Malconvoker WIP

[Poena]

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Currently working on a mini (do not recall the figurine name, I have to find the box to see what it's called. Most likely it's from DSM since 99% of mine are ordered from there) for my D&D campaign. Playing a Malconvoker and I fell in love with this piece. Here's it's mostly base coated, haven't touched the sword yet save for the runes, and I'm struggling with skin tones.

Right now, the skin is supposed to be highlighted and shadowed, but it isn't bold enough. It still looks fairly flat. I've included the link to the full album for other views and early progress on there.


Full album of WIP is here: http://imgur.com/a/q22iL

C&C is more than welcome - I'm still very much a beginner and I could, frankly, likely use all the help I can get!

 

[KruleBear]

Welcome to the forum. May want to consider blacklining ( or brown lining) where the skin areas transitions to cloth. Right now there are several spots of whote primer showing through and the lining would help this and help the texture transition to pop more.

 

[Poena]

Welcome to the forum. May want to consider blacklining ( or brown lining) where the skin areas transitions to cloth. Right now there are several spots of whote primer showing through and the lining would help this and help the texture transition to pop more.

Thanks, I'll give that a shot and post an update later this week!

 

[ten ball]

I agree with KB - I would go with the brown (black will be to harsh)

 

[Octavian80]

Looking good. For the skintones, in my relatively limited knowledge and expertise, I would say go darker in the shades and push the highlights a little further, to the point where you're adding white to the mixture for the highest, sharpest parts. If it gets too bright for you, a glaze of the mid-tone will help bring the colors down and together. That's been my experience anyway.

 

[Poena]

I agree with KB - I would go with the brown (black will be to harsh)

Good point. I think I'm so used to black for dark and white for light, that I hadn't even considered trying a more natural brown.

Looking good. For the skintones, in my relatively limited knowledge and expertise, I would say go darker in the shades and push the highlights a little further, to the point where you're adding white to the mixture for the highest, sharpest parts. If it gets too bright for you, a glaze of the mid-tone will help bring the colors down and together. That's been my experience anyway.

I'll try that out! I'm aiming for something that will look nice on the table, and more contrast would prolly be more eye catching.

Thanks all! I've touched up the mini and tried to take the advice to heart. While not drastic, what I've done so far is:

• Went over the skin again to even things out (will try better contrasts after it dries, likely this weekend
• Touched up the edges of the cloak
• Tried to fix around the eyes (left eye is looking fubar still)
• Base coated sword metal in gray
• Managed to make a few more brush misstrokes
• Made a note to get materials for an actual lightbox

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New album with additional shots: http://imgur.com/a/k8pvO

I really do appreciate the feedback. This is my first mini that I'm trying to genuinely push myself to be better at painting. There's definitely room for improvement - I still have trouble getting the paint consistancy that I like, I still make several brush strokes out of place - but I feel that I might be able to be happy with this one when it's finished!

 

[bgcdazzler]

Lovely little model - cheeky! - and so far paint looks nice and clean. Still push the contrast a little more, though!

 

[Octavian80]

Looking better already! It looks like you could benefit from thinning your paints more. Are you using a wet palette? I just got back into the hobby a few months ago and discovered the wet palette and it is a total game-changer! Thinning your paints down really helps get a smooth coat and with blending. It may take a little longer because you have to build the color in multiple thin layers, but in the end it's totally worth it. Also, you could think about using glazes to tint certain areas of your fig. Glazes are super thin paints, very transparent. Some paint companies have glaze colors you can use straight from the bottle but you can also make your own by thinning the color you want way down. A glaze medium, like the one from Vallejo, really helps with this. I usually use 4 or 5 drops of paint to about 10 drops of the glaze medium and 3-4 drops of water to thin down the paint. If you already know what glazes are then I apologize and feel free to ignore me lol. On your fig, you could use a bluish color to tint some parts of her skin to give her a cool, cold feel; like under the breasts and arms and perhaps the lower parts of her legs. I'm not even close to an expert but I've done a lot of research, watched a gazillion hours of youtube videos, and have received some great advice from some awesome painters on these forums. I'm sure other painters will correct me but I feel what I've advised will help you a little bit. If you want to see some things in action, check YouTube. I'd suggest Vincent Venturella, Brant 'Ghool' Benoit, Doctor Faust, and Sorastro. You'll learn all kinds of tips and techniques from their videos to get you going. Anyway, end of ramble. Good luck and keep it up!

 

[Poena]

Lovely little model - cheeky! - and so far paint looks nice and clean. Still push the contrast a little more, though!

I tried, and I think I went too far on the other end of contrast and ended up making a Frankenflesh mini.

I think I may have been too impatient with the layers, and definitely could have waited longer to dry. I'm happy with the shadow portions, but I seriously flubbed the highlight. I'm tempted to put it aside for a few days, maybe prep some other minis and come back to this one with a clear head.

Looking better already! It looks like you could benefit from thinning your paints more. Are you using a wet palette? I just got back into the hobby a few months ago and discovered the wet palette and it is a total game-changer! Thinning your paints down really helps get a smooth coat and with blending. It may take a little longer because you have to build the color in multiple thin layers, but in the end it's totally worth it. Also, you could think about using glazes to tint certain areas of your fig. Glazes are super thin paints, very transparent. Some paint companies have glaze colors you can use straight from the bottle but you can also make your own by thinning the color you want way down. A glaze medium, like the one from Vallejo, really helps with this. I usually use 4 or 5 drops of paint to about 10 drops of the glaze medium and 3-4 drops of water to thin down the paint. If you already know what glazes are then I apologize and feel free to ignore me lol. On your fig, you could use a bluish color to tint some parts of her skin to give her a cool, cold feel; like under the breasts and arms and perhaps the lower parts of her legs. I'm not even close to an expert but I've done a lot of research, watched a gazillion hours of youtube videos, and have received some great advice from some awesome painters on these forums. I'm sure other painters will correct me but I feel what I've advised will help you a little bit. If you want to see some things in action, check YouTube. I'd suggest Vincent Venturella, Brant 'Ghool' Benoit, Doctor Faust, and Sorastro. You'll learn all kinds of tips and techniques from their videos to get you going. Anyway, end of ramble. Good luck and keep it up!

Thinning the paints has been my biggest issue so far. Right now I'm using a dry palette, trying about 1:3 wateraint, but I've yet to get a perfect one. I'm aiming for like a thin, milky layer, but I am definitely needing more work on that. People do keep saying good things about wet pallet, and that blue advice sounds intriguing!

And no worries about the glazes, while I've heard of them it's always great to get another perspective. No need to apologize!