My First (Serious) Attempt At Figure Painting! Miniature Noob In Action

My friends, tonight we'll take a look at my first attempt at figure painting with all the proper techniques used by miniature painters.
Here's a beginner tutorial I used for skin painting: tinyurl.com/y4...
Patreon: / nightshiftmodeller
Instagram: / nightshiftscalemodeller
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Disclaimer: Most of the weathering products I use in my videos such as Ammo by Mig Jimenez, AK-Interactive, Wilder and VMS were sent to me for free, but with no obligations to promote them. I received a lot of them a long time ago, even before I started this channel. VMS is also one of my Patreon supporters. Being independent from big and exclusive sponsorship deals and showing you a wide variety of different brands and products was one of the founding ideas of this channel and I will always stand by this.
Music: Quincas Moreira - Scratch the Itch - KZbin Audio Library

[@derloco2035]

This video is a classic uncle Nightshift: Paints a figure on a level many wargamers with hundreds of figures under their belt won't archieve and is still telling everyone that it is not that good... Please never change XD

[@pathwanderer1183]

He does it on the models too! "aah its not that great" about a model that , had i made it, i would carry with me for life to show everyone, an that id probably take with me to bed..

[@burntbybrighteyes]

Agree 100%. His first try is probably one of the best figures I’ve ever seen and definitely far, far better than my best try.

[@markbarratt1453]

His humbleness speaks volumes. If I could get even close to the level of his first figure, I would be ecstatic!

[@henrythomasmarten]

been painting figures for 30 years. the above statement is, by my experience, true.

[@aaronwheeler3511]

@@pathwanderer1183 same same...

[@guidosarducci3047]

This guy's a genius in my opinion. Wish I had 1% of his skill.

[@rattusrattus5257]

Same

[@garyparker2969]

This Is Fact 🤓

[@Maxalhw]

Same

[@xjosephjoestar]

facts

[@jonathansteadman7935]

Wish I had 50% of his patience and eye for detail.

[@the_Spin00]

Papa Nightshift: oH goD I'm So BaD AT PainTiNG FiGurEs. Also papa Nightshift: makes a plastic figure look like a real human being

[@flyingeyeproductions5552]

Oh yeah daddy night shift! Chip my paints!

[@s.gaflytying3115]

@@flyingeyeproductions5552 🙄

[@aaronwhite1786]

Haha, right? I saw step 2 and was like "Welp, looks better than some of the minis I've painted..."

[@januszmanczak161]

Night Shift: Chipping is part of my religion, even on figures I will find something to chip

[@vonsopas]

Chipping: this is the way

[@mistapeper1283]

your nick sound Polish

[@alexhatfield2987]

Humility, honestly integrity. He even films his breakdowns. That's why you're such a damn good tutor. You're authentic. People relate. Oh, did I mention also an Epic modeller?

[@CoalPoggers]

“I shall call him, Mini Martin!” -Martin, probably

[@hoppernoeight]

Favourite time of the week 👍🏻

[@adorimable9690]

like i said when you asked, it looks great in giving the model life

[@jerryvolpini7987]

I'd rather a model with a poor figure than no figure at all!

[@dotdashdotdash]

Jerry Volpini - even an unpainted figure, at least then you get an idea of the scale.

[@jerryvolpini7987]

@@dotdashdotdash Yes, lol 😆

[@jacobs_models995]

When his first figure is better than ones you've been making for a year😔 Anyways, looks amazing!

[@Vortagh]

And then he complains how bad it looks :(

[@rattusrattus5257]

I know how you feel

[@deMarbot]

I have been painting figures for more than 30 years and that one is better than my best one

[@grimfist79]

Just follow that tutorial and you may get even better result.

[@grimfist79]

@@deMarbot so clearly you are doing something wrong 😆

[@ElectricGrapes]

Model companies: *makes specific paint colors* Modelers: “I’m gonna use a concoction of several paint colors for this”

[@ScottKenny1978]

You need to see the "50 shades of Feldgrau" pictures, where they have about 50 different jackets laid out and no 2 are the same color.

[@badsbe2682]

Camera work was great; so many figure painting videos where it would've helped if the camera was a lot closer.

[@KillahKurtz]

Me: should be paying attention in school Night shift: uploads Me: well alrighty then

[@DeclanJanzen023]

Me: has a final exam in 30 minutes...

[@jackbonham8497]

lol, I skipped German for this.

[@DisgruntledPigumon]

@SonofEyeAboveAll effoff but it teaches the important things.

[@swimporpoise5395]

@SonofEyeAboveAll effoff wow, no shit?

