Help with painting figurine!

Billy the Hero

Billy the Hero

Member
So I'm designing a little kit, an automata that will spin Peridot (from Steven Universe) around a toilet. It is 9x5x3.5 cm, and has a lot of fine details. It will be 3D printed out of PLA with the exception of her visor, which is out of PETG:
gGdg3pz.png​
So my question is, in painting my figurine, how would I achieve a successful matte finish on something small like this?
 
A final dull coat of matte or semi matte varnish will work, especially if you can apply by airbrush. If you want to paint in matte the figure paint ranges from Vallejo or Andrea are usually matte colours and the pigment is fine to allow for small scale work, although thorough mixing is essential. You may need to thin the paints for detailed painting.

In any event a final dull coat will seal and protect the finish. ( Metallic finishes and glossy areas can be masked or added last.)

You tube has numerous figure painting guides which might help you.
 
I paint mine with Vallejo almost exclusively. All these are 1/12 scale Bandai Figures, some were thoroughly customized. A final matte clear coat is a must but I have found out that metallic paints loose their brightness under it. Final details like scratches which show raw metal I usually add last, after the clear coat. All these were paints with Vallejo:

30586745265_510bbae6d4_z.jpg
IMG_2022 by Oscar Baez Soria, on Flickr

27732620884_d8c4a554b2_z.jpg
IMG_0876 by Oscar Baez Soria, on Flickr

30613575043_a34e432d7c_z.jpg
IMG_3933 by Oscar Baez Soria, on Flickr

27103979084_f7984ae8cd_z.jpg
IMG_0650 by Oscar Baez Soria, on Flickr

Better details can be seen when clicking on each image. With Vallejo I rarely need to thin them, I do, obviously, when doing washes with them or airbrushing.
 
Last edited:
Scarecrow Joe said:
I paint mine with Vallejo almost exclusively. All these are 1/12 scale Bandai Figures, some were thoroughly customized. A final matte clear coat is a must but I have found out that metallic paints loose their brightness under it. Final details like scratches which show raw metal I usually add last, after the clear coat. All these were paints with Vallejo:

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5690/30586745265_510bbae6d4_z.jpgIMG_2022 by Oscar Baez Soria, on Flickr

https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8697/27732620884_d8c4a554b2_z.jpgIMG_0876 by Oscar Baez Soria, on Flickr

https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5341/30613575043_a34e432d7c_z.jpgIMG_3933 by Oscar Baez Soria, on Flickr

https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7724/27103979084_f7984ae8cd_z.jpgIMG_0650 by Oscar Baez Soria, on Flickr

Better details can be seen when clicking on each image. With Vallejo I rarely need to thin them, I do, obviously, when doing washes with them or airbrushing.
Click to expand...

Good to know! You have some amazing work. Thanks.
 
Scarecrow Joe said:
I paint mine with Vallejo almost exclusively. All these are 1/12 scale Bandai Figures, some were thoroughly customized. A final matte clear coat is a must but I have found out that metallic paints loose their brightness under it. Final details like scratches which show raw metal I usually add last, after the clear coat. All these were paints with Vallejo:

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5690/30586745265_510bbae6d4_z.jpgIMG_2022 by Oscar Baez Soria, on Flickr

https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8697/27732620884_d8c4a554b2_z.jpgIMG_0876 by Oscar Baez Soria, on Flickr

https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5341/30613575043_a34e432d7c_z.jpgIMG_3933 by Oscar Baez Soria, on Flickr

https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7724/27103979084_f7984ae8cd_z.jpgIMG_0650 by Oscar Baez Soria, on Flickr

Better details can be seen when clicking on each image. With Vallejo I rarely need to thin them, I do, obviously, when doing washes with them or airbrushing.
Click to expand...

Also, in your opinion, what's the best entry level airbrush? I have a budget of <70 USD
 
I started with a single action Paasche H-SET. Easy to setup and clean. Later I got a double action VL series Paasche one. Im sure others will have other options and opinions about this but those two are the ones I use.
 
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