I've got a question about dark skin tone, that I hope someone can help, please.
I recently purchased a large number (over 1000) Zulus from Baccus6mm http://www.baccus6mm.com/includes/products/colonial/zulu_range.php#Packs1806
I want to paint them with that lovely, rich dark brown/black skintone that Zulus are portrayed with in films like Zulu, but being 6mm figures, the colour depth I can use is really limited to two colours, the darker of which has really got to be black, I think.
Being a pasty north European who is so white that I glow in the dark, I could do with some advice as to what kind of brown might make these chaps come out well.
Any help and advice you can offer would be welcome (about painting Zulus, not about improving my deathly palor, thankyou!)
Quote from: keeper40k on September 11, 2007, 11:32:31 AM
Any help and advice you can offer would be welcome (about painting Zulus, not about improving my deathly palor, thankyou!)
There goes my comment :icon_wink:
Coat d'arms do a colour called Negro and would be ideal i think. I use it in the eye sockets as black can be too dark :icon_wink:
Quote from: Perv on September 11, 2007, 12:25:30 PM
Coat d'arms do a colour called Negro and would be ideal i think. I use it in the eye sockets as black can be too dark :icon_wink:
I take it you mean the eye sockets on 28mm minis?
I don't think I'll be bothering with the eye sockets on 1000+ 6mm minis!!!!!!
Thanks for the tip, though, I'll go look it up :)
lol no thats what I use it for, its actually black person skin colour so ideal for your Zulus :icon_wink:
Well, I've just ordered half a dozen of their browns, mostly from their military range of colours. I guess I'm going to have to do a little experimenting, so I hope that one of them gives me a head-start :)
Coat'darm ones? if u havent used b4 you will like them, I use straight from the pot and rate them over GW and Rackhams but theyre all I've tried. Vallejo and Reaper being the most popular, maybe foundry too but now I'm rambling....
see if u can add negro to that order, think they are very cheap paints anyway
Yeah, I've used them before - I bought some when I painted some WWII stuff - just like the old Citadel paints :) Which is what they actually are - I know!
And I've got some of the Negro colour in that order, don't worry! :)
Quote from: keeper40k on September 11, 2007, 12:58:09 PM
And I've got some of the Negro colour in that order, don't worry! :)
It just sounds odd, lol
wise man :icon_w00t: The negro is a rich chocolatey brown and probably best as a basecoat :icon_wink:
would have thought Brussels had banned the name by now Mike, not PC enough.....
Eh, I don't think they are worried about that.
Quote from: Custom_Hobby on September 11, 2007, 01:00:27 PM
Quote from: keeper40k on September 11, 2007, 12:58:09 PM
And I've got some of the Negro colour in that order, don't worry! :)
It just sounds odd, lol
I know - but it is just the latin word for black :)
Or more specifically
negro means
to be black;
niger is the actually word for the colour black itself, which sounds even worse, but our ears are taking these words out of context as they have meanings in English that they don't have in Latin.
And just so everyone is clear on this point - I'm jealous of everybody else's skin colour, as I am a deathly pale white, as I said at the top of this thread. Except for the orange people - what they've done to their skin is just freaky!
Example:
(http://www.hotchickswithdouchebags.com/uploaded_images/DB9002-785923.jpg)
Quote from: keeper40k on September 11, 2007, 01:13:07 PM
Quote from: Custom_Hobby on September 11, 2007, 01:00:27 PM
Quote from: keeper40k on September 11, 2007, 12:58:09 PM
And I've got some of the Negro colour in that order, don't worry! :)
It just sounds odd, lol
I know - but it is just the latin word for black :)
Trust me I know, I am fluent in spanish and studied latin for a bit.
Quote from: keeper40k on September 11, 2007, 01:13:07 PM
Or more specifically negro means to be black; niger is the actually word for the colour black itself, which sounds even worse, but our ears are taking these words out of context as they have meanings in English that they don't have in Latin.
Nothing wrong with Niger (it is a beautiful country). The problem is when people put an extra 'g' in there. I know what you mean about people perceiving things wrong. That is why I try to be careful with the forum. I have a big plan for CH and the forum is a key part to it so I make sure not to shoot myself in the foot as the saying goes.
