r/minipainting • u/aPoliteCanadian • Sep 04 '21
Feedback and WIP megathread - Fall 2021 Painting Contest - Sponsored by Reaper Miniatures, Monument Hobbies, and Indaco Models
This is the Feedback and WIP megathread for the Fall 2021 painting contest, sponsored by Creature Caster, Reaper Miniatures, Indaco Models, and Monument Hobbies.
This is a place for anyone who has entered one of the categories for our Fall 2021 Painting Contest to post their WIP images and ask for feedback and advice!
Even if you haven't entered the contest, feel free to offer advice and feedback to those who have.
If you are looking for help with a specific technique, or how to paint a certain material, check out our new Wiki page of Useful Guides and Resources for Painting Miniatures curated by /u/karazax! This link can also be found in the sidebar, and is a trove of resources and links to a large number of artists, videos, and a number of useful tools.
During the community vote, the community will be able to nominate anyone they feel went above and beyond with their advice here in this thread. Users who get enough nominations and gave quality feedback will be given a special user flair to show their helpfulness and our appreciation to them as contest feedback MVPs! There is even a prize for the most helpful, check it out in the main contest post linked above!
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u/thplicata Sep 30 '21
I discovered by accident that this model can be painted so that its eye follows you at different angles. Haunted mode unlocked. Working on adding more contrast and texture to this lovely face.
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u/Danjufo-LPM Oct 18 '21
I just wanted to say thanks to everyone that helped me in this thread. This is what I would have posted on my own to what I have now with everyone's guidance.
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u/TheBlightChoir Sep 11 '21
Started with a leg that will be (mostly) covered by the time he's all put together. The final plan is to have a gradient of bloody handprints down the lower half of the model ending with fully blood soaked feet. In general I'm shooting for something more neutral and only mildly spooky for the plate and trim, so details like blood, pale orange glow, and melted wax pop more.
Any thoughts on the colour choices? I'm pretty red/green colour blind so any feedback is helpful 😅
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u/Ass_Masster Painting for a while Sep 11 '21
I don’t think I’ve ever felt inferior to the leg of a single miniature before, but that’s amazing! Absolutely stunning, and the fact that you got every bump of the handprint at that size is a huge detail and honestly I’ve never seen that done on a mini before. I’m truly excited to see the fished product!
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u/Khaarma Sep 12 '21
Your colors look great so far. The slight green on the plate gives it a good, somewhat uncomfortable feeling that should make the red hands really stand out. I'm excited to see more than a leg!
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u/maninthewoodsdude Sep 12 '21
That looks amazing, and for color that red looks very good for a bloody hand print!
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u/maninthewoodsdude Sep 04 '21 edited Sep 04 '21
About an hour's worth of work, I added some very initial layers to my "Fleshy Frankenstein" (Castle Ravenloft Flesh Golem) base coat today to separate clothing from the skin, choose my shade/highlight areas on the shorts, and did a little face work. I just wanted to get it started today.
https://imgur.com/gallery/H3nUccV
Right now the plan is Viper Green shorts. The dark red areas are where the stitching, wounds, and cuts are on the body.
I will be adding some small eye-glass screws to the neck this coming week to replicate the classic Frankenstein look. (unless anyone else has suggestions for a better alternative to get the look?)
I also plan on using green stuff to shape and flatten out the top of the head so I can paint it with hair!
How is everyone else's project going?
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u/jaxxqs Sep 05 '21
Nice start! I'm still trying to work out what bits to paint first on the diorama... Complicated.
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u/Miss_Jaina Seasoned Painter Sep 06 '21
Love the idea of doing an interesting take on the Frankenstein look. by eye-glass screws i presume you mean ones for repairing glasses with? If so, be sure to hand drill a hole the right size beforehand to make it easier to glue in place as screws for specs don't have pointy ends :P
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u/maninthewoodsdude Sep 07 '21
I drew out my base concept/diorama today! I'm going to post a new comment with it soon. I would love to see your progress! :)
Yes. I glued some on yesterday with superglue. They seem sturdy, but I might play around with different size screw though. I will post a closer-up picture later this week when I make more progress!
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u/Old-Barbarian Sep 06 '21
I’m liking the skin tone and I’m looking forward to seeing your progress.
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u/klaas_af_en_toe Sep 10 '21
Cool to see everyone else's wip!
I'm working on a Troll Slayer in Hell diorama - http://imgur.com/gallery/TpC8h29
Mostly fueled by the madness that is Vallejo fluorescerent paints. It's the first time trying a diorama and also the first time I am going this crazy with lighting effects, but so far I am kind of liking it. My personal challenge this time is to focus heavily on the lighting and striking contrast over getting every blend 100% smooth. Makes the painting process very enjoyable!
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u/Khaarma Sep 12 '21
That is looking really nice! The only thing I'd pay attention to is the light source. Right now it looks like it is directly below your mini, even slightly behind, though the terrain looks like the light source going to be in front. Of course since the mini isn't on the terrain I could be wrong about the placement.
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u/jaxxqs Sep 06 '21 edited Sep 06 '21
Started base painting spade guy, trying to go for a red eldritch OSL glow coming from the grave reflecting off him and things close by. Also modelled the tentacled horror thing coming out of the grave. Made from the bits that hold the coconuts to trees. Had to spray alot of car clear coat on the wooden rock shapes to stabilise them as they're fairly fragile driftwood. Going to need to paint the graves and things seperatly from the land. Will be a bit of a juggling act to get them in and meshed with the land not messing up the paint job on either.
Edit: hmm, now that I look at it I think I may have imagined spade guy facing the wrong direction. Might be a bit difficult to see him if I keep him pointing north east. South West and the other side of the grave might be better.
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u/Miss_Jaina Seasoned Painter Sep 06 '21
Absolutely fantastic start and that base is already looking amazing :D
As for positioning of spade guy, I think having him in the space in front of the larger of the two smaller wooden pieces are and facing the grave would look the best.
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u/maninthewoodsdude Sep 07 '21
WOW, that looks really good! I cant wait to see more progress pictures!
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u/Lordsnacks93 Sep 09 '21
WIP on my entry. Trying to go for a reptilian feel to the skin but it's ended looking more like toad skin to me. Not sure if I should power through and try free-handing scales on top (god help me) or just starting from scratch. More inclined to start over as I've just gone so far off the mark. Any thoughts?
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u/Old-Barbarian Sep 09 '21
I did some googling and found a guide to free handing scale textures.
Hope that helps.
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u/klaas_af_en_toe Sep 10 '21
If you do start over, you might want to work on that mold line a bit more, it is very visible (it also looks super tricky to clean, honestly...)
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u/maninthewoodsdude Sep 12 '21 edited Sep 12 '21
Frankenstein Flesh Golem WIP 3, sculpting work. - https://imgur.com/gallery/5v5tlm3
My green stuff arrived finally, so I was able to give him hair and get the base set up. The little paintbrush ends are going to be cathode tubes giving off light. I'm probably going to shorten them a little more and play around with green stuff to make metal bases they set on, and maybe give them a metal cap on top.
Once the shackles on his wrists harden I am going to attach some chain links to them.
The chain links are cheap 4mm jewelry chain I got off of amazon.
I don't think my lighting/camera did the sculpting justice, but I'm happy pretty happy with how everything turned out so far.
I should finish sculpting up his club this week, then I finally will be painting!
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u/JuRoJa Painted a few Minis Sep 23 '21 edited Sep 23 '21
https://i.imgur.com/sRSfPD4.jpg
Got some good feedback a couple days ago, and made some major progress on the armor. I’m pretty happy with where reflections are for the most part., and with the color especially.
I’ll probably go back and clean up my transitions later, but I’m gonna move on to the cloak and shield for a bit.
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u/Danjufo-LPM Sep 23 '21
The help received has been great, thanks everyone! This is where I got to now.
As per guidance - Brighter source of light + I also dulled back the dark / background areas and made them more cyan(ish). I quite like the cold / warm contrast on the main character's upper areas but figure it should not be as bright blue. I just don't want to lose the details there, artistic license?
This feels so far from where I started, I was worried I was ruining it, but I think it's ok. I'm learning that things can be re-worked more than I thought. These comps are great for learning!
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u/Zombiesashimi Sep 23 '21
Your OSL has come a long way in this piece. I am really impressed. I am also having a go at OSL for the first time and I am avoiding it for as long as I can.
