Step by step Dwarf Hero

[mousekiller]

Chapter 6: Painting Hair

Ok, so the skin is done. Now, let us move on to the next piece, and that is the hair. For those of you that do not know, Dwarf Slayers are supposed to be fanatic type dwarfs who die there hair in really rediculous colors to add ferocity to their look. I like to paint my slayers with flaming orange hair. So, let\'s get our colors together:

1. Dark Flesh (Citadel Paints)
2. Blood Red (Reaper Pro Paints, although it is very close in color to Citadel\'s version)
3. Blazing Orange (Citadel Paints)
4. Fiery Orange (Citadel Paints)
5. Merigold Yellow (Reaper Master Series)
6. Sunlight Yellow (Reaper Master Series)

Ok, I use four different brands of paint: Citadel, Reaper Pro, Reaper Master Series, and Vallejo Model Color. If you only use one brand of paint, you can still follow along, just substitute a color from your brand. For instance, Merigold Yellow can be achieved by mixing 50:50 of Fiery Orange and Sunburst Yellow from Citadel Paints.

Stage 1: Dark Flesh
This is going to represent the deepest shadows, so apply a solid basecoat. I use the Fine Detail Brush from Games Workshop for this step. See the picture below.

Stage 2: Blood Red
Ok, at this step I begin using a dry brush. Dry brushes can be achieved in several ways, I myself use an old Fine Detail Brush that has lost its point, but some companies also sell