Sproket's WIP
- Thread starter Sproket
- Start date
BloodFather of Kharnath
Active member
First, this model looks like a pleasure to paint. GW plastic is the best material IMO. It just looks so clean and smooth, with wonderful and precise angles. I am sure that some of this is a testament to good prep work, but surely the other half is due to quality of the sculpt and material.
Second, do you mind explaining your blue steel with orange/brown shadow for me please please please? I know that you discuss this on your blog, but the pics never show up well for me there and I never really felt like I grasped the concept. I remember you saying that you actually mix the orange and blue together. How do you do this without it turning into a desaturated mess? I have always been told that the role of mixing compliments was to desaturated or dull a color. I know you my say to avoid this by adding a bit of gray but I still just feel lost...any description/walk thru of any length or level of detail would be immensely appreciated.
Second, do you mind explaining your blue steel with orange/brown shadow for me please please please? I know that you discuss this on your blog, but the pics never show up well for me there and I never really felt like I grasped the concept. I remember you saying that you actually mix the orange and blue together. How do you do this without it turning into a desaturated mess? I have always been told that the role of mixing compliments was to desaturated or dull a color. I know you my say to avoid this by adding a bit of gray but I still just feel lost...any description/walk thru of any length or level of detail would be immensely appreciated.
Sproket
New member
The rumor that GW had to call Warhammer World security to come and pull me off this banner were greatly exaggerated. For the record I (eventually) went quite willingly and didn't really scream all that much.
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ten ball
Active member
Sproket
New member
You're really not ready for these advanced techniques yet Lee. You should just stick to your usual dip.:brushwave:
Sproket
New member
That explains the improvement in his painting!:claply:
Sproket
New member
I am with Digga. You guys are hilarious.
I am not sure if I am impressed that Sprocket was able to pull himself away from the banner or dissapointed that he didn't steal itVery cool photo op though.
Don't think it didn't (briefly) cross my mind. Then again in all the world there's only one person who would want to steal that banner so it's not like I could get away with it! :handcuffs:
Sproket
New member
The Megaboss is truly a joy to paint!
I'm not at all surprised that several impressive versions have already turned up in the most recent Golden Demon comps or that the Slayer Sword went to a Megaboss at the Age of Sigmar mini demon.
The blue/orange steel on my Megaboss is a simpler version of the scheme I used on the Scourges.
I don't mix the orange & blue together, they are applied separately.
1. Base coat - Dark brown mixed with a little Dark Sea Blue to darken & desaturate it.
2. Mid tones - Cool grey - stippled
3. Light mid tone - Blue grey - stippled
4. 1st highlight - Blue grey mixed with Light cool grey - stippled
5. 2nd highlight - Light cool grey- stippled
6. Colour nuance 1 - Orange mixed with brown & glazed into the shadow areas
7. Colour nuance 2 - Orange glazed into the shadow areas Use sparingly
8. Colour nuance 3 - Sky blue glazed into the mid tones Use dilute & very sparingly
9 Final highlights - White Keep the final highlights as small & sharp as possible
Fingers crossed that from now on the pictures on my blog will be showing up better as I'm uploading them directly into blogger instead of going through photo bucket.
Gandalf the Grey
New member
Thanks for sharing Dave, something to try.
with your stippling are you going in with a brush or a piece of sponge ?
with your stippling are you going in with a brush or a piece of sponge ?
Sproket
New member
A brush, in this case a series seven sable as it give a very fine textured stipple.
BloodFather of Kharnath
Active member
Thank you very much for taking the time to respond at length to my question. Very helpful and concise.
I have noticed that you separate your basecoat from your mid tone. Or that you do not choose to use your mid as your base, instead opting for a darker tone. Can you discuss your philosophy here? I have heard traditional 2D painters describe values as being either light or dark-no mid tones. Any given value is either in the light or in the dark. Would it be accurate to say that your mid tone is the first light?
From your blog:
"The mix of the brown base colour with ice blue gives all sorts of interesting variations and its here that the transition from warm to cool happens. Broadly speaking I add blue and a little grey to the brown and gradually work up in layers to the lighter/cooler mid tones...The introduction of a small amount of codex grey into the mid tones helped to stop the brown/blue mix taking on a greenish tint.
I suppose I meant that you were mixing blue and brown together. However, from reading this again when you say "mix" I think you simply mean to paint over a brown layer with a blue-gray layer. Is this correct?
Stippling: When you stipple do you control the transitions by varying the space between dots? Are there spots where there is almost no space between dots? Is it the glaze that ties it all together at the end?
That all for now. Lol...sorry I am inquisitive.
Sproket
New member
It's worth bearing in mind that I tend to use terminology in my own 'distintive' :silly!:way. That's probably the result of all those years I spent painting under a rock!
My basecoat is whatever overall colour I'm starting off with. This varies from mini to min and I sometimes use more than one basecoat colour on a mini. What colour I use depends upon the finished effect I'm after. For flesh I will tend to use a fairly light basecolour and then shade down from light to dark. Most often my base colour will be in the mid tone range but sometimes, as with the Megaboss armour, I will pick a dark base colour. There are no hard rules for this I just go on instinct and experience. For example:
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When I talked about the 'mix' of a brown basecoat with ice blue I would probably have done better to say combination. Although the colours can be literally mixed to give a more neutral mid tone I am also referring to the overall visual impression given by using these colours together. The Scourge colour palette was very complex with a lot of play between warm & cool colours going on. The megaboss palette does something similar but in a simpler way.
That's exactly how my version of stippling works! The colour is built up with the density of the dots. A glazed layer over stippling can make an enormous difference to tie it all together.
MightyChad
New member
So when you use the stippling/glaze method, do you find it is faster or slower? Do you use it on most surfaces, or just to achieve certain textures?
I have always been impressed with your work in this WIP log, and I was stoked when you started the Megaboss! Thanks for posting all of these inspirational photos.
I have always been impressed with your work in this WIP log, and I was stoked when you started the Megaboss! Thanks for posting all of these inspirational photos.