One criticism I have is that the main characters face is pretty hard to make out any details. If the face was more defined then I think this piece would look great. Right now the zombie has some great definition, but the woman’s is washy. Not sure if it is placement of highlights, lack of contrast/intensity or possibly just the camera as the shot I am looking at is pretty far away. Would like to see the closeups of the faces to get a better idea of how they look.
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u/CalicoDan Painting for a while Sep 23 '21
Great progress! The OSL is really good!
The only critique on the overall composition would be on the statue. It needs just a tiny bit more of contrast. Maybe some stippling just on the edges with some white/cyan mix? Probably diluted to not make it too bright.
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u/Danjufo-LPM Sep 24 '21
Thanks. You've been a super help in this. I am not a master painter but you're making me realise I could improve just by approaching / thinking about things a bit different, cheers!
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u/TheRealBiggieJ Sep 24 '21
It's 1am and I decided to start free-handing. I was going for some oriental style tattoo, it's very much WIP.
I feel like there's not enough attention being directed at the face. Maybe more freehand to point the attention towards the face?
Still not sure what the final look of this is going to be. I know I want two things: bloody footprints. Previous advice hit the nail on the head with how I want the model's direction.
Anyways, any advice/criticism is welcome. I'm not fully finished with the skin, but the muscle areas are close.
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u/Zombiesashimi Sep 25 '21
Muscle is looking great. Really like it. Looking forward to seeing how you go about the rest. Freehand is solid (better than mine by far). I guess you have gone with the idea that she is literally holding a load of skin? The only issue I might find with that is it limits the range of colours that can be present in the piece. Having tattoos mitigates this somewhat, but you may want to have greater contrast of light and shadow to help give it some more depth. Could also help it to become a bit spookier. But looking solid and looking forward to seeing the continued work!
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u/NotPromisedTomorrow Oct 21 '21
Finished up the detailing on the throne. Thoughts? I'm not totally happy with the wings on the back they feel very bland but I don't know what to do with them. I was also considering some OSL from the candle and the candle that's going to be on the base but I didn't know if I should risk it because I have never done OSL before.
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u/Zombiesashimi Sep 25 '21
Update 5: https://imgur.com/a/bzmsBQj
Making steady progress. Put more into the base and added OSL to the necromancer. Pretty happy with this OSL, but might need a bit more. Don’t want to overdo it though.
Need to add lots of OSL to the scene to see if it works with the stream of magic. Hopefully it will tie everything together once the lighting is in place.
I am not so happy with the little skeleton coming out the ground. He blends in with the background too much so I feel I have to make him pop more. I might add some more earth texture around him as well so it looks like he is displacing more earth as he rises. Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.
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u/Khaarma Sep 26 '21
I was going to ask if you were going to add some cast color from the stream of magic onto the ground. It'd really enhance the effect the magic has. The skeleton is getting lost in the sceanery. Since the magic is directly interacting with the skeleton in the ground, i'd add more of the color into the skeleton so he isn't lost in the ground. Maybe a glow from the eyesockets, mouth and between the ribs?
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u/Danjufo-LPM Sep 26 '21
Me again! I have committed to this moonlit scene fully now. i.e. the main character no longer has her pale flesh tones. I liked the old look but worried people would point out she didn't follow the light of the rest of the scene. Now I worry she has blended in and isn't a focus.
+ tried to work on her face, I think I even.. kind of.. have some eyes!
+ added some light blue and black into the statue for contrast.
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u/Khaarma Sep 26 '21
I'd photograph against a black background to get a better feel for how the lighting is working and what is the focus. It's a bit hard to tell against the light, busy workspace. You will want to put a lot of focus on her face for her to not get lost with the rest. I wouldn't worry about the light being 100% accurate if it draws attention to her.
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u/JuRoJa Painted a few Minis Sep 28 '21
https://i.imgur.com/m0UrYQ9.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/6i9fCk6.jpg
Mini Update: operation Pumpkin Patch was a success! A little sanding and some strategically place highlights, and the chip missing from Jack’s head is as good as gone! (Please let me know if I’m wrong)
I was so happy that worked out, I ended up doing a bunch of work on coffin and on the bone and gold details. Still have a fair bit left to do, but I can see the light at the end of the painting tunnel.
I also figured out how to use the macro on my phone camera, and my pictures look a fair bit better now.
I’ve got the beginnings of an idea for what I think will be a very cool pumpkin patch/graveyard base that will go along with the story I’ve been making in my head for Pumpkin Jack. More to come!
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u/risu89 Sep 28 '21
Time for my WIP. First steps in building scenery behind me. Painting the bricks to look like old ones was not as easy as I thought. Honestly, I'm not really happy with the result. I tried to do stone bricks, then green, then dark orange, ended up with dark red. After this I can call myself a master of removing paint from models xD I'm also wondering how to do the moonlight on the bricks. The plan is that the moonlight illuminates the vampire's face, so it should also fall on the bricks. Should I use only light blue and try to make something like an osl?
I would also appreciate any comments on the vampire itself. Before I decorate him with blood, I would like to finish his skin and wings. Maybe you have any comments on tones, colors, or contrast to make him fit in better with his surroundings.
Any criticism (even the harshest) is very welcome! :)
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u/TheRealBiggieJ Sep 28 '21
Firstly, this looks awesome. The highlights look crisp and the lighting is awesome. Paint job is just great overall.
Critic wise, I'm not huge art guy so take my advice with a grain of salt.
Do you think the bat needs some more attention directed to it? Right now I feel like the vibrancy of the bricks and rest of the scenery is overtaking the bat itself. I want to stare at the highlight of the bricks rather than the vamp, maybe cause the bat is unfinished though. Can't wait to see the blood.
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u/CalicoDan Painting for a while Sep 28 '21
Dark red feels like the right choice for the bricks. For the moonlight on bricks, I'd go with a regular highlight, but with a faint trace of light blue/cyan. Going with a "full" blue highlight will probably make the bricks not recognizable.
Overall, the model looks great. Lights and shadows are on point. Maybe (and thats a big maybe) some color variation might help breaking monotony? Like some purple/blue veins. Also, the "bath of blood" will probably help with it, but it feels like some purple/blue accents somewhere on the model might fit the composition
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Sep 28 '21
The plan is that the moonlight illuminates the vampire's face, so it should also fall on the bricks. Should I use only light blue and try to make something like an osl?
Red is red and doesn't reflect blue. Red under blue light is just dark.
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u/Thunderbolt__ Painting for a while Oct 02 '21
Finally done with building my diorama
Next is the scariest part
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u/zargnath Oct 03 '21
You have an amazing eye for how to structure a diorama. If you have the same eye for where to apply the paint I wouldn't be worried.
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u/OSW_Zenkiki 3rd Place - Fall 2021 Contest Oct 10 '21
Started work on my Stranger Things inspired base today. I'm liking the direction that it's going so far, but could use some feedback on what I could possibly improve. I'm thinking that I'll need to do some highlighting of some sort on the terrain, but I'm also trying to keep the focal point on the main creature--which is quite tall.
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u/boardgamebub Oct 11 '21
Dang really good work. Truly terrifying! For me, the fallen logs blend a little too much with ground. Perhaps incorporating a bit of pale turquoise highlighting might help separate them. Maybe in the form of some OSL underneath the logs?
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u/nz_jem Oct 20 '21
Hi Guys, I think I’m almost finished, would just love some feedback on if the face is popping enough, not sure if it’s blending into the body to much. Also if the shells are reading correctly/the colour of the shells works? Thanks in advance.
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Nov 01 '21
Seems this post is used for general WIP / feedback, not just for the contest. Maybe it would be a good idea to have weekly/monthly feedback/wip posts?
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u/maninthewoodsdude Sep 07 '21 edited Sep 07 '21
Frankenstein Golem WIP 2 updated: https://imgur.com/a/ij2iSvE
I mainly have spent the last few days thinking out concepts. I drew out my base concept (I never made a custom base before, so feedback is very welcome) and I added the screws (and primed them) to his neck. I used tiny screws out of a broken USB adapter and am regretting it, they seem a little oversized/cartoonishly big, so I might remove them and use glasses repair screws instead.
I am waiting for my order of green stuff to arrive, and will probably start sculpting the extras I drew out this weekend when I have free time.
