First WIP in 15+ years...help!

[gsr15]

Ok, on to the next figure, the Elf Ranger Farendil. I've just gone through and tried my first round of shading on the green tunic and hat. I used blue and black to darken the base green but I'm not sure of the result...it seems like it might be a bit bluer than it should be. I also put down the first cover coat of yellow on the neck thingy. Right now the best word I can come up with for that is hideous...I started with a brown base coat hoping to get a darker, deeper yellow in the end but right now it just looks ghastly. Any suggestions? If I just put on a few more layers and then start shading is it salvageable?

As always, thanks for looking and any comments are most welcome!

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[IvanRosski]

I would try some of the foundation paints by GW - the yellows in that set have a very rich tone, and greatly improved coverage. Worth a peek!

What paints are you currently using?

 

[gsr15]

I'm currently using the standard GW paints...I've seen the foundation paints but I'd thought they were mainly for basecoating...what's the difference?

So I took a break from the ranger because I've been really wanting to try my hand at the helm on the Chaos Sorceror Azoth the Faceless. The look I was going for was fire, but not actual flames...i.e. blending from white to red up the helm. This was my first attempt at multi-color blending so while its not as clean or smooth as I'd like, I'm reasonably satisfied with it. I found it easier to blend from dark to light (or rather more forgiving...takes a LOT more layers), so I think the blending is a little better on the horns than on the bottom of the helm where I started the other way around. Anyhoo, do you think this gives the look I was hoping for? I did this first so I could redo it without worry so if there's a better idea out there I'm all for it...hell, its more practice

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[gsr15]

The saga continues...been working on the ranger some more, overall its turning out a bit brighter than I'd originally intended but lesson learned I guess. I think I'm done with the tunic and neck thing (barring touch up and suggestions of course.) The yellow has been redone about 4 times and I'm still not really satisfied with it but its the best I've gotten so far so, moving on. I've started working on the face (probably should have started there eh?) and I'm curious about my attempt at a 5 o'clock shadow...does the coloration look right? Do I still place highlights or would the stubble dampen those out? Anyhoo, as always I'd appreciate any suggestions and criticisms.

Thanks for looking!

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[Mercius]

Your blending on the greens and the yellow are really nice. The 5 o'clock shadow works for me from a distance, but up close it doesn't work quite as well, not sure why. The unpainted portions still seem like you are not thinning your paints quite enough, they looks thick and glossy, not sure if it is the pics or not though. From the ninja you painted to this mini I can see a huge progression, especially in the blends, keep it up and be proud of what you are accomplishing!

 

[BPI]

Hi GSR15, just been looking at the Azoth helmet. It doesn't follow your rule for flame (white up to red) with the yellow running up the horns. Bring the red in on a horizontal from eyebrow height. Put a tiny bit of Black in your Red & work up to black tips of the horns.

Or...

Keep the pattern as is but work some shading into the roots of the horns. Not a full Black-Line but a tiny bit of black in with the red, to help give the helmet shape. Thicken the Orange band on the back of the helmet & horns.

If the blends start to feel too rough. Pause & make sure you're allowing layers to dry before working over the paint again. Use an Orange or Yellow ink glaze (very thin) to tie it together, then pick out the darkest & whitest area again (very fine highlights) if you're getting stuck.


Nice eyes on the Ranger. Try a very thin glaze of Asurmen Blue or Regal Blue, perhaps Shadow Grey, over the stubble. It'll help to sell the effect. Then pick out the bottom lip.

You didn't paint the hands at the same time as the face?

A quick, light drybrush of Boltgun Metal over chainmail helps to establish the shape of the stuff, regardless of how you intend to paint it later. best done immediately after black undercoat though. Worth keeping in mind on future models

If you want, you've room to shade a lot deeper. A bit of Vermin Brown/Bestial Brown in the collar. A bit of Regal Blue or Liche Purple in the tunic. (Mixed in with your basecoat colours).

Keep up the good work :good:

Cheers, B.

