amethyst wizard - constructive help needed

[darklord]

second empire wizard here. the wife thinks it\'s the 2nd best model i\'ve ever done but i don\'t. i am happy with the colour composition if not the technical side. i really can\'t paint black and avoid it if at all possible so any pointers would be really appreciated. again thia is a comission piece hence the normal gaming base. oh and i couldnt get any decent photos so apologies

if you want to vote:
http://www.coolminiornot.com/165948

 

[fildunn]

just a tip for painting black,
mix yourself a pot of dark grey (70% black 30% white) and paint all black areas this grey. then add another grey somewhere between the dark grey and codex. then highlight with codex (these need to be thin). finally glaze all these areas with very very thin black paint (id suggest adding a tint too) and do this no less than five times. the glaze needs to be very thin but not so thin that it seperates straight away. these glazes will even out any roughness between greys, and shade the recesses to an even black. highlighting higher than codex is not always neccessary. remember the softer and more suptle the shade-to-highlight the softer the surface will seem (cloth etc)

it might not help but its how i learned and i creates a great basis for other techniques.

Fil

 

[GAR]

I have always been fond of adding blue to black for a highlight instead of grey.

I do on occassion add some small amount of grey to the mix, but blue is the predominant color.

It gives a different look, more of a sheen than faded. I think grey is good if you want the black to look worn or weathered.

 

[EldinTux]

I\'m with Gar on adding blue to the black. It gives it an almost velvety look. But who am I trying to kid - giving out advice?

 

[fildunn]

i aggree with adding a colour, thats what was meant by adding tint. but think about the colour you add. blue often gives a clean black, green a dead black and so on. try with different colours but remember its only a tint

Fil