Looking for some painting tips

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I have a relatively simple (for someone who knows what they are doing) task. I have a Marvel Select Grey Hulk figure that I'd like to paint green. I don't like the head on the green Hulk so I bought Grey and want to turn him green.

I found this custom on Ebay (might even belong to someone here, who knows):

$T2eC16JHJHwE9n8igu5-BQMRufP93g~~60_57.JPG


This is EXACTLY what I want to do, just green instead of red.

Problem is - I don't really know what the heck I'm doing. I've done some painting, some reading on painting....but I really want to have a better idea how to attack this before I start.

I do know that I'm supposed to clean it first, I believe with dish soap and a toothbrush, to get the chemicals (releasing agent?) off so the paint will stick.

Then I'd want to start with a green base and then add in the black - which is where I think I need the most help. I really like the look of the black on the red Hulk shown above. What is the best way to get that look?

Thanks for any help, I really appreciate it. :wave
 
First do the usual rubbing in soap and cleaning and rubbing with toothbrush...

Use acrylic paints... these smaller scaled figures look good enough. Build from the brightest shade of green to darker ones... thats my personal choice... and for that black look , it can be achieved by dry brushing patiently on the texture of the muscles for the defined look you are looking for.
 
Ok so basically dry brush and then wipe off with a dry paper towel? I'm guessing if you dry brush around a muscle/vein and then wipe off the top surface of the muscle, the black in the crevaces will stay?

I played with a little dry brushing on a 6" Deadpool that I customized. It was good for making the reds look dirty, but didn't fill in the crevaces.

I was thinking that using watered down paint (2:1 water:paint) would work well for filling crevaces?
 
See dry brushing will have to be done patiently and with 'dry brush' as in put the paint on the brush, then rub it off with one stroke of a cloth... with that little paint keep brushing over the texturs...

Filling the crevices by letting dilute paint set too might work... but I prefer drybrushing as its more controlled. You cant really control the running coloured water to seep into surroundig crevices where you dont want the effect...
 
Based from the picture you showed, it was done with flat black base coat then dry brushed with Red. It's easy, I suggest get a garbage figure you have laying around, practice on that first before applying it on your main project, last thing you need is getting the right Green color you want, hope this helps you. :)
 
Oh, so you think it was painted completely black and then gone over with red? That might make more sense since the lower areas are black and the raised area is red....thanks!
 
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I would guess that it was red then painted in washes using black. You paint it on and while its still wet, wipe most of it off with a rag. All the crevasses will keep the color and the high points will return to base color. Then go back over with a red dry brush to help pop out the high spots.
 
Like anything this takes practice. If you have a spare figure with similar texture I would do a test. The good thing about plastic figures and acrylic paint is not that permanent. I have repainted the same head over and over before, just by soaking the head in water for a day or so and then scrubbing it with a stiff brush. Once water gets under the surface of acrylic it peals right off.
 
LOL I have plenty of spare figures to practice on. ;)

So, Hulk being a pretty good sized figure and all, should I paint his entire body green in one shot? Should I water down the paint at all? I know watering it down keeps it from building up too much. I've painted figures in the past with just straight paint and then I end up with it rubbing off in the knees, shoulders etc. But I also know that watering it down takes lots and lots of coats of paint...?
 
I don't recommend watering paint down too much because the more water you add the more it breaks down the binder. If you have an airbrush you can add layers quicker. If you use a brush just make sure and avoid brush strokes.

If it was me I would buy a good quality, opaque green and straight from the container just go to town and paint the whole thing in one sitting make sure to feather it a bit so the brush strokes aren't left. Then let it dry for several hours. If there are a few spots that are peaking through, add another coat doing the same thing. The good thing about that figure is your not going to lose detail with heavy coats. If it was high end with subtle details I would recommend something different. After its fully dry I would dust it with a mat sealer to help lock down the base coat. After that is fully dry then hit it with the black/dark green in small areas. Make sure and get the low areas covered and then take a damp cloth and rub off the paint trying not to press to hard or you'll wipe the paint in the cracks off. Also not too hard that you damage the base color under neath. Work in small areas like the shoulder. Then move down and do a thigh. And then move back up to a forearm. This will give the areas that you just paint a little time to dry. Do this till the whole figure is done. Then let it fully dry. If you like the look, shoot it with another coat of sealer. Let dry. If the raised areas are a little too dark because of the dark color, you can now take some of your base color and dry brush it over the surface. Just use caution so that you don't get any paint down in the cracks. Once that is dry you can then take a color slightly brighter/lighter then your base color and dry brush it in on the really high areas or ones that you want to have more dominance. Then one more coat of seal. Then if you want you can come in with a small brush and paint in the details like eyes and teeth or what ever. Seal and done.
 
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