 

[gsr15]

@Mercius, thanks for your kind words, I was feeling like it was an improvement but its sure nice to know its not personal bias I kind of agree on the face, it looks good to me in my hand but when looking at the pictures it feels off...I'll give BPI's suggestion a try and see what happens, worst case I just redo it!

@BPI, many thanks for the ideas...I've been going back and forth on that helm because I've been reading up about painting fire and I started to see the helm like a candle flame, so I decided to add the blend out to yellow at the edges as if the center/top of the helm was the center of the flame with the horns framing the outer edge. That being said, you're definitely right that I need to darken the red. However, I've been thinking about the overall color scheme I want to use and I'm now thinking that this scheme won't fit well...I want to have a very dark red/burgundy type robe and a black tabard, so I think the bright helm would look a bit off...so I think I need to start over with a much darker color set for the helm, maybe base coat black this time...got some thinking to do.

As for the ranger, definitely some things I hadn't thought of there...perhaps some additional shading will help bring down the overall 'brightness' that seems to be there now. The hands, I assumed, were gloves...or at least that's how I'm treating them

Thanks again for all the help folks, it makes it so much easier to learn the concepts when I can get this feedback during the process.

 

[BPI]

Hi GSR, I was reading it as forearms clad in bracers with bare hands but if you see gloves & paint it that way, who am I to complain? I got caught out by one of Ellyxxx/Jeff's Elf minis recently with a similar thing. As long as you sell it to me with your paintjob it doesn't matter how I read the bare mini

Don't strip the flame head until you've checked a couple of articles in The sticky Thread on colour theory, in case they inspire you to alter the overall theme & keep the work you've already done? What's the compliment to the red/orange you've used? Could the robes work out with that perhaps? A Black anything to paint is tricky (tabard). Have you planned your approach?

On the Ranger. I don't mind the brightness. I'm an old school 'Eavy Metal fan But on the green in particular, it feels like a mid-green through a mid-green. I can see the 2 colours but want more depth. Black & white are the simplest solution but there is an array of colours to play with to achieve the effect.

Cheers, B.

PS :beerwave:

 

[Mercius]

GSR15, where in Seattle are you? I live in Everett Have you taken a trip to Bellevue to the "Dragon's Lair" comic and ame shop? They don't carry a lot of Games Workshop stuff, but have tons of reaper minis and paints, warmachine and P3 minis and paints, Wyrd brand, and a few Games Workshop things, mostly 40k.

 

[Tabris_]

The archer is starting to look nice. You are going to use more scenic bases or just paint it black like you done to the ninja? I've learned for personal experience that even the simplest base (like the sand ones i make) does a HUGE difference to the overall look of the mini.

 

[Mercius]

I agree with Tabris, you should at least do a standard sand base, maybe even add some static grass if you have any. I know a lot of people that will see a mini painted to a 7.0 standard, that the base is unpainted and will drop it by a point or more for not having a base.

 

[funnymouth]

this thread is a great read. nice improvement on the eyes.
but....
dont neglect your bases! seriously. im a base junkey, as are lots of mini painters. if you neglect your basing skills then youll end up with a great mini standing on a static grass carpet (crap). if you look at the best minis on the site you'll notice that most have highly developed bases. in many cases the context of the base is what makes a mini good vs bad.
heed my warning!
<wOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo>
basing is a miniatures skill just like painting - dont ignore it!
<wOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo>

 

[gsr15]

@Mercius, nice to know there are others up here, there certainly is lots of opportunity for painting when the weather is less than perfect. I'm a PhD student at the UW so I live pretty close to the main campus down here in Seattle. Didn't know about that place in Bellevue, done most of my shopping online. I did go looking online to see if there were any local painting clubs or anything like that but came up empty, and the display models they have at the local GW store are not exactly the highest quality so I'm glad this place exists.