Quote from: keeper40k on September 11, 2007, 01:13:07 PM
And just so everyone is clear on this point - I'm jealous of everybody else's skin colour, as I am a deathly pale white, as I said at the top of this thread. Except for the orange people - what they've done to their skin is just freaky!
Example:
(http://www.hotchickswithdouchebags.com/uploaded_images/DB9002-785923.jpg)
I also find orange skin just plain wrong. That pic made me laught myself right out of my seat by the way.
Did Perv paint them..... :icon_whistling:
Might have been Bungle with his new airbrush ... :icon_ermm:
Nah they look vaugely human.
6mm figures.... undercoat in black halfords spray acrylic primer.
take half the figures and very heavy drybrush in burnt umber
take the other half and nornal drybrush in burnt umber.
take the first half which should have dried by now and drybrush in miniature paints chocolate brown.
Mix the figures up and base.
southern african Zulus tend to be a medium brown, nigerians tend to be much darker, and somalians are often almost jet black.
Reaper has Dark Skin tone triad that I used in the past. I can see if I have the Rhinoman that I used with it if you are interested.
Pics are always :welcome:
Quote from: Wristaction on September 11, 2007, 05:33:21 PM
Did Perv paint them..... :icon_whistling:
lol heres what I mean about sun tanned skin
(http://static.flickr.com/1/183172130_2b3f6771b8_m.jpg)
there is far more orange in that skin than pink !!!!
Quote from: Bungle on September 11, 2007, 06:54:20 PM
Nah they look vaugely human.
6mm figures.... undercoat in black halfords spray acrylic primer.
take half the figures and very heavy drybrush in burnt umber
take the other half and nornal drybrush in burnt umber.
take the first half which should have dried by now and drybrush in miniature paints chocolate brown.
Mix the figures up and base.
southern african Zulus tend to be a medium brown, nigerians tend to be much darker, and somalians are often almost jet black.
Thanks Bungle :) I'll give that a go - I've got loads of burnt umber, and I'd not thought of it, for some bizarre mental-block reason :shrug:
I have seen some 15mm AK47 figures just lightly drybrushed with "dust" all over the figure with a black undercoat on the figures skin only... it almost worked. :icon_wink:
Quote from: Bungle on September 12, 2007, 05:48:47 AM
I have seen some 15mm AK47 figures just lightly drybrushed with "dust" all over the figure with a black undercoat on the figures skin only... it almost worked. :icon_wink:
I think that would work better with a Negro base instead of black and give it a brown ink after drybrushing. on that scale figs it should be quite effective and very quick
Quote from: Bungle on September 12, 2007, 05:48:47 AM
I have seen some 15mm AK47 figures just lightly drybrushed with "dust" all over the figure with a black undercoat on the figures skin only... it almost worked. :icon_wink:
I'll post photos as soon as I've made some experiements :)
I think I've seen something very similar in a gallery of modern minis. I can't say I really took to it - although flat black skin works better than flat caucasian colours.
@Perv: Good idea for larger figures, but I don't want to use inks on 6mm figures because the depth of the features on the sculpts is just not suitable for someone of my level of ability to get a good job with inks. And I know this because I tried using ink with some Napoleonic 6mm stuff that I painted, which looked bad, got stripped and then repainted :D
ah, I've never seen 6mm figs except epic stuff. think thats 6mm. I have the old space marine game but never looked at it really.....
What about dipping them, use different tones to give lighter and darker skins.
I've seen some really good minis that have been dipped and some terrible ones. All down to what stuff you use but I havent found the right one yet. I have some antique pine which will try next. For zulus it could be a very good way of doing them
Quote from: Wristaction on September 12, 2007, 09:59:20 AM
What about dipping them, use different tones to give lighter and darker skins.
I thought the point of dipping was that it went into all the little corners and stuff - like inking, but less time consuming? If that is the case, then I would have the same problem with lack of depth of detail, no?
If it isn't, can you tell me what I've misunderstood about dipping, please? :D
Quote from: Perv on September 12, 2007, 06:52:05 AM
ah, I've never seen 6mm figs except epic stuff. think thats 6mm. I have the old space marine game but never looked at it really.....
I find it great for the whole massed battle thing - I'm sure 40k Apocalypse will be great, but you get so many more troops and tanks and whatever on the table at 1/300 (6mm) scale :D
Small games of Space Marine mean I can field one company of them, for example :D Or a corps of troops, if it is a Napoleonic battle :D