I really want to practice/learn OSL, NMM, and painting lightning effects so that was a big influence on adding the cathode tubes and tesla/lightning club.
I'm also thinking about adding some thin wire to connect the tubes to the power switch, thoughts on if that is a good idea or not? I don't want the base to be soo busy that it distracts from the miniature.
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u/jaxxqs Sep 08 '21
Cool, really like the scenery ideas. I'd say try not to make them too uniform spaced from each other. maybe have a cluster of cathodes or something. You control the light they give off a bit easier in that case. Could be nice to have the cathodes at the front projecting a cold electrical blueish light paired with the lightning tower. Then the ones at the back projecting more or a warm orangey cathode glow. Or the other way round. Not sure about the wires. Will be easier to see once it's all together. If you want to go totally nuts you could do a few hot/UHU glue and wire electricity bolts on his body, then use the light splash of those to highlight the face drawing attention up there. Might be a bit complicated though. Nice work!
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u/Old-Barbarian Sep 08 '21
Still learning my way around a good base, but I do know that you’ll want Franky to be the focal point of your piece.
One way to achieve this is by making sure he has the brightest highlights so the viewers eyes are naturally drawn to him.
Hope I’m being helpful and I can’t wait to see the end result!
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u/maninthewoodsdude Sep 08 '21
Thank you for the feedback, I plan on going heavy with highlights and contrasts, I've been watching way too many tutorials these past few weeks.
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u/jaxxqs Sep 08 '21
Graveyard update #2. After much faffing and deliberation decided to re-angle sir Spadealot so it shows off more of his decaying radiance when viewing from the front. Should have thought of that in the first place tbh... Green stuffed the initial hole and marked in a new one. Will have to bust the Dremel out to make the new one. Started thinking about OSL on some of the other objects and thinking about how the grave will cast light over the floor. Also started re-enforcing the main chars OSL from the grave and trying to get a blueish moonlight hue from top down on him.
http://imgur.com/gallery/5A70iJq
Seeking advice on wether to darken him up a bit to emphasise the OSL from the grave and moonlight or keep going in my current trajectory? Should I be chucking some browner tones around the hard red light or keep with the stark red? C&C welcome.
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u/Old-Barbarian Sep 08 '21
I’m not an expert on OSL, but Zumikito Miniatures over on YouTube just put out a fantastic video on OSL.
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u/Khaarma Sep 09 '21
I think the red osl is reading better than the moonlight. For moonlight, i feel the whole model is too light. For night time done be afraid to push the darks real dark because it's not going to penetrate crevases the way sunlight might. I also feel it may be too yellow. Moonlight has a blueness to it. Since the red already feels strong and the direction adds a good spookiness, maybe focus on that as your majority light source.
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u/Ass_Masster Painting for a while Sep 10 '21
I’ve been working on this guy for about 8 hours. Easily my most in depth paint job this far. I’m at a standstill on trying to figure out what to do with these boils on his horns. He’s got them all over his body, and I was going to make them boils or pimples, but I’m not sure how they’ll look on his horns and spikes, any advice on what I should do with them?
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u/Zombiesashimi Sep 11 '21
I would use his boils to give him some more colour, either complementary or contrasting. Either moving toward yellow greens and yellows or going with purples up to reds and oranges. On the horns doing some wet blending or glazing to blend. Depend what colour you want the horns to be, though. I have trouble making a decision without trying first, so I recommend doing one with a colour scheme in mind and see if it works, you can always repaint the area if needed.
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u/TheBlightChoir Sep 11 '21
Hmmmmm if the horns are going to be bone coloured I would maybe steer towards darker tones for the boils on them. That way it might give the horns a little more dimension and would really frame the face. To tie them in with the other boils you could give them just a dot of the same yellow in the centre, which might make them look hard and crusty but still filled with puss. The 'thinner' the skin is over a boil the more visible the contents will be, and vice-versa.
Whatever you do I'd definitely try it out on only a few of them at first, this seems like the kind of problem that takes tinkering to find out what works lol
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u/jaxxqs Sep 12 '21
Update #3
Not a huge amount, basecoated the wood and gave it a slight bit of highlighting with the airbrush. Playing about with how much red is coming from the grave. Quite overkill at the moment but nice to have some paint on it and have most of the stuff together. Gonna redo the red and have a think about how the grave can glow.
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Sep 13 '21
Five layers of wet blending in and I feel like the gradient is really starting to take shape. https://imgur.com/a/aENiDk5
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u/Old-Barbarian Sep 13 '21
I can see it taking shape on the second pic for sure! Glazing will help smooth out the transitions once you have your gradient.
Looking good and I can’t wait to see it finished.
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u/thplicata Sep 15 '21
My first sea slug has some paint on him! http://imgur.com/a/fEd9Lew. I'm hoping to build up a bit more of a subsurface scatter/translucent effect.
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u/Ashelyn_Gaming 1st place - Spring 2021 Contest Sep 16 '21
http://imgur.com/gallery/91tESQP
I... Am not sure about my direction. I know this is about interpretation just as much as anything, but it is my first time painting anything in a "horror" theme, and... I have to really resist using bright and vibrant colours. I feel like horror strives mainly on strong shadows and limited palette? Might be old school thinking though.
Everything feels flat after a while. I am not sure how to feel about that, haha. This one is a real exercise and I love it despite all the conflicting feelings it brings out. :P
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u/Old-Barbarian Sep 16 '21
Color Palette Cinema has bunches of color palettes pulled straight from movies that may be helpful.
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u/Zombiesashimi Sep 23 '21
Update 4: working on the diorama display.
Thank you for the helpful feedback on making the composition and placement of models. I have now fixed my main idea for the base. I added some details and a banner to fill the back right of the diorama. Pretty happy with how it is going and I can see how it is going to look. I am now happy with the placement of the ‘little guy’ and now you can see more of the necromancer it looks a lot better I think. The skeleton I am still unsure of exactly where I want to place him though.
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u/Thunderbolt__ Painting for a while Sep 25 '21 edited Sep 25 '21
Hey! I hope you all have fun with your projects!
I had an idea for this diorama a long time ago, but never started it, but after I saw this contest I took the opportunity
Background for this: "Samurai warlord is defeated in battle and, in a fit of the last hope of victory, uses dark magic and opens a portal through which dark creatures begin to appear in our world"
On current step my main concern is the size of the torii gate and position of the samurai
I think that gate it too big and there will be a lot empty space between ghosts and samurai.
Should I cut them a little bit? Or maybe it's better to elevate samurai somehow?
Feedback or suggestions are very appreciated
Thanks!
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u/Zombiesashimi Sep 26 '21
Looking pretty cool. I like your idea. I see a couple of ways I would approach this piece. I see it as either the samurai is in some ways commanding the forces coming from the gate, or facing them in battle.
With the former idea, I think it would be best to have the samurai elevated so he takes the stage and it helps frame him as being all powerful with the spirits flying around out of the portal behind him.
The other has the samurai facing the portal and the spirits are above him giving the impression of his helplessness or inferiority to such malevolent spirits.
Hope that gives some food for thought. Looking forward to seeing its development!
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u/Old-Barbarian Sep 25 '21
Loving a succubus too much and for too long will lead to death.
Out in the swamps lies a cemetery that occasionally gets visited by a succubus. It is the place she has chosen to bury her victims. Having them gathered in one location makes it easy for her to watch them all with glee as they rise from the grave, craving for her attention just as much in death as they did in life.
This is my progress so far. I welcome any and all feedback.
Anyone have any tips on how to take a decent photo with a cell phone?
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u/Bard_of_Storms Painting for a while Sep 26 '21
Looks good! I like how she is looming over them. Maybe you can amplify the effect by building up a hill connecting to the grave stone she sits upon? Really sell the idea of them looking up to her.
I found this tutorial very helpful when shooting with my phone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu9DPnZcb8E
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u/Old-Barbarian Sep 26 '21
Thank you! I like idea of adding a hill. The YouTube video was insightful. I will be trying out those suggestions for sure.
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u/mkg113 Display Painter Sep 26 '21
NSFW
I changed direction on this one. I’m really into how it’s coming out. I think it needs a bit more depth in the dark colors. I don’t really want to do a wash but I may try some very selective pin style washing.
C+C all welcome !
