Blending/Highlighting Guide

I have had a fair few people ask me how i highlight the details on my figures, i`ve not done many guides so please bare with me & if theres anything i havent covered or you have any questions just let me know.

So first of all i should point out that i use Acrylic paints,use small "detail" brushes and this is the method that i use for painting smaller details & the heads on my figures.The larger "main" colours are drybrushed first & then i paint the details.

Anyone who has experience with drybrushing will have a bit of a headstart with this technique as it produces a similar but smoother effect.
For the smoothest results i recommend thinning the paints down on a pallet,this can be done either with water or Acrylic inks.I find Inks to be better because it helps prevent the colour becoming too washed out & weak.

The first thing you need to do is make sure the figure is primed/Undercoated.
Probably the most important step is to have a nice flat,solid base coat to work on.
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In this case the colour i used was codex grey.
Now you need to mix a VERY slightly lighter mix of the base coat on a pallet,with this colour its just a case of mixing in a little white.
This "first highlight" is then applied to 90% of the face,avoiding the recessed areas such as the bottom of the mouth & the edges of where the colour ends..
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Next we add a little more white to the mix & paint about 80% of the face,concentrating on the raised areas that need to stand out (the chin,mouth etc)
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Next we add a little more white to the mix & paint about 50% of the face again working on the raised areas ..
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Next,you guessed it we add a little more white to the mix & paint about 30%
of the face..
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Again more white in the mix but now concentrating ONLY on the most raised areas
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The final VERY FINE highlight is almost pure white & is painted with the SIDE of the brush on the edges of any details
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So thats about it,Remember to keep your paint thin as you highlight.
Hopefully this has been of some use

Sorry should have mentioned that,by the time youve mixed up the next shade of highlight it should be dry enough but just make sure it looks dry before you apply the highlight.
Good point F_R it is slightly different with larger panels,i`l take some more pics next time i paint & add em later.

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