mini painting: what does the future hold

[supervike]

love the diorama!!

I have several dioramas started. I have been a fan of the diorama since I was in third grade and we made them from a shoebox (and believe me that was a long time ago)!

If I could just stay focused enough to finish one, I will get it posted. Honestly, building dioramas is the \'top\' goal I have in this hobby. I love the idea of a story being told through the scene.

As you say Panza, the box diorama would work perfect for lighting effects.

Like you mentioned also, you used to see the diorama around more often. In some of my \'older\' mini books (ie \"hero\'s for wargames\') they have a section about building them.

I always envisioned little \'shadow box\' dioramas hung around the house like pictures. Unfortunately, my wife seems to like the pictures of the kids better!!???

 

[Infidel Castro]

That metals thing

I\'ve been thinking about that MnMM thing (these acronyms are getting on my tits :flame: ) and I don\'t see that ever taking off. The problem is that metallic paints will never reflect quite the way that you\'d want them to. The idea is interesting, but in reality the metallic paints are still made of flecks and will offer a diffuse reflection rather than give a flat reflective surface. This is why metals are best used as dry-brushed or watered down layers with ink washes. It will give a diffused reflection and look like metal, whereas laying on too much of the stuff will just give a horrible metallic blobby mess. I think that metallics well done dispenses with the need to mess about with trying to get a NMM style metallic surface.

Further to what others have said, I also agree that the freehand game is going to step on and on (Pete the Mighty, your work is cooool!) and open eyes and minds. The same can be said of light sourcing, etc. That\'s certainly the way things will go. That anime style is also worth a sniff.

However, my money will go on some bugger actually using real metals on their minis. Like Kitty suggested with her attempts at gold leaf, I really think some smart-arse is going to use true metals like coloured chrome or plastic coated equivalents and utilise them carefully on some small parts of their minis. A mini with say one single shoulder pad - someone will use proper materials and show it as true/mock chrome. That way it will always reflect what\'s around it. Is this possible do you all think?

Also, the thing about people using NMM and lighting effects as basics...no chance People still need to learn the basics, and the fact is that many people will never paint to a 7-8+ standard (according to CMON ratings). It\'s only people comfortable enough who will go on and dabble in other styles.

Otherwise I think it\'s the old superficial changes that have already been mentioned, like preferred palettes and muted/bright/gaudy/threatening/evil schemes...it goes around and around.

One other thing is the use of lit clear resin - anyone see that Balrog in a recent WD mag? Great idea

Oh, and robots will paint for us one day, but there\'ll be no point in buying one as people will by then be gaming with holographic/3D images that emanate from a small 25 mm round base. Is that possible? I\'d say yes

It\'s an interesting topic isn\'t it?

rev

 

[Infidel Castro]

And more...sorry

The stuff about mixing silver with normal colours and gold with red for hair - it works well, but has to be done sparingly. As someone mentioned, it doesn\'t show very well on photos, but here are a couple anyway. These two are cyber-style minis from China Town, and their weapons do have a certain amount of metals in them; not that it\'s startlingly obvious mind...

http://www.coolminiornot.com/index.php?id=13116&c=All&m=All&nm=none


http://www.coolminiornot.com/index.php?id=16009&c=All&m=All&nm=none

The second is probably the better example, though it is hard to see any metallic flecks or anything. However, you will note that it looks slightly diferent from a flat acrylic colour. I used the NMM style with a very small amount of metallics just to give the weapon a slightly futuristic edge - not to get a MnMM style :flame: lol

When held in the hand, it gives a really nice muted sparkle, so the effect is almost of an otherworldly metal. Give it a whirl, but used watered down paints and even, as I did, use paint, ink, thinner and the little bit of metallic paint all together. Gives a nice result, but you have to hit the right consistency.

The future, TODAY! lol

 

[frenchkid]

About using real metal on a mini, I know that the painting doctor at paintingclinic.com has an article were he dosn\'t put primer on a part of the model and then polishes it so that the mini\'s metal is showing. I guess that would count has a using real metal no? And I have no idea wich way mini painting is going to go. But I have to say I like the idea of a black and white mini, even thought it would get boring if you saw too much of that.

 

[Infidel Castro]

common technique

Absolutely FrenchKid!

That\'s a bonafide method, but I\'m talking about more introducing metal TO the mini rather than using what\'s already there...

Wild stuff

rev

 

[-Percival-]

oh...I love the idea of trying a Shoebox Diorama...and limit the vision/field of view. My biggest gripe about SENMM...is that anyone who has ever looked at chrome...knows the reflection changes with the angle of the viewer.

I\'ve thought about doing a diorama...but never really did one. This one I\'ve actually started...and I\'m getting near to complition. I call it \"The Unwitting Accomplice\". http://tinyurl.com/gjcm

 

[Pellimore]

This whole shoebox diorama thing sounds interesting, but how would I throw it out onto a battlefield? lollol

Sorry, the whole diorama thing sounds kinda funny to a gamer...

\"what do you call that?\"

\"uhh, its a special character, yeah, thats it. It just has a big base\"

\"okay, just more pieces that I can get into base contact for an assault\"

Have fun!
-Pellimore

 

[vincegamer]

Originally posted by reverend
However, my money will go on some bugger actually using real metals on their minis. Like Kitty suggested with her attempts at gold leaf, I really think some smart-arse is going to use true metals like coloured chrome or plastic coated equivalents and utilise them carefully on some small parts of their minis. A mini with say one single shoulder pad - someone will use proper materials and show it as true/mock chrome. That way it will always reflect what\'s around it. Is this possible do you all think?

Judging by the reaction here to my troll, no. He\'s got a sword that is actually chromed and everyone says it looks like a toy, and not just because of the shape either.

 

[kittykat23uk]

Originally posted by frenchkid
About using real metal on a mini, I know that the painting doctor at paintingclinic.com has an article were he dosn\'t put primer on a part of the model and then polishes it so that the mini\'s metal is showing. I guess that would count has a using real metal no?

Theres an Elrond mini in the Norwich GW store that has a very higly polished sword and it really does look like chrome! Its amazing, but it throws the mini out of balance I feel.. Your eye is drawn towards the sword immediately and not towards the eyes of the mini which I would say should be the focal point.

Gold leaf reflects the light a lot more than normal metallics- even in a fairly dark sitting room you can clearly see the gold leaf on my chaos dragon, whereas most of the other metallic bits reflect little, if any, light.. However, you will find that this will become the focus of the eye, and that might not be a good thing! I used the variegated kind and I really like the effect.
:bouncy:

Kat

 

[barkel]

The idea of putting your diorama on the table to play made me laugh. I can picture GW expanding the scale of the game so that every model could be made on into a diorama. Naturally games would never get played because nobody would be able to complete a full army, but then, that\'s how it is at my house anyway.

Reverend:
Some great ideas. I think holograms may actually replace minis one day. Especially as space and minerals become an issue. But it will still have a lot of art involved. You could design, clothe, color, pose and pretty much do anything to a RPG character. But you could go further. You could design his voice and give him an accent. You could give him a limp! Can you imagine being able to see your mini move?

About the NMM as a standard techinique. I think this is possible for the true artists of this hobby. Here are my examples:

1. 2000 years ago music was barely tonal. All music was written in modes. Harmony and keys were unheard of. Then, as harmony was added, professional musicians had to learn what sounded good and why. Slowly as key was added to theory musicians were required to know that. Then key was developed to such a point that the best musicians actually threw it out to start all over again. Now, professional musicians are taught all of it and until you learn keys, or tonality, you are not taught atonality. And until you learn atonality you are not considered a classic musician.

2. 20 years ago 1 out of 100 skateboarders could do a kick flip. But even then they did not dare use it in competition. It was too hard/dangerous. You could bust your ass and die. Now people do kick flips as a standard trick filler when moving from one ramp to the next or when hopping off of a rail. What the best professionals used to bring out as their secret trick is now something that every pro takes for granted. The sport has moved on.

 

[barkel]

oops

accidentally sent before I was done.

More for Reverend:

I looked at the posts you showed with the mixed metallics. I thought they were great, especially the second. This is what I\'m talking about! Metallics have a huge place that goes well beyond just painting metal things.

And I know that it doesn\'t photo well because it reflects light too much, but I\'m sure that can be overcome. Besides it still looks great to the naked eye, and that\'s where it really counts.

barkel

 

[finn17]

It definitely has possibilities...

I did once fully gold leaf a Commander Dante figure. The general effect was good but the mini looked much more \'orange\' than I would ever have imagined. Looking into things a bit further I found that gold leaf comes in almost as many shades as paint!

The overall effect is good but, IMO just constitutes a different undercoat. You cannot apply gold leaf precisely (I cannot apply gold leaf precisely, I am sure there is some clever bugger out there...etc).

I will definitely experiment with it again and take notice of the different forms of leaf that are available. Btw, using gold leaf is about twice as expensive as GW paints IMOlollol:bouncy:

 

[supervike]

um...what?

Not to sound like a complete moron (just a partial onelol)

But, what exactly is gold leaf? I thought it was a thin mettalic paper that people used for stationary. How is it applied?

Please further my knowledge....

 

[finn17]

Goldy leafy stuff

Originally posted by supervike
Not to sound like a complete moron (just a partial onelol)
But, what exactly is gold leaf? I thought it was a thin mettalic paper that people used for stationary. How is it applied?
Please further my knowledge....

Gold leaf is technically just gold hammered so thin that it is about one molecule thick. It\'s a b*stard to use because it is so thin! It comes in books with pages about 3 inches square.

You basically clean up your \'job\' apply some gunge, (sorry I can\'t remember its technical name) and then lay the leaf on and gently push it down/into place with a brush.

You can obtain an enormous range of leaf types. Gold, red gold etc, and a number of other efects such as silver and \'veined gold\'. It is not cheap, but it is not as dear as you might imagine either.

 

[Pellimore]

Originally posted by barkel
The idea of putting your diorama on the table to play made me laugh. I can picture GW expanding the scale of the game so that every model could be made on into a diorama. Naturally games would never get played because nobody would be able to complete a full army, but then, that\'s how it is at my house anyway.

Glad to spark a laugh. Not to mention, if it meant more profit for GW, they wouldn\'t hesitate expanding the scale

Have fun!
-Pellimore

 

[frenchkid]

Somthing I have also been seeing more often is doing the wholle mini in one shade of a color. Maybe this has been developing because of nurgle ( all shades of green ) But It looks really nice if well done. The french golden deamon for fantasy single was a chaos dwarf all in shades of blue/ purple. It looked really good.

 

[halon]

I do believe kitty kat has hit it on the head with her original post. Look at the slayer sword piece from Baltimore\'s games day. Haley had a damascene texture on the loin cloth and miniature drawings on the shouldamapads. And if you look at some of the pieces in the 40k single category you\'ll see the same sort of thing. Of course no one is coming close touching Arseniev\'s St. Petersburg miniatures but things do seem to be headed in that direction. http://www.russianvityaz.ru/.
This may actually drive the larger scale because there is so much more you can do with a bigger figure.