[@insidemiladsmind5792]

Honestly that is one of the best if not the best painted miniatures i have seen it is better than even some other miniature painters

[@dougsundseth6904]

As a figure modeler (primarily), it was fascinating to watch your work here. Your excellent brush control, your light touch, and your patience served you very well on this figure. This is a strong result for nearly any painter and a remarkable result for a new figure painter. I was especially impressed by your understanding of subtle color variations, which most painters take quite a lot of time to develop. My guess is that you are already practiced in actually seeing the colors that are present rather than just assuming that you already know what should be there. A couple of things: * Every miniature figure goes through a stage where it looks ... not good. Really not good. This doesn't change with experience; even the best painters I know have this happen. All you can do is trust that you will eventually work through to the other side and find the results you were looking for. This is what you did here, but I wanted to mention that it's very likely to happen with _every_ figure. The only thing that gets better is that you get used to the feeling. * If you want bright, saturated reds (or most colors, really) when painting over a dark substrate, you might try a tonal underpainting with white, then glazing the color over the top rather than mixing the white in with the color. The latter will tend to desaturate the color, while painting in a translucent color over a light to dark gradient tends to give you much more vibrant results. With a worn uniform, as here, a bit of desaturation can be useful of course, since those colors tend to fade pretty quickly on cloth. I mention this mostly in case you want a less faded result in a future figure. Brilliant start with figure painting that I think adds quite a lot to the excellent tank model.

[@paralipsis]

A suggestion for the future. I recommend painting a bit of a shadow on the tank where the hand is covering edge of the hatch. It helps sell the relationship between the figure and the vehicle.

[@junglelands9119]

Black leather i use English uniform and black with a wee touch of brown, gives you a nice leather effect. Great video mate....

[@ndewingful]

My friend you are too humble, it looks great! There's always room for improvement but your foundation is truly impressive.

[@321CatDaddy]

Not bad at all. I like the result, and by using different colors than “how you s’posed to do it” you made Hans uniquely yours. Great video!

[@michalkalich9822]

for a year i'm "trying" to paint figures of all sort of scales, and usually having fun but after watching your video with your FIRST figure I feel sad ;-) .... its not fair :-D

[@karljones9357]

I love watching you, even the older videos, I always learn something from watching them. I really need to practice more with my figures. I’ve just got a panzer tank and it comes with THREE TANK CREW figures. My wife bought me it and said “ here love you’ll enjoy doing this won’t you. I couldn’t tell her I’d never painted a figure or had any bloody idea how. So somehow with the help of your video and the hand of god I might just win this one. Thanks for sharing

[@arnaudspriesterbach8051]

I paint minis since i'm 12 years old and i cannot have a result like this. I hate and love you at the same time. Seriously it's really nice and it's the best tutorial for 1/35 minis i've ever seen

[@Torquejunkie01]

Never painted a figure before. Immediately paints a better looking figure than i have in 23 years 😄

[@alexanderking8612]

Nightshift this was the most pleasing video to watch yet!! Beautifully executed and thank you for the sharing!!

[@racefanrob]

You are not only a great painter, your presenting style is top shelf too. Entertaining until the last frame. Thank you for that! 🙏

[@Ernzt8]

I don't know what kind of weird perfectionist you are, but the face looks incredible. Especially the eyes are some of the best I've seen on a model

[@daniellejones5981]

Always Prime Flesh areas with white! It reflects light back up through the paint layers adding a more 'lively' look!

[@johngalt6929]

Good point about using quality, well sculpted figures.

[@realityinscale19]

for sure it is the best tuturial for figure painting ...you are wondeful Martin

[@disegnosys]

I like your techniques on how you painted this figure. It works for me.

[@dickiedick100]

The video and your joy is making this video absolutely fun to see. Thnx 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@nofuxgivens2797]

Great work! You could also use one of your lighter grey tones watered down for a glaze to apply to his jaw and upper lip for 5 o'clock shadow

[@williamsaloka9043]

I've been a professional Artist for over 40 years, and I can say that you did a great job!! Most people destroy their figure by really screwing -up the eyes badly. Looks good, Mr. Shift!

[@cesaresordina5080]

“My first attempt” *paints this perfectly as he has already done 100000 more before* “Yes totally the first time”

[@sclogse1]

My tip is this. If you dry brush when painting something that's supposed to be fabric or leather, (even better) it will achieve a surface quality that resembles fabric even at super close range. It will work on car seats, suitcases, clothing. It gives it a texture of suede. Try it.

[@user-oe6zl2np5c]

good

[@nonamesplease6288]

You're a much better figure painter than you give yourself credit for.

[@mitchellsumpter4807]

Drop the word ‘for’.

[@nonamesplease6288]

@@mitchellsumpter4807 Oh, really? C'mon, man.

