This is one I struggle with on parts, but here is what I do when painting one ( most of the time)...
Again if someone can use parts to make theirs better then great...give me hints to make mine better great...just got finished reading how to do the fins. Wish I would have checked my email before starting this one..LOL Next time.
well here goes
Started with one of my molds and had some breakage so appoxie to the rescue...anyhow here it is
Step 1. Super hide white appoxie areas and seams then cleaned eyes
Step 2. I used burnt umber with a pretty moderate coat
step 3.
Steel wooled being careful over appoxie areas.
Step 4.
Using my single action brush opened all the way and air at 60psi I use dark brown and barely press the trigger to get it to spit spots all over or as reference shows then steel wool a lot back off.
Step 5.
darkened back some with the dark brown just down to lateral line. more toned it in some.
Step 6. I change to my Detail brush and do all spots and fin markings. DetailBrush I love...
Step 7.
I thin dark brown 50/50 with retarder an then pile up reference and have fun trying to match nature(which I haven't yet)
Step 8
After I have it all done I steel wool it very very very very lightly...
steel wooled
Step 9.
Clean detail brush and drink a bottle of water letting eyes rest.
Step 10.
Lightly sprayed super hide white on lower half of fish and head any where silver shows in my reference. Or flesh or white.
Step 11.
Cleanned eyes
step 12.
Chrome pearlescents every where white went( just don't do like me and get the white from step 10 on the fins
)
Step 13.
Iridescent Gold lightly, above the lateral line
step 14.
sealed with mist of lacquer spray.
step 15.
I wanted a slight greenish fish so I went with cadmium yellow as a light coat on top of head lips back and fading down side toward belly.
I use water base here after sealing in step 14. that way if I get greener then I want I can just windex the yellow off and do it again without messing up my detail work.
Step 16.
sealed yellow with mist of lacquer
step 17.
Payne's Grey lightly top of head top of lips and down the back fading toward the lateral line
step 18.
painted the back side with the Payne's grey since this is a wall mount. I painted the buldge created by the mold where the eye is as an eye just playing around. Then steel wooled it some It will go to the customer this way. or as I tell them I can skip the detail work on the front and paint the back.. Most of the time I do put in two eyes but on replicas I am not anymore. especially when I paint the eye myself.
step 19.
sealed front and back after clean eye on show side.
step 20.
Scale detail green as I wanted a darker fish. Thinned with retarder and using detail brush and air at 12 psi. I sprayed lips top of head and down back lightly.
step 21.
Used same dark brown as before and touched up fins and spot on fish as well as between rays on pelvic and pectoral fins.
step 22. thought of using gold toner but decide fish wasn't to green
step 23.
sealed and installed fins
step 24.
thinned sienna with retarder and toned flesh y areas including tooth patch and anal fin junction
step 25.
Using powders in interference Violet, green, and blue and shimmering green and blue I tipped scales as best I can
step 26.
using shimmering white pearl I rubbed it into the scale pockets on the side into the belly and on the cheek. I used shimmering green under and in front of the eye. Just wish I would have had jeffs lense so I could have made the pupil the correct shape. Next time I will Maybe...LOL If I can paint a pupil
different camera
step 27.
Sealed powders with mist .
step 28.
Glossed with wetlook 240
step 29.
cleaned detail brush until the cows came home.
and ready to go to customer
hope some can use parts. Good luck
just dont get your days and nights mixed up like I have.
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