# Starting the detail painting on the Billiken Frankie



## frankiefreak (Mar 15, 2011)

I got my Freakflex paints and after some experimentation came up with this skin tone for the base coat. A bit different than my previous Frankie kits but variety is the spice of life. What do you guys think?

Michael:wave:


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## IanWilkinson (Apr 23, 2010)

I aint got an Airbrush, but iv'e heard some great things about the FreakFlex range!.. the shade of green looks good.. I'm one for not painting the monster in this tone. I prefer to see it with a dead flesh tone.. But i can't wait to see what you are going to pull of this brilliant kit!


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

I bought the entire set of FF paints at the Fest last year and am quite happy I did. They are airbrush ready and I believe there are 60 colors total. There are 3 or 4 shades of green. They can also be brushed but usually require at least 3 coats as they come very thin for airbrush use. They have a "Frankenflesh" color but I don't care for it at all for painting a Frankenstein model. It is an off green but rather glaring to me and not at all what I would consider dead, gangrenous flesh color. For my Frankenstein I mixed up a color using military interior green mixed with a pale flesh color as I recall. The color you selected isn't bad at all and rather like what I used on my Moebius model. I also have a bust I did similar to that.

Bob K.


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## frankiefreak (Mar 15, 2011)

IanWilkinson said:


> I aint got an Airbrush, but iv'e heard some great things about the FreakFlex range!.. the shade of green looks good.. I'm one for not painting the monster in this tone. I prefer to see it with a dead flesh tone.. But i can't wait to see what you are going to pull of this brilliant kit!


Thanks Ian. Now I can't wait to get him finished. I'll keep you posted.:wave:


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## frankiefreak (Mar 15, 2011)

rkoenn said:


> I bought the entire set of FF paints at the Fest last year and am quite happy I did. They are airbrush ready and I believe there are 60 colors total. There are 3 or 4 shades or green. They can also be brushed but usually require at least 3 coats as they come very thin for airbrush use. They have a "Frankenflesh" color but I don't care for it at all for painting a Frankenstein model. It is an off green but rather glaring to me and not at all what I would consider dead, gangrenous flesh color. For my Frankenstein I mixed up a color using military interior green mixed with a pale flesh color as I recall. The color you selected isn't bad at all and rather like what I used on my Moebius model. I also have a bust I did similar to that.
> 
> Bob K.


Yes, I am brushing this on and it does take multiple coats but I like the paint. I am thinking of toning down the green here with a pale flesh with a hint of gray before I'm done. I'll post more later. Thanks for your input Bob!:wave:


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## FLKitbuilder (Apr 10, 2011)

Here's a reference photo if you want to know the exact color of Karloff's makeup. This is a shot between takes on Son of Frankenstein.\
PHoto in next post. Sorry.


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## FLKitbuilder (Apr 10, 2011)

Oops..helps to attach the photo.Duh! It looks your color is pretty close. if you drybrush it later with a lighter shade you'll be right on.


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## frankiefreak (Mar 15, 2011)

FLKitbuilder said:


> Oops..helps to attach the photo.Duh! It looks your color is pretty close. if you drybrush it later with a lighter shade you'll be right on.


Thanks for the photo. I am ,in fact going to dry brush a lighter flesh/gray tone over what I have. Should do the trick.:wave:


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## FLKitbuilder (Apr 10, 2011)

I never understood why his flesh would be green. In the movie, they get the body as soon as it's buried, which is immediately after execution, and it's reasonable to assume that Dr. Frankenstein kept it preserved so as to prevent decomposition. I've always felt that it would be almost normal color with a slight greyish tint, since he did have blood circulating. But I guess the green skin gives him a more monstrous appearance.


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## frankiefreak (Mar 15, 2011)

OK. Not being completely satisfied with the skin color I lighted it with a mixture of Citadel Rotting Flesh with 2 drops of FreakFlex Banshee's Shadow gray. I think it's right on with the pic of Karloff posted above. I left some darker areas in the recesses were I'll shade anyway so details are already coming out. I love this kit!

Michael


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## Facto2 (Nov 16, 2010)

Looking pretty darn great to me. Look forward to seeing more pics as you proceed. :thumbsup:


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## frankiefreak (Mar 15, 2011)

Facto2 said:


> Looking pretty darn great to me. Look forward to seeing more pics as you proceed. :thumbsup:


Thank you. I hope to fill in more detail this weekend. I appreciate the support from my fellow modelers!:thumbsup:


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## deadmanincfan (Mar 11, 2008)

DAT'S got it, Michael! Nice work!


