Japanese Figurine Painting Book Review 01: Pygmalion - Obsessive Finish of Girl's Figure, The A to Z of Hiroshi Tagawa's Fascinating Female Images

Hiroshi Tagawa. That's the name of my absolute favorite miniature figurine painter. To me his body of work represents the epitome of realistic figurine painting. If you're an artist seeking to render ultra realistic skin tones and facial features on a three-dimensional miniature figurine, you would be remiss to ignore his painting techniques as well as general work practices. And for the longest time I only had Facebook's badly translated (Japanese to English) posts to rely on, to get even the slightest inkling of what Tagawa-san was doing hobby-wise. But it's finally here, a book by Tagawa-san himself that has English translations! Anyway enough with the fan boy talk. Here then is a quick review of Pygmalion - Obsessive Finish of Girl's Figure, The A to Z of Hiroshi Tagawa's Fascinating Female Images.

Pygmalion: Obsessive Finish of Girl's Figure, The A to Z of Hiroshi Tagawa's Fascinating Female Images (Front Cover)

Pygmalion: Obsessive Finish of Girl's Figure, The A to Z of Hiroshi Tagawa's Fascinating Female Images (Back Cover)

 

Before I begin this review, I would like to make it clear I have yet to try out the painting techniques on this book. But I'm an experienced enough miniature painter to be familiar with such techniques and also be aware of how they might potentially fit into my existing workflow processes. In short, I'm pretty sure these techniques work, and more importantly they are well suited to my own style of painting. As an added bonus, you'll be able to find a short video at the end of this post showing a quick overview of what's inside the book via its pages being flipped quickly. On the video and photos here, all text on the book is intentionally blurred out to protect the author's intellectual property.   

The 1/6 scale Female Android is one of my favorite pieces painted by Tagawa-san

 

About a third of the book is dedicated to a how-to-paint/prep tutorial of which the end result you can see in the photo immediately below this paragraph. From a cursory glance at the tutorials, I believe Tagawa-san uses a combination of lacquer, enamel and oil paints to achieve the paint effects you see in his work. In addition, he also shows how to place real-life fake eyelashes on the eyelids of the miniature figurines to exponentially increase the realism of the figurine's facial features. In the book, you can also learn how he paints veins and blemishes which makes skin tones look ultra realistic. 

Tutorials in the book are geared towards painting the ballerina girl above

Each painting tutorial step is written in both Japanese and English

In addition, to the how-to-paint guide, there are also descriptions on the resin figurine prep work

 

Ballerina girl is the only how-to-paint example given in this book and it takes up about one-third of this 96-page book. That leaves the bulk of the content comprising photos of Tagawa-san's completed works, articles about the artist himself and his work area, etc (see below). While this was a bone of contention among some online reviewers i.e. lack of tutorial examples, it wasn't the case for me. I was happy to take quality over quantity. Having a fairly detailed look at how he brings even just one resin figurine all the way from the prep-stage to the final fully painted stage was a real eye opener.    

A large proportion of the book comprises photos of various completed works by Tagawa-san

Tagawa-san's body of has also been on display in art exhibits

The master himself, Hiroshi Tagawa-san (in an article about him and sculptor Hiroki Hayashi)

 

In line with my wish to get my YouTube Channel up and running with more content, I decided to do a quick page flip viewing video for the book. Please do note that the somewhat blurry book text on the video was intentional in order to safeguard the author's intellectual property. Also blurred out were sections of the book which contained nudity. Personally I've no issue with nudity in miniature figurines as I consider it to be art. However, I'm aware some may be sensitive to it hence the censorship. 

 

If I had to score this book out of 10, I would give it an 9 out of 10. Being a huge fan of Tagawa-san, I'm frankly just relieved he decided to finally publish a book that highlights his painting techniques. Of course as consumers we'll always want more. More tutorials, more photos, more articles, more detail. But apart from video tutorials or face-to-face classes with the artist, this is about the best one can hope for. In short, I'm extremely happy with my copy of  Pygmalion - Obsessive Finish of Girl's Figure, The A to Z of Hiroshi Tagawa's Fascinating Female Images. I highly recommend it.

MENG Model Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger [WIP - Pin Wash / Outlining of Tank Turret and Road Wheels]

Fresh from my relative success working with oils, I decided to take a step further by using oil paints to create a pin wash for the outlining process of the King Tiger. My usual go-to pin wash have been either Tamiya's enamel-based Panel Line Accent Color or Mr.Hobby's oil-based Mr.Weathering Color paints. Now don't get me wrong as both work great with their inherent pros and cons, and I don't intend to abandon either as a weathering tool. But being already knee-deep in oil paints, I thought this would be a good time as any to try out a self-mixed wash using said oil paints and white spirit.        

Pin wash hue comprised a mix of Raw Umber and Lamp Black from the Winton oil paints

Tin tray containing oil paints and white spirit was placed on an IKEA candle holder for extra stability

In a nutshell, the pin wash / outlining process creates depth by bringing out the details

Using an oil wash actually provides two advantages - one each over acrylic and enamel washes. My acrylic wash pet peeve is its quick drying time, and the difficulty in removing it once dry. In contrast, an oil wash dries slowly and during that time it can be easily removed with white spirit. This allows for a more controlled shaping of the shadows and depth by eliminating washes from places that it had unintentionally flowed into e.g. raised (or the highlight) areas of a surface. And while enamel washes can be wiped off, the thinners used to do this can be too aggressive on the scale model kit plastic or on the basecoat paint layer. Thus far, white spirit seems to be much kinder to plastic and paint.      

King Tiger road wheels within the tank tracks BEFORE the pin wash / outlining process

King Tiger road wheels within the tank tracks AFTER the pin wash / outlining process

While the effects of a pin wash or outlining are clear cut on the road wheels, it's more subtle for the tank turret. Pin wash was applied on the grooves of the gun barrel and mantlet; on the weld lines; on the innards of the top hatch; on parts of the zimmerit; and on every nook and cranny on the turret. In the end, the overall effect saw the turret take on more depth and its details brought out.

Tank turret is now better defined after the pin wash / outlining process

Details are brought out in subtle ways like in the darkened grooves of the gun barrel and mantlet

Care was taken not to let the pin wash pool on the tank turret's zimmerit layer

One challenge I did face when outlining was to prevent the wash from pooling too much within the zimmerit layer. Too much wash accumulating in the crevices of the zimmerit layer and the tank turret would have become too dark. Moreover, it would have also looked too dirty but the wrong kind of dirty. While plans for the dust and dirt weathering have not been finalized, the idea is to layer on more buff and/or ochre hues as opposed to the black browns of the existing oil wash.   

Weld lines as well as every nook and cranny on the turret roof were given a subtle application of pin wash

Wash further 'dirties up' the tank number decals giving them a more realistic look

Pin wash does a great job of bringing out the details of the turret hatch

Faded look of the gun barrel/mantlet becomes more prominent given the contrast provided by the pin wash

The pin wash and outlining process will be repeated on the hull after the pioneer tools (engineering equipment) attached to it has been painted up. So the next step will involve painting small details; something I haven't done in a long time. The irony is that I'll be doing it on a 1/35 scale kit rather than resin figurines as I'm wont to do. But it's all good as it might just wet my appetite to jump start my miniature figurine projects again. Speaking of which I had better find the inspiration to resume work on the 1/12 scale Race Queen figurine again. And then there's the Tamiya Volkswagen Beetle and Bandai First Order Stormtrooper that has yet to start. So much to do, so little time.

MENG Model Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger [WIP - Oil Paint Rendering and/or Oil Dot Filter Weathering]

With so many terms being bandied about by modelers to label the oil paint weathering techniques used on scale model AFVs (armored fighting vehicles), it's no surprise confusion reigns as to what's what. Two techniques which stood out were the macro approach of Oil Dot Filter Weathering and Michael Rinaldi's Oil Paint Rendering which 'micro-manages' colors. What started out as a straightforward try at the former slowly morphed into a considered attempt of the latter. End results were a mash-up of both techniques and a pure application of either on sections of the King Tiger.    

