this. Also you won't go nuts because of the feeling that you have no progress.
I have a friend, who doesn't paint because it wouldn't look like the quality of the official paintjobs. Of course because of this he never practices (since 2004 or so), so he can't even do a basecoat. He simply never finished( well actually started) anything and no progress was ever made.
Not sure why, but this is hilarious to me. I picture some guy....approaches his painting table. Picks up brush. Looks at "official" paint job. Drops brush exits room. Perpetually since 2004.
well, actually matt medium won't desaturate the color, it'll just make it matt. Grey, Black and white does that.
Matt medium IS used to desaturate. It can desaturate the pigment in a paint without overly thinning it. "If you thin a paint a lot with water, sometimes the pigment will start falling out of suspension or get grainy. So if you want to make a paint more transluscent for glazes or washes and such, you can add medium with or instead of water." -some guy on the internet.
But I also know this from personal experience. Of course, adding white or black is the commonly appreciated way of desaturating. But add a drop of medium into your undiluted paint and you'll see what I mean.
And based on the pic above (where you hold the 2 pots of paint), I don't advise the teal color. It makes it look almost like the same as the armor.
What I'd suggest is
- either black (with warm, brownish highlights)
- or a warm-white (start with a desaturated, pastelly orange, like the metal and go until white). This way you have a contrast between the armor's blue and the cape AND because of the pastely tone you have a contrast between that and the bronze-metal (saturated, desaturated contrast). Ohh and by coincidence you have a warm-cold contrast too. Hmm, the more I think about it the more the warm-white I'd go with.
I'm thinking about something like the cape of Meliador here:
http://underthemountainblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/lima02.jpg
(or the banner here:
http://underthemountainblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/lima02.jpg)
The funny thing is that they are mindblowingly simple(based on meliador tutorial from cry-havoc11):
- Elven Flesh base
- shaded with cca. Bleached Bone (original color has more yellow in it, but it's about ok)
- highlighted with white
- for more contrast shaded more with cca. GraveyardEarth (original color is a bit darker)
and that's it. Basically 3.5 steps.
As always I appreciate your expertise. TBH, I've never messed around with white cloth. I am sure it ain't no thing, but I am a rookie in that regard....interesting that I've painted this long and never been exposed to white like this. Anyway, I have the following paints on hand that may help:
Ceramite white (pure)
VGC Bonewhite (apparently the same as bleached bone)
VMC Ivory (white with yellow tint)
Kommando Khaki (light brown white, a little darker than bleached bone)
Graveyard Earth (A heavier brown white)
So perhaps Ivory would be my elven flesh base? Still not committed to white, but I like the idea. Keep in mind, though, that I will have a snowy base. I actually wanted to put snow chunks on the cloak, on his boots, etc. But I suppose I could easily put some mud on the hem instead.
Again, I am shamelessly copying Carlos B. See 2 pages previous for his frozen version. He paints his cloak a lighjt blue but glazes a transluscent green on the top of portions. While I dont like his blue with sloppy green look, it made me appreciate the teal for being close to the base colors without matching exactly.
But the variety of ways to create contrast DOES make me want to go with white. BTW-Your links gave me a 403-Forbidden error. Do you have alternatives?
Thanks!!!!!
