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Translation : Daniel
Serrano
I’ve
never liked to talk – or write…
about me. It feels like I’m losing
privacy so that’s why it’s hard for
me to do it. Because of that I’ve
never been included in the “The
Author and his work” section of the
magazine EuroFiguras, being its
Chief Writer.
But
Pablo Roig has been constantly
asking me to write about my
biography in the hobby that I
couldn’t say no.
I was
born in Madrid in 1964, so I’m 42
now, 20 of those in the amazing
world of miniatures.
Since
childhood I had a creative vein, I
painted, colored, sculpted, cut and
pasted with everything my hands
could reach. So I grew with a real
artistic interest but I didn’t go
further. At the same time, my
favourite terms in school were
Geography and History, a subject I’m
still very interested today.
In
the ogher hand, I loved to play with
toys, representing imaginary
adventures. I started with the
typical plastic indians and cowboys,
and the Cavalry 7th.
After that, I played with Madelman,
Exin Cinema, and those figures from
Montaplex, sold in envelopes 5
pesetas each. After spending my
saving money I organized really huge
battles.
That’s the origin of this hobby. My
relationship with miniatures started
one day when I was having a walk
around my vecindary I found a shop
called “El Bazar del Juguete” where
they had toys, furry bears, balls,
cars and games. There was a box
plenty of kits of tanks, planes,
ships, cars, figures... They had too
some finished kits so I was
intrigued and came in the shop.
There was a nice boy who answered my
questions and sold me some Humbrol
paints and a little diorama in 1/72
from Nitto Kagaku that included a
german tank, four or five figures
and a little scenic base. In 1979 I
met Mario Ocaña Carreño (the guy in
the shop) one of the best figure
painters in Spain for several
reasons and one of the best people
I’ve ever met. We’ve been very good
friends since then...
I kept buying kits, I
was really hooked. The shop became a
reunion point for sharing our hobby.
We enjoyed building and painting,
sharing our improvements,
knowledges, experiences...
I keep a great of
those years.
The
shop became the modelling neuralgic
spot in Madrid and that group of
friends founded the Magerit-81 club.
I met great people there like Miguel
Felipe Carrascal, Manuel Martín
Beato, Carlos Sáez Lozano, Miguel
Montes Castrillo, Miguel Giménez
Bravo, José Llera Arnáz, Jesús
Carreras López or Luis Ontañón.
I
started with military vehicles but I
must recongize that I liked the
figures too. Although others sent
them off from the beginning I liked
to add them to my tanks or dioramas.
I started to paint and show them in
a single base. At the beginning I
only panted WWII soldiers but one
day I discovered the Airfix
Multipose serie so I started to
transform figures. Then there was
the Collector serie with a lot of
napoleonic soldiers and XVII century
stuff. I started to focus only on
figures.
At
that time we painted figures using
ennamels in a very primitive way
with simple colors and using the dry
brush technique for highlighting...
lately we started to glaze with
thinner and weathering with oils.
Some other painters used acrylics so
the most fearless of us started to
experiment with them but with no
remarkable success. It was in 1986
when Juan Manuel Moreno Flores and
Fernando Martín Beneito (r.i.p.)
looked for people to paint in their
shop so some of us tried out. We
learnt to paint with acrylics:
Pelikan’s Plaka (matt finish) and
Talens’ Decorfin (satin finish,
perfect for leather and flesh). Then
we discovered the serie Film Color
from Vallejo, a kind of paint used
to color film animation. That was
the early stages of the Model Color
serie that mainly all of us use.
So I
started to work painting comissions
until Rafael Montuenga asked me to
paint for Barreira Militaria. I was
asked to do comissions more and more
so it became my way of life.
I
painted a lot, even the same figure
for different collectors. I also
joined the Premios Ejercito with
Manolo Martín Beato and Carlos Sáez
Lozano, getting the first award in
several editions.
One
day I got a call from Rodrigo
Hernández Cabos, Director of Acción
Press, from the Modelismo & Historia
Magazine. He wanted someone to paint
WWII german camos for a modelling
encyclopedia that he was publishing
in that time. So I started to
colaborate with them across the
different names that the magazine
has had. In 1999 they decided to
publish a magazine focused only in
figures and Rodrigo asked me to do
it so I say yes and I became the
General Coordinator of Euromodelismo
Figuras and now Chief Writer in
EuroFiguras.
I
spent some years painting and
editing the magazine but since it
was growing I had less time to paint
so I finally quit painting. Watching
pictures, talking or writing
exclusively about figures tired me
for a long time but after some years
I started painting again in a more
relaxing way, without hurry or
presion, just enjoying the hobby...
Among
the years I participated in a lot of
shows, as painter or organizing
them, even as jury and nowadays like
a reporter. I love the ambient of
these shows. I’m not very
competitive but I must say that when
I got awards I felt happy and
blessed.
I
like to transform figures too,
little and easy things. I’m not able
to create a figure from scratch (but
I want to and I hope to be able some
day).
