The story of toy soldiers is far from new. Small figurines depicting warriors were in both ancient Egypt and medieval Europe. The crusaders took them with them as amulets. The very first tin soldiers appeared in Germany in the 18th century. Almost immediately, collecting toy soldiers became a massive hobby. It is the hand-painted tin volumetric soldiers that collectors collect.
It is necessary
Models of soldiers, dishwashing liquid, white or gray metal primer, special acrylic paints, thin brushes, varnish
Instructions
Step 1
First, choose the soldiers themselves - carefully consider the miniatures, they should be well shed, without cracks or thick seams. These flaws, of course, can be corrected, but it is better to choose high-quality models with high detail. If you have just decided to start painting soldiers, you'd better buy whole figures - prefabricated parts may have to be adjusted to each other.
Step 2
Wash the selected models in a solution of dishwashing liquid - it degreases well, which will greatly facilitate the priming. Place the soldiers to dry on a clean sheet of cardboard or paper; they should dry completely. Take a can of primer and shake it well. Spray the primer from a distance of 20-30 cm, carefully and accurately painting over all parts. Let the miniatures dry for about thirty minutes.
Step 3
Take the thickest brush and proceed with the basic painting - dilute the paint with water (four parts of paint, one water), paint large parts, regardless of the fact that you paint over small ones. Now imagine how the light will fall, you need to figure out where to draw the shadow, and where to highlight the model. To draw light and shade, dilute the paint 1: 1 so as not to create thick beads. Smooth out the transitions with a wet brush.
Step 4
The hardest thing is to draw the soldier's face, for this take liquid red-brown paint and fill it with the face of the figure so that the paint covers all the details and reveals the facial features. Apply lighter paint on the protruding parts and gently blend the transitions. It is better not to highlight the whites of the eyes at all, because warriors often squint from the wind, dust and the shine of blades, and dyed whites look like a doll. Highlight the pupils with a needle with black paint at the tip.
Step 5
Paint the weapon in metallic silver, then add reflections on the surface - if a blue camisole should be reflected in the blade, apply this shade with a light stroke on the blade. On some blades, the places of the blade sharpening are highlighted, make them lighter by one tone.
Step 6
At the end, draw the details of the figure - belts and flasks, buttons and other accessories. They must be painted with bright paint, otherwise these little things cannot be seen! Paint your boots according to the circumstances and weather on the battlefield - mud or snow, dust or blood, they will reflect all the specifics of the theater of military operations! It is better to cover the top of the soldier with varnish from a spray gun - this will save your work from abrasion.