Work-in-progress: King Tiger turret and upper hull after oil paints

To modulate/weather the German WW2 three tone camouflage pattern, Abteilung 502 scale modeling oil paints - namely Snow White, Black, Magenta, Yellow, Payne's Grey, Intense Blue, Olive Green, Raw Umber and Neutral Grey - were used. Experience garnered from the initial test run was critical in avoiding a dull monotone look. One way was to reduce usage of pure black in the oil painting process. But more than that, it also involved finding out through trial and error what combination of oil hues on which camouflage color (i.e. green, brown or yellow) worked best. A random placement of oil paints before blending with white spirit doesn't quite cut it as I found out during the test run.

Oil paint rendering/dot filter weathering produces tonal and hue variations on the three-tone camouflage

Rendering/Weathering with oil paint is much easier on non-zimmerit areas

When blended on yellow sections of the gun mantlet, the white oil paint simulates a faded, weathered look 

When rendering/weathering on surfaces with zimmerit, care is taken to prevent oil paint from pooling in the crevices

Decals held up to some rough work during the oil paint rendering process

If I hadn't come across this oil paint technique, I would've probably been stuck doing simple black or dark brown washes (not pin washes; see next paragraph for clarification) over the entire tank. It's only after I had done oil paint rendering and oil dot filter weathering that I realized the limitations of using just black or dark brown as your weathering go-to hues. Having better tonal/hue variation makes the whole piece look that more interesting, not to mention much more realistic. 

It's a bit trickier to perform oil paint rendering/weathering on the gun barrel's small surface area ...

... but end results make it worthwhile as every little tonal/hue variation makes the piece look better

At this stage, it should be pointed out that no outlines (or pin washes) have been done on the King Tiger. As opposed to a general wash, pin washes are more specific in application and bring out details such as rivets and weld lines in a tank. Pin washes tend to have a consistency (or surface tension) which allows them flow easily into the nook and crannies of a tank's surface area be it turret, hull or wheels. What this will do is to create depth in the overall look of the scale model. For now, nada.

Oil paints give the surface area of the King Tiger's hull a weathered look

Tools on the front section of the hull such as the axe (left) and hammer (right) will be painted soon

Front glacis of the King Tiger looks less bland after oil paints have been applied and blended in

Oil rendering/weathering wasn't applied to sections of the hull where the road wheels attach ...

Meanwhile, no oil paint rendering and oil dot filter weathering was carried out in the lower section of the hull side where the roads are to be attached. The reason for this is that that section will likely undergo an extensive yet different type of weathering e.g. mud and dirt which would've covered up any tonal/hue variations that was created. As such, that section was left untouched.

... reason being that a different kind of weathering will be applied to the hull side's lower section

At this stage, a lack of depth is to be expected as pin washes (outlines) have yet to be carried out

Tonal and hue variation afforded by oils isn't as critical on the rear seeing there's a lot of details yet to be painted

Another angle of the results of the oil paint rendering/weathering on the King Tiger's hull

Next up will be to create a sense of depth to the whole piece. That as mentioned above woud entail the use of pin washes in an outlining step. Also if I can find the time, I would also like to paint up the accessory details on the King Tiger such as its pioneer tools, exhaust pipes, tow hooks and cables. I find myself looking forward to working on the tank, the more it takes shape. It's a great feeling versus the hobby malaise I found myself in during the last quarter of 2018. Long may it continue!    

MENG Model Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger with Henschel Turret [WIP - Decals, a Clear Coat & Oil Painting Begins]

Moving on from boring test sessions, I finally resumed work on the Meng King Tiger proper. But before any oil paint filter/render techniques could be attempted, there was the matter of applying decals on the tank to mark it out as Tank No.124 of the Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 505 or the 505th German Heavy Tank Battalion. Even so, I did get a start on the oil painting process albeit on a small scale i.e. the left front skirt of the German Heavy Tank Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger (Henschel Turret).    

