Paint your figures all flat black first, this way if you miss a spot or two it will look like shadowing.  Then start with the lighter colors and end with the darker colors for the clothing and skin.  Always use flat colored paints.

Hopper Weathering Clinic III
By Bill Mock
January 2010

OK, I gave the inside of these hoppers a wash of Engine Black below the coal line. They [ ... ]

I have always wanted to start a blog, but 'starting' it is usually the first stumbling block.  This is true with a 2' by 5' canvas behind me for a [ ... ]