Chaos Beast Tips and Ideas Wanted...

[MPJ]

I haven't painted a mini in over 2 years now and decided to jump back into the saddle with a big one. I figured I spent big bucks on this Forge World thingie I better start putting paint to it.

I'm pleased with the mouth and teeth I've done so far and I've blocked in the base colors I have planned for the rest (I tend to start with my second darkest shade color then highlight up with a little more shading in the darkest recesses).

I'm comfortable with how I'm going to proceed with the horns, the various boils and such on the skin I have a good handle on. The exposed muscle on the back legs I think I've got covered but I just don't know what to do with the skin. On this large and very detailed resin mini there is just so much detail and I'm worried about losing it all. So many subtle pits in the skin and such that I'm thinking if I were to do my norm and start blending highlights right away until I'm just about done then do some shade washes/blending, then finally a few more layers of blending highlights I'm going to have lost the detail in the totally pitted skin.

Any advice on how to approach the skin of this beast would be greatly appreciated, and I'm always open to comments on other ways to approach the other unfinished bits. Heck, even an idea or two on how to do the mouth better (the only part that is complete, had to paint it first for assembly) will be soaked in by me.

Thank you kindly,
Michel P. Jeanrie

 

[SkelettetS]

Hey Michel!

thats one groovy mini, have to check it up personally, i think the gum is a bit too pink. id prefer some dark, wet red instead (i do tend to pain minis pretty dark though)
The skin is a tough one. hmm. perhaps you can make som colour transitions so the legs hade different colours than the body, for example green body and purple legs? just an idea, keep posting, id like to see updates of this monster!

 

[MPJ]

A couple updated photos of the muscle tissue which I'm calling tentatively done (unless someone comes up with a great "Ooh, if you do this..." type of idea.

The lighting isn't that good so it's hard to make out the differences in the mussel tissue colour but all was started from a deep redish brown with the more fibrous tissue up to an orange and the smoother tissues up to a pink.

Thinking I have to take less close up pictures as I thought it looked pretty good before the photos, now I'm displeased. Perhaps new glasses are in order.

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PS: I've got a plan for the skin (in fact I've already implemented most of it since taking these shots, pictures soonish). Drybrushing the first two layers of highlight, then washing darkest shade to bring it back down (got this far), then I'm going to blend in highlights on the raised areas

 

[Meph]

Cool, I'm already liking the contrast between skin and flesh. I'm eager to see the rest.

 

[TrystanGST]

Taking excellent pictures is an art form to itself. They can make or break the mini here. I wouldn't worry too much for WIPs though.

It is an excellent mini though, and cheers for taking on something so daunting as your first project back.

 

[Moradin]

It is quite a nice start! I also like the muscle side of the back legs, the contrasts are good. :glasses-cool:
For the mouth, the gum color is quite nice, may be the black shade at the base of the teeth is too dark, perhaps getting a dull yellow color at the base of the teeth instead of the black as to give the idea of very dirty teeth with a yellowed crust near the gum line. As for the skin, a bit more variation from the base color along the ends of the legs and near the base of the horns and the boils. Some color difference with the belly, somewhat paler there could be used. The stretched skin at the back legs can use a paler color as it is quite stretched compared to the rest of the body. May be adding some bloody liquor or a colored ichor seeping from the base of the horns would give the impression that the mutations are still fresh or ongoing.

Hopes this help a little!

 

[MPJ]

So, I'm nearing completion of the skin when disaster strikes in the form of a 4yr old girl and her barbie dolls. Sitting down in my basement blending in some highlights and I get barbie dolls shoved into my face with "Daddy, daddy, put their heads back on!". I spin and Beast goes flying onto the cement floor flattening the back 5 spines.

Trying to decide if I need to go another layer of highlighting. Made some modifications based on the feed back above, thanks for all the input.

I have green stuff, but no real idea how to sculpt, I could cry.

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[Moradin]

Ouch! that is a hard landing. If you are willing to try greenstuff you would need first to make some space for the future spine i.e. dig a little at where the old spines were so that you have a kind of a small crater. Then you can drill a small hole to put in a small wire for supporting the greenstuff on the new spine, glue it in and let dry well. After prepare your greenstuff and use small amounts to coat the wire and make it filling the crater at the base and going a bit over the tip of the wire. You can adjust the broken skin that touch the spine to look like the other intact spines. With greenstuff you have about 2 hours of time to work with it as it gets harder with time, very sticky and malleable at first then tougher to move and dent later. The tools can be large sewing or tapestry needles and smaller ones for finer details, smooth toothpicks, or some small smooth metal instruments, the trick is just keep them wet so that greenstuff does not stick on them. Just try! I made my first horns on a beastman about the same way and it came rather nice for a first time. You have good examples with the other spines on your chaos beast, just give it a try, it's worth it!

 

[MPJ]

OK, this will be my last post before it goes up for vote. Just about done, some more basework to do and some touchups. Perhaps some final changes based on any feedback still to come.

Thank you all for your comments and tips so far. It's been helpful and I've implemented many of them.

Michel P. Jeanrie

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[Dragonsreach]

OK, this will be my last post before it goes up for vote. Just about done, some more basework to do and some touchups. Perhaps some final changes based on any feedback still to come.

Thank you all for your comments and tips so far. It's been helpful and I've implemented many of them.

Michel P. Jeanrie

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Before you go Postal on us, can I make a couple of suggestions regarding Shading.
The green looks Ok but the musclature shading could benefit (IMO) from a few judicious touches of tonal shading, careful use of brown or dark red painted into the deeper muscle recesses could give the mini that added Ooomph.
Similarly the Muscle fibres could look deeper and more organic with a couple of touches of purple into the deeper reccesses.

 

[MPJ]

Well I lied... My last post turned out to be my second last. I made some final 'modifications' per suggestions... Took it to my spray booth area and applied some coating... Completely forgot that 'Purity Seal' was GWs gloss coating (serves me right for taking a 2yr painting hiatus), now much of the shading is obliterated. Will hopefully be getting to the local GW store this weekend for some matt varnish which I am really hoping will bring much of that detail back to the visible spectrum. Keeping fingers crossed until then.

EDIT...

Turns out that I wasn't forgetful, Purity Seal is their dull coat, mine was just so old that it had gone skunky... Completely high gloss. D'oh.

 

[MPJ]

Giant Spined Chaos Beast Posted and Done...

Well, after I sprayed him with newer varnish it brought the shine back down (though it's still a bit glossier then I would have liked, afraid to spray to much on now) so I posted him a few days ago...

All kinds of modifications and alterations based on feedback which was muchly appreciated and helped me produce a better mini to be sure. Thank you for those.

It can be seen and voted on HERE.

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Thank you kindly,

MPJ