Painting the Helmet

Coinciding with the leap year, this installment illustrates the wet-on-wet approach used to render the Luftwaffe helmet.

To enhance the spread of paint and diffusion of color, the surface is moisturized with a spray of the retarder and water solution before an intermediate highlight color mix of Storm Blue and Titanium White is airbrushed over.

Next,  colors complementary to blue were randomly applied in sparing quantities over a moist layer of water and retarder solution.

These colors were swirled around, generating a myriad of tertiary tones.

In part due to the retarder, the paint coagulates to a buttery consistency as it dries. This makes it ideal to employ the feathering(sfumato) technique - accomplished by using a fresh dry brush - in light and gentle strokes - to merge the stark boundaries between the different colors.

The muddy appearance from mixing complementary colors resulted in a lost of chroma and contrast. These qualities were reclaimed by incorporating a few specs Prussian Blue for chroma and Titanium White for contrast and highlight.

Again, the feathering(sfumato) technique was employed to smooth out the transitions along the color boundaries.

Taking advantage of the slow drying, effects of wear and chafe were simulated black paint dabbed with a sponge.

This allows all unsatisfactory areas to be touched up with Storm Blue and blemishes subsequently smoothed out using the feathering technique.

Some processes was repeated over a couple times in the single session before arriving to the satisfactory result. Finally, the helmet decal and Luftwaffe eagle was painted in by hand completing the paintwork for the helmet.

cheers,

Calvin