1:35 'We squint cutely at the sun' (1 fig.)

A figure squinting into the sun, 1:35 scale

A quiet genre figure for a diorama. The name gives away the mood of the whole scene: the face turned to the light, the eyelids half closed, a relaxed posture. According to the figure in the name this is one figure.

How to work with it in a scene

Figures of this type work as a counterweight to hardware. Place it where the imagined light falls and turn the head toward it; the scene then gains a clear direction for the eye. It serves well during a break between moves, on a bench, by a fence or on a step in front of a farmhouse. Light in a diorama is suggested by color rather than by a real source: it is enough to lift the upper surfaces a tone higher and leave the lower ones cooler.

What to watch out for when painting

• Half-closed eyes call for a fine transition between the eyelid and the shadow.
• Apply the lighter skin tones well thinned and in many steps.
• Keep the hands and the neck in the same tone as the face.
• Pick out the hair and the eyebrows only once the face is finished.
• Keep the strong contrasts in the folds and leave the areas of clothing calm.

Which collection it suits

Builders of dioramas who are looking for a civilian mood, and anyone who wants to try painting a face in a small scale. The figure fits into the whole even when it stands aside from the main action. The dimensions, the material and the number of parts do not follow from the name and are not added here. The poetic name describes a situation rather than a particular role for the figure.