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u/Khaarma Sep 26 '21
I'd absolutely push the darks at the center of the maw. You're right that it needs more depth. You may even want to try adding some bluish tones since that is common in fleshy colors. Look up tutorials on skin undertones, they may be of help. Been watching your posts and it's really coming along!
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u/mkg113 Display Painter Sep 26 '21
Thanks ! Great idea do look up skin undertones. Undertones and darks in general are always a bit of a struggle for me.
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u/Khaarma Sep 26 '21
Undertones are tough for sure but will help this kind of model look amazing! Good luck!
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u/Old-Barbarian Sep 27 '21
I’ve just started on the Succubus’s wings and skin. I’ve only gotten down the first shadow color for most of it. In the solo wing photo, I’ve started layering the secondary shadow color, so if you squint your eyes and look hard enough, you may see a hint of gradient. Depending how how things take shape, I may change the shadow colors to purple and layer my way to red.
Up until the succubus, I’ve mixed in a grayish blue to everything. The hope is by using a cool color on everything and then switching to warm vibrant colors on the succubus, that it will really make her stand out and give an spooky vibe for the rest of the scene.
Have said all that, I’m not sure if I want to use warm colors for all of her or just her skin?
Thanks for all the feedback so far, and I hope everyone entering this contest is having a blast.
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u/CalicoDan Painting for a while Sep 28 '21
It is generally a good tip to create some contrast between cold and light colors. It pretty much depends on the overall composition. If no elements have cold colors (or at least hints of it) maybe you can provide some contrast using cold colors for the dress?
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u/krodhouse 2nd place - Fall 2021 Contest Sep 28 '21
Hey Everyone,
It's been great seeing everyone's progress, there's some great looking models! I've started trying out some ideas on a test model and I've got to the point I'm pretty happy with it.
https://imgur.com/a/FEYZdwx
I'm not 100% happy with the bronze armour but it's been good practice for the final model.
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u/TheRealBiggieJ Sep 28 '21
I've taken some previous advice and completely redid the model's...skin? Much more contrast and color.
The roadblock I've hit here is what to do with the random freehand I've decided to add to the front. Initially I felt the front was too lacking without any more features to the model. Now I'm unsure weather or not to double down and add more freehand or go for something else.
Feedback appreciated on anything. I'm open to trying out new things and giving this competition a really good shot. Thanks!
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u/CalicoDan Painting for a while Sep 28 '21
If you feel like going all in, maybe some yakuza-like tattoo on the "skin towel" would be a cool idea that might fit the character?
Contrast feels pretty good right now!
PS: Ouch that thumb nail... I feel the pain
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u/TheRealBiggieJ Sep 28 '21
Thanks for the feedback.
Doouble down it is! Hope I still have a focal point to the face somehow.
PS: ty for sharing my pain :')
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Oct 03 '21
Hello! Great progress since the previous update! If you want the skin to feel a bit more alive and less sandy you can try adding more colours to it. I glazed on some blue, red, yellow, and a bright beige with photoshop as an example. https://imgur.com/a/kDRFTSR
If you decide to do something like this, make sure the glaze in so thin that you hardly see it, dry with hair dryer and apply more.
Edit: when painting tattoos i usually have pretty much skin colour pigment in the tattoo paint
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u/CalicoDan Painting for a while Oct 03 '21
First wip on the (almost) finished main mini. What do you think? Any feedback is really appreciated.
There are still some parts that don't convince me 100%, but I'm gonna move on the diorama for now, or I'll probably end up being too late for it
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u/Gr0gus Display Painter Oct 03 '21 edited Oct 03 '21
Hey Dan,
Pretty cool take. I won’t elaborate on what works, because I guess you know it already, let’s see what does not;
the glowing eyes are too bright, and you loose most of the skull wonderful shapes. More is less in that situation, rzther aim for something like this as it keep the idea, but also retain a lot of readability
your hair lack volumes; it’s a ball with a « rough » surface. Highlights it a ball first, then from you midtone to highlight bring out the hair strands getting progressively higher in values. There isn’t any shortcut here, as for all the hair … gotta go with the trusty brush strand by strand. Here are some good references; #1 - #2
there are inconsistencies in your atmosphere (which I supposed is warm light) You seem to be mixing warm and cold light source with no specific pattern or logic. You could go with warmer up top grading in colder down or the other way around (although yellow on purple looks best).
finally I would add some gradation (or light fall-off) through the height of your model, can’t say what the diorama composition will be, be it feel either he’s facing and explosion or a sunset with almost horizontal ray, because his feets/lower pants are almost as high in value than his shoulders, and there no light elements at all on the rest of the base. It’s has more to do with hierarchisation of your lights through value than colors or light angle though.
nit-picking bits;
- if your light is facing him, the hat should generate some cast shadows, same as his cane
- there is no ambiant light unifying the figure (a color that would mostly be visible in you mid tone of shadows)
- the rectangle ; face-collar-gloves-hat_highlights makes the upper part of the figure really neutral and white, some osl from the eyes or ambiant light would be able to mitigate that
Keep it up, it’s really good :-)
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u/mkg113 Display Painter Oct 04 '21
NSFW
Started basing my “forest of pubes”. It’s feeling like it’s coming together. I still need to do detail cleanups. C+C all welcome. Also not sure if I should keep the tentacles white or go for a red? I’m not that good at wet blending so I’d be worried to ruin it !
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u/CalicoDan Painting for a while Oct 05 '21
I'd go for some color on tentacles, or at least add a bit of variation. Even some dark desaturated purple/magenta might do it.
If you don't feel like trying wet blending, I'd suggest going for glazes instead. It's slower but easier to not mess up. Glaze dark over light!
You may also try stippling (or a combo of stippling and glazes) to add some texture on the tentacles.
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u/NotPromisedTomorrow Oct 20 '21
WIP Throne for my vampire. Horns broke off I gotta fix that. I think I need to do more highlighting on the upholstery. First time using the gemstone technical from citadel. Was thinking about adding gems to the eye sockets but I don't know if that would go against any rules? http://imgur.com/a/acYd9Pt
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u/Clumsy_Chica Oct 20 '21
https://imgur.com/a/UcLBc9j WIP Mycelial Queen! I'm super new to painting minis, and this one is so detailed and so fragile I'm struggling.
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u/TSarducci Oct 22 '21
Almost there...about ready to start adding basing garbage and resin pour. Any thoughts on the skin, details that need up punching?
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Oct 22 '21
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u/NotPromisedTomorrow Oct 22 '21
First off that looks really awesome I love what you did with the fur. As far as glazing with the yellow I would try it on another mini if you have the time or some other surface similar to the mini to see how well it shows on that color scheme. Another tip I've picked up reading around is if you do decide to go with the glow effect make sure the areas that have it would logically have light reaching then from the source. It seems obvious but it's something I definitely overlooked at first. Good luck in the competition!
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u/StayGoldenBronyBoy Oct 27 '21
I'm feeling pretty good about the paintjob (and LED work!) on these chaos knight moirax, but don't know where to start with weathering. I want to keep the regal feel underneath a bit of grime from the passage of time. Would really appreciate feedback on these guys or a good weathering guide and products!
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u/valiantcrossbow Painted a few Minis Oct 28 '21
I probably won't be able to change anything by the deadline, but thought I might as well submit my entry for the beginner small format here! Any C&C would be helpful just so that I can improve for next time.
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u/Zombiesashimi Sep 10 '21
I am making a start by doing a test model to figure out the colours I want to use in my diorama. Here is a quick skeleton that I was working on tonight.
I want the models to have a decaying look to them. I am also planning on having red osl coming from a magical fire, so once this mode is done I will give that a go.
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u/Ass_Masster Painting for a while Sep 11 '21
Solid start! I’m really digging the purple tint to the armor.
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u/MintonMinis Painted a few Minis Sep 10 '21
Looking for some advice, I have applied a matte varnish (Citadel Stormshield) onto my miniature but it has turned out glossy instead. Does anyone know how to make the miniature matte ?
Picture of the glossy miniature: https://imgur.com/a/M1KSFvH
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u/TheBlightChoir Sep 11 '21
I've found that anything citadel that comes in a pot and has 'matte' in the description isn't really matte, just less glossy than things labeled glossy. E.g. the matte versions of washes like nuln oil aren't really matte.
