Bailey03's WIP
- Thread starter Bailey03
- Start date
BloodASmedium
[img]http://pnp
you have taken to the new approach of this heavy contrast like a bee to pollen. now your even more ready to slay show competitors and get a better chance at a fat 10,000.000 check. way to go youy lil fihure mentor youuuuu.
Bailey03
Well-known member
Thanks, SaintToad, Guawol, and BAM!
I haven't been able to do as much painting lately as I'd like, but this past weekend I did find some time to work on the pirate dwarf. I've finished redoing the pants. I'm including a few more side by side pictures so it's easier to see how the old work has been updated. I had no problem with the stripe pattern, so I kept that. But I redid the highlights and shadows to add more contrast. I also did some small details like the leather on the belt and boot, along with painting the skull on his hat.
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I haven't been able to do as much painting lately as I'd like, but this past weekend I did find some time to work on the pirate dwarf. I've finished redoing the pants. I'm including a few more side by side pictures so it's easier to see how the old work has been updated. I had no problem with the stripe pattern, so I kept that. But I redid the highlights and shadows to add more contrast. I also did some small details like the leather on the belt and boot, along with painting the skull on his hat.
View attachment 58872 View attachment 58873 View attachment 58874
Bailey03
Well-known member
So I've got two back-to-back posts for you all. The first will be about an upcoming project/contest. The second will be an in-depth look at how I'm doing the texturing for the recent leather work on the pirate dwarf and Redghar.
Okay, on to the contest. If you've been following MassiveVoodoo you may have already seen the announcement for the MV 2017 challenge. It's actually two separate challenges, one on making a water base and one on painting a Disney Infinity figure (not to be confused with Infinity the miniature game). Since I'm no good with water bases, I decided to take on the Disney Infinity challenge. I also thought that this would give me the chance to paint a figure my daughter might actually be interested in (once she gets a little older). The Disney Infinity figures were released to go along with the Infinity video game, but recently Roman and a few others have repainted some as display pieces. I did a quick search through the available characters and ordered Merida off of Amazon. Here are a couple of the lessons I've learned so far in case anyone else wants to take part in the challenge....
1) They're actually pretty big! I was expecting something around 40mm or less, but I'd say the figure is comparable to a 75mm figure (maybe even larger given the cartoon proportions). Here's a picture of Merida next to the 70mm Celt I'm painting (yeah, another project I need to finish!).
View attachment 58929
2) The figure is pretty clean. I mean the figure isn't meant for painting, but there aren't many mold lines or cleanup to do. Details are a bit soft, but it's cartoony so that's not too bad. Here's a closer look at the piece. The only mold lines I found were under the hair and on the neck, neither of which is easily seen. I'll try to scrap them off, but if I can't I doubt anyone would ever notice unless you were really looking for them.
View attachment 58930View attachment 58931View attachment 58932
3) Removing the figure from their base is not easy. Beneath the scenic base there's a hard plastic base. I tried to cut/pry it off and managed to do more damage to my hand than the base. I'm going to try again with some more serious tools... but may end up just keeping the base and sculpting the larger scene on top of it.
4) The figure is made out of a flexible material (plastic or something else). I've yet to see how well paint will stick to it... but others have repainted them so I'm hopeful after a layer of primer that I won't have too much trouble with my regular acrylics.
That's all I've got after one night of playing around with the piece. I've got some other projects to finish before I start on her (mainly I've got to wrap up the Ouroborus Orc Brave), so it will be a little bit before I start painting Merida. But, if it goes well, I might buy a few more of the Infinity figures. Should be nice to have some more kid-friendly pieces over the next few years.
Okay, on to the contest. If you've been following MassiveVoodoo you may have already seen the announcement for the MV 2017 challenge. It's actually two separate challenges, one on making a water base and one on painting a Disney Infinity figure (not to be confused with Infinity the miniature game). Since I'm no good with water bases, I decided to take on the Disney Infinity challenge. I also thought that this would give me the chance to paint a figure my daughter might actually be interested in (once she gets a little older). The Disney Infinity figures were released to go along with the Infinity video game, but recently Roman and a few others have repainted some as display pieces. I did a quick search through the available characters and ordered Merida off of Amazon. Here are a couple of the lessons I've learned so far in case anyone else wants to take part in the challenge....
