The Real Arthur Curry (Wappelmania)

Hi everyone,

The past year I have been experimenting and practicing with oil paints, after stumbling on some Youtube videos by James Wappel.

Oil paints have revolutionized the way I paint, in that I now actually enjoy painting and find it relaxing.  The biggest hurdle with oils is the steep learning curve.  It is like the old saying, ‘You have to first empty the cup before refilling it’. This was the hardest part; putting a side the way I paint with acrylics and adjusting to the need of the oils.

If anyone is interested in using oil paints, then there is one lesson you need to learn before picking up a brush – and that is the oils set the pace of the work flow and not the painter!

Anyway, I stumbled on several cheap plastic figurines on Ebay and bought a number of them.  These are ideal for me to practice on.  They are also very well sculpted and if done properly are just as good as any resin model.

The first figure I attempted was Aquaman, because of the relatively simple two colour scheme. It is roughly a 70mm scaled model.

The next step was the cleaning of mould lines which was a bit tricky because of the potential for the material to burr.  With a lot of patience and a gentle touch, I managed to clean it up and primed the whole model grey.

The next step was to add an oil wash of a dark red and a dark green and after letting the paint set and the spirit evaporate, wipe most of it off.  This creates a base on which to build the following layers.

When ready I painted on the basic orange and green with a dry-brush technique using very minute amounts of paint.  I always choose colours that are opaque for this part, ensuring good coverage. The dry-brushing mixes and blends the orange with the dark red beneath. The same goes for the green.

After letting the paint set for 20 minutes, I went back in with lighter colours and started to blend in the first highlights and lowlights. After which, I let everything set overnight.

I will proceed with the second row of highlights and lowlights tomorrow.  The paint will be semi-dry, but still workable.

I will continue the work tomorrow, so the next post will be in a few days.  Until then stay safe and have fun.

NR