Meng Model King Tiger work-in-progress: Decals and a clear matt coat

Markings on the original Tank 124 as it was found in the war

With this being my first use of Meng decals, I wasn't too sure about the quality and how they would hold up under the stress of my clumsy hands. And true to form I did encounter problems, initially at least. On my first attempt at applying the 'charging knight' decal, the plume on the knight's helmet tore off and the tip of his lance bend in on itself. Luckily I was in one of my 'in the zone' moments and retained enough patience to more or less fix things (see 'charging knight' symbol on the left side of the turret; eighth photo from the top). Soon enough though, I got used to the decals' firmness and my hands' muscle memory adapted accordingly. As such, no further decal problems arose.     

Charging knight symbol of the Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 505 (s.Pz.Abt.505) tank unit

Zoomed out view of the charging knight symbol on the tank turret

Decals denoting this as Tank 124 of the s.Pz.Abt.505

Decals have a tendency to stand out in unwanted ways. This is due to their glossy nature as well as visibility of a semi-visible demarcation between the decal material and the surface area sans decal. To improve realism so that decals look like they were painted, I decided to apply a lacquer-based clear matt coat i.e. the Mr Hobby Mr Super Clear. A note of caution: the Mr Hobby website warns that usage of this lacquer-based clear coat over decals may damage them. Thankfully, this wasn't the case for me. I went ahead despite the warning out of necessity and an analytical guesstimate.

Decals adhered to the zimmerit layer without any problems

Clear matt coat reduces the shine of the decals thus ...

... making the decals look more like it was painted onto the turret

Firstly, it was a necessity because usage of water-based clear coats can be a hit-and-miss affair for me. There have been occasions when white spots formed if the spray can of clear coat was too old or if the weather was too humid. I've found this becomes a non-issue if I use lacquer-based clear coats. Secondly, it's my guesstimate that if I apply clear coats in a thin enough layer, then the hot weather would evaporate most of the clear coat's solvent (which would damage the decals) before it hits the surface of the model kit. In the conditions that I work in, which is fairly hot and humid, I can safely conclude that usage of the Mr Super Clear on top of Meng decals did not damage the latter.

Oil Paint Filter and/or Rendering Process Begins

Having applied the clear coat, I wanted to give the protective layer a few days or even a week to dry in order for it to sufficiently strengthen. This meant I couldn't start the oil dot filter weathering or oil paint rendering process on the tank proper. However, I already had a piece of front skirt clear coated much earlier so I could at least begin the oil painting techniques on that part (see photos below).

Results of an oil paint filter/rendering session on the matt surface of the tank's front left skirt

A previous foray into this technique didn't yield good results. So something had to change. What I did differently here was threefold namely be more patient; be more particular in the placement of specific hues and be more judicious in the use of white spirit (less is more). A disregard for all three in my previous attempt had resulted in a messy mono-hued filter look. It's actually good I got to start on a small part of the tank first as I'm still unhappy with the results. But with every attempt I am beginning to better understand the oil dot filter weathering and/or oil paint rendering technique.

Step 01: Part primed with Tamiya Fine Surface Primer (Light Gray) and basecoated with Tamiya TS-3 Dark Yellow 

Step 02: Oil paints applied as dots onto the part

Step 03: Oil paints blended with white spirit

Step 04: Results of the oil dot filter weathering / oil paint rendering after a few cycles of steps one through three

In addition to the three new approaches I used, I also changed the number of times I would apply this procedure. Previously, I would just place the the oil paints, blend it once and then consider my task finished. Now though, I'm doing up to three passes (Steps 01 to 03 above) of oil dot filter weathering and/or oil paint rendering - one on top of the other - until I'm satisfied with the final results.

Extreme closeups of the before and after oil dot filter weathering / oil paint rendering process

So then, it's now on to the rest of the tank for the oil dot filter weathering and/or oil paint rendering process. I'm slowly getting a hang of the technique and I'm fairly confident results will be better when I apply this technique on the tank hull and turret, decals and all. And as I make good progress on the Meng King Tiger, I feel confident enough to start a new project in addition to the two I'm working on (the other being the atelier iT Race Queen). All I'll say at this stage is the new project involves a car and it's one of my top two favorite cars ever. Do enjoy what's left of your weekend and see you soon.