Highlighting query

[Gerf]

Hey all,

Im now to these forums and just getting back into the hobby after my minis being stored in the attic for the last 10 years, and am having a problem with some highlighting.

I am working on a mini i want to have a realistic look to it, However much of the mini is black.

I know there are 2 schools of thinking about black highlights (blue or grey) and was wondering which people thought gave the most realistic effect ??? ???

P.S. I love the site, and am really jealous of the skills of most of you

 

[Mosch]

Can\'t really answer that one. Both will seem realistic if done with skill, but depending on what you are painting, one may be more fitting than the other. By the way, there are also blueish greys - I haven\'t done much black lately, but usually I\'ve been highlighting it with Fortress Grey, then Wolf Grey (and of course mixtures of the colors). I have also highlighted black with dark green and very dark red. It all depends on the effect you want to achieve - so basically what I\'m saying is tell us what you are trying to paint and we may be able to help you better

 

[Gerf]

Originally posted by Mosch
so basically what I\'m saying is tell us what you are trying to paint and we may be able to help you better

Hehe no problems, im working on some old 15mm scale plastic star wars mini\'s (made by ertl i think) At the moment im working on the Cantina Band who dress mostly in black and im trying to get a realistic look as in the film.

Though thinking about it maybe for a 1st project i should have started on something a little bigger than 15mm LOL

 

[Ritual]

You could highlight black using beige. This will get a similar effect as if using grey, but it will have a hint of brown in it. I think that works quite well, especially if you have other brown and earth coloured areas on the mini.

Welcome to the forums, BTW! I hope you\'ll like it here! Do you have a camera, so you can show us some minis?

 

[Gerf]

Originally posted by Ritual
Welcome to the forums, BTW! I hope you\'ll like it here! Do you have a camera, so you can show us some minis?

Thanks good to be here

At present since i only just got the all the stuff out of the attic i have no finished mini\'s at the moment, but i do have a cam so i\'ll post some pics when im done (or possibly a couple of WIP pics in a few days)

 

[Naukhel]

You might also base your decision on \'what colour is the light hitting it?\'.

A blue light shining on black, you go with blue for it.

A red light, you\'d go with red or brown.

A paisley light, you\'d go insane...

 

[Wolf_Fang]

darkened shadow grey - to a slightly darkened shawdow grey... worked for me...

 

[airhead]

boils down to \"there is no true black\" most are a very dark gray, blue, purple or some other base color. Also as was mentioned, what light? Torches are heavy in the yellow spectrum.

Black and white are the meanest colors to work. How to make darker black shadows and brighter white highlights? What color is light black? or dark white? Real pains.

 

[DragonPaint]

Originally posted by Ritual
You could highlight black using beige. This will get a similar effect as if using grey, but it will have a hint of brown in it. I think that works quite well, especially if you have other brown and earth coloured areas on the mini.

I agree with Ritual, adding a bit of beige into the black is more natural than adding white.
I can add another hint... basecoat the area with a very dark grey but not start from black, the additional highlight looks more natural.

 

[Gerf]

Cheers for the help all

I think ill probably go with the beige/brown option especially because of the lighting in the cantina.

I will hopefully get some wip pics up in the next couple of days if i can work out how to take good photos of mini\'s

 

[airhead]

Gerf, welcome to the madhouse.

As to photos, that is a horse of a different color. but look in my sig and clicky the yellow text that lies and says I have a brain. Lots of good stuff there on pics as well as a few good articles here on photo work.

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by Gerf
I am working on a mini i want to have a realistic look to it... I know there are 2 schools of thinking about black highlights (blue or grey) and was wondering which people thought gave the most realistic effect ??? ???

Hi, most black fabrics have quite neutral highlights in reality so you need to add brown to take off the natural blue edge you get when you mix white and black paints together.

Any brown will do but a dark umber colour, if you have it, usually works best.

Einion