need color suggestions
- Thread starter Jana Wang
- Start date
D
Death Jester
Guest
Colour scheme
I took a look at your web site and to be honest, the 2 figures you have done so far are quite good - if you did a whole unit in either colour scheme it would look quite good on any table or figure cabinet! I like the way you chose to use gold and red together and not red and silver - the grey in silver always defeats the \"glow\" of red, while the rich metallic yellow in gold actually makes red look even better! If you want to stick with the white loincloths, may I suggest a simple stripe or motif to break it up a little (and put some flock or sand on the bases!)
There are basically 3 ways to choose an overall colour scheme:
1) go for a perfectly historical scheme
2) make it up
3) a bit of both!
If you want to be accurate, try to look for pictures or the real thing - the figures look like Roman soldiers or possible even gladiators (probably soldiers, as they are in a unit of 20!) so search the internet or your local library or book store for pictures of Roman uniforms during that time period - even the film \"Gladiator\" with Russell Crowe may be of some use!
If you want to make it up, then you will have to do that for yourself! Believe it or not this is the hardest of the 3 choices, I have spent days with a figure sitting on my desk and every time I look at it I am puzzled as to which scheme to use! I recently tried to do a bust of Frankenstien\'s monster. I was determined not to do it in the conformist way, I wanted mine to look \"original\". I decided on a pale flesh look which came out very well, and it took me over a week to decide to do a dark grey jacket and brown hair. The hair looks awful and the jacket not much better, so I will have to start again - sometimes it\'s all about trial and error!
The easiest way is to go for the accurate look with certain modifications. This means throwing in a bit of color here and there (usually on belts or loincloths or something small) to accentuate what is known as \"suspension of disbelief\". This big word just means \"make it look nice\"!
Your figures are wearing armour, which is almost always black, silver or bronze, but there are still loads of other areas to paint - the loincloth, the helmet, the cloth cloak, the animal-skin boots and cloak and the shield. If you want to do them as a single unit, then you have already got the right idea, as I said earlier there is nothing wrong with them! Maybe do 19 in one scheme and have the \"leader\" in the other scheme?
Best of luck!
Death Jester
I took a look at your web site and to be honest, the 2 figures you have done so far are quite good - if you did a whole unit in either colour scheme it would look quite good on any table or figure cabinet! I like the way you chose to use gold and red together and not red and silver - the grey in silver always defeats the \"glow\" of red, while the rich metallic yellow in gold actually makes red look even better! If you want to stick with the white loincloths, may I suggest a simple stripe or motif to break it up a little (and put some flock or sand on the bases!)
There are basically 3 ways to choose an overall colour scheme:
1) go for a perfectly historical scheme
2) make it up
3) a bit of both!
If you want to be accurate, try to look for pictures or the real thing - the figures look like Roman soldiers or possible even gladiators (probably soldiers, as they are in a unit of 20!) so search the internet or your local library or book store for pictures of Roman uniforms during that time period - even the film \"Gladiator\" with Russell Crowe may be of some use!
If you want to make it up, then you will have to do that for yourself! Believe it or not this is the hardest of the 3 choices, I have spent days with a figure sitting on my desk and every time I look at it I am puzzled as to which scheme to use! I recently tried to do a bust of Frankenstien\'s monster. I was determined not to do it in the conformist way, I wanted mine to look \"original\". I decided on a pale flesh look which came out very well, and it took me over a week to decide to do a dark grey jacket and brown hair. The hair looks awful and the jacket not much better, so I will have to start again - sometimes it\'s all about trial and error!
The easiest way is to go for the accurate look with certain modifications. This means throwing in a bit of color here and there (usually on belts or loincloths or something small) to accentuate what is known as \"suspension of disbelief\". This big word just means \"make it look nice\"!
Your figures are wearing armour, which is almost always black, silver or bronze, but there are still loads of other areas to paint - the loincloth, the helmet, the cloth cloak, the animal-skin boots and cloak and the shield. If you want to do them as a single unit, then you have already got the right idea, as I said earlier there is nothing wrong with them! Maybe do 19 in one scheme and have the \"leader\" in the other scheme?
Best of luck!
Death Jester
Flashman14
New member
They look more Greek to me than Roman - otherwise good comments Death Jester! esp about metals and primaries together . . .
I always find art to be a good inspiration. Look up the Trojan War or the Spartans on Google Images and see what you can find - Thermolpylae (sp) too. I\'ve seen crests on those Spartan helms that alternate front to back white and black (instead of top to bottom as you have) that look pretty cool - Also Bronze armor instead of Silver and Gold might be a neat alternative too . . . With Silver - I always think Paladin and Gold I always think Palace Guard (too rich and delicate for everyday combat) - but Bronze I think is a fightin\' mans armor - like a Pit fighter . . .
On the Crests how about alternating Blue and a deep yellow? (On the front Skirt like a thin line of deep yellow running low and parallel to the bottom edge against a blue background - Blue Cape as you\'ve done)
Or Red skirt and cape with deep yellow line and trim?
Or A deep Blue with trim in White -
or Medium Gray/white with a dark Blue line?
btw - mixing orange to highlight your red instead of white? yellow? will give it a little pop - and will help steer it away from becoming pink as pictured.
Any of this helping?
I always find art to be a good inspiration. Look up the Trojan War or the Spartans on Google Images and see what you can find - Thermolpylae (sp) too. I\'ve seen crests on those Spartan helms that alternate front to back white and black (instead of top to bottom as you have) that look pretty cool - Also Bronze armor instead of Silver and Gold might be a neat alternative too . . . With Silver - I always think Paladin and Gold I always think Palace Guard (too rich and delicate for everyday combat) - but Bronze I think is a fightin\' mans armor - like a Pit fighter . . .
On the Crests how about alternating Blue and a deep yellow? (On the front Skirt like a thin line of deep yellow running low and parallel to the bottom edge against a blue background - Blue Cape as you\'ve done)
Or Red skirt and cape with deep yellow line and trim?
Or A deep Blue with trim in White -
or Medium Gray/white with a dark Blue line?
btw - mixing orange to highlight your red instead of white? yellow? will give it a little pop - and will help steer it away from becoming pink as pictured.
Any of this helping?
The figures are OOP fantasy warriors from Fantasy Forge, they looked kind of Greek to me, but the big furry cloaks just seem wrong. 
I wasn\'t sure what color to do the loincloths, so I left it white primer. None of them have been highlighted (much if at all) I just wanted to get a base coat down and see what it looked like. BTW, the red is a cool purplish tone, no orange in that one.
I don\'t think I have enough contrast on the fronts of the figure, between the armor and the fur cloak, to make either really stand out. It all just sort of blurs. Blah.
Maybe they aren\'t as bad as I thought, though. Thanks for the tips, I\'ll keep working at it.
I wasn\'t sure what color to do the loincloths, so I left it white primer. None of them have been highlighted (much if at all) I just wanted to get a base coat down and see what it looked like. BTW, the red is a cool purplish tone, no orange in that one.
I don\'t think I have enough contrast on the fronts of the figure, between the armor and the fur cloak, to make either really stand out. It all just sort of blurs. Blah.
Maybe they aren\'t as bad as I thought, though. Thanks for the tips, I\'ll keep working at it.