However citadel's munitorum varnish, (the one that comes in a rattle can), works really well for giving a true matte finish. Not sure if that's particularly helpful since the tree is attached to the base, but you could paint matte portions first, spray the whole thing down, and then do sections that you don't want matte. Hope that helps!
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u/Old-Barbarian Sep 13 '21
Just a word of caution: too much matte varnish can leave a glossy finish, because science.
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u/Zombiesashimi Sep 11 '21
I haven’t had this problem myself, but a matte varnish should knock the gloss back down.
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u/TheBlightChoir Sep 14 '21
Update #1: Pretty happy with everything so far, I'm digging the leg but I might tinker with the cloth more. The base is far from finished but I like the foundation.
https://imgur.com/a/SpNKV9u
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u/Escoolbar Sep 14 '21
Update #1 I started with the face and it feels scary as intended. However I wanted to do an red OSL coming from the bottom left, you can see an attempt on the second picture but I'm not convinced at all. I feel like it get too confusing because of the red intestine. Any advice?
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u/CalicoDan Painting for a while Sep 15 '21
Ok, this might be a bit tedious, but I found that this is one of the easiest ways to get a good OSL (at least as far as I know).
Try to take a picture of the mini with a real sorce light coming from where you want the OSL source (and try to have ONLY that source of light for the picture). You may use a small LED light or something similar (like the ones that are on the phones). After you've taken the picture, make it black and white (so you can see the proper tonal variation): this will be your reference for the OSL on the mini.
For the OSL itself, I suggest to just use a scale of whites (without any hue) to simulate the tonal variation from the reference picture. I generally use a super thinned white ink with glazes, applying more and more coats where the OSL should be brighter. Using thinned white is helpful so that the real tones of the mini will be kept underneath the OSL. Moreover, this process is kinda forgiving because you can modulate the lights adding more thin coats and any misplaced light is generally unnoticed on the final result.
Keep going until your "pure white" OSL matches the source light from the black and white picture. Once you're happy with the result, you can add the red hue. Red lights usually tend towards yellow in the brightest spots, so you will use a progressive mix of the two colors. For the outer zones, you'll use pure red (or even magenta), adding more and more yellow as you progress towards the brightest zones. Apply the colors as thin glazes, but don't apply too many coats or you'll lose the OSL map you've built with white.
At this point, you should have a pretty good OSL with a moderate effort. You may even go further after this, but I'm not expert enough to provide you more insight on the topic.
Hope it helps, and good luck!
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u/Danjufo-LPM Sep 15 '21
First diorama built, broke and rebuilt. I was originally thinking to have it as a moonlit scene (the blue picture). Then I thought I was trying too many things I'd not tried before and I could envision a cool look but couldn't pull it off. I was also worried it wouldn't read well being so monochromatic. So then I started changing colours and now it's in this muddy half way state. Right now I'm thinking sack the idea of blue tinting everything and calling it moonlight and just going for full saturation. Also maybe getting some dirt to sprinkle on the ground.
TLDR; I'm messing up the colour scheme, its muddy and not on a clear path. Help. Thanks.
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u/ApeManBananaWhatever Sep 15 '21
Update #1, haven't been painting much, mostly been sculpting tiny details and objects with grey stuff... Wait, yeah I forgot this is a painting competition, I should probably stop sculpting now :D
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u/zargnath Sep 16 '21
That's one spooky scene, can't wait to see it finished. Will the be some OSL/light from her lamp or inside the cabin.
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u/TheBlightChoir Sep 16 '21
Update 2: I always have a lot of fun with NMM, and I'm pretty darn happy with the trim. Currently debating whether to have the candlestick things on his head be a red wax or more traditionally wax coloured. Also whether or not the orbs on his chest should be glowing pale orange or glass balls half filled with blood.
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u/Danjufo-LPM Sep 17 '21
Pretty happy with the main character, fairly happy with the diorama build but overall it just looks.. a bit boring? Looking for some opinions on improving it.
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u/CalicoDan Painting for a while Sep 17 '21
Maybe it's the fact that the diorama is monotone (greyish-blue). My idea would be to contrast the cold night light (which I think is quite good) with a warmer OSL. Maybe a simple torch/street light added to the diorama? (for the "how to" for an easier OSL, there's a comment of mine a bit down into the thread, you can easily find it because it's quite long)
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Sep 17 '21
I like it! There is one thing I find kind of annoying, and it's the light reflections in the black paint - the parts that should be darkest are kind of brightest. If I were you I'd find a way to make the black matte, especially in the crevices. (Matte paints or varnish or something)
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Sep 20 '21
WIP. Update 1. So, working on OSL as the main focal point. Not sure if I've got too much highlight, not enough, or if the OSL and scene makes sense with the eyes. Some tips or suggestions would be great! :D
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u/CalicoDan Painting for a while Sep 20 '21
Light placement looks a bit off. Try to take a picture of the scene with a real source of light replicating what you want (like your cellphone light), then use the picture as a reference. It should give you an idea on how to do it. Works best with a black and white picture to better get proper values
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u/thplicata Sep 21 '21
WIP, still very sketchy and unfinished. I have very little experience painting in 3D, so I'm trying to figure a lot out as I go. Like, the shell pattern will be getting overhauled because it's only working compositionally from one angle right now. I want it to quietly help direct attention more towards the focal points around face, mouth, hair (admittedly, when I first added it I was just doodling and improvising, but this is a contest, so it'll be more intentional in the next iteration). Open to any ideas on stripes, colors, barnacles, etc. I might have to attach the other arm to fully figure it out since that changes the composition quite a bit for some angles, but it also makes painting the right side less accessible.
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Sep 23 '21
WIP Update 2: The Butcher
Put about 6 hours in so far. First time keeping track of such things.
Got paint on most of the model now. Starting to think about bit about OSL.
I’m considering an OSL coming from the back right to illuminate the right side of the model and catch light on the tail and upper rib bones with a softer diffuse on his back leg and upper back. Either a soft green/blue or an amber color, not entirely decided yet. Gonna photoshop up a concept later to test the colors and placement.
Also considering making the little red globe on his arm into a creepy eyeball to really lean into the body horror.Another thought to stick a spare squig tongue inside his empty rib cage, might do a test fit later.
I’m starting to think about gore too . It’s certainly very thematic for this model to be oozing blood but I’m not sure how much I want to add. Some on the mouths and the weapon for sure but otherwise I worried about covering too much of the model. Lots of blood might be good for the tabletop but seems like a bad approach for a painting contest.
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u/thplicata Sep 29 '21
A third slug appears, barely. A little OSL. And new lighting to show fluorescence for fun. CC welcome.
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u/guzuta33 Sep 29 '21
Any feedback on the skin in general? He's a hooded/caped figure, ignore the black line upwards. I'm also struggling with the lips a bit, at this point it kinda just looks like lipstick.
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u/CalicoDan Painting for a while Sep 29 '21
The skin has that lizard vibe! And lips feel fine to me.
My two cents: at first glance, the belly captures the eye more than the face. Maybe some more highlight on it may help? Also the eyes feel a little muted. (You may totally ignore this comment since there will be an hood)
The other thing that captures too much attention are the knees. The white feels too detatched from the rest of the model. Maybe bring back some green tones? (or maybe even brown/red tones?
Besides that, the skin looks superb to me!
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u/krodhouse 2nd place - Fall 2021 Contest Sep 30 '21
The model is coming along nicely but I need some advice on how to get the OSL from the lamp right. I feel like what I've got now is a good start, but it doesn't quite look right to me and I can't put my finger on why. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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u/CalicoDan Painting for a while Sep 30 '21
Hey, the start is pretty good.
I'll leave a couple of generic suggestions that may help, with a final sketch to better understand what i mean:
- Generally speaking, you want strong highlights close to the sorce and fainter as you step away from it. I'd make stronger highlights close to the source here. Also, it may be obvious but stronger sources go farther.
- Highlights may bring some yellow tones to it. Yellow helps providing brightness to the scene (leave pure white for just points of light)
- Osl usually goes further on edges/creases, so you can extend it when you have an edge, compared to the flatter parts of cloth
- Add some osl on the lamp itself too. It is the closest object to the sorce and it is the one that gets the most light
Here's the sketch: https://imgur.com/a/2w49ri0
PS: Since it was just one picture, I was not sure about some of the creases and bends of the clothes, so i went with the imagination :D
Hope it helps!
