Beginner painting woes

[keith41]

Beginner modeler here and working on 1/35 German Infantrymen.

I've glued an infantryman figure and applied Citadel "Liquid Green Stuff" to any crevices left after glueing.

I've started painting the face and hands. An issue I'm having is the hard-to-reach areas (ie. forehead, parts of the hand, etc.) depending on the figure's pose, and where I anticipate putting additional glue for grenades, rifles, etc.

I'm not really frustrated, but do want to do a good job. (I also realize I need a magnifying glass setup of some kind.)

Does anyone paint certain figure parts on the sprue, or is this just part of the fun?

 

[WigWag Workshop]

Great attitude ;D, sorry I can't be much help, has I am also a beginner. Will be looking forward to the replies. I been painting a few figures, and trying out different techniques. I have been having lots of fun.

-Steven

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

There are many different methods to doing figures, no real right or wrong way, just whatever way works best for you.

For faces, some leave the head off completely until finished, easier to paint the face that way, however you run the risk of there being a visible seam where the head meets the body.

If the helmet or hat is separate....leave it off until the end, saves from trying to get up under the brim of the helmet or hat.

If you hands are steady enough, assemble the figure, leave off the hat/helmet and paint the head first before doing the uniform, this way you can tend to be a little sloppy where skin meets uniform, because you will then later paint over it when you paint the uniform.

As far as add on like grenades and such, I usually leave them off and paint them separately, just a drop of CA in the right place when assembling to attach it....will never see it.

 

[keith41]

Elm City - Thanks. I'm going to be glueing/painting a 3rd figure in the next day or so and will try some of what you suggested.

Steven - Thanks. I'm glad I'm not the only one trying get the hang of this. Please pass any helpful hints you discover my way.

 

[Chris S]

As Scott said ,basically paint from the inside out ,in other words start with the flesh parts ,then the next layer shirts etc ,then the outer layer coats ,trousers . Leave small equipment off until last ,what I do with smaller parts is ...remove from sprue ,drill a small hole in the back side (the face which is getting glued ) then secure it on a small pin . That way you can paint the whole piece without needing to touch up

Chris.