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C+C Wanted please and don't be afraid to rip it apart


Automatically Appended Next Post:
also advise on painting hair

Not bad at all, I like how you've done the fire, looks very good!
Maybe you could dull the bright yellow and blue down a bit though, they might be a little bit overpowering. Some washes will do the trick, and mix a highlight colour some white.

Ask, and ye shall receive.

Is that Sailor Moon? No? Super old school Gundam? I kid, of course, but there's genuine criticism in there, somewhere... Ah, yes - with the exception of the base and minor details, you've got black, white, and rather vibrant shades of all three primaries. As far as color palettes go, this tends to give models a very flashy, cartoonish look (see joke examples) at best (at worst, they become a disjointed rainbow mess). More advanced shading and highlighting will soften the contrast, a bit, but consideration for color theory in the conceptual stage will avoid the issue, entirely. There are articles about color theory and planning schemes for models floating around that are worth a read.

What else? Hmm... I see some work was done on the blue of the robe, but as vibrant as most of your other colors are, they appear rather flat. When you've got expanses of solid color that large, shading and highlighting become increasingly important.

I also see coverage issues with some of your colors, namely the flesh tone and yellow. Looking at the expanded pics, it looks like you're applying the paint too thickly and in too few layers, likely over a black primer. Undercoating problematic colors (like yellow) with better covering colors (like light browns/tans) will help avoid the basecoat showing through (chlorine-blond look the hair currently has or the frostbitten nose/cheeks). Applying diluted paints in layers will take more time, yes, but the results are well worth it - it's necessary for more advanced techniques, but even plain fields of color will improve in finish.

Thinner paints will also help you get cleaner lines, as it flows more smoothly. When viewed closely, some of your lines have ragged edges - a sure sign of thick, poorly flowing paint (almost like drybrushing). Along those same lines, it seems like your brush control could use some work. I can see a number of spots that are missing color and others that have splashes of color that they shouldn't.

Well, that should get you started. For all that, though, you're not in terrible shape. Believe me, many of us have seen far worse offerings and many of those painters didn't have the excuse of just starting out. Keep practicing the basics and reading/watching tutorials. We improve by experimenting with new techniques and finding the most comfortable methods for us, but you need a certain level of comfort with the core skills before you can really benefit from branching out.