Khonner's WIP
- Thread starter Khonner
- Start date
Wow.. my bouncer seems to be a total fail. I realize that I would prolly need to hit it with another matte coat and that would knock the shine down, but I'm not seeing what else is wrong with it. I know that people can have off days, but I want to make sure that I'm not moving backwards. Please let me know what glares out to you, I appreciate it.
KruleBear
Active member
Why do you say a total fail? Looks pretty decent to me. Could use a shot of Dullcote to help see details though. The base is very plain, but good for gaming. Not a top display piece, but a high tabletop.
I appreciate your comments. I'm going to hit him with some dull coat when I get home today. The reason why I felt it was a fail was due to the ratings that I got in the gallery, it dropped almost a point and a half from my other submitions. I also need to figure out how to get rid of all that white space in my gallery pics. The width of the jpg is 800 pixels, so I'm gonna see if increasing it might help. Any other suggestions with regarding this white space? Thanks.
Khonner
Khonner
KruleBear
Active member
My guess is you are losing at least a point from the shininess on this one http://www.coolminiornot.com/336482?browseid=5989680.
Biggest thing i recommend is ignore the scores. If you are looking for improvement as i do, look at the avg score of a few of your current minis and do the same thing in a year and compare that. I am definately no expert, but outside of what i mentioned before most around here will say you need more contrast. Example taking the highpoint of the eye brow and the top of the lower protruding lip almost to white (in a very small area). I feel that when i add the last couple highlights in that i am going to get too cartoonish, but once blended in it looks good.
And as JinVi says your colors are good and the paint is real neat, so keep painting and enjoy the process.
-mike
Biggest thing i recommend is ignore the scores. If you are looking for improvement as i do, look at the avg score of a few of your current minis and do the same thing in a year and compare that. I am definately no expert, but outside of what i mentioned before most around here will say you need more contrast. Example taking the highpoint of the eye brow and the top of the lower protruding lip almost to white (in a very small area). I feel that when i add the last couple highlights in that i am going to get too cartoonish, but once blended in it looks good.
And as JinVi says your colors are good and the paint is real neat, so keep painting and enjoy the process.
-mike
KruleBear
Active member
Oh, and i shoot for around 400-500 pixels wide in the gallery and keep a decent gap between the body and edge of the pict...to close up and the macro makes most minis look like crap. I adjust the size and crop with MS Picture Manager. For multiple shots i combine them vertically into a collage in Gimp (the only thing i know how to do in Gimp). Vertical collages seem to work in the gallery better than horizontal.
Only use bigger sizes and more macro in wips where you are trying to find flaws and solicite suggestions.
Only use bigger sizes and more macro in wips where you are trying to find flaws and solicite suggestions.
Zab
New member
You could try using something for the background that isn't white too. It can often be hard to see a darker mini with a bright white background. Try using a neutral like cream or grey or a fade of those colors. There are tons of free textures you can use from flickr and just print them off on an inkjet on a low quality setting. As for the scores: one of the folks on here i follow almost stalker like has a saying that the site is like cake and the scores are the icing. If you don't like them scrape them off; the cake is still yummy. Some of the stuff i have done that i love just got a low score because people were sick of seeing that mini, i suspect. Slow and steady, work on the basics and doing nice clean work. Once you get those down it's just baby steps to get fancy.
Here's my next WIP.. I wanted to try one of the Wyrd models, and I chose Bete Noire. I'm concerned about the skin tones, I'm not sure if there's enough contrast. Using Reaper Master Fair Skin base, washed it with Vallejo Flesh wash and a little dry brush of the Fair Skin. I still need to do the final highlight, which I'm planning on using Reaper Fair Skin Highlight. Of course, any comments are welcomed! Thanks.
Khonner
Khonner
Canny
Active member
The skin looks pretty good, as Zab said maybe a little too healthy maybe a wash of green or grey. What I have found is what looks good in real life may not have enough contrast for the camera. Artificial light can generally be your enemy when taking pics, taking a pic near the window with a lamp pointing the other way seems to work ok for me. Matt varnish is your friend another coat would help it I think. You can print off an A4 background if you search in google or there are articles about backgrounds and taking pics.
Don't worry too much about the score its a guide not a be all and end all, I started this year, this is the best place to get tips and encouragement my submissions have been meet with lower scores than anticipated, If you try something and it doesn't work just tick it up to the learning curve, I learnt more form doing the wrong thing than the right. then I just paint over them hahahahaha . . ha ha. . . or just move on to the next one.