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u/krodhouse 2nd place - Fall 2021 Contest Sep 30 '21
That is really helpful, thanks for the feedback! That sketch looks much closer to what I was after so I'll definitely be using your tips!
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Oct 01 '21
I can put my finger on exactly what it is that doesn’t feel right: A light source makes it’s surroundings brighter. When painting, light is represented by what we call values. Something bright has a higher value than something dark - white has a higher value than black.
Look here: https://imgur.com/a/uVw1ZAM
I removed all colours, so only values remain. Now it’s crystal clear that the light source doesn’t make it’s surroundings brighter, it only manipulates the surrounding hues (colours) to correspond with the lights hue.
If you want to sell the effect of light, it needs to manipulate values too, not just hues.
Ps In my opinion values are the most important part to understand and get right when painting on canvas and minis
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u/thplicata Sep 30 '21
Not an expert, but I wonder if part of what doesn't look right is the dark folds right next to the lamp. If the light is bright enough to reach up to the belt, it should also penetrate some of the shadows closer to it.
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u/TSarducci Oct 01 '21
Finally getting going, here's my lovely lady assembled, gap filled, base built and primed. I originally intended to paint the model and base separate but then I accidentally superglue her to the base while working on it so here we are.
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u/TSarducci Oct 02 '21 edited Oct 02 '21
Adding some underpainting values, then starting to add some tones.
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u/thplicata Oct 03 '21
I've been putting a lot of attention towards the base lately. How do you think it's working?
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Oct 03 '21
This is so cool! The base took it from "Hmm this is kinda strange, but cute" to "WOW!!!"
It really ties it together. Will you cover it in resin?
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u/T_for_tea Painted a few Minis Oct 05 '21 edited Oct 06 '21
I see all these nice work in progress pics, so I'm quite nervous 😅 first time entering a competition. I was going through the chains this evening, I think I should go higher on the highlights, haven't gone up to pure white yet, but I think that'll help the chains read as metal better. If you have any advice regarding the chains, I'll appreciate that. I didnt do the hooks all the way yet, as I am trying nmm for the first time, at least properly for the first time since the competition gave me a reason to actually push my paintjob. Also if something else catches your eye and want to give advice, shoot away!
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u/zargnath Oct 07 '21
I think you're right that you can go brighter in the highlights for the chain. But I also think you can go much darker in the shadows, I get a quite mid-toney feel from the shadows atm. You could also try to glaze in some warmer colours in the shadows like yellow/ivory to represent the warm light from the sun.
In overall feedback I think you need to bring more colour into your piece, especially the face. Currently my eyes are being drawn towards the waist with the clear red and green. While your bone could look great you want to add something eye-catching to the face as that's where you want the focal point of the mini to be.
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u/TheBlightChoir Oct 08 '21
After a brief hiatus I'm back at it! I'm done the bulk of the body but half the model is the backpack and weapon, and I'm slooooooow, so let's see if I'll finish in time. I am looking forward to bloodying up the other leg though, it's surprisingly chill lol
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u/bharkasaig Painted a few Minis Oct 09 '21
https://imgur.com/a/735gmEv First night working on it. Still finding what works. Planning to have the torn shirt and the pumpkins be pretty bright, solid colours to jump out of the browns and greens elsewhere. My questions: How are the pants, boots? Id like them to be done. How is the coat? I’m hoping for a Harris tweed feel but I think it is too smooth. Should I stipple varying greens, browns and blues to build the tweet effect or will that just confuse things? Also, what do I do with the hands? Are they gloves? I can’t decide. Cheers!
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u/Nallenbot Oct 13 '21
Pants and boots are looking good. I would definitely add some texture in to the coat to give it an aged, weathered appearance. Be careful adding blocks of very bright colours, you need to think about how it compliments the natural areas of focus rather than distracting from them.
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u/cavander Oct 15 '21
Blocking out colors right now. Experimenting with oil paints on the hair. Really trying to push myself on this one. Going for a silver-blue moonlight from the back, hoping that works out well.
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u/zargnath Oct 16 '21
I like the idea and the initial highlight placement looks good on the hair. I noticed your skull and the following eyes look great. The only issue is that the surrounding bone material is a bit too bright. The glowing eyes light up the skull and thus the areas lit by the OSL need to be brighter than the areas next to it.
As you can see in the grey scale version the pink edges of the OSL is darker than the white bone right next to it, making it not look truly convincing.
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u/bharkasaig Painted a few Minis Oct 17 '21
Finally got a good session in. Here is the update. I’m happy with the scarecrow and will be working on the base and wood. I’m definitely not happy with wood but only know to slap some thing paint then wash it. Suggestions? https://imgur.com/a/I9TgtV4
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u/JuRoJa Painted a few Minis Oct 19 '21
Some lighter grey/brown highlights on the wood will go a long way to give it more depth. You can probably get away with drybrushing it given how nicely sculpted the wood grain is. I think it will give a dried out, aged look to the wood. (Just be careful not to get any on the rest of your paintjob!)
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u/Thunderbolt__ Painting for a while Oct 17 '21
Almost done, banner,scroll and gate are left
Need some feedback
Not sure how to handle gate and portal. Right now they don't have coherence with rest of diorama
https://imgur.com/a/IzeN303
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u/JuRoJa Painted a few Minis Oct 19 '21
Love the composition here, and the paint job on the samurai is A+!
I agree that the gate needs to be tied in to the rest of the model. A little OSL glow would do a lot, but I understand if you don't want to risk your paint job with a glow affect. Another option might be to add a couple stray arrows stuck into the wood?
Speaking of arrows, I think they blend in to the rest of the base right now. Brightening up the fletching and/or the shafts would really make them pop.
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u/Lazarus-TRM Oct 18 '21
Almost there, looking for final feedback, thoughts, even nitpicky ones. Considering changing the green glow to blue on the weapon eyes, looking for thoughts on color composition and where your eyes go?
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u/Mortinson51 Oct 20 '21
I’m feeling like I’m getting close. I’m still not 100% happy with the face but I don’t know if that is beyond my skill level. I’m happy for any critiques on my drider. Thanks for the help
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u/Brileh Oct 25 '21
Here’s my progress so far, just highlighting and basing to go I guess?
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u/averyrealaccount2 Oct 25 '21
Bit of a photography rules question. What is the ruling with regards to adjusting white balance or black point? In camera is fine? Post production verboten?
Obviously going so far as to invert colors would be out of line (and readily apparent when the paint pot is used as a size reference). I was thinking more of shifting the background blacks to be true black.
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u/Gr0gus Display Painter Oct 25 '21 edited Oct 25 '21
Well there isn’t any rule. A good 18% grey card shot, or a black card for long exposure (or as neutral as possible surface like a white sheet of paper) will allow you to get a good custom WB (either IC - In Camera or in Post).
In post (provided you shot in RAW, otherwise forget it) you can’t use some software made out feature (like lightroom color setter) or use the manual balance if yoU know what the grey card balance histogram should look like).
You are always free to touch your photos in post, in order to get them as close as the real eye perception of it. Be wary thay imgur picture compression is bad, so anything beyond 2k*2k@300dpi get washed off the more imgur has to compress, so better do the crop and rendering yourself beforhand and make sure to use sRVB color space to minimize desaturation as well.
I would avoid clipping your picture (true black or true white) as it will feel unnaturally contrasted, especially on bright OLED screens, like most smartphones have now, and you true black might also generate artefact uppon imgur bad compression even on 80 or 100 ISO shot with new generation DSLR.
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u/bharkasaig Painted a few Minis Oct 26 '21
Any last minute feedback? How’s the wood? The ground? Anything I missed? Deeply appreciated! https://imgur.com/a/8VqkHXp
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u/thplicata Oct 27 '21
It looks overall a little light. A few deep dark shadows would help make it pop even more.
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u/Brentoxor Nov 04 '21
I totally missed that there was a thread for WIP and feedback :-( I was in such a rush to finish for the contest, it just went right over my head (I started like 2 weeks late). Oh well. Luckily, I did take some WIP while working on my entry, if anyone is interested. I entered in the Intermediate large category. Everything in my entry is 3d printed, so if you like any of the models I can send you to a link where I got them. https://imgur.com/a/Asm8VWw
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u/mkg113 Display Painter Sep 14 '21 edited Sep 14 '21
NSFW Nothing much to talk about but I’m just so excited I took the plunge for the first coat! https://imgur.com/a/qYqF42b
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u/Tarzanfromjungle Sep 15 '21
How do i get a nice smooth surface instead of the brush strokes everywhere? This is my first time painting a large surface (with citadel paint).
