Originally published October 12, 2017. This article preserves One Sixth Society’s original reporting and images; product availability, pricing, and opinions reflect the original publication period.
A paint application can transform a sixth-scale sculpt. These five artists stood out to us in 2017 for their skin tones, eyes, fine detail and character work.
Eric Smart (Smart Customs)
Canadian painter Eric Smart had been painting sixth-scale figures for roughly a year when this article appeared. Two artists on this list helped him develop his technique. His work already included both painting and applied hair.
Rainman
This is obviously not the first time that Rainman has been mentioned on our site but when you are talking about painters it is hard to not mention him. Based out of Korea and an early creator of high-end sixth-scale figures, Rainman has been doing amazing paint work for years. His third version of Bill the Butcher features one of my all-time favorite paint applications. As with all painters, Rainman has a very distinctive style that looks great on the shelf.
JD Kim
Hyperrealism is not something that is easy to achieve at any scale, let alone at one sixth. JD Kim, however, makes it look easy. He has a way with eyes as well as skin tone that is almost unnervingly realistic. Starting as a custom painter, he has gone on to become the Master Painter for Threezero. You can keep your eyes peeled and check out his work on some of Threezero’s recent promotional figures, like Negan from Walking Dead or Dany from Game of Thrones.
Thomas Terbanc (T-Squared)
Thomas Terbanc is a talented U.S.-based artist. Extremely consistent in his work, he knows how to make a sculpt shine. His exacting standards stand out: he will spot a tiny flaw in work I consider excellent and start again. That patience helps explain the consistency of his results.
Jacob Rahmier
Jacob Rahmier’s work grew from painting and modifying sixth-scale heads to company projects, including QMX. Norman Reedus had also shared his work. One Sixth Society founder Jon Deak owns several portraits painted by Jacob and regards him as a personal favorite.
And there you have it, five of our favorite custom sixth-scale painters! Obviously this barely scratches the surface, and I would love to write another one of these soon. Feel free to post your favorite painters, and the spotlight might just be on them next!
Painting is one part of a custom build. Our kitbashing walkthrough explains the body, outfit and assembly choices behind an actual Deathstroke project.
How to Compare Portrait Paintwork
Compare the same sculpt before and after painting when possible. The sculpt sets the shape of the face; paint determines how clearly those shapes read, including the lips, brows, beard shadow and small transitions around the eyes. Heavy contrast can look dramatic in a close-up yet very different at normal viewing distance.
For a commission, discuss the exact expression, hair treatment and reference photographs with the artist. Ask whether the quoted work includes the sculpt, painting and applied hair or only one part of the job. Credits should make those contributions clear as well. A finished portrait may involve several artists even when only the painter’s name appears in a sales post.
