Need help to improve my painting

[Sakura]

I\'m painting for nearly a year now, but reacently I\'ve got the problem that I just can\'t get any better. I mean, I paint all my minis the same way and they all look okay, but not how I liked them to be. I don\'t even know what I should change.
I\'m just stuck.

I just posted my first two minis, so please take a look at them and tell me how I could improve. I\'m greatful for any suggestions.
http://www.coolminiornot.com/browse.php?submitter=Sakura

 

[Taer]

First question, what paints are you using? Are they naturally gloss or did you give \'em a spray with gloss varnish? :flip::bouncy:

 

[Sakura]

I use Vallejo and Citadel colors, no varnish at all.

 

[KatieG]

There\'s plenty of room for improvement, the thing Taer was pointing at is that your minis are way too glossy. Several things I noticed right away are a lack of shading and highlighting, or any kind of darklining. You\'ve got decent enough brush control, as I see you\'re not slopping paint everywhere. But the only thing that looks like any attempt has been made at highlighting (on your dancer) is the skirt. Everything else looks like it was just painted one color. The hair and skin are especially noticeable, as is the gold. To start, think basecolor, shade, and highlight at the very minimum, even for small areas. For example, you might basecoat a skin area dwarf flesh, shade it with tanned flesh, and highlight with elf flesh. As you improve you can do more steps in between using mixes of these colors for smoother gradation. For metallics I like to add in inks as well. For gold I typically basecoat, ink with chestnut brown ink, highlight again with the basecoat, and sometimes I will take it all the way up to silver. Anyways, hope this helps!
--Katie G.

 

[Sakura]

I really don\'t use much highlighting, but I do shade everything (well, mostly). It may not show, but for the skintone, I start with the darkes color and use at least 2 layers of lighter colors. I find that easier than shading and it does look quite good in reality, at least, that\'s what I thought.

But I\'ll try that with the inks for metallics.

 

[airhead]

If you are shading, you are not doing near enough. Everything has to be exagerated in this scale. Think each area in at least 3 colors: shadow, mid-tone & high-light. Try looking at the shot in \"black & white\" mode. See the shadows? Paint them.

The black hair needs to be drybrushed in a gray or blue to show highlights with an even lighter color at the hot spot.
The flesh looks like it is simply midtone.
The skirt has a little highlight on the tops, but no blending to that color and no dark blue/purple/black shadow.
The eyes are pretty good, but girls like that were makeup - lots of it. Check with wife/GF/Sis & get an idea of \"full load\" makeup: eyeliner, rouge, eyeshadow, etc. (I have teenage daughters - they wear that much just to go out of the house)

Next step - blacklining (I know, I need to do more myself).

Base: to bump your score a half to full point, put some time in on the base. Sand, flock, grass. Reaper brochlie bases are a pain. I glue a washer (1\" od) under them. Then you have some area to work with.

Glossyness: Inks are notorious about making the fig glossy. Get some Testor\'s DulCoat and learn to shake well before using.

Tough love, but you can do it. I am not meaning to come down hard on you, just showing you areas that you can fix.

The Danu fig is much better. I see blending on the cape and the flesh. You still need to take the darker areas darker and the highlights lighter. Then work on the base some (desert sand for this one?) You might want to combine your pics vertically instead of horizontally. The site limits the width of the total picture. Tell me this fig was done after the dancer - it is much beter and the score reflects it.

 

[supervike]

good start...

I like the Danu one much better than the first.

It sounds like you do the flesh tones similar to the way I do. I start with my darkest tone, and keep working it up, several shades lighter (maybe 4-7 shades)

The first mini looks like a good start, but it looks like it has just base colors down.

Now this is just a matter of taste, but I feel that for the minis to have a more dramatic and less flat feel, you really need to exaggerate the highlights. It is hard to do, and I struggle with it every time I paint.

Black lining helps define areas much better, but it too can be overdone. Some prefer to \"black line\" with a very dark shade of the color they are using or even differing shades of browns.

Keep at it!!

 

[Mosch]

O beloved one, thy Avatar freaketh me out.

Airhead: I think she did both at about the same time, the Danu a bit later. We\'re talking days or weeks at a maximum here.

And now would everyone please compare her minis to my Gragg and try to convince her that hers looks better - she would not believe me, maybe you guys are a little more persuasive lol

Seriously, why do I even start to post here? I already told you in person.

Bah, I\'m gonna go and paint my Dirz. I\'m bored.

 

[AlexDaKid]

I for one will step up and say her minis and piddling all over that gragg Mosch

But its ok because I know the story behind it and lets face it if this site was called QuickMiniorNot then this would be a 10!lol

As for your skills Sakura I say the voting is a little harsh for you danu, I think it has the basis of a very nice model.

One thing that got me is that you shade and don\'t highlight! Most people start their painting journey with basecoats and a drybrush highlight but you\'ve gone back to front. Oh well no big problem.

Here\'s my tips

1) Base all your work properly even if the model doesn\'t warrant it.

2) Highlight, maybe try some simple drybrushing techniques at first.

3) Keep as neat as you paint now! You have a very clean style, keep it that way!

Ok? I think these are extremely good starts and are getting you well into the right direction. Remember to keep neat and tidy and you\'ll be alright!

 

[Sakura]

Ok, when I said I don\'t highlight that wasn\'t quite right. I do use drybrushing on hair or armor parts and such.
It\'s just when I paint highlight on fabrics it looks wrong. Like it doesn\'t belong there. Like on my dancer, the highlight on the skirt just doen\'t fit.
I really tried to shade there clothes, but as I used the next darker color, I couldn\'t tell the diference.
And for the make up, I painted her for my DSA charakter and I did want a more natural look for her.
Now could anyone tell how to do blacklining. Mosch said I should use ink and then overpaint whats to much, but it doesn\'t really work out. Can\'t I just paint thin lines around everything and just overpaint when I slip, or will it get to dark. (Never really tried it)
If my minis are to glossy, it\'s not because of inks, I mostly use them for hair.
I was actually planing on doing a little desert-base for my Danu, perhaps with a lone bare tree or something, but I just like painting my minis much more than built bases, it takes to much painting time.
Oh, and Mosch is not quite right, the Danu was done like 2 month later than the dancer.

 

[AlexDaKid]

Use really watered down paint not inks for black-lining and don\'t use black for black-lining!

I know that sounds odd but when black-lining just use a darker colour than the original but not black!

Does that make sense?

Hope so!

 

[airhead]

Originally posted by Sakura
It\'s just when I paint highlight on fabrics it looks wrong. Like it doesn\'t belong there. Like on my dancer, the highlight on the skirt just doen\'t fit.

The break is too strong. There should be another color between that highlight and the base coat. Pull a dab of each color together and paint in-between. Then do the same for your darker shadows. Too few colors and it looks striped. Blending is the key here. It takes time to get it right.

Secondly, everything has to be exaggerated for miniature. Much as stage makeup has to be much stronger than normal, minis need that extra umph to stand under the lights and look right.

 

[Sakura]

Thanks, you all, you helped me a lot.

Just finished my next mini and it really looks better, also I still have problems with the skin, but i think I\'ll work it out.
I\'ll post her tomorow.