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

FLKitbuilder said:


> I never understood why his flesh would be green. In the movie, they get the body as soon as it's buried, which is immediately after execution, and it's reasonable to assume that Dr. Frankenstein kept it preserved so as to prevent decomposition. I've always felt that it would be almost normal color with a slight greyish tint, since he did have blood circulating. But I guess the green skin gives him a more monstrous appearance.


Most modelers tend to use green flesh tones because of the many promotional materials that featured the Monster with green skin (presumably because of the blue-green greasepaint Jack Pierce used).

I agree with you, and prefer more "natural" flesh tones. The problem is that no one has ever seen a reanimated corpse (not that I'm aware of, anyway), so the Monster's skin tones are pure conjecture and subject to interpretation and artistic license.

*NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH*--Many years ago I had an opportunity to observe "fresh" cadavers at the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office. The caucasians were all a pale flesh tone with various mottled shades of yellow (anywhere lividity had not occurred, that is). I was told this is because caucasian skin gets it's pinkish tone because of the oxygenated blood being pumped through the body; without that (i.e., after death), caucasian skin becomes rather translucent, and as the subcutaneous fat yellows (which happens after death) it becomes more visible and gives the skin a yellowish appearance. Because of this I prefer the Monster with a slightly yellowish pale flesh skintone.


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## IanWilkinson (Apr 23, 2010)

The Karloff make up was Green becouse it shows up better in B&W film making, as there was no colour in those days.. If you read the Shelly book the creature is discribed as having a 'dead flesh'..


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

I've read several sources that stated Pierce used green greasepaint so that it would photograph on the black and white film stock as a pale "death pallor".

As for the description in Shelley's novel:

"_It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs. How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips._"


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## kit-junkie (Apr 8, 2005)

It seems like there hasn't been an honest screen representation of Shelley's monster, apart from this, maybe.








Michael Sarrazin in *Frankenstein: The True Story* (1974)

I remember watching it when I was young.


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

I don't think even _that_ movie featured a faithful representation of the Monster as described in Shelley's novel. Also, unlike the novel, the Monster continued to decompose after reanimation.


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## kit-junkie (Apr 8, 2005)

Zombie_61 said:


> I don't think even _that_ movie featured a faithful representation of the Monster as described in Shelley's novel. Also, unlike the novel, the Monster continued to decompose after reanimation.


That's the closest I could think of.

I just started reading the novel. It's difficult getting used to the different way of speaking, from back when it was written. I find myself reading passages over again.

I only vaguely remember the movie. I just put it in my Netflix DVD cue, so I can watch it again. I remember thinking it was odd that the "monster" wasn't like the "real" Frankenstein, at all.


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

I recall having a little difficulty the first time I read the novel as well, but it didn't take long for me to get used to it and I was glad I stuck with it; _Frankenstein_ is now one of my all-time favorite novels.

I think _Frankenstein: The True Story_ was the first time I'd seen the Monster depicted in a way that differed from the classic Jack Pierce makeup design. Of course, that was 1973, the good old days before VCRs, cable television, and the Internet, so viewing options were very limited; the only thing I knew about the Hammer films was what I'd read in Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. Having grown up watching the Universal classic horror films and The Munsters on television, after seeing Sarrazin as the Monster for the first time I do recall thinking at the time, "That's not Frankenstein."


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## IanWilkinson (Apr 23, 2010)

Sarrazin's portrail of the monster was great!.. i forgot about that film, the way he started out looking real great, then started to decay!...


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## otto (Jan 1, 1970)

Shelly said his flesh was like yellowed parchment iirc.


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## otto (Jan 1, 1970)

Whooops, looks like I posted to quick, Zombie got the correct description.


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## kit-junkie (Apr 8, 2005)

Sarrazin's transformation:


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## mrmurph (Nov 21, 2007)

Now here's something tangentially related. Years ago I taught a high school physiology class and I invited the department chair of a mortuary science program as a guest speaker. He told us that morticians had to be careful embalming the bodies of severe alcoholics because the chemicals turn their tissues green. "I don't mean a green tint, I mean dark golfcourse green." I have no way of verifying the outcome, but thought I'd pass the story along. 

And your Frankie looks terrific, by the way.


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