[@charleshenderson9578]

Looking good. Painting the face is tricky. This why i watch you. My friend

[@waynedaly1718]

As a passable figure painter and tragically bad armour modeller. All I’m going to say is you’re killing me. Outstanding job mate. Gday from Australia. Keep the vids coming,they’re a great help to people like me.

[@fredrikvanlienden6749]

Adding Hans is the cherry on top! I've found that @andreaminiatures makes some great kits for layering different colours, like leather, skintones, black, et.c. It sure makes life easier for a noob like me. Keep it up!

[@dylanmcdowall5434]

This man was born to make models. He does something totally new to him and it comes out better than it would if someone with years of experience in that topic did it.

[@havanadog7987]

The face COMPLETELY transforms when you add the blue. Amazing job!!

[@johnrowbotham5054]

Well I don’t know about any better videos out there. I have loved watching this. Nice explanation through out . 👍🏻

[@paulcarpenter237]

FINALLY !!! Thank you for explaining this technique in layman's terms... I have struggled with this for years but your explanation of the way sunlight shines on the figure makes so much sense... Thank you...

[@mikemee8002]

Looks good for your first serious attempt for painting a figure. Don't forget 'Contrast is king!'

[@Steve-lh8by]

Almost had me in tears at one point, so glad it had a happy ending!!

[@CNSFX]

Looks good! With your airbrush go ahead a mist a little bit of diluted clear gloss on his skin to give him life. Just enough to take away the flat finish plus it will give the washes and layers of skin paint more depth. For the eyes next time paint the white early on and then block it in with skin colors. It’s easier to do it first rather than later. You can also use a warmer tint around the eye lids to give them detail and depth. Afterwards block the warm edge detail in with regular lighter skin colors. The pupil can be last in any color you want and to top it off you can add clear gloss. Keep it up!

[@mrbeast85]

Great tip which has helped me with face painting (the 1/35 scale variety!) is to buy yourself a pack of Hornet 1/35 (or 1/32) scale heads and just practice painting them. I found it to be a very useful exercise and its also encouraging to see the improvement from the first one you paint to the last.

[@noname65PL]

Miniature painter here. Without any sugarcoating this is damn well painted Hans. Like solid 8/10. If you wouldn't say it was your first mini I'd say you have way more experience than four days.

[@nizzleburger]

Thanks Night Shift, you've just made loads of us give up figure painting!

[@PoliticalRiskPod]

Absolute legend. You're an artist.

[@voodoonights1671]

LOL "4 days makes me an expert" - in the world of the internet and youtube it makes you so much more!

[@jaquae8808]

Thanks for the tutorial. I've watched it over and over because UN is a master despite his humility. I've got a long way to go but now have something to shoot for. I highly recommend this tutorial.

[@heybabe8438]

I love comedy's he will get better after a good night's sleep. An Artist at work thanks for the hints and tips .

[@grahameparry8827]

Amazing - just quite simply, amazing - Thank you!

[@timothyperrigoue3997]

Bravo Maestro! Figures add life and scale! You Nailed It! I think you have just lit a fire under many modelers who have had fear of figure painting. NOW: Another Challenge! Maybe with all the free time you have... a Russian mechanic inspecting that Ball Tank from forever ago!

[@raymondo162]

TOTALLY Bossed it with the figure. face, in particular, is pure brilliant

[@noobiepro276]

He is right about the good model paints it self

[@denniskaczoruk9709]

Yes thank you Mr . Martin, you have given me that kick in the ass to try. You have returned the fun into my hobby for me.

[@DJ-rd1gi]

"first time painting figures" . . . . . . Nailed it!

[@royarianto4617]

Finally i found the easy way to paint figur from this canel.. Thx dude...ur the Mannnn!

[@wesfos]

you made a statement that you hoped to get better..........IMPOSSIBLE this was outstanding

[@cudathehawgjetfixer7520]

From what I've seen by your past attempts on armor, your figure painting is still plain awesome!!! It's always good to challenge your abilities

[@halkilpatrick251]

Uncle Nightshift, you did an excellent job. You’re artistic reasoning is genius. You adjusted and made it happen. Well done my friend.

[@claudiomoncada4763]

finally, he is alive! good result and changes a lot the presentation of the model. 👏👏👏

[@philhitchings]

Don't sell yourself short. This is an excellent tutorial with a great result

[@Ccccccccccsssssssssss]

It turned out great! Thanks Uncle Nightshift!

[@tladrt48]

Total excellence and great instructions about what you accomplished

[@michaelweiss7880]

Martian is top flawless figure and paint apps. You are awesome brudda!

