Tools of the trade, part 1

Recently I was asked by some fellow modelers how I managed to paint the way I did....

So I've offered to do an online workshop (sharing my limited skills and experience) to help them achieve the results they want, and by doing this, it will (hopefully) sharpen my skills set also.....

So, onto the first tools.....

Paint brushes!!

A mix of Taklon & Red Sable brushes 

The black handled brushes are the Taklon bristle brushes, a good starter point. Affordable, perform well, and do the job..... however, their lifespan and durability is a bit limited, and they finer brushes (from 5/0 to 20/0) do have the habit of developing a 'hook' in the little end of the brush.... bit annoying some times, quite handy at others!!

The Red Sable brushes give such a wonderful result, I am steadily bringing these in as I retire the Taklon brushes. Bit more expensive, so much more responsive, carry paint beautifully, just a much better quality brush..... recommended once you have some experience with paint and brush, and have developed some technique

Second tool

The Colour Wheel...

The front & backside of the colour wheel - the rings rotate to provide information about mixing (front top image) and complementary colours (lower back image)

This is one of the better tools I've ever picked up. A small investment (about $5) as soon as I started studying it, I had a much better understanding of colours and how they relate to each other. In the lower image, I've rotated the wheel so my primary colour is red-violet. The split complementary colours are directly to either side, in this example, violet and red. The opposite complementary is a yellow green.

I used this when I was working out a colour scheme for the Chinese Lady project....

Chinese Lady (the second)

By using the colours that are in harmony for her almost off jacket, it adds a warm feeling to the figure. I originally went for a silver effect for the hair comb and pendant. Didn't quite work. So I found green would work, and went for a jade effect, which worked a lot better. 

Much better....