My
painting style has evolved in the
years, from enamels and drybrush to
acrylics and general lightning.
Today I paint following the zenital
light concept, with variations
depending on the figure. I mainly
use acrylic paints from Vallejo
(Model Color, Film Color, Game
Color, Liquid Acrylic) and
Miniaturas Andrea, although
sometimes I use Citadel or Life
Color. I also use metallic enamels
or varnishes and oils for different
effects.
My
favourite brushes are from kolinsky
hair, specially the Da Vinci or W &
N ones, numbers 1 and 2 mainly but I
also use numbers 0 and 3 too. I have
synthetic brushes too in different
shapes and sizes.
During a lot of time I painted with
blue solar light bulbs, 100 watts.
Today I use an architect lamp with a
white light (20 w / 6.400 k). I use
another lightning spot with a low
consum neon light.
To
clean and eliminate the excess of
paint and water in my brushes I use
an old piece of towel and I suck the
point to get it perfectly edged.
I
like to listen to good music like
blues, jazz, countri OST, classic
music and good rock and roll, mainly
heavy or hard rock (my young
years...). I also listen to the
radio, specially Sunday afternoons,
listening sport shows.
My
favourite historical subjects are
the American Civil War (specially
the Confederate side), napoleonic
period (the french army) and XVIII
and XIX USA history (including the
Wild West and northamerican
natives). I also like the Vietnam
conflict, spanish military history
(Independence War, Carlist Wars and
Foresea Wars), british colonial
conflicts, japanese samurais or
WWII, among others.
My favourite scale is
54mm (the big ones, like 60 or
65mm). I also like 70/80mm, 90mm and
I also have painted some 120mm. I
prefer white metal instead of resin
or plastic unless the figure is
atractive and of great quality.
These days the hobby
is reaching a great level in
painting and sculpting.
I’m a great fan of
people like
Juan Carlos Ávila,
José Hernández, Antonio Zapatero,
Jaume Ortiz, Ángel Terol, Rodrigo
Hdez. Chacón, Joaquín Palacios, Luis
Esteban, Pepe Gallardo, Diego Fdez.
Fortes, Raúl García Latorre, Emilio
Arredondo, Julio César Cabos, Jesús
Pérez Huélamo, Román Navarro, Jesús
Gamarra or my great friend Miguel
Felipe, Mike Blank, Gianfranco
Speranza, Stefano Cannone, Mariano
Numitone, Christian Petit, Adrian
Bay, Adriano Laruccia, Bill Horan,
Diego Ruina, Maurizio Bruno, Marijn
van Gils, Andrea Iotti, Doug Cohen,
Pasquale Cannone, Marion Ebensperger,
Danilo Cartacci, Julian Hullis,
Young B. Song, Pietro Balloni, David
G. Lane, Nello Rivieccio, Calvin
Tan, Gérard Giordana, Ivo Preda,
Philippe Parison, Enrico Azeglio,
Daniel Ipperti, Riccardo Ruberti or
Yannick de Giovanni.
There
is a group of people in Spain that
is painting better and better and I
follow their works with interest,
and most of them are good fellas.
I’m talking of Albert Gros, Jordi
Gros, Juan Miguel Fdez. Vicente,
Diego Jiménez, Pedro Ramírez,
Alberto Fuentes, Dario Ruiz , Samuel
Pérez, José Hidalgo, Íñigo Rguez.
Carballeira, Luis Sanz, César de la
Peña, Agustín Pacheco, Luis Ángel
Ruiz, Roberto Ramírez, David
Hernánz, Luis Tramón, Enrique Rubio,
Alfonso Prado, Daniel Serrano,
Miguel Ángel Canarias, Waldo Oses,
Joan Mª Masferrer, José Manuel
Palomares, Pepe Rando, José Mª
Murciano, Xavier Ruiz, Pepe Jiménez
Criado, Alberto Ambrós (Sam) or
Ernesto Reyes.
I
want to send a special regard to
Margarita Moreno Menayo, my
“brother” Guillermo Coll Llopis,
Mario Ocaña Carreño, Angel Pasos,
Josema Cazallas, Antonio Hernán
(Nono), Oscar Candel, Miguel Montes
Castrillo, members of the “Ekipo
Jo”, “Los Alegres Turlurones”,
Manuel Moya, Antonio Treviño and his
wife Montse, Juan Gómez de Segura,
Javier Redondo, Joaquín García
Gázquez and all my friendo from
A.C.M.E. in Almería, Lourdes López,
Carlos Asensio, Carmelo Merino and
the people from M.A.PA, in Palencia,
to Fabio Nunnari and Renato
Scuterini
,
JuanJo Torres, Paco Ruiz and, of
course Pablo Roig.
I
also want to regreat my job fellows
José Ignacio Pérez Lozano and
Basilio Tante Díaz for their support
with the images attached to this
text.
Album Luis G. Platon
Galeria Luis G. Platon
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