[@PanchoHxD]

I really watch all your videos and although my English is a bit basic I can learn and get very good results. Best virtual classes without your youtube videos my friend 🤩🤩🎨🤗🙌

[@erichheyde5953]

I feel like I’m being watched !!! A week after I started my tamiya Jagdtiger build. The first video shows up. I ordered a set of German figures 3 weeks ago They came in the mail Thursday. Now this video!!!!! Love the Chanel !

[@evernightcreations]

This figure looks absolutely perfect. I love the wires you added for detail. The finishwork is fantastic! ❤

[@GunsNRoosendael]

Duuuuude don't be too hard on yourself! Hans looks amazing!

[@kaapeli9538]

That is honestly the most realistic looking model figure ive ever seen any modeler paint. Splendid job!

[@jilthunder2276]

Unbelievable that this figure is the first one you did after a very long time (or at all?) - It looks great! And I am always surprised, how much "life" just one figure puts into an armored model and makes it far more interesting instead of keeping it "naked". Great work!

[@noapld9]

Tip on painting skin from an illustrator: Northern European pale skin has a bit of a cooler, pinker, undertone to it, while the miniature has a more beige/yellow tone. So even though he was pale enough, his skin still seemed off to you. That kind of skin tone is more common in southern europe (like balkans, italy and spain) and parts of the middle east (like turkey, lebanon, syria etc...). But honestly, it looks great for a first serious attempt. Keep it up and I hope this helps :)

[@ftumptch86]

You've done a lovely job on him. Wish my attempts were as good as that and I have been miniature painting for years. Top tip for eyes to try, do them black first, then smaller white eye shape then black dot for pupil. You'll manage that peasy squezzy.

[@KoljaLauterbach]

Holy S**t, the result is crazy! YOU are crazy if you think this could be done better! No idea how astronomical high your standards are, but for me this is PERFECT! I wish I would be able to be able to do something like that at even 10 percent!

[@Visigoth_]

I think it looks fucking great dude! 😀👍 - It's fun seeing you try things outside of your comfort zone.

[@FernandoHenrique-ij3tt]

Technical and funny - the best way to learn. Awesome video

[@jamiesworkshop3198]

Well, congratulations! Your figure is better than 99.9% of other modelers first figure. Or 100th figure. I knew with your skill for detail, you would nail it.

[@warrelics779]

Thank you so much for your videos! My first model ever came today (It is a King Tiger) and I've been watching a lot of your videos, as I'm gonna need lots of info to make sure this model comes out looking well.

[@rb4863]

I remember you saying yoy werent sure if you would include the figure in the final build. I think you made the right choice. The figure really helps tie the model together and gives a fantastic sense of scale

[@Atrudas]

The figure looks awesome

[@danteogilery7948]

wow!!! nicely done Mr.Night Shift I'm waiting for the next episode!

[@razor69006]

I hate you for being so good at painting. I mean man! For a first attempt it’a better than maybe 90% of people after entire life to paint figure. Amazing work ... !

[@BetweenTheBorders]

Not a figure painter. Noob. Teaches me more than I've picked up in 20 years. I'm just impressed.

[@robchallis2423]

Superb work and interesting techniques from your armour modelling which are new to me. Thank you .More please! Take care and keep well. Rob from .UK

[@Swigester]

looks awesome! and remember this is your channel and you can build/ create whatever you want, if you want to build a diorama build one, if you want to explore more types of modeling, do it! everyone is here to watch how you create stuff, not what you create. cant wait to see what you create next.

[@ekmad]

That's an amazing result for a first try.

[@mitchellsumpter4807]

It looks fabulous to me! Listening to you is very entertaining; a hoot!

[@cliffherring7006]

This is absolutely genius!!! You are about to get a ton of requests for figure painting tutorials....

[@XxBloggs]

What an awesome job!

[@patrickwilliams9935]

Absolutely brilliant tutorial Night Shift

[@stephenthorpe5206]

Excellent M8...I aspire to that level of detail and realism 👍

[@henrygrey285]

A tip... Try to ad some shadow under the figurine's hand on the tank! It will pull everything together ;)

[@SoulSoundMuisc]

As a miniature painter, I gotta say. That looks pretty darn good. Okay, maybe it isn't perfect, but dang!

[@henkstersmacro-world]

the thumbnail looked so much better🤣🤣👍👍

[@Tinblitz]

Being able to curl up in bed and relax with a Nightshift video is the absolute highlight of my Friday night.

[@KainBlake]

A tip from a long time mini painter: we often start with a black or very dark grey base and apply several dustings of white ink from above to achieve a good gradient of zenithal highlight to establish where highlights and shadows are meant to be. Impressive result, btw

[@gruppenfuhrer45]

Your first attempt looks better than my several attempts Martin.