Down the Rabbit’s Hole: Revolution in Painting in Acrylics

I recently purchased and downloaded a painting tutorial from Miniature Mentor that showed the painting of the piece above by Francesco Farabi.  I highly recommend the purchase of this tutorial because it shows a very advanced method of painting and represents a movement in figure painting that will replace past methods of painting with acrylics.  The first thing that should stand out to you, other than it is a beautiful girl, is the nearly seamless transition of color gradients that is most commonly seen when using oils.  It is impossible to see the different layers of color in the gradients because of the blending methodology used.

Mr. Farabi starts by using a wet palate of color.  Using a wet palate allows for the blending of color and, because it is wet, prevents the acrylic paint from drying before it is used.  Different levels of dilution can be achieved by introducing water with a brush which allows for the development of washes and different levels of transparency of the paint.  An example of a wet palate can be seen below and Mike Warren is preparing an article for the Scratching Post and a demonstration on using a wet palate for an upcoming club meeting so I will not go into details on how to make and use a wet palate.  

The use of a wet palate is not new to figure modelers.  However, reference material that describes how to paint figures rarely describes the use of a wet palate.  Most resources describe the creation of transitions in color by making many layers of colors, one on top of the other, to move the color gradient from light to dark.  Great skill is necessary to create seamless layers.  A common problem with acrylics is that they are often opaque enough, even when diluted enough to make a wash, that each individual layer can be seen and there is a hard edge between layers.  Master level artists are better at blending the layers and creating seamless transitions.  Another downside of the layer method is that it is extremely tedious and takes a long time to complete.

Mr. Farabi demonstrates how to keep the acrylic paint wet on the model and the different kinds of brush strokes necessary to create blending that results in an outcome similar to the blending of oils.  The benefit of this method is that it is much more expedient than the layer method, encourages the modeler to paint by instinct, and quickly dries when completed.

A feature of the tutorial that I found very enlightening was his comments on color selection.  Mr. Farabi selects color based on the harmony of color on the piece and the mood he desires to portray.  Throughout the process he shares how the paint makes him feel and the mood he desires to portray by each selection of color.  He also shares his views on the texture of the paint he uses.

I have a strong belief that these methods would be beneficial for use in modeling genres other than figures and envision their use on different panels in armor and aircraft much in the way that filters are presently used.  I highly recommend this tutorial.  The price of $25.00 for over 3 ½ hours of tutorial is minor when compared to the cost of materials and models in the modeling hobby and the amount of information provided.  One word of caution, an advanced method of painting is presented in this tutorial, so be forewarned!  I predict there will be a rapid change in the way in which models are painted because of this technique.  A revolution is coming!