from the inside out. Since the wings were the largest feature, as well as being inset in the frame, I decided to start with them.

I began by laying down a base coat of a mix of Vallejo Medium Brown and Ivory. This gives a nice caramel color. I then started to layer highlights on by adding GW Bleached Bone to the mix.

Immediately, I realized that I had a problem. All of the wing structure has very fine slashes that are there to give a cloth-like texture. Highlighting would have to be done around them in order to preserve their appearance. While this could be done - and from what I had already finished, I can say would have looked great - the time constraints of the contest make such a course of action problematic at best. So I had to devise a quicker method to paint the wings and tail.

I decided to paint over the texture marks while highlighting, and to go back with a very fine brush and fill them in when finished. So I continued with my layering and when I got the color to more or less Bleached Bone on its own, I started to add Vallejo Ivory until I had final highlights were just ivory.

At this point I wasn't pleased with the graduations between the colors of the wing, as they were too noticeable. In order to correct this, I glazed the wings first with Ivory, then followed up with a glaze of the base coat. This is done by painting over the surface to be glazed with a super-dilute paint. I find that this helps to further blend layered paints, and it is quicker than actually blending the paints while wet.

The pics of the wing show it as glossier than it will be when finished. This is in part due to the glazing.

At this point I took an 18/0 fine tipped brush and began to paint in the texture marks with a color slightly lighter that the base coat I had used on the wings. I also filled in the stitching on the left wing with GW red gore.

The pictures only show one wing cell finished for comparison. After photographing I finished the texture painting.

Continuing to paint inside out, the next step is to finish the wings by painting the patch on the right wing. The rigging lines on the wing will have to wait, as they also rest atop the wooden structure and will need to be done after the frame is finished.

After finishing the patch the pilot will be painted next, followed by the framework of the glider. Then the gun structure will follow, and after that all of the metal rivets and rigging lines will be done. The final step will be any attempt at freehand painting I try.