@funnymouth, seems you're the latest to pile onto the 'gsr15 should worry about basing' bandwagon, albeit in a more interesting manner (is the altitude getting to you? ) I think the universe agrees with you though, I left one of my figs in the garage after priming it the other day and one of my roommates stepped on it and mangled the base beyond repair...subtle hint?

So, I yield, I shall attempt to learn basing at the same time as painting...the bills for my future mental care will be along shortly. Now this leads to the inevitable question, where to start?

I've read a number of the tutorials on basing here and on other sites, but haven't been able to find a good reference for what the best place to get materials is, or what a good starter kit would contain. GW has a fairly small selection of stuff, and its pricey (big surprise). The Gale Force 9 stuff provides a larger variety, not quite as expensive as GW, but still a heck of a lot more expensive than the Woodland Scenic stuff. They've got a mind-boggling variety of stuff, but a lot of it only comes in those massive shaker bottles, which would last me a lifetime...not to mention they're $12 a pop, which is a good price for the amount but is a bit much if I'm going to get more than a few different types of material at one time.

So, what are the essentials? mid-green static grass, some form of sand/gravel, and some shrubbery type stuff?

 

[Tabris_]

gsr15. I use only aquarium sand, PVA glue and normal paints but i thing most kinds of sand would work too. Some smalls stones can also be used to make things more diverse. For noobs like us i think just that and static glass is more than enought. Most basing material however you can find while walking in the street or in your own house.

I follow this tutorial and find it very helpful: http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?aId=9800023a

 

[funnymouth]

yeah, the altitude is getting to me. im from the california coast and i loath denver ( "head" my warning, lol. heed ).
honestly these days i sculpt most of my bases with GS and super sculpy (best stuff ever) - but sculpting is a whole different bag of worms. i am of the opinion that most of what you need you probably already have. just buy the basics - static grass/woodland scenics grass and some sawdust flock or sand, and most importantly - glue. i use PVA and crazy. the rest you can find around the house or outside. small stones and dusty dirt, chunks of cork from wine bottles (best rocks), roots (best trees) and ....the spice cabinet (seriously) has all sorts of textured materials that will make your bases kick serious ass. i highly suggest looking at older threads (e.g. an old one from me: http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums...wamp-display-base./page2&highlight=swamp+base)
or better yet, the articles section has some great intro level basing tips.

BTW, UW = best campus ever.

 

[gsr15]

Wow, its been a while...haven't had much time to paint lately but this weekend the weather turned a bit rainy, plus I finally had a bit of down time so I've finally gotten around to doing some more work.

First up, I've continued working on my ranger...tried to add some more shading per BPI's suggestion, I think the green is a tad better than before but the yellow just continues to give me headaches. I also gave his scruff that thin layer of blue BPI suggested, as well as doing a bit of shading/highlights to the face overall...though I was a bit sloppier than I'd have liked so with the (numerous) fixes, well, I think he looked better before I got to him this time live and learn as they say. I've also started working on the leather and metallics a little bit. Oh, and I think in the span of the last two days painting I've managed to snap the tip off the bow about 1000 times so...it's on there a little crooked at the moment but I'm sure I'll knock it off again so, I'll fix it next time.

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I've also gone and laid down some base colors on my chaos sorcerer, just to see how the overall scheme looks before I decide what to do with the helmet.

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As always, I'd appreciate any thoughts, comments, critiques, etc.

Thanks for looking!

 

[DunErwit]

Your ranger really looks nice. The shading of his tunic looks better and better And I don't think, that the yellow looks so worse.

Perhaps, I'd try a last highlighting with the surfaces which face upwards, so mainly on his hood and the almost horizontal ones on his shoulders of that yellow neck-thing.

When shading and highlighting, I myself always make the experience that - when starting - I tend to be a bit too conservative and cautious. But in the end, the mini looks better the deeper/darker the shadows are and the lighter the final highlight is (within certain limits and depending on your taste, of course). As usual, well thinned paint is absolutely necessary in order to get smooth transitions and to decide in time, when it's enough.