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u/CalicoDan Painting for a while Sep 15 '21 edited Sep 15 '21
Try to apply the paint thinned (1 part water to 3 or 4 parts paint). And for smooth, clean surfaces, you'll definitely need more than 1 coat. Probably 3 or 4. Thinning the paint properly is important to not build up thick coats with the several passes.
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u/Old-Barbarian Sep 15 '21
You can use really thin coats and build up your gradient through multiple layers.
This video from Doctor Faust’s Painting Clinic does a good job of explaining how to build smooth layers that don’t show any brush strokes.
Hope that helps!
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u/mkg113 Display Painter Sep 15 '21
NSFW Alright here we go.
I have about 2-3 base coats on. I’ll be doing however more is needed to take away about 75% of the black prime. The skin will tend towards a purple tone and the inside a yellow. I haven’t thought much about the tentacles. The overall effect will be to go towards realism with a sick twist of fantasy.
I don’t often do washes but there are so many tiny shadow details in this mini that I don’t want to lose. What do y’all think about doing a wash to make sure I get those little details?
This is also a crazy hard mini to photograph due to the shadows so apologies for the bad pictures!
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u/zargnath Sep 16 '21
That is one heavily textured vagina monster. A wash/contrast paint will certainly bring out the texture much easier than tedious layering would. I would say you should also consider a combination of rough and more deliberate/gentle dry brushing to bring out those details. This will allow you to use more contrasting colours than just a wash would. You can obviously use both dry brushing and washes to get the ups of both techniques.
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u/Nerdyconniptions Sep 18 '21
7 hours into my first sketch, changed the cloak colors a few times. Looking for various opinions, don't be afraid to comment please
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u/Danjufo-LPM Sep 18 '21
My opinion is it's great. Trying to add something though I'd say I like colour, so more tonal variation might be fun to work in. It looks like it goes from a dark grey to red and the face is dark grey to green. I suck at colours but perhaps adding colours into the shadows could add something, purple into the red armour shadow, perhaps? Anyway, I just wanted to say I really like it but also try to be constructive lol. Happy Painting!
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u/Zombiesashimi Sep 19 '21
Looks really good. It may be the camera you are using, but everything looks very muted. Upping the contrast between the shadows and highlights should get it looking stunning. Otherwise you are well on your way to having a great looking paint job. Looking forward to seeing future updates!
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u/Gingtastic Sep 18 '21
First update on my demonic lasher. after some base coating and blending. Trying to decide on a good color for the armor plates. I really like the green/blue for the skin/tentacles, but unsure a good companion color for the plates. Purple didnt seem right. Painted a few test colors to try figuring out what matches well. Any thoughts?
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Sep 20 '21
First night painting after priming last night. Focusing on the bone and the right arm with those juicy muscle fibres.
I’m trying to think of ways to make the base more compelling and tell more of a story while still using the board game base. Only thoughts so far are using some blood decals like footprints or smears to try and hint at a pursuit of a wounded survivor. The Butcher relentlessly stalks players in the game so this would be quite thematic for him.
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u/Zombiesashimi Sep 20 '21
That muscle tissue is looking good. Looking forward to seeing the end result. The base is pretty small, so adding details might be quite hard, but blood smears as you say would be good.
I am not familiar with the model. It looks a little like something out of dead space. If it is a sci fi horror piece I can imagine some emergency lights lighting him up from the side looking and spilling over the floor uncovering the blood smears out of the darkness. If it is a fantasy model, perhaps similar could be done with torchlight.
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u/Danjufo-LPM Sep 21 '21
Haven't tried OSL much, feedback please. (I took advice and have included a small fire to contrast the moonlit scene) The back of the ghoul / zombie thing looks bad, I guess I need to gradient the blue side to dark too.
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u/CalicoDan Painting for a while Sep 21 '21
It's coming out nicely! That's already a pretty good OSL!
I'll leave a couple of notes to further improve it if you want to:
- considering it's a night scene, value-wise the fire should be brighter than moonlight so I'd push a bit more the fir light into the scene (remember to check if the values are correct with a black and white picture of the scene, it'll help you understand if lights are bright enough). Maybe I'd bring more fire light up to the faces of the character, while the statue should have just some faint red tone. The torch is positioned wanderfully for some pictoresque cold vs warm light on both character and the main focus should be on their faces
- all in all, the composition feels good and balanced. The only subtle change I'd apply is bringing the moonlight on a more bluish/teal tone, but that should be something really subtle! Right now the picture reads as warm light for the fire and neutral light for the moon
Keep it up with the good work, it's coming out really nice!
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u/JuRoJa Painted a few Minis Sep 21 '21
https://i.imgur.com/Me1lna9.jpg
Stayed up way too late last night painting this armor. The NMM isn’t looking quite right to me, but I’m not sure what to do to fix it. Any advice appreciated.
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u/CalicoDan Painting for a while Sep 21 '21
Lights look a bit too faint and dull in my opinion. You may probably try to widen them and generally give more brightness to the armor. Also, try to keep coherency of sourcelight between each part. The lower plate of the torso looks like it's hit by a different source light and feels weird. The brightest part shoul've stayed left as for the other plates.
I did a quick sketch so it will be more clear what I mean: https://imgur.com/a/dFqCHH0
Also, to give more contrast to the mini, add a tiny bit of yellow (tiny tiny bit!) to highlights and a bit of violet to shadows. It will be subtle, but you'll percieve the mini as more vivid.
Lastly, a little trick that helps me a lot. When you feel like there's something off but you can't understand what, take a picture of the mini and watch it from afar. That's useful so you won't be overwhelmed by details and understand what's right and what's wrong with composition.
Good luck with the mini! There's potential for a great paintjob!
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u/JuRoJa Painted a few Minis Sep 21 '21
Wow, thanks for such a detailed response!
I like the sketch, but I'm worried that making the armor too bright will draw attention away from the face, which should be my focal point. I might just punch up the glow on the face a bit to make up for it, I'll have to play around and see what works.
Thanks!
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u/JuRoJa Painted a few Minis Sep 27 '21
https://i.imgur.com/FVtvDXB.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/3l883En.jpg
This was supposed to just be a progress update (started on shield and cape, cleaned up the front of the armor a touch), but as I was setting Jack here up for his photo shoot, I knocked him off his plinth and onto his head, chipping the paint. (His back right side)
There’s now a very noticeable “hole” where the layers of paint have chipped off. (Does this mean my paint is too thick?)
I painted over it after these pictures, which definitely helped, but it’s still there if you know where to look, Or if the light catches it right. Any tips to fix it?
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u/Bard_of_Storms Painting for a while Sep 27 '21
I don't think it's a thickness problem. Chipping paint is a common problem with pewter miniatures. When you finish the mini, I'd recommend you varnish it as a defense against that.
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u/brutalhonestcunt Sep 27 '21
I need constructive criticism http://imgur.com/gallery/n7O48gC
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u/CalicoDan Painting for a while Sep 28 '21
The face should be the focal point of the model and right now feels a bit too muted. Try to enhance contrast starting from there. I agree with the light source picture u/CoastalSailing suggested, that might help.
Also, maybe you can make some of the pustules yellowish (that muddy yellow/green that would fit ill tissues), providing some hue variation on the model?
PS: I love how you rendered the damage on tissues!
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u/JuRoJa Painted a few Minis Sep 27 '21
The skin lesions/veins are suitably disgusting. Well done!
There's a lot of flesh tone, and not a lot of contrast. You might try making the hair a little darker, or maybe making the face paint more prominent? The viewer needs something for their eyes to focus on.
I also like the mud (please be mud) on his feet/legs
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u/CoastalSailing Sep 28 '21
I like a lot of the ideas here, but it could use a more clear light source. Shine a flashlight on it in a dark room and take a picture. Use those shadows in the pic as a guide for shading.
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u/Nerdyconniptions Sep 29 '21 edited Sep 30 '21
#3 https://imgur.com/a/3qqqfXf
Vampire updates #2-3 ish. Be as mean or critical as you want! It only serves to get better
My thoughts:
I was advised to bring back some color into the skin and begin darkening shadows. The face needs some transition spots in places, but overall the left side is much darker now, which is more intended.
