1/12 scale Biker chick.

[Don Garrett]

Dave, Stu.........painting flesh tones is really just a trial & error technique until you get a "feel" for it.

Personally I prefer acrylics over oils as the dry time is much shorter, however oils are more forgiving as you have a longer working window to go back in and blend colors etc. The draw back with oils (for me) is that is it's really easy to overwork an area and wind up with something that's muddy and disappointing.
When I say acrylics , I'm talking about the tube type paints artists use. There are retarders that you can mix with the paint to give them a much longer dry time.
Speaking as a commercial artist.....the single biggest mistake folks make is they think skin is "pink" or one of those premixed "flesh" tones.
You have no idea how many times I've heard the remark "I wish I was that gifted". Guys that's B.S!
No one is born broke down with talent.....it's a skill (just like everything else) that can be learned thru practice by anyone!

Here's a couple of tips.......
The difference between artists and wanna be's is simply that artists "see" what they are looking at!

For instance.... go look at a tree ......the trunk is brown and the leaves are green right?
Friends...go take a closer look. Consider where the light is coming from (it makes a huge difference in the color).

Before this post gets too long, here is my "formula" for duplicating flesh tones.....

White, yellow ochre and a tiny amount of red.........in some cases you might want a whisper of a dark blue or similar to shade areas that aren't getting as might light (shadows under eyebrows, nose, chin etc.). Shadows on skin are NOT black or gray!
Hope this helps......later.

[Dr Dave]

Far out Don, that's very helpful. Thanks. I wouldn't have thought of using dark blue for areas in shadow, and I didn't know about artists acrylic in tubes, only the stuff in little jars for models. I do understand the principals of lighting, shadows, and the different affects directly related to them but haven't, in the past, had the desire to replicate them like this. It's certainly an enjoyable challenge.

Now moving on a bit further= my idea is something like you might see at a motor show, some new vehicles in a fancy display. Being an admirer of Ducati's, we need the Italian flag as a backdrop. I didn't even think about buying one, I just went ahead and made one. I went and bought some silk, then pulled out my sewing machine and got to work. The flag measures 300mm wide by 200mm high.

[Dr Dave]

The flag now has a rod through the top and is hanging like a curtain on a frame made from 2.4mm aluminium filler rod (for welding). This rod is good stuff. Last year I got a 2kg container of it and there must be about 200 x 1mtr long rods in the box. The frame is held in position by the rest of the display. This consists of a granite tile (for weight and added height), an electric turn table, and a round mirror. I used double sided sticky tape to attach a length of 55mm wide red velvet ribbon around the edge of the mirror like a skirt to hide the turn table which revolves once every 90 seconds. At the moment there are 3 die-cast Ducati’s on the mirror but they will be replaced with 3 Tamiya Ducati’s that are not yet built.

[Dr Dave]

Here is a series of photos of the finished product as the mirror revolves. I should have taken a video of the full revolution when I had the opportunity as the old turn table has now died . Have to find a shop that sells them as I got this one from my daughter before she threw it out a few years ago.

Well how about that. I've managed to complete a second model for the year. You little beauty!

[BrianP]

Beautiful work! Do you have a link for the vendor or remember his name? Id be interested in getting one of these for a project.

[Dr Dave]

Thanks Brian. I'm sure you'll enjoy bringing this sweet little person to life, as I did.

I had this figure sitting on the shelf for well over 2 years before I put her together, and I think she came from ebay seller 'resin-kit'. I've searched their store with no luck but will send them an email asking if they have any. I also saw her for sale earlier this year from a place in Melbourne called BNA Model World. Their ebay name is 'a-modeler'. I've Googled their site but can't find her, so I'll make a phone call tomorrow and let you know what I find out. I'm sure she'll pop up again somewhere unexpectedly.

[Dr Dave]

Hey Brian, I contacted BNA and they told me it's sold out at the moment but they will be getting some more in maybe late December or more likely January. They have my details and will notify me as soon as they arrive, so either I can get it for you and send it or I can let you know when they arrive and you can order it and have it sent direct. I think I might get another for myself also. I can't seem to get the link to work, so if you go to BNA Model World home page and copy and paste this-
[B]150mm Rider Figure "NEED FOR SPEED" for Tamiya YZF R1 Bike[/B] -it should take to the right place.

If you find it somewhere else in the meantime and can get it, go right ahead, they aren't saving any for me, just notifying me upon arrival. Hope this helps. If anyone else would like one of these figures and can't find it anywhere I might be able to have some reserved when they come in. Let me know and I'll see what I can do.

[D-Stroke]

Brother this is so nice i'll send you a bike. Like this.