Smokin' Dwarf - Feedback on my first post

[wickerborn]

Hello,
I've just posted a mantic dwarf with a minor conversion as my first CMON post.
I've only painted three figures in total and this is the most recent and my best.
I'm really enjoying the painting, but I'm not really happy with my results.
I am hoping you guys can give me some pointers on a few of my weaknesses.

http://www.coolminiornot.com/365787

1) Transitions - The last two figures I painted were very dull so I've tried to incorporate more contrast into this one;however, I find that the transitions are starting to look quite choppy.

2) Metal - The metal turned out pretty decent or at least it was a noticeable improvement over my last two, but something about where the shadows are on the hammer doesn't work right and I was wondering if someone had a good reference to help me with that.

3)Leather - The other thing I could't get to look good is the leather portions. They just don't look anything like leather to me. haha

These are just some of the things I've noticed. I'm sure there are many other things that I am doing wrong that I'd like your opinion on.

Thanks!

 

[Demihuman]

http://www.coolminiornot.com/365787

1) Transitions - The last two figures I painted were very dull so I've tried to incorporate more contrast into this one;however, I find that the transitions are starting to look quite choppy.

2) Metal - The metal turned out pretty decent or at least it was a noticeable improvement over my last two, but something about where the shadows are on the hammer doesn't work right and I was wondering if someone had a good reference to help me with that.

3)Leather - The other thing I could't get to look good is the leather portions. They just don't look anything like leather to me. haha

These are just some of the things I've noticed. I'm sure there are many other things that I am doing wrong that I'd like your opinion on.

Thanks!

Welcome to the CMON forum!

#1 The face looks pretty darn good, and in my opinion that is the hardest part. So maybe use the technique you used there on other parts of the next mini. The transitions or "blends" on the blue robe look a little rough so you need to figure out a way to get the highlight color and the background color to be closer together without losing the all-important contrast. So just to clarify, because I hate the "C" word: We want the transition from the dark blue shadow to the light blue highlight to be smoother, BUT we do not want the highlight to be darker or the shadow to be lighter. There a lot of different approaches to this problem. The first one is to avoid doing it in the first place. I think it is a lot easier build up smooth transitions in color then to go back and fix rough ones. Keep at it!

#2 Metal. It's tricky, but try reversing your shadows. I know, it sounds crazy, but look at the face of the hammer. Try putting the shadow at the top and the highlight at the bottom. Keep the little edge highlights where they are.

#3 More contrast on the leather is needed. So one darker shadow and one higher highlight. Maybe just one higher highlight. Leather is actually pretty reflective. Remember as you add highlights to make the area that each brighter one covers smaller. I get excited when i am putting on my final highlights and say to myself "This looks great! I need more!" Don't do that, just a little dab will do ya.

#4 Get some matte varnish on there. Testor's Dulcote is the gold standard, but anything is fine. Just try not to apply too much at once. I think it will really help the beard and maybe the metal.

#5 Keep painting!

 

[wickerborn]

Thanks for the tips Demihuman!

The face took way more time than the rest of the mini except for the metal areas. I ended up using 3 different skin tones and a wash for the face. I don`t have much for blue paints so I guess I`ll have to invest in that so that I can use a similar technique. I will probably do some more work to this miniature using some of the tips you`ve given me (I`ve also noticed a small part I missed that I need to fix). I`ll post the fixed mini when I`m done. I have a matte varnish, but I wanted to get some feedback before I made it permanent.