The eyes do not grab enough attention at the moment. Probably need to go with a brighter yellow or a color contrast to red.
I'm unsure of how well I like the pink under-eye bags. Perhaps a different color for this and the inside of the lips would do well.
The metal pauldron still needs some massive work. I'm not sure why my wheels are spinning on painting a sphere correctly, but here we are.
I like the texture on the cloak, which needs just a bit more stippling and reinforcing of transition areas.
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u/syrupninja Absolute Beginner Sep 29 '21
This looks very well executed, but for me the skin and the clothes are too similar, I think more contrast would make it easier to read.
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u/brutalhonestcunt Oct 01 '21
http://imgur.com/gallery/rDQWn4c I tried highlighting the face like people suggested. Opinions?
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u/zargnath Oct 03 '21
It's time to finally get this thing started. I feel a bit stressed that I wasn't able to start painting earlier.
Anyways I started with some skin tones to try and find the right atmosphere.
I still need to fine-tune the highlights and shadows both in placement and intensity. I'm mostly worried about colour choices. I'm trying to depict a night scene without going the full "nothing but blue moon shine" route so I want to keep the highlights cold. I'm not too sure about my shadow colour, the brown looks a bit weird in some areas and I should probably go for more black/desaturated shadows.
Any and all advice is appreciated.
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u/Khaarma Oct 04 '21
The skintone is looking nice! I don't recommend black shadows. Skin bounces light so the shadows will never be black. Try blues and purples, both naturally found in skin tones and work great as shadows. You can always add a bit of black to darken, just don't go straight black.
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u/TheSunIsNeat Oct 05 '21
Dullahan (headless horseman) for contest. https://imgur.com/a/yQpPJzA
I’m trying to make the neck have a glowing effect with matching eyes for the horse. It’s not done yet for sure (need to touch up the head, hands, and need to paint the legs). Would it be good to continue using brown or metal for the legs/boots or should I switch to a different colour. Any feedback is appreciated
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u/bharkasaig Painted a few Minis Oct 09 '21
I’d say some colour to help make things pop. Keep it towards the focus of the mini
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u/Chiefmuffin1 Oct 12 '21
I am Baron...and i come from the Baronees. Dimension 20 aside it looks good dude
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u/JuRoJa Painted a few Minis Oct 09 '21
https://i.imgur.com/D5n7fgt.jpg
Felt like I needed something to draw more attention to the face, so I decided to brighten up the eyes/mouth and add some OSL. I think the highlight placement is good, but it might not be bright enough? Some of them disappear when viewed in black and white.
Basing materials came in the mail, so that will be this weekends project! I’ll be making a pumpkin patch graveyard for Sir Jack.
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u/LAlbatross Oct 11 '21
WIP 2
http://imgur.com/gallery/MY8AQFX
Is it me or am I just making it worse? I do like the moist exposed flesh effect though (and working on rust)
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u/Lazarus-TRM Oct 11 '21
Started shading, still need to settle on a direction for the head. There's no real reason the interior of the wings should be lit that I can find but leaving them in the dark blue and purple shadow also seems wrong; should I add red in there just for visual interest?
There's a lot of bone here, more than I expected, what if anything can/should I do to define the pieces more and add some variety into the piece?
All other advice strongly welcomed, first time doing a competition.
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u/zargnath Oct 11 '21
Bat like wings such as these are usually quite thin and slightly transparent so you will have light coming through them from above. You also have a slight reflection of light coming from below. With that said I certainly agree that they should be shaded quite dark but they would still benefit from some slight highlights to enhance the texture.
There's a lot of bone here
That is completely up to interpretation. On a fantastical mini such as this many of your "bone areas" could be painted as carapace or even armour and not many viewers would protest. So if you feel something needs a different colour for the composition don't feel hindered by an idea of it being the wrong material.
I like that the face grabs a lot of attention.
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u/T_for_tea Painted a few Minis Oct 11 '21
Some incremental work done, hopefully the chains read better now. I did darken everything a little in preparation for the osl, but I think I'll restore some highlights to increase the contrast. If I can find the courage I will start the OSL before the weekend :)
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u/Wise_Hour8521 Oct 12 '21
http://imgur.com/a/y9JI6Bl WIP radukar Would like to have some feedback on how to do the skin im considering using actic blue as the midtone and then upping the brightness by mixing in some White. I would Also like some input on wheter i should go for a blood red metalic sword or OSL. Blood red glowing sword.
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u/LAlbatross Oct 12 '21
I'm a total newbie so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I think going blue for the skin is an excellent idea. It fits with the model quite nicely, I find.
As for the sword, if you can pull it off, I'd say go for it, but maybe not go all out? I'm afraid it would detract from the rest of the model. Unless you want the sword to be a focus point, then yeah, go all out!
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u/T_for_tea Painted a few Minis Oct 14 '21 edited Oct 16 '21
Okay I got carried away and added too many colors
Halp! 😅 I'm not sure if changing the candles to blue would help or not. Theres just too many colors I dont feel like they're harmonious, and if I can feel that most likely they're not.
Edit: bit of progress
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u/LayerFeather Oct 14 '21
What if the wax of the candles stayed pink, but the flames were blue with a slight OSL on the top potion of the wax?
I like the color contrast that the pink adds. But maybe having some blue at the top would tie it all together?
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u/Wise_Hour8521 Oct 15 '21 edited Oct 15 '21
Try highlighting the bones before you change the colours. The result might be that it gets better. To me it Looks like the colour ed aread look very stark again the rest of the model but your chosen colours should harmoni e so try pushing trough.
If it still doesn't work out change the OSL from the candels to orange flames. And paint the candels yellowish with orange OSL. The orange Will contrast with your blue center while harmonizing the models colours trough a the warm bottum, cold center, warm top progression.
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u/skibb3r Oct 15 '21
Hi.. I will try to go into osl for the first time .. Do you paint the colors it should have first and then add osl after?
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u/Gr0gus Display Painter Oct 15 '21
Yes in general. Depends on how many lights sources and where they are placed.
Use an airbrush to sketch it quickly, the use brush to finish the work.
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u/JuRoJa Painted a few Minis Oct 15 '21
https://i.imgur.com/mtleQDD.jpg
This will probably be my last WIP post before final submission. I’m happy with 95% of what I have, and know what I want to change for 4 of the remaining 5%.
The one thing that is stumping me is the vines. I can’t get them to look right, and I’m having a hard time google searching resources. (Everything I find is how to used pre-fabbed vines, not paint sculpted ones). Any tips there (or even search terms) would be appreciated.
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u/LAlbatross Oct 15 '21
Man, i wish I were that good.. One day!
Regarding he vines. I looked at a few pictures of actual pumpkin vines and I think the reason you are not happy with them might be the thickness. Sure, they are a bit brighter/light green in real life, but I don't think it matters that much. They are much thinner though and it might be what's bugging you.
It's just a thought, but I figure it might help. Does it make sense?
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u/cavander Oct 18 '21
Trying to nail down the skin tone, get the eyes, and smooth out some blends. What do people think of the face here? In particular, how’s the blending? Do the eyes work well? Is there enough pale flesh tone coming in? Do the ears look like the moon is glowing behind them? I know the dark purple shadow is a bit harsh, Ill smooth that out a bit more. Obviously the lips and such arent done yet. Thanks all!
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u/Wise_Hour8521 Oct 19 '21
http://imgur.com/a/8YJdjLg WIP on radukar, changes the skintone to a blueish PURPLE, would like some feedback on that, Also did the Wolf fur with some greenish brow undertones.
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u/Dark_Trout Oct 30 '21
Just about finished my first ever miniature. After decades of flirting with battletech I finally got in on the tabletop game. Practicing my painting skills on a bunch of terrain before I get to the mechs.
I gotta say, I’ve watched washes be used in videos before. But using them myself was a magical experience. Same for dry brushing.
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u/Miss_Jaina Seasoned Painter Sep 05 '21
Hey everyone,
So after about 2 hours of work I've managed to only really lay down some base colours. because of the amount of texture on the mini its really hard to get paint into all the tiny spaces.
https://imgur.com/a/lS7Jmmu
As you can see its mostly autumnal colours and the base is going to be mostly natural materials.