BloodFather of Kharnath
Active member
Interesting you mention practicing on styrene first. I just discovered this strategy in Portal magazine about an hour ago, and thought to myself, hmmm.......This will make life so much easier.
Sky Earth Inferior Mirage
- Thread starter BloodFather of Kharnath
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BloodFather of Kharnath
Active member
Do you have experience with mortars/artillery? That statement sounds like it came straight from a Fire Direction Center.
Nope, just rifles and pistols. Used to shoot to competition level 30+ years ago.
I just cheated and used the "Measure twice, cut once adage" into something that you'd immediately click with.
Age, Yes.
Experience, Yes.
Wisdom, Hell no!
BloodFather of Kharnath
Active member
I see. An experienced teacher then.
Yep, done that too, now occasionally have to do "User training" and I'm not allowed to use an 'Education Enhancer' aka Big Flaming Stick, so have to resort to more subtle methods.
BloodFather of Kharnath
Active member
This may be a bit off-topic, but hell it's my own thread:
Painting is a lot like many other learned abilities, such as strength training or body building. Arnold Schwarzenegger may be the biggest and strongest, but this does not mean I am going to go to him for advice on working out. He was born with an incredibly innate ability to lift heavy objects and his body responds in an uncharacteristic way to this stimuli. What worked for him, then, ain't gonna work for me. The best strength trainers are mediocre athletes that try very hard to be among the best. So, too, are the best painting instructors those individuals that were not born with the artistic gift, but had to strive towards it after many experimental rounds at the painting table. I am unfamiliar with the extent of your work, DR, but my experiences here give me the hunch that you may be a part of this category of painter-instructor.
Painting is a lot like many other learned abilities, such as strength training or body building. Arnold Schwarzenegger may be the biggest and strongest, but this does not mean I am going to go to him for advice on working out. He was born with an incredibly innate ability to lift heavy objects and his body responds in an uncharacteristic way to this stimuli. What worked for him, then, ain't gonna work for me. The best strength trainers are mediocre athletes that try very hard to be among the best. So, too, are the best painting instructors those individuals that were not born with the artistic gift, but had to strive towards it after many experimental rounds at the painting table. I am unfamiliar with the extent of your work, DR, but my experiences here give me the hunch that you may be a part of this category of painter-instructor.
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BloodFather of Kharnath
Active member
Finally got around to painting this sky earth shield. I went with the most basic application, since it's one of my first attempts. This is my practice run, because I am fortunate enough to have 2 versions of the same shield. Please tell me what you think. The gold on the shield is still WIP-I have only base coated and put down one shadow. I'm not sold by the effect. I think t would work if it was on a model with a bunch of other surfaces done in sky earth. But alone, I think it looks too glaring, like a shield with a painted on picture of a landscape-not chrome. What about you?
http://s1329.photobucket.com/user/benjibaird/media/Mobile Uploads/image_zpsc6d215c1.jpg.html
http://s1329.photobucket.com/user/benjibaird/media/Mobile Uploads/image_zpsc6d215c1.jpg.html
AndyG
Active member
I think your being a little harsh on yourself tbh. This looks good! If your not satisfied then possibly darken the blue of the sky a bit more towards the top of the shield and lighten the foreground ever so slightly right at the bottom of the shield but only in relatively small areas of sky and foreground and only very slightly and above all smoothly. But hey I think this looks great as is and I'd be tempted to say done! See what I mean with the shield just the top edge a tad deeper blue and the bottom of the foreground a bit lighter?
BloodFather of Kharnath
Active member
^^^Is that your work? Seen it before and love it!!!
Chrome is definitely easier to sell when it appears on multiple surfaces at once. With the stand alone shield it makes it all the more important that it look good.
I know that the shield is technically sound. It is done how an SENMM tutorial would tell you to do it. However, that being said I just feel like it may not be working for this shield, for this model. Not because I did something wrong, but for some other reason I'm having trouble identifying.
