Ace's Objectionable WIP

[Ace Objection]

Hey everyone! I've been lurking on these forums for a long time learning a ton from you all but never posting. But now I realize that only by jumping into the fray and participating in this awesome chaos will I be able to push my skills past where they are now. So I'm starting a WIP to get some feedback on my work and hopefully make some new friends that are as obsessed about minis as me.

 

[Ace Objection]

So I've been working on a piece inspired by the Knight miniatures new Marvel line. They're the smallest minis I've ever worked with and its been a challenge to get the detail to show.

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I'm also working on a custom base for him. I keep trying to tone the colors down to help Rocket pop with his cartoony colors. So lots of mud has happened.

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[Ace Objection]

Started a project that's a double challenge for me. Practice my skin tones/blending and move the light source to an unexpected place. I picked Jonatan Monerris's the last immortal for this challenge and I've placed the light source directly in front and underneath him.

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I sketched out the shadows and highlights and did some basic blending but im not entirely happy with the skin tone color. He looks so pink and clean like a baby.

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The light source also makes his face look old but hopefully the blending will start to even that out and the OSL effects will bring it all together.

If anyone has some skin tone tips let me know. I'm thinking of throwing in some blue and purple to cool down the colors a touch. But any advice would be appreciated.

 

[ten ball]

Welcome to the forums
Your trying a very advanced technique with complex lighting / blending .
Imo I would go with a more traditional lighting, keeping the layers thin to avoid the chalky blends.
When shading adding a little of the shade colour to your original base colour will give a more realistic and less harsh shade than the strong pinks / purples that your getting.
Go easy with it building the layers slowly , making sure each layer is dry.

 

[Ace Objection]

Welcome to the forums
Your trying a very advanced technique with complex lighting / blending .
Imo I would go with a more traditional lighting, keeping the layers thin to avoid the chalky blends.
When shading adding a little of the shade colour to your original base colour will give a more realistic and less harsh shade than the strong pinks / purples that your getting.
Go easy with it building the layers slowly , making sure each layer is dry.

haha yah I'm quickly realizing that I've probably bit off more than I am ready to chew yet. Thanks for the tips I'm going to just focus on getting a natural looking skin blending on this piece.

 

[KruleBear]

Welcome to the forum and some cool minis you have started.

 

[Ace Objection]

Welcome to the forum and some cool minis you have started.

Thanks! I checked out your WIP, there's some great stuff there. Who makes those monster minis that you just finished? They have some cool details.

 

[SaintToad]

Welcome!
You might want to lay a very diluted glaze or 3 over the skin on your bust to smooth out the transitions. It will certainly diminish the contrast you've built up, but you can go back in and try to reestablish that afterward.

 

[KruleBear]

Thanks! I checked out your WIP, there's some great stuff there. Who makes those monster minis that you just finished? They have some cool details.

Most are Reaper's Bones line. A soft PVC material. Reaper makes some good figures, but the Bones style loses some detail. They are a pain to prep and I wouldn't recomend them for good display or competition purposes. However, they are cheap and great to practice techniques and for tabletop use. My paint time is limited, so i play around with these as I have a bunch from their Kickstarter.

Reminds me that I need to paint though, so I can update my wip.

 

[Ace Objection]

Well I made a massive miscalculation about how easy Rocket was going to be to remove from his base and I lost his feet in the attempt. While trying to fix that his arm came off for the 100th time. I was able to fix his arm with no issues and get him on the base but he's kind of stumpy now. I'm going to try and hide it with some rocky terrain but I'm not sure if he's still going to be competition worthy. Other than that the whole thing is almost done. I still learned a bunch and this is my first completely original custom base so either way I'm calling it a win. Although honestly this experience has put a bad taste in my mouth for knight miniatures. There's been a lot of issues with Rocket even before painting started.
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[ten ball]

Good try on the recovery after such bad damage. I like the base but alas the damage of the legs has spoiled the composition of the piece but as you say you have learned a lot which is good

 

[Ace Objection]

Good try on the recovery after such bad damage. I like the base but alas the damage of the legs has spoiled the composition of the piece but as you say you have learned a lot which is good

Haha yah this project was a ton of firsts for me and now I know metal minis are really fragile I just hope I can get another piece ready in time for Origins or GenCon

 

[Sicks]

I think it depends on company, I have heard knight models use quite a soft metal, I've never bought any so I don't know if it's true or not but most of the metals I have come from hasslefree and I would have to try really hard to break those, it varies by company depending on what kind of metal they are using.

Good work on this though, I love the base

 

[Ace Objection]

I think it depends on company, I have heard knight models use quite a soft metal, I've never bought any so I don't know if it's true or not but most of the metals I have come from hasslefree and I would have to try really hard to break those, it varies by company depending on what kind of metal they are using.

Good work on this though, I love the base

Thanks! I normally work with Resin so I don't have much experience with metal but these minis seemed very soft. I even had trouble polishing at the beginning because the light pressure of the Dremel was damaging the metal and cracks were always an issue. I heard Knight Miniatures makes a more high end display line so many that's a bit better. My inexperience might also be to blame so I don't want to bash the company too bad but this will be my last purchase from them for awhile.

 

[KruleBear]

Not sure what you used, but I usually have success cutting the larger pieces with nipper. then if the leg is beefy I trim with an xavto knife. If it is not beefy, then I gingerly use a jewelers saw.

I just noticed the bullet holes in the base. Nice touch for this mini.

 

[Ace Objection]

Not sure what you used, but I usually have success cutting the larger pieces with nipper. then if the leg is beefy I trim with an xavto knife. If it is not beefy, then I gingerly use a jewelers saw.

I just noticed the bullet holes in the base. Nice touch for this mini.

I did the nipper and Xacto knife. I'll have to check out getting a jewelers saw, maybe that's what I needed. I tried to burn the edges of the holes with a chopstick on fire but it didn't really work although it was pretty entertaining to keep trying. I had to settle for dry brushing them grey, so glad they still look like bullet holes.

 

[Ace Objection]

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Started led from scratch with a whole new pallet for this guys skin tone, bringing in more khaki and blue and getting rid of pink completely. Also blended the shadow mix with the base and its much more natural looking so thanks to 10 Ball for the really helpful tips. Now comes the fun part of blending all of it together.

 

[Ace Objection]

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Still messing around with colors and shadings, but kind of getting there. People who paint faces and busts well, I now have a new appreciation for you. Please teach me your ways ...:beerwave: I have beer