Girl's Rider [Work-in-Progress: Denim Jeans Part 1of 2] - Hasegawa 1/12 scale miniature figurine

 To my surprise, the texture of denim jeans turned out to be way much harder to paint at 1/12 scale compared with 1/28 scale (which I did for the Logan/Wolverine figurine). Initially I was pretty pleased with what I had done with the Girl's Rider denim jeans. But upon closer inspection of the work-in-progress photos (see below), I guess it wouldn't hurt to add slightly more texture to the denim jeans. It'll have to be a careful balance between contrast and texture as too much of the latter, especially if not done well, might dull the contrast between shadows and highlight I've painted on the jeans.  

Girl's Rider work-in-progress: denim jeans (front view, black background)

Wrinkles on the denim jeans were given the brightest highlights ...

... with the darkest shadow reserved for areas such as the ...

... back thighs of the female figurine's denim jeans.

Girl's Rider work-in-progress: denim jeans (back view, black background)

Coming in second in terms of highlight brightness is the bottom of her buttocks ...

... as well as the sides of her buttocks, in order to accentuate the roundness of said area ...

... while the kneecaps had an equally bright highlight as the wrinkles on the jeans.

All photos of the denim jeans with a black background was taken with the Canon EOS 650D and Tamron 90mm macro lens; with settings at f/16 aperture; 1/60sec shutter speed; and ISO-1600

 What I can ascertain from the work-in-progress photos you see here is a seemingly lack of texture, especially on certain areas of the jeans such as her crotch area (specifically where the legs meet the torso) as well as on the back of her thighs. It's highly likely I'll try to add more texture on the jeans during the next phase, which will mainly involve the painting of leather accessories such as the figurine's gloves, belt, and boots. Meanwhile, with the denim jeans being a rather dark blue, I also took some photos using a higher contrast background such as white (see below).

Girl's Rider work-in-progress: denim jeans (front view, white background)

Against a white background, the denim jeans is perhaps looks the clearest ...

... as the high contrast background focuses our eyes towards ...

... the myriad of painted details on the figurine's denim jeans.

Girl's Rider work-in-progress: denim jeans (back view, white background)

Denim texture could do with some improvements on her back thigh ...

... on the sides of the denim jeans, especially on her right leg ...

... and on the crotch area above the figurine's right thigh.

All photos of the denim jeans with a white background was taken with the Canon EOS 650D and Tamron 90mm macro lens; with settings at f/16 aperture; 1/60sec shutter speed; and ISO-1600

 Color scheme for the denim jeans comprised Vallejo Model Color acrylic paints as follows: Dark Sea Blue (70.898), Dark Prussian Blue (70.899), Prussian Blue (70.965), and Pastel Blue (70.901).

Vallejo Model Color acrylic paints used for the denim jeans color scheme and texture

 To add variety to the photos, an azure background was also used in the photography session. In terms of hue, the azure background is closest to the blue jeans. Despite the closeness of the colors, the dark blue denim jeans still stand out fairly well against an azure background (see below).

Girl's Rider work-in-progress: denim jeans (front view, azure background)

Leather accessories (belt and boots; basecoated black) will be painted in the next session

Girl's Rider work-in-progress: denim jeans (side view from left, azure background)

Belt and boots (basecoated black) will be painted to resemble brownish red leather

Girl's Rider work-in-progress: denim jeans (back view, azure background)

Blue denim jeans and a white tee shirt is a classic combination that never gets old

Girl's Rider work-in-progress: denim jeans (side view from right, azure background)

Parts of her jeans remain too shiny, which suspends believe we're looking at denim texture

All photos of the denim jeans with an azure background was taken with the Canon EOS 650D and Tamron 90mm macro lens; with settings at f/16 aperture; 1/60sec shutter speed; and ISO-1600

 Another issue bugging me is that certain parts of the miniature figurine's denim jeans remain too shiny even after I applied some Vallejo Matt Medium. The glossiness should lessen if I add more texture. It's either that or apply yet another layer of paint mixed with matt medium. As mentioned above, the next phase will involve me painting leather accessories like her gloves, belt, and boots. As I contemplate the techniques for painting leather, I wonder if leather rather than denim is going to be the second hardest part of the Girl's Rider to paint. I'll let you know if this is the case in the next post, together with yet more textures on the denim jeans. Until then, stay safe and be well.