empire general SENMM

[dracon magis]

this is my first completed work posted up and i wanted C&C
http://www.coolminiornot.com/188880

rate if you want

 

[Infidel Castro]

I\'ll be frank here:

You need to learn to walk before you run. Your painting is not of a sufficient calibre to start tinkering with an advanced method like SENMM. Blimey, standard NMM needs a bit of flair, let alone SENMM!

 

[Dragonsreach]

I have to agree with reverend.
You at this point in time don\'t have the neccessary skills to approach SENMM which is a very complex thing to achieve.
If you look below:

You can see the two areas which I have Outlined in red.
These are areas which need the most and hardest work.
For the neck plates on the horse You\'ve curved the horizon line to match the curve of the neck, when in fact you should be curving the reflection to indicate the surface of the plate.
In the sheild it appears that you\'ve mixed a metallic back piece and non-metallic insignia.

In order to carry out NMM you need to be able to work with clean smooth blends or layers, unfortunately there are several areas where the layers are easily identified. Plus with techniques like NMM/SENMM you really need to ensure that the figure is clear from all flaws such as the moulding line that is seen on the riders leg.
By all means keep trying and posting in the forums as there are hundreds of people willing to help with suggestions. But for your next attempt try a smaller foot figure which you can concentrate your efforts upon.

 

[QuietiManes]

I don\'t think it\'s all that bad of an effort. It\'s always good for your own growth to try venture past your current limits, at least once in a while. I don\'t understand why so many people regard NMM as such a tough and complicated technique. I mean, who can\'t achieve smooth blends between colour transitions, highlights and shading? It\'s more of a case that people simply do not, as opposed to can not. Anyone can paint 100\'s of layers of basically just tinted water under a magnifying glass if they wanted to. I guess it\'s because NMM tends to magnify mistakes and short commings. I also voted.

Cheers

 

[dracon magis]

Originally posted by Dragonsreach
I have to agree with reverend.
You at this point in time don\'t have the neccessary skills to approach SENMM which is a very complex thing to achieve.
If you look below:

You can see the two areas which I have Outlined in red.
These are areas which need the most and hardest work.
For the neck plates on the horse You\'ve curved the horizon line to match the curve of the neck, when in fact you should be curving the reflection to indicate the surface of the plate.
In the sheild it appears that you\'ve mixed a metallic back piece and non-metallic insignia.

In order to carry out NMM you need to be able to work with clean smooth blends or layers, unfortunately there are several areas where the layers are easily identified. Plus with techniques like NMM/SENMM you really need to ensure that the figure is clear from all flaws such as the moulding line that is seen on the riders leg.
By all means keep trying and posting in the forums as there are hundreds of people willing to help with suggestions. But for your next attempt try a smaller foot figure which you can concentrate your efforts upon.

so what skills do i need to improve on smoother transitions and horizon lines?

i think the other side of the horse came out well but i did struggle with the side you pointed out i couldn\'t find a good horizon so i picked the best of the worst

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by dracon magis
so what skills do i need to improve on smoother transitions and horizon lines?
In essence those are the two main things, but also brush control.
While you are by no means a \"Happy Slapper\" when it comes to painting techniques, but learning to control the placement of the brush stroke will go a very long way towards helping with smoothness of transitions. And there\'s only one way to achieve it and that is practise.
To give you an example of where the layers show an area for improvement is the leg in the photo I used it\'s seeming to only show Two layers and could easily be worked with several think coats to get a much smoother transition.

Once you get the \"hang\" of multiple layers (ie more than GW\'s recommended 3 for playing) the transition to trying NMM and then SENMM should be a lot easier.

i think the other side of the horse came out well but i did struggle with the side you pointed out i couldn\'t find a good horizon so i picked the best of the worst
Trying to pick out where the horizon line should be depicted is always going to be rather problematical as you not only have to balance the need for it to be parrallel to the ground but also to match the curve of the object you are painting on.
As an observational technique look at the chrome names and letters on a car on a sunny day. They are ideal examples of how SENMM works in real life.

 

[Infidel Castro]

Originally posted by QuietiManes
I don\'t think it\'s all that bad of an effort. It\'s always good for your own growth to try venture past your current limits, at least once in a while. I don\'t understand why so many people regard NMM as such a tough and complicated technique. I mean, who can\'t achieve smooth blends between colour transitions, highlights and shading? It\'s more of a case that people simply do not, as opposed to can not. Anyone can paint 100\'s of layers of basically just tinted water under a magnifying glass if they wanted to. I guess it\'s because NMM tends to magnify mistakes and short commings. I also voted.

Cheers

You summed it up by talking about layering - a basic part of becoming a good painter. Without clever layering/blending, NMM (in whatever flavour) looks silly. The gent in question doesn\'t have the lightness of hand at the moment, by which I mean the basics aren\'t in place. Kudos for having a go, though!