I def deaf agree about lightening the bottom. My attempt at this didn't show too well on the pic, but it's there. I'll push it some more though. I think I'll abstain from going any darker blue on top though. Too many times I think artists make their blue too vibrant, which IMO takes away from the fact that it's a chrome surface, and most of the time the sky is a little more grey or overcast than is portrayed in SENMM. Maybe I'll blend it a tad bit more blue up top though, just for contrast's sake. Although I am looking at the chrome heater vents on my Mustang right now, and the sky part is very much white/grey/silver.
One thing it needs is a hot spot. A white dot or star-like shape in the upper right. The sun glinting off of its surface. Wish I could white edge highlight a bit too, but the gold trim negates this. Would a layer of citadels 'ardcoat be appropriate? A gloss varnish. I heard not to do this, but I want it to shine. Or how about a very light grey, very dilute wash??
Thanks for the advice Andy. I value your opinion as a great artist.
Chrome is definitely easier to sell when it appears on multiple surfaces at once. With the stand alone shield it makes it all the more important that it look good.
I know that the shield is technically sound. It is done how an SENMM tutorial would tell you to do it. However, that being said I just feel like it may not be working for this shield, for this model. Not because I did something wrong, but for some other reason I'm having trouble identifying.
I def deaf agree about lightening the bottom. My attempt at this didn't show too well on the pic, but it's there. I'll push it some more though. I think I'll abstain from going any darker blue on top though. Too many times I think artists make their blue too vibrant, which IMO takes away from the fact that it's a chrome surface, and most of the time the sky is a little more grey or overcast than is portrayed in SENMM. Maybe I'll blend it a tad bit more blue up top though, just for contrast's sake. Although I am looking at the chrome heater vents on my Mustang right now, and the sky part is very much white/grey/silver.
One thing it needs is a hot spot. A white dot or star-like shape in the upper right. The sun glinting off of its surface. Wish I could white edge highlight a bit too, but the gold trim negates this. Would a layer of citadels 'ardcoat be appropriate? A gloss varnish. I heard not to do this, but I want it to shine. Or how about a very light grey, very dilute wash??
Thanks for the advice Andy. I value your opinion as a great artist.
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AndyG
Active member
Ok firstly no not my piece it's one I use for reference will find out the painter and credit them when I get a moment er colonel shofers blog is were I got the image so him probably.
Secondly I would tend to advise against putting varnish on senmm as you end up with glints in all the wrong places. The only real way of making it shiny is to up the contrast the eye is deceived and there you go shiny. You can do the edge highlite thing and the hotspot together all you do is a mm or so in from the edge of the top of the shield put a thin partial semicircle of very thinned down white with a solid glint dot of white half way along so you end up having a sort of edge highlite and hot spot in one.
Secondly I would tend to advise against putting varnish on senmm as you end up with glints in all the wrong places. The only real way of making it shiny is to up the contrast the eye is deceived and there you go shiny. You can do the edge highlite thing and the hotspot together all you do is a mm or so in from the edge of the top of the shield put a thin partial semicircle of very thinned down white with a solid glint dot of white half way along so you end up having a sort of edge highlite and hot spot in one.
BloodFather of Kharnath
Active member
Hmmmm...sounds very appropriate here. I'll give it a go.
BloodFather of Kharnath
Active member
Thanks Ritual. I have finished the gold and yes, this is true. The gold helped define the surface as different, which in turn made it appear more chrome finished.
A couple things though. I chose this example as my "practice" attempt, because of the two shields, this one was cast poorly. It's got holes in the gold trim, quite a few actually, and because of this it sorta looks like crap. I never bothered filling them because of my knowledge that this would be my trial run. That being said, despite the ugly sculpt it still looks decent.
I'm going to start attempt #2 and do a few things differently. Imagine my surprise when yesterday I was walking the dog and found a chrome egg. I held it up and PRESTO-I saw what the reflection of my chrome shield should look like. Nice coincidence, huh? The question is, since I have a decent shield already, should I push my freehand on this new one?An erupting volcano and all? Or, since the casting is so much better, do I stick with the same fundamentals as the practice run? One thing I plan on improving in either case is making the horizon line even more U shaped. This will help sell the funky reflective quality of chrome.
