Skin tones

splodger crew
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.

You gotta love the interweb. Once upon a time, when a model maker needed to find out what colour oilskins worn by fishermen were, he or she would have to pour through books in search of a rare colour picture. Black and white shots would be hopeless as the clothes would just look black. You’d wonder if they were black. Or grey. Or dark green

Now a quick note on an e-mail list asking the question elicits the response, “The old wet weather gear was oilskins. Colour black when new, sometimes fading to gray. Compared with modern gear they were stiff, limited movement and bloody uncomfortable especially round the neck. They did keep water in and out.” (Thanks David)

So I can get on with a quick coat of black weathered down with shades of grey (this is a British model so it’s not gray whatever David says…). Easy.

The more modern trawlerman will of course have shiny yellow waterproofs. I’ll need to satin varnish these and then perhaps dry-brush some gloss on to highlight them. Mind you, this figure is excellent value for money in terms of the amount of resin so there aren’t many creases, at least on the front !

And in case you wondered, the fleshy bits are Humbrol skin colour dry-brushed with Revel’s version. I wondered about a touch of red to give that weather-beaten look and then decided that I didn’t want anyone on the trawler looking like they were wearing dodgy make-up. Some effects are more trouble than they are worth.