Sproket's WIP
- Thread starter Sproket
- Start date
Sproket
New member
Do I spy a Twi-lek's tentacles from Star wars in there, or is that just a coincidence
It's purely a coincedence .... but I have been watching a lot of Clone Wars recently so who knows!
BloodFather of Kharnath
Active member
Perhaps his legs could be done in NMM copper? I know of this really cool recipe featuring the use of Ratskin Flesh. If you were to use this with heavy verdigris, I believe it would go well with the blue-green of the upper body. Then again, perhaps it would completely unbalance the mini....
What strikes me the most about your style Mr Soper, and I may have mentioned this before-if so I apologize-is how you use a basecoat that is used to influence the subsequent base layers. I have noticed that from the best painters they all share this skill. For example, you might put a red-violet basecoat down on a sash, but then glaze on a purple midtone, followed by a blueish purple (cold) shadow, and a light, pinkish highlight. These colors, however, would look completely different without that basecoat. Most of us would use the mid tone as our basecoat and go from there. Also, when you tutorialize your work, you always describe a basecoat, mid-tone, shadow and highlight. I believe this way of painting is foreign to most.
Can you comment on this process?
What strikes me the most about your style Mr Soper, and I may have mentioned this before-if so I apologize-is how you use a basecoat that is used to influence the subsequent base layers. I have noticed that from the best painters they all share this skill. For example, you might put a red-violet basecoat down on a sash, but then glaze on a purple midtone, followed by a blueish purple (cold) shadow, and a light, pinkish highlight. These colors, however, would look completely different without that basecoat. Most of us would use the mid tone as our basecoat and go from there. Also, when you tutorialize your work, you always describe a basecoat, mid-tone, shadow and highlight. I believe this way of painting is foreign to most.
Can you comment on this process?
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Sproket
New member
I think that the choice of a base colour is really important. As you say it will effect the final appearance of any colour applied over it. I like to chose a colour that will work for it's keep and usually have a finished effect in mind when start painting. I think my attitude towards base colours was formed during my earliest mini painting. Back when I started out I gave everything a black base coat and worked all colours up from that! The limitations became apparent very quickly and a lot of time and effort was wasted just trying to counter the base colour. The correct base colour will save time and effort and contribute to the final effect.
To be honest I wasn't really aware that my use of the terms basecoat, mid-tone, shadow and highlight and my overall approach to painting would be 'foreign to most'. It just seems like the most natural way of working to me. It's probably worth bearing in mind that although I've been painting minis for most of the last 34 years I've only had significant contact with other painters and the wider painting community for the last four and a half years. Going my own way (and I don't intend to change that :wink
for so many years bound was result in a little bit of eccentricity!It's also worth bearing in mind that in a tutorial I'm trying to clarify what can be a messy and intuitive process.
Zab
New member
Yeah, besides I hear you can get nice results with a dip or a hastily applied wash.
BloodFather of Kharnath
Active member
They completely are, but I think I should clarify. First, I am not speaking about the primer coat when I talk about a base coat. (I don't think you are either, but just to clarify). But there are generally three standard ways of tackling a blended gradation. You may start with the lightest color and darken. You may start with the darkest color and lighten. And lastly, you may start with a mid tone and then darken and highlight. Where I think Sprocket does things differently is that he places a tone down that falls somewhere on the spectrum between darkest and lightest, and THEN places a mid tone over this, followed by shades and highlights. I think his base coat generally falls somewhere between the mid tone and darkest shade.
Real world example. I paint an axe and I start with a coat of a middle gray over the whole axe, then selectively shade some spots and highlight others, then I glaze some blue in spots. That middle gray was both my base coat and my mid tone. Sprocket instead applies a bluish gray over the whole axe as the base coat. Then he paints the mid tone selectively, followed by the shades and highs.
Does this make sense? Feeling like I may not be explaining this well...
Sproket
New member
I've (little) bit more progress to show for another week's painting. Things are beginning to come together and I've finished the large shoulder armour and helmet. The tentacles are coming along although it's slow fiddly work. Good light at the weekend means that I've finally managed to get a better picture that shows the colours more accurately.
SkelettetS
New member
Man, I don't know if I should fear him or hug him, looks cuddly! love it!
love it!
wargamesculptor
New member
That skin is way past any ointment to make it better. Love the patterns on the tentacles gives them a life of their own
dennis.
New member
Maybe but for a realism I've always preferred the shadow up, albeit it takes longer but it is great for subduing saturation, and sometimes and abnomally happens that blows my mind, the best art is accidental
BloodFather of Kharnath
Active member
Yes, absolutely beautiful pallet used to represent something so ugly...
SkelettetS
New member
yeah now we know what happens if we cross whfb with monsters inc :good:
