\"Reversed highlighting\" for fire?

[quadrille]

Many people seem to paint fire just like any other color (starting dark red and drybrushing/layering all the way to bm yellow or white). I can\'t really understand that, because that is not how real fire looks. As you\'ll all remember from physics classes, yellow is warmer than red and looking at a fire you see that the yellow and white flames are closest to whatever it is that is burning. Now what I\'m wondering is how to represent this on a mini?

Would it be appropriate (and good looking) to paint the deepest parts brighter than the raised parts, ie. quite the opposite of normal highlighting? If you know any mini with fire like this please post a link.

 

[Equus]

Hallo and welcome to the forums quadrille!

You know, you see a lot of minis that get critiqued with the same thing: that they pretty much reversed the colors that flames \"should\" be.

Here\'s one example I\'ve seen of great work that involves fire: http://www.coolminiornot.com/37085

 

[Ritual]

Welcome to the forums/madhouse

You\'ve seem to have grasped how fire should be painted! That\'s basically it! You\'ll see lots of examples of that here (as well as lots of examples where it\'s the wrong way).

 

[Shawn R. L.]

Dont have the darker \'highlights\' get too dark. It makes the fire seem like something solid is encasing it.

 

[EricJ]

welcome, and yes, you\'re coming to the right conclusions about painted fire

If you have a chance, look at the Leadbelchers photo in the Ogre Kingdoms book, I think in that one photo they have the fire painted 3-4 different ways (and I think only one of them looks very correct), it\'s interesting to see them all next to each other...and to see the HM team doing it so differently from each other.

 

[Shawn R. L.]

 

[EricJ]

Originally posted by Shawn R. L.
Dont have the darker \'highlights\' get too dark. It makes the fire seem like something solid is encasing it.

well you can make it get darker, since like everything else there are different types of fire. If you have a very dirty fire which might be giving off a lot of soot or smoke, it will have more dark tones than a gas flame will. Try it different ways and see how you can get the feeling of different types of fire.

 

[freakinacage]

i have to say that everytime i see fire done well (shawn and victoria\'s work are good examples) it suprises me how realistic it can look

 

[supervike]

just a bit of Devil\'s advocate...

I understand your point, and I am in favor of realism but isn\'t part of the \'creative\' process to be able to paint and express yourselves?

Maybe (just maybe) there is no \'right\' way to paint fire. Just as there is no \'right\' way to paint anything. Everyone has there own unique style, and I don\'t think they should be told they are wrong when they do it.

If everyone followed the same formula for everything, would there really be a point in showcasing painted works?

Besides...many of the works are purely fantasy, and take place on worlds other than our own. Maybe fire burns differently on the Moons of Persius Cygmar VI.

Now, when I am looking at a miniature I can suspend my disbelief. Maybe some of you can\'t, and that certainly is your perogative.

Welcome to the forums.

 

[EricJ]

I don\'t know Supervike, sounds like your opinions are wrong

I basically agree actually, I was just saying above there are a lot of ways to paint fire. However, while fire might look different depending on 100\'s of factors, physics stays pretty constant. And combustion produces heat and light, where it is hotter, it is lighter. However (again), there is no reason your little mini has to be in a world with the same physics as ours....However (once more), personally I think since there are so many ways that fire can appear in our world, it\'s more interesting obeying our laws of physics while playing which how all these other factors might alter how that ultimately appears to us, while at the same time keeping that sense of realism.

 

[Ritual]

Just because I\'m a physicist...

In simplified terms, heat is energy and light is energy. More heat means more light and more light means it will be a lighter colour which will ultimately become pure white if the heat is strong enough.

Now, that is absolutely NO reason why anyone should feel forced to paint like that... But it does seem a bit far-fetched to imagine that fire would look the other way around in another universe.

But maybe I\'m just thinking like that because I\'ve studied physics for too long? :innocent:

 

[supervike]

Originally posted by Ritual
... But it does seem a bit far-fetched to imagine that fire would look the other way around in another universe.

Hmm yet we all accept things like squigs and Ogres with no question....lol

Is this flame correct? :flame::flame::flame:

(just kidding, of course...fun debate)

 

[Shawn R. L.]

Very true Eric. You have to be careful to blend the transition, though, from dark to light or it does look like a shell or something solid. The soft transitions \'connect\' the dark parts to the light.

 

[dauber22]

You are all WRONG!!! wrongwrongwrongwrongwrong!

There is only ONE, count them, ONE, precisely ONE correct way to paint fire!!!!! Paint it that way, the PROPER way, MY way, or expect to get nothing but 1s from me on all your minis!!!! If you\'re unsure of what that way is, a careful perusal of my gallery should clue you in. There are several fine examples there!



:moon:



Oh, and welcome to the forums, quadrille. I have no idea why anyone would refer to them as a \"madhouse\"

 

[Ritual]

Originally posted by supervike

Originally posted by Ritual
... But it does seem a bit far-fetched to imagine that fire would look the other way around in another universe.

Hmm yet we all accept things like squigs and Ogres with no question....lol

Of course! Because they don\'t violate the laws of physics! :duh:

Oh, and Dauber is a MASTER at painting fire! His gallery is PACKED with STUNNING examples of EXCELLENT fire! lol

 

[SaxonAngel]

Yup yup
It\'s called the reverse flame technique (or some such drivel )

I\'ve done it on a couple of figs including this one most recently. (must pimp myself y\'know)

Alternatively you can try a Blue flame. But I can\'t find any references to that. You could try eating a couple of cans of beans, wait a few hours, grab a lighter and... oh well, never mind, you get the idea.lol

 

[Shawn R. L.]

Did the \'blue flame thing\' with rather unexpected results. Little more methane than was expected.lol:|~

 

[SaxonAngel]

Originally posted by Shawn R. L.
Did the \'blue flame thing\' with rather unexpected results. Little more methane than was expected.lol:|~

Let me guess... You won\'t be needing to shave the area anytime soon?

 

[Equus]

T-M-I!!! lol

 

[Drake Farstrider]

Aghhh I did not need th visuale Shawn!

:moon::flame: