Painting Black Leather

[KeyanSark]

Hello everyone:

I'd like to hear some advice about how to paint realistic black leather...

The method I use is:

- Base Color: Black ("really?" :: )
- Highlight with Cold Grey or Shadow Grey, depending if a grey-ish or blue-ish finish is desired
- Give a wash of black ink if a gloss efect is desired
- Give a wash of very dilluted black paint if a matte effect is desired.

However, I suppose there are better ways and I'd like to know other approaches...

[Prof.Witchheimer]

never tried to paint black leather but I guess I would take less grey layers, black leather look always really black not grey-ish. Max. three layers, black, mix of "black+VMC German grey" and German grey. Then gloss varnish. But no idea how that looks like, maybe good, maybe not

[KeyanSark]

I'll let you know soon...  :wink:

[WitchfinderGeneral]

- Highlight with Cold Grey or Shadow Grey, depending if a grey-ish or blue-ish finish is desired

A very dark green leather was also common some time ago...

I'd paint it black, highlight it with desired colour (grey, blue, green, brown) and ink it black for more gloss. Think that works good for cloaks etc.
Shiny leather (like on the tight pants of a hot chick) has "hard" reflections. Best is painting the highlights with white directly on the right spots.

[KeyanSark]

Shiny leather (like on the tight pants of a hot chick) has "hard" reflections. Best is painting the highlights with white directly on the right spots.

Sure! I was yesterday revisiting "Return to Castle Wolfenstein", and for sure the way to highlight such a tight suit is heavy highlighting...  ::

I was thinking in coats or similar (don't have the english word, sorry) like the Gestapo agent of Bolt Action which I'm about to paint:


I don't think those greys are created by the lighting in the photo, and look way too smooth for me...  :oops:

[HerbyF]

When black leather starts to wear, the brown or redish brown leather color starts to show through. Wash with a dark brown or dark red brown. I use a color called black plum. Some times I will base coat with the black plum & wash with black.

[Steve F]

My current favourite:

Base coat black.
Build up highlights by adding white and (less) turquoise.
Wash with GW Devlan Mud.

Varying the degree and precision of highlighting, and the strength of the wash, can produce different effects of polish, wear, etc.

[Plynkes]

 

Surely this one's got to hold the record.

I hope KeyanSark thinks it was worth the wait.

[Hammers]

I hope he has moved on from black to other colours by now.

[Froggy the Great]

I highlight from black with the Stormy Grey triad from Reaper's Master Series line. with the occasional black wash to smooth it out.

Example:
http://spielorjh.deviantart.com/art/Agatha-the-Spy-161383791

[carlos marighela]

I suspect leather fetishists have infinite patience.

[jnr]

Foundry Paint do a triad set of Equipment Black,the base and highlight bottles are a very dark blue. hard to till if the black is a true black or has a touch of blue in it.

[Hammers]

I find that painting black, and especially leather, is not so much about which colours you use for hilites as which technique. I think small but sharp gradients work best. I also tend to apply a black wash last to help the blending.

[Malebolgia]

I usually paint black leather by adding a blue-grey to black and then finally a white for the final highlight. To make it less grey and more blackish, I apply a wash with Citadel Badab Black Wash. Works well!
Example:

[kalebdaark]

I usually paint mine a very dark gray and ink it with peat brown ink.  The lacquer in the ink give it a slight sheen already which will stay unless I use a really flat clear lacquer like Testors DullCote or something.    If you want it REALLY shiny, get some glossy clear decoupage like ModPodge and brush it onto the leather area after you have flatted it.   This will simulate patent leather or vinyl/rubber that you may find on donna matrix figures.  

Hey, just sayin'.   You never know what you'll end up painting.

Update: Here's an example of what the decoupage on top of shaded black looks like:



Supremely glossy.   Almost a lacquer or rubber effect.   Might work well for patent leather doo-dads also.