The next thing in my humble oppinion you could start thinking about shadows and highlight and for the camera that means pretty much black in the deepest shadows and white in the brightest highlights! (you have started on your latest pic good stuff!)
If you have some spare time I have just been looking at AndyG's wip its got good dark shadows and bright highlights. There are many many wips that are awesome its very helpful.
http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums/showthread.php?49294-AndyG-WIP-(pic-heavy)
Have FUN!!
Don't worry too much about the score its a guide not a be all and end all, I started this year, this is the best place to get tips and encouragement my submissions have been meet with lower scores than anticipated, If you try something and it doesn't work just tick it up to the learning curve, I learnt more form doing the wrong thing than the right. then I just paint over them hahahahaha . . ha ha. . . or just move on to the next one.
The next thing in my humble oppinion you could start thinking about shadows and highlight and for the camera that means pretty much black in the deepest shadows and white in the brightest highlights! (you have started on your latest pic good stuff!)
If you have some spare time I have just been looking at AndyG's wip its got good dark shadows and bright highlights. There are many many wips that are awesome its very helpful.
http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums/showthread.php?49294-AndyG-WIP-(pic-heavy)
Have FUN!!
Last edited:
kathrynloch
New member
Hi Khonner! Just a quick drive by here. lol! I love the Reaper triads - especially skin tone ones but there's one color that doesn't fit that Jen Haley recommends for flesh tones. It's called Ashen Brown but Reaper was going to kill it off until Jen protested. It's an HD paint now. But some vendors may call it by a different name, unfortunately, I can't remember what it is off the top of my head. Anyway, the number is #29831.
This might seem a funky color to use for flesh, but used sparingly (on healthy human flesh) in the deepest shadows and a bit more on unhealthy flesh, again as shading, adds a fantastic "cool" tone counter to normally all warm regular flesh colors. It took me a bit to get used to the technique, but the more I try it, the more I like it. It really helps add some counter and pop without resorting to a wash. Anyway, just thought I'd toss that one out there for ya.
You're work is looking very nice! Keep it up!
This might seem a funky color to use for flesh, but used sparingly (on healthy human flesh) in the deepest shadows and a bit more on unhealthy flesh, again as shading, adds a fantastic "cool" tone counter to normally all warm regular flesh colors. It took me a bit to get used to the technique, but the more I try it, the more I like it. It really helps add some counter and pop without resorting to a wash. Anyway, just thought I'd toss that one out there for ya.
You're work is looking very nice! Keep it up!
Hi all,
A few a pics tonight. 2 more of the progress of Bete and my first attempt at flesh using clay brown dry pigment. Gunran the Wanderer si the victum for that. Take a look and let me know what you all think. Thanks..
Khonner
Bete - Added some darker shades to her skin..
Gunran - This is 2 layers of clay brown and a wash of vallejo fleshtone wash.
A few a pics tonight. 2 more of the progress of Bete and my first attempt at flesh using clay brown dry pigment. Gunran the Wanderer si the victum for that. Take a look and let me know what you all think. Thanks..
Khonner
Bete - Added some darker shades to her skin..
Gunran - This is 2 layers of clay brown and a wash of vallejo fleshtone wash.
Zab
New member
I like where she is going. You may want to think about tamyia clear red for the blood. Here are a few links..,
Chest of colors has a good if not brief run down on it...
http://chestofcolors.com/something-about-painting-blood/
And here is how my experience went with it...
http://almostperftec.blogspot.ca/2013/03/wip-freebooter-le-xmas-2006-mini_22.html
It's good stuff, but easy to overdo so play around with some test minis if you decide to got that route. I think the hombre could you some work on his eyes, the are a bit to white right now and big too. The leather on him is nice, but needs a bit of blending up to the hard line highlight on the edge of his coat. The jean look good maybe push the shadows a bit on them. Bete is good, keep her dark and ghoulish.
Chest of colors has a good if not brief run down on it...
http://chestofcolors.com/something-about-painting-blood/
And here is how my experience went with it...
http://almostperftec.blogspot.ca/2013/03/wip-freebooter-le-xmas-2006-mini_22.html
It's good stuff, but easy to overdo so play around with some test minis if you decide to got that route. I think the hombre could you some work on his eyes, the are a bit to white right now and big too. The leather on him is nice, but needs a bit of blending up to the hard line highlight on the edge of his coat. The jean look good maybe push the shadows a bit on them. Bete is good, keep her dark and ghoulish.