Same suggestion, I'd say, for your chaos sorcerer, too. Also, for him, I'd shade the skin of his arms facing downwards darker/browner as well as the depressions between his muscles.

The only main problem in my opinion: Your colours still look quite glossy, especially his gloves and boots. How comes...?

 

[BPI]

Nicely done GSR :good: they're coming along well.

How did you manage to break the bow? You're not handling the mini while painting are you? BluTack the base to an old paint pot to use as a handle. You needn't touch the figure itself now until after it's varnished.

Green is looking good. You've made the shade darker, now lighten the highlights. Not every single raised area. Just small amounts of thinned paint along the top brow of the hood for example. Mix a small amount of, let's say, Rotting Flesh into your base green colour to lighten it & have a go!

Yellow is a pain in the backside! The fact that you've managed to get it smooth is already great Again, tiny amounts of a pale colour (Bleached Bone or White for eg) just to catch a few small spots of highlight.

Don't be afraid of pushing your highlights too far, if they get too bright, you can glaze back very easily without undoing all of your hard work. The main thing I find is to apply the highlights sparingly. Don't just paint over all of your dark & mid-tones! (been there, done that).

Whatever you've washed the brown with does look very glossy. A matt varnish once the paint is complete will be worth applying, it'll stop those glints of white light appearing from dark shadowy areas. Concentrate your shading a little to get definition between different areas of the same colour. Here, the glove, bracer & bracer lacing can all be painted the same colour but a black-line of shading around the stitches & wrist will help to define the seperate pieces of leather.

On the metals, don't be afraid to use some blue to shade/glaze with. It'll look nice & clean & play off the colour of the arrow fletchings. If you go for dirty, try green/brown/black rather than rust colours so that the armour doesn't get lost amidst the leather.

Get that green out of his forelock!

Keep in mind, although it's nice to complete a mini, a huge amount can be learnt getting most of the way through If it's all starting to get a bit thick & bumpy, just move on to the next one. Keep this around for reference & once your skills have stepped up you'll be able to strip this one & start again! Though I suspect you'll have bought yourself something a little tastier by then

Cheers, B.

 

[gsr15]

@DunErwit I definitely think I stray to the conservative so far...it just looks strange in the hand with the higher level of contrast, just got to retrain my brain I guess. As for the sorcerer, I've only done a basecoat so far so there's much work left to do...just experimenting with the color scheme to see if the helmet works with the rest of the outfit...still on the fence I think.

@BPI So, I should correct myself a bit on the broken bow...its been broken since before I started painting this guy (too much time in the box of old minis), just reattached with super glue, which doesn't really seem to hold very well. I don't handle the mini when I'm painting it, but I have been careless a few times and whacked it with the brush handle or whatnot and that's been enough to knock it back off. I just need to be a bit more careful, even if it is just a practice figure.

The shiny appearance on the leather areas is from the Devlan Mud (trying to follow your leather recipe @BPI)...never used it before and the only other GW wash I've ever used is a Chestnut wash I've got from 15 years ago, but that doesn't have the same shininess. I'm not sure about the other areas being glossy though, that's just regular paint (albeit thinned). Hopefully when I go to highlight the leather it will knock some of that down.

The rest of the details I've only just started on (only a first layer of boltgun metal on the metallics), or ignored (the hair ) so I've still got some experimenting to do...the number of changes I've made certainly is affecting the overall look and texture but I still want to finish it up before moving on to something else, I hate having unfinished projects (I get the impression you're the opposite @BPI )

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[gsr15]

One more addition to the list...I finally went back and tweaked the eyes on my Barbarian Prince from the start of this thread...also added a bit of shading to the hair and put a layer of darker flesh over the whole thing to give him a more tanned look and hopefully reduce the initially huge difference between the main flesh and the shadows a bit. I didn't want to spend too much time on him though, since he was supposedly already 'done'

This is the second addition to my gallery, I'm curious to see how he does against the ninja:
http://coolminiornot.com/256778

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