Althai's WIP thread

[althai]

This is my current WIP, and I'd love to get some feedback on it. Lisbeth herself is pretty close to finished, although the base still needs a lot of work. I'm not terribly happy with the nmm - something I've never been very good at - and am considering painting over it with metallics.

And here's a shot so that you can see the design on the board. The gloss coat I put on it makes it challenging to photograph, but that's pretty much inevitable whenever you use gloss.

Anyways, please let me know what you think, and if you have any critiques!

 

[SkelettetS]

ooh this is sweet, nice colours... super!
although i prefer TMM in most cases i do think this piece works best with non metallics.

 

[cheelfy]

That's great! Your nmm is good on that mini, I don't think you need to paint it in TMP.

 

[Noddwyr]

Looks great. i like the NMM on this mini. It suits it well.

 

[noneedforaname]

Nmm looks real good and liking the green in the goggles as well. Very nicely done!

 

[Countersunk81]

Awesome work, I think the metals have turned out nice.

Particularly impressed with the pants and goggles, both are done superbly!

 

[dims]

The use of colors and techniques make it very comic-style, which is very well suited for this beautifull sculpt. Love it!

 

[althai]

The use of colors and techniques make it very comic-style, which is very well suited for this beautifull sculpt. Love it!

Thanks, that's what I was going for. I don't usually go for the comic-book style, but as you say, it seemed appropriate for this mini.

 

[Scipunk]

Looks ace.....very clean and smooth

Agree on the comic book style....it brings the model to a whole different level and suits it quite nicely

Keep it up

 

[althai]

She's finished: link.

There are a few things I'm still thinking about changing, but I thought that I would a) get some input, and b) sleep on it before deciding. So, tell me what you think!

 

[dims]

What is it that you need input on?

 

[althai]

What is it that you need input on?

Well, anything you think would be useful.

Also, I do have a few specific thoughts of my own, and I'd be curious whether you agree with them. First, I'm worried that the graffiti on the base is two bright, and is pulling focus from the miniature. I was considering doing some dirty brown glazes to mute it a bit. Second, I'm worried that the helmet is too dark. I'm considering repainting it white, also to pull focus upwards. What do you think?

 

[DunErwit]

It's really nicely done, clear and smooth painting/shading, and the NMM for my taste looks good, too. And I don't think, that the helmet is too dark - if you'd paint it white, I fear you'll loose contrast and the mini ends up too light-coloured. Perhaps a bit of dirt, ok, perhaps... but it works well without, too.
So leave it as it is, it's really a very good work

 

[dims]

Well, anything you think would be useful.

Also, I do have a few specific thoughts of my own, and I'd be curious whether you agree with them. First, I'm worried that the graffiti on the base is two bright, and is pulling focus from the miniature. I was considering doing some dirty brown glazes to mute it a bit. Second, I'm worried that the helmet is too dark. I'm considering repainting it white, also to pull focus upwards. What do you think?

Having done some grafitti 'back in the day' I must say that was one of the things I noticed first, how crisp clean the (center) piece was. Make some smudges like you said, but maybe also some dripping?
About the helmet: leave it: it contrasts great with the skintones, and this way it looks like a scavenged SWAT-helmet.
What you MIGHT do to spice up the character of the model, is to get her some really wild tatoos, maybe one all the way along her back? And none of those cute flowery ones, but some hard core nasty tribals, or somewhat more metal/rock appropriate ones.

 

[althai]

So, next up on my painting table is Mae'viir, by Guild of Harmony. I started her in a class given by Mathieu Fontaine (Akaranseth) on female flesh and faces at Gen Con (really good class—I think I learned a lot). So far the face and body are pretty much finished; everything else is just started.

I'm not quite sure what's up with her nose; I'll try to fix it before moving on to her "armor" (aka lingerie).

Edit: I did some more work on her face, cloth, and hair.

 

[dims]

Looking good there. Damn, I should really start to go looking to do some of those classes you mention. Would probably really put my work to the next level.
Anyway, about the nose: by doing the holes in her nose so dark, it tends to look like a pig's nose. It is too prominently there. Either tone it down, or perhaps try to shave the nose a bit thinner? Tricky, I know...

 

[althai]

Mae'viir is done: http://coolminiornot.com/258143

Next up, Y'Sala and Darkness.

Darkness:

Y'Sala:

Y'Sala and Darkness:

Another gorgeous sculpt from Studio McVey (actually a pair this time). But while Lisbeth was pure joy to paint, Y'sala has a good chance of driving me crazy. All these fiddly little bits is going to mean hours of fiddly painting. She has no less than 20 belts, and every one has buckles, studs, and other tiny detail. So when I'm underlining each one of her belts in black, and working against a yellow background where any tiny slip means several coats of careful work trying to fix the mistake... yeah, you see why I may not finish her with sanity intact. I'll say this though: it's good practice for brush control!

Tell me it's all going to have been worth it when she's done.

As always, comments, questions, and constructive criticism are welcome.

 

[cheelfy]

I really like the way you painted Darkness, he's pretty good, but I'm not really convinced by Y'sala, I think the yellow is a too warm and doesn't fit with Darkness.

 

[althai]

Interesting. Well I think the yellow is just peachy, and I think I'm going to keep it. I normally don't go for super bright colors, but I was really happy with how the yellow was turning out. I shaded it with reddish purple hues, which is working very well for me. Maybe once the other colors have been highlighted so that the yellow isn't the only thing you see, it won't bother you so much.

 

[CoreyHaim8myDog]

Lisbeth/Riot Grrl is awesome. I was wondering if you'd mind talking a little ship about it.

If so. can you PM/DM me or post here? I'm trying to nail NMM in particular and you technique is among the best I've seen.