shading & highlighting technique

[Corvus]

Hey everyone,

I was wondering how you do the shading and highlighting of your minis. Do you put on a dark basecoat first and gradually highlight to a lighter color, or do you paint on a basecoat and shade and hightlight afterwards?

I do both, but for larger areas (such as cloaks, armour etc) I use the second technique.

What do you use?

 

[ejsaunders]

Ahh now your asking, you see, I personally have several styles of painting that I choose to differ between when painting minis.

I use the following approaches:

Lay down a mid tone and apply shading via controlled use of thin darker paint and then the same highlighting (so layering both backwards and forward)

The Foundry style, which is a three layer from the darkest to the lightest to create almost too bright coloured highlights (great for rank and file troops)

Dark to light using layering without requiring to lay on shadows. Never fully get to an excessively light colour so the mini remains dark and muted to add realism.

 

[Flashman14]

I do both . . for women I\'ve been starting with the dark coat then layering up adding no other shadows. Trying to perfect Cyril\'s \"small transition\" flesh . . . By that I mean the deepest color is not so far from the lightest.

Then for the menfolk I basecoat, ink in the shadows, then basecoat again followed by highlights. (and especially a flat finish in the creases as the ink dries glossy - but the blends are super smooth over that ink shellac)

 

[mouse]

shading & highlighting ...

i also use a variety of methods, depending on the area or the mini that i am painting.

normally for skin, i use the darkest colours first and highlight upwards.

for metal, i paint with the med tone and use watered down darker paint to \"wash\" the recesses and then the lighter paint to highlight.

for cloak/cloth, i use the med tone and work on the recesses for shading and the folds for highlighting.

sometimes, i opt for the lightest colours first then work on the shading. this will provide me with a brighter colour.

currently, i am trying out underpainting (after reading the article by elouchard) and for that, i use the base colours and work on the shading and highlighting. for this method, ultimately, it\'s the base colours that comes through.

 

[DELTADOG]

I`m to clumsy to use the second method

I use at every mini I paint the method with the darkest color at first.

 

[mouse]

ya...

Originally posted by DELTADOG
I use at every mini I paint the method with the darkest color at first.

can\'t blame you, dogs aren\'t noted for their dexterity! lol

 

[DELTADOG]

mouse....

keep attention that the dog don`t eat your little guinea pig
:bouncy::bouncy:
No seriously: I`had a very bad accident years ago while this I`ve smashed my right hand. since that I´m a little clumsy in my right hand.

 

[finn17]

I have no excuse...

At least you have a a good excuse for lack of dexterity. I am just totally dick-fingered!:bouncy:

 

[-Percival-]

1)I ususally lay the base color down...

2)then lay a wash(usually an ink).

3)Blend the base color with the wash. Either through wet(use an Acrylic Extender to keep it wet) or layering.

4)Work up to highlights almost to white.

5)Lay a Glaze down over the highlights. The Glaze is usually the Base Color using an Acrylic Extender or diluted Ink.

 

[smokey]

what is this \"shading\" you speak of?

No, but seriously, I use a little of both. the orks I\'ve been painting recently have had a lot of layering up from basecoat to highlights, but on some of their gear (shoota hoslter on warboss\' backpack) I basecoat, shade, then highlight. I for my space marines the only time I shade is on their bags, but then I come back and highlight as well.
Smokey