1) They're actually pretty big! I was expecting something around 40mm or less, but I'd say the figure is comparable to a 75mm figure (maybe even larger given the cartoon proportions). Here's a picture of Merida next to the 70mm Celt I'm painting (yeah, another project I need to finish!).
View attachment 58929
2) The figure is pretty clean. I mean the figure isn't meant for painting, but there aren't many mold lines or cleanup to do. Details are a bit soft, but it's cartoony so that's not too bad. Here's a closer look at the piece. The only mold lines I found were under the hair and on the neck, neither of which is easily seen. I'll try to scrap them off, but if I can't I doubt anyone would ever notice unless you were really looking for them.
View attachment 58930View attachment 58931View attachment 58932
3) Removing the figure from their base is not easy. Beneath the scenic base there's a hard plastic base. I tried to cut/pry it off and managed to do more damage to my hand than the base. I'm going to try again with some more serious tools... but may end up just keeping the base and sculpting the larger scene on top of it.
4) The figure is made out of a flexible material (plastic or something else). I've yet to see how well paint will stick to it... but others have repainted them so I'm hopeful after a layer of primer that I won't have too much trouble with my regular acrylics.
That's all I've got after one night of playing around with the piece. I've got some other projects to finish before I start on her (mainly I've got to wrap up the Ouroborus Orc Brave), so it will be a little bit before I start painting Merida. But, if it goes well, I might buy a few more of the Infinity figures. Should be nice to have some more kid-friendly pieces over the next few years.
Bailey03
Well-known member
On a completely different topic, I got a PM asking about some of the texturing I did on the dwarf and Redghar. I thought that other people would be interested in the discussion, so I wanted to post my response here.
When working on leather or any part of the figure where texture is important, I try to balance the texture with the placement of shadows and highlights. Let's use Redghar as an example. Look at the strap around his back. In the lower section the strap is concave. So the top (where it's angled downward) is in shadow and then at the bottom (where it's more horizontal) you start to get lighter tones. However, because the strap is 3-D, there is also an edge highlight along the top side. As you move up the back towards the shoulder, the middle of the strap gets lighter. Now, on top of all of that, I'm add a bit of variation and scratches. The bottom of the scratches tend to catch the light, so they are lighter than the surrounding color. But, they too vary. If you look near the bottom of the strap, the light part of the scratches are closer to a midtone. But higher up on the strap they are more of a true highlight.
View attachment 58933
Here's the close up of the strap so you can more clearly see the differences in color and how it is applied
View attachment 58934
For the dwarf it is similar. The hat has some stuff sculpted along the sides, which I took advantage of. I also added the holes and some of the cuts on the side. But, the front face is basically smooth so I had to create the texture with paint. Below are two ultra close ups of the hat. I don't have a side view, but the front top of the hat protrudes out over the face of the dwarf. This means the top is mostly angled downward and thus in shadow. But, as we get down towards the bottom of the hat it is more horizontal, almost rounded, so the colors get lighter and lighter. In the dark areas I've got a little bit of variation here and there, but leave it mostly dark. The texture will show up better where light is hitting. Lower down, when I start to apply the highlight, I don't worry about smooth even coverage. In fact I don't want that at all. I apply the paint by stippling and in short uneven strokes. I still slowly transition my colors from dark to light, but as I apply the lighter tones in a patchy manner, a texture starts to appear. Then, as I apply the lighter and lighter colors, I work with the texture that I'm creating. The placement of lighter colors becomes more intentional, guided by what was created randomly with the earlier layers. Now, I'll also go in and add other details. In this case I put in two scratches on the right side. This was done by using the darkest shadow tone and painting the jagged lines. Then returning with the highlight colors and bringing out the bottom edges of the scratches.
View attachment 58935View attachment 58936
Now, it looks a bit rough in the super close ups, but when you step back and see the whole figure you don't notice that. It just appears as texture.
View attachment 58937View attachment 58938
Another spot where I've done texture is the wood grain on the pistol grip. In this case it's applying the lighter and lighter shades using parallel strokes to imply the wood grain. As I get lighter, I start applying the strokes just to the upper side and finally the very top of the grip. As before, the early dark shades are placed more randomly. But, as I get lighter, I become more intentional in my placement and work to bring out the texture that's developing. And, I can always go back with the darker tones to make the lines between the lighter parts (not every stroke is perfect, sometimes I accidentally cover up those divisions and need to fix my mistakes).
View attachment 58939
Hopefully that provides a bit more insight into how I work on textures for my figures. It's not easy and definitely something I've struggled with and improved upon over numerous projects. Balancing the application of texture with the placement of highlights and shadows is not easy and something I continue to work on as I try more complicated textures, so don't get discouraged. Just keep practicing and you will get better at it!
When working on leather or any part of the figure where texture is important, I try to balance the texture with the placement of shadows and highlights. Let's use Redghar as an example. Look at the strap around his back. In the lower section the strap is concave. So the top (where it's angled downward) is in shadow and then at the bottom (where it's more horizontal) you start to get lighter tones. However, because the strap is 3-D, there is also an edge highlight along the top side. As you move up the back towards the shoulder, the middle of the strap gets lighter. Now, on top of all of that, I'm add a bit of variation and scratches. The bottom of the scratches tend to catch the light, so they are lighter than the surrounding color. But, they too vary. If you look near the bottom of the strap, the light part of the scratches are closer to a midtone. But higher up on the strap they are more of a true highlight.
View attachment 58933
Here's the close up of the strap so you can more clearly see the differences in color and how it is applied
View attachment 58934
For the dwarf it is similar. The hat has some stuff sculpted along the sides, which I took advantage of. I also added the holes and some of the cuts on the side. But, the front face is basically smooth so I had to create the texture with paint. Below are two ultra close ups of the hat. I don't have a side view, but the front top of the hat protrudes out over the face of the dwarf. This means the top is mostly angled downward and thus in shadow. But, as we get down towards the bottom of the hat it is more horizontal, almost rounded, so the colors get lighter and lighter. In the dark areas I've got a little bit of variation here and there, but leave it mostly dark. The texture will show up better where light is hitting. Lower down, when I start to apply the highlight, I don't worry about smooth even coverage. In fact I don't want that at all. I apply the paint by stippling and in short uneven strokes. I still slowly transition my colors from dark to light, but as I apply the lighter tones in a patchy manner, a texture starts to appear. Then, as I apply the lighter and lighter colors, I work with the texture that I'm creating. The placement of lighter colors becomes more intentional, guided by what was created randomly with the earlier layers. Now, I'll also go in and add other details. In this case I put in two scratches on the right side. This was done by using the darkest shadow tone and painting the jagged lines. Then returning with the highlight colors and bringing out the bottom edges of the scratches.
View attachment 58935View attachment 58936
Now, it looks a bit rough in the super close ups, but when you step back and see the whole figure you don't notice that. It just appears as texture.
View attachment 58937View attachment 58938
Another spot where I've done texture is the wood grain on the pistol grip. In this case it's applying the lighter and lighter shades using parallel strokes to imply the wood grain. As I get lighter, I start applying the strokes just to the upper side and finally the very top of the grip. As before, the early dark shades are placed more randomly. But, as I get lighter, I become more intentional in my placement and work to bring out the texture that's developing. And, I can always go back with the darker tones to make the lines between the lighter parts (not every stroke is perfect, sometimes I accidentally cover up those divisions and need to fix my mistakes).
View attachment 58939
Hopefully that provides a bit more insight into how I work on textures for my figures. It's not easy and definitely something I've struggled with and improved upon over numerous projects. Balancing the application of texture with the placement of highlights and shadows is not easy and something I continue to work on as I try more complicated textures, so don't get discouraged. Just keep practicing and you will get better at it!
BloodASmedium
[img]http://pnp
Best you've done next to Dennis souls orc. I actually couldn't find which I like my re as both orcs hit with the impact of euron greyjoys battering bowed armada in the last episode of GoT . And I really know the true secret you picked the orange haired Irishwoman from that great animation that I've watched 100 times . What me have a crush on an animation ....don't know what your talkingtalking about...well I never!!!! Ill take the couch Janet....yes...yes ....for the next ten weeks.
but the real reason is when the littlen is of age to recognize red haired heroines you can be like hey Cols look at this....wow it's beautiful dada ...did you know dada painted it...WHOOOA ....COOOOL...so poppop tell me more of this painting wizardry you do....well my lovely child it's a hobby called miniature painting...AND YOU CAN PAINT ALL SORTS OF THINGS LIKE DRAGONS,AND ORCS AND HEY LOOK AT THIS THIS ONE WON DADA A 10,000 DOLLAR CHECK TWICE...wahhhhhhhh wahhhhhh......that's when you get the couch david...yes ...for the next ten weeks...
lllllllooooolllllllll very crafty Powell's
but the real reason is when the littlen is of age to recognize red haired heroines you can be like hey Cols look at this....wow it's beautiful dada ...did you know dada painted it...WHOOOA ....COOOOL...so poppop tell me more of this painting wizardry you do....well my lovely child it's a hobby called miniature painting...AND YOU CAN PAINT ALL SORTS OF THINGS LIKE DRAGONS,AND ORCS AND HEY LOOK AT THIS THIS ONE WON DADA A 10,000 DOLLAR CHECK TWICE...wahhhhhhhh wahhhhhh......that's when you get the couch david...yes ...for the next ten weeks...lllllllooooolllllllll very crafty Powell's
Bailey03
Well-known member
Nice, glad to hear it, Zab. I'm looking forward to seeing your WIP posts on that piece!
Thanks, BAM! Yeah, I definitely like the Merida character. And she's basically works as either a fantasy or a historical figure, so right up my alley. Might even see some freehand on the bottom of her dress.
Thanks, BAM! Yeah, I definitely like the Merida character. And she's basically works as either a fantasy or a historical figure, so right up my alley. Might even see some freehand on the bottom of her dress.
Bailey03
Well-known member
Thanks all, I'm glad you found it helpful! This inspired me to do a more thorough write up and turn it into a true tutorial. It's mostly the same info, but in case you're curious you can find it here.
In other news, I put the dwarf aside this past weekend and instead got back to the Orc Brave I've been painting. I really wanted to enter this into the Eavier Metal painting competition and bring it with me to the NOVA Open. All that means I've got a little less than a month before I need to be done. So I put some work into the base. Most of my focus has been on the tree. The ground itself still needs work. I've also only base coated the lizard on the tree, so he needs work too. But, the scene is starting to come together. I didn't have time to do the more polished photos, so these are just iphone snaps with the figure on my painting area.
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In other news, I put the dwarf aside this past weekend and instead got back to the Orc Brave I've been painting. I really wanted to enter this into the Eavier Metal painting competition and bring it with me to the NOVA Open. All that means I've got a little less than a month before I need to be done. So I put some work into the base. Most of my focus has been on the tree. The ground itself still needs work. I've also only base coated the lizard on the tree, so he needs work too. But, the scene is starting to come together. I didn't have time to do the more polished photos, so these are just iphone snaps with the figure on my painting area.
View attachment 59069View attachment 59070View attachment 59071View attachment 59072View attachment 59073
Webmonkey
New member
Really wish you'd get some video gear and do video tutorials sometimes. Don't get me wrong, your written explanations are stellar,... but still,.. sometimes seeing a thing actually being done can often be more helpful than a verbal/written explanation. It's kinda like trying to describe the color purple to someone who was born blind. Sure, you can explain it all day long,.. but they're still never going to truly understand what it is unless/until they actually see it for themselves. If that makes any sense,..
Bailey03
Well-known member
Thanks, Webmonkey and 10.
I did try doing a google hangout demo. I think it went alright, but my internet connection at home isn't great so the video doesn't have very good resolution. But the camera I've got should let me record directly from my computer and then upload that to the internet which should fix that problem. But, ideally I'd get some video editing tools so the end result would be a bit more polished. Toughest part is finding the time. With the written tutorials I can paint a little bit and then come back to it later if I get called away by family obligations. I can grab pictures over several sessions and put them all together as one tutorial. The video option just takes a bit more planning and some scheduling help so I know I'll have a couple uninterrupted hours at the painting table. One of these days I'll actually do one... just might be a little while before I can manage it though.
I did try doing a google hangout demo. I think it went alright, but my internet connection at home isn't great so the video doesn't have very good resolution. But the camera I've got should let me record directly from my computer and then upload that to the internet which should fix that problem. But, ideally I'd get some video editing tools so the end result would be a bit more polished. Toughest part is finding the time. With the written tutorials I can paint a little bit and then come back to it later if I get called away by family obligations. I can grab pictures over several sessions and put them all together as one tutorial. The video option just takes a bit more planning and some scheduling help so I know I'll have a couple uninterrupted hours at the painting table. One of these days I'll actually do one... just might be a little while before I can manage it though.
Bailey03
Well-known member
Hmmmm... I haven't really run into the chalky problem with them, so it's hard to say what I'm doing differently. When thinning, my wet palette adds a bit of water and then I might add a drop or two each time I mix the color for an additional layer, but I'm not thinning them down dramatically. If you are working with thinner mixes of the paint, you could try adding a bit of matte medium (and a little less water). That can help the paint behave better when thinned.
The other thing I could think of is the colors you use for highlighting and shading. For highlighting, I rarely grab the pure white. I got the green on the orc to go pretty light with a 50/50 mix of Meadow Green and Surf Aqua and then added some Ghost White (basically a very light blue) at the end. Other colors I use for highlighting are skin tones, vampiric skin (an off white), linen white, etc. On the shading side, I tend to avoid just dark versions of the main color. So if I'm painting green, I might choose a dark purple to shade instead of just using a dark green. For the orc I chose a dark blue (Ritterlich Blue) to shade the green. For reds, a dark purple or dark blue can work well too. For blue, maybe a dark red. You can see from the orc pictures, the shadows don't exactly look blue, but the variation in color creates a more interesting look. If the mix is just dark green, medium green, and light green it can end up looking a bit flat.
Here's a look at the colors I used for the orc skin on the palette. It goes from 50/50 Ritterlich Blue and Peacock Green (on the far left) to 50/50 Peacock Green and Marine Teal (near the middle) to 50/50 Meadow Green and Surf Aqua (3/4 of the way to the right) and then Ghost White (on the far right).
View attachment 59127
Hopefully something in there is helpful!
The other thing I could think of is the colors you use for highlighting and shading. For highlighting, I rarely grab the pure white. I got the green on the orc to go pretty light with a 50/50 mix of Meadow Green and Surf Aqua and then added some Ghost White (basically a very light blue) at the end. Other colors I use for highlighting are skin tones, vampiric skin (an off white), linen white, etc. On the shading side, I tend to avoid just dark versions of the main color. So if I'm painting green, I might choose a dark purple to shade instead of just using a dark green. For the orc I chose a dark blue (Ritterlich Blue) to shade the green. For reds, a dark purple or dark blue can work well too. For blue, maybe a dark red. You can see from the orc pictures, the shadows don't exactly look blue, but the variation in color creates a more interesting look. If the mix is just dark green, medium green, and light green it can end up looking a bit flat.
Here's a look at the colors I used for the orc skin on the palette. It goes from 50/50 Ritterlich Blue and Peacock Green (on the far left) to 50/50 Peacock Green and Marine Teal (near the middle) to 50/50 Meadow Green and Surf Aqua (3/4 of the way to the right) and then Ghost White (on the far right).
View attachment 59127
Hopefully something in there is helpful!
Bailey you do paint some historical figures from time to time I guess this is something you will look into? http://ferminiatures.com/the-return-of-a-legend-say-hi-to-elite-classics/
/K
I guess this is something you will look into? http://ferminiatures.com/the-return-of-a-legend-say-hi-to-elite-classics//K
