Painting: Face Painting, Step-By-Step

[LunchBox]

Howdy...I've had a few requests, so here it is...How to paint faces/skin:

 

First, the brushes...I use these 3 for faces. Note that the middle brush is labeled "broken", and as you see, the tip is...well...broken, and curves off to the side. This is perfect for getting to areas of detail that require you to hold your hand and or the model at an odd angle.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/lunchboxmtbr/brushes.jpg

 

First, the face on top (Face A) is washed with GW Elf Flesh. The face on the bottom ( Face B ) is washed with GW Dwarf Flesh. The important thing with this coat is smooth coverage...even coverage is secondary. At this point, all we're really doing is trying to tint the light colored primer to a dull. pale skin tone. 1-2 coats is enough.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/lunchboxmtbr/face1.jpg

 

After that dries, the next step is to wash on your shading color. Face A was washed with GW Graveyard Earth, for a brown skin tone. Face B was washed with Terracotta, to create a pinker skin tone. When it starts drying, or after it dries...doesn't really matter...I re-wash from the eyes, down.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/lunchboxmtbr/face2.jpg

 

After that dries, lightly drybrush the base skin-tone back on. Face A was drybrushed with Elf Flesh, and Face B with Dwarf Flesh. This is a very light drybrush, and the purpose is to softly smooth out the harsh transitions between the washes I've applied so far, as well as define where my highlights will go later. This is not for coloration, so you will not notice much if any difference.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/lunchboxmtbr/face3.jpg

 

The next step is where the highlighting begins. Face A is highlighted with Elf Flesh, and Face B with Dwarf Flesh. Thin coats are applied, from light high to low, then back to high. In other words, start at the top of the cheek, when the paint is the strongest, drag the brush down the wrinkle in the cheek, then back up to the top. Keep in mind how light will be hitting the face, and what might be in the way, like Face A's arms. This usually takes about 3 coats per highlight from the eyes up, and 2 layers from the eyes down. The top of the head needs about 4-6 glazes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/lunchboxmtbr/face4.jpg

 

The next step is similar to the last, but now we build the color up a bit more. Face A is highlighted with Pallid Flesh, and Face B with Elf Flesh. 4 glazes on top, 3 thin coats in the brow area, and 2 coats from the eyes down.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/lunchboxmtbr/face5.jpg

 

The next step involves a lot of different proceedures. I take the highlight I was just working with, and do not thin it...get a little paint, and wipe most of it off. I then sweep the brush across the eye-sockets to lighten up the eyelids a bit. I then wash Scorched Brown into the eyes. Then, I move down to the mouth, and paint the teeth with thinned Bleached Bone. When that dries, I wash the mouth with thinned black.

 

Just a quick note...washing the eyes with black, makes the mini look like it's wearing eye liner. Then, a lot of people go back with white eyeballs, and it looks like a bug-eyed, makeup wearing Marine. Scorched Brown is a nice deep reddish-brown, so it works for these mini's. Face A was a little too red, so I glazed reaper Granite into the eyes, to dull it down a bit.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/lunchboxmtbr/face6.jpg

 

After this all dries, I pick out the eyes with thinned Fortress Grey, then again with thinned Vallejo Ghost Grey. To add the pupil, I barely dab a little thinned black in the eye. If you goof up, hit it with Ghost again, and try again. For the teeth, I go back in with Bleached Bone, then a 50/50 mix of Bleached Bone and Skull White. Just like the eyes, you don't want to just paint the teeth white...it won't look realistic, and you'll end up with a makeup and denture wearing bug-eyed Marine.

 

After the eyes are dry, I hit the eyelids on face A with Pallid Flesh, and Face B with Elf Flaesh. To finish the highlights on the rest of the face, I used the 50/50 mix of Bleached Bone and Skull White to hit the sharpest highlights on Face A, from the nose, up. Face B was done with Pallid Flesh in the same manner.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/lunchboxmtbr/face7.jpg

 

After all this, you can call it quits, or add a few more details. I glazed the lips on Face A with tenticle Pink, and Face B with tanned Flesh. I also added stubble to face A by applying 2 glazes of Reaper Ash Grey, and 1 glaze of Boltgun Metal. I also glazed the scar on Face A with Scab Red.

 

These were done in about an hour and a half, so they're not as tedious as I would usually do them, but you get the idea. Please feel free to add anything you think will help others.

[Magnus the red]

An excellent guide, the face is the problem most painters eem to have with their minis ill be sure to try this out

 

Thanks Lunchbox,

[LunchBox]

Sorry some of the pics are so bad...I was taking them from my painting desk instead of my "finished mini" area...then the pics got a bit grainy when I had to resize and collage everything...if there wasn't a couple of OK pics in there, I'd be hearing, "Thin your paints, ya big dummy!"

[Legacy40k]

Great guide! I hope this helps some people paint better faces... In my opinion.. the face will make or break a model, and many people don't even bother with their faces outside a coat of elf flesh and maybe a fleshwash.

[Master Chaplain Astador]

Great guide! Can't wait to see your stuff in person next time your at GW! I hope your there for the Apocalypse release!

[Bjorn firewolf]

i couldnt figur out faces over gray thanks abunch

[LunchBox]

hehehe...4 hours after finishing this tutorial, I ended up in the ER. *Just got out.

[HellChyld]

why in the er? hope the wife is okay

[LunchBox]

why in the er? hope the wife is okay

 

 

Wife's fine...I had appendicitis...had to get it out. So, I'll be at home for the entire first week of school...real helpful.

 

Maybe I'll get some painting done.

[HellChyld]

wanted to try your tutorial with a diffrent color. what ya think?

 

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n308/kerberos_XII/wips/PICT0082_edited.jpg

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n308/kerberos_XII/wips/PICT0084_edited.jpg

 

wish my camera worked better. I'm gonna have to look into anew one already

[LunchBox]

I'm glad you brought this up, Neph. This "guide" can be used to create any skin tone you want. If ya'll noticed, I basically used the same, or very similar colors between the two faces to create two completely different, but natural looking skin tones. For Chaos, you can substitute the washes in step 2 with Codex Grey, Shadow Grey (for a nice dead, pale look), Liche Purple (for an abused/bruised skin look), Catachan Green (for a nice rotten look, can be highlighted up substituting Rotting Flesh)...you get the idea. For non-typical skin tones, like blue, the same steps can be used.

 

Neph, the only thing I would add to yours is a final highlight of maybe Fortress Grey, to "deaden" him out a bit...but you got the idea down.

[Bjorn firewolf]

i just tryed it over gray but i used bronzed flesh, graveyard elf and a mix of white and elf, great technique makes for a smoothly blended face without blending, thank you lunchbox

[MithrilForge]

Absolute :P to you Lunchbox,im painting an Assault Sgt with "head A" and was doing a search on the tutorials pages to see if anyone had done that face right...and Viola :D there he is!

thanks heaps Lunchbox!

Mithril

i might have to post him up here when he's done,to show others that your techniques can be done by average painters ...

well here he is,he's a WIP(and a bad photo but you get the idea)

[LunchBox]

Belated reply: Looks good...great shadowing on the eyes. It does NOT look like he's wearing eye-liner!

[Brother Bohemund]

A short off topic question if I may. Where is "head A" from, is he by any chance in the assault box?

 

edit:

ok forget it have found the head or at least a head similar enough in the assault termie box :)

[saadeath]

Are washes, simply watered down paints? like to a 1 to 10 ratio?

[LunchBox]

Interesting that I happened to check this forum...as I so rarely do. Washes are watered down paint, and glazes are water with a tiny bit of paint in them. Washes may be 3:1 to 5:1 (roughly) water:paint. Glazes are thinner.

 

Does that answer your question?

 

*edit* WOW! I didn't realize the difference a year and a half makes. Perhaps I should create another face tutorial...maybe this time with faces that don't suck.

[Fausto2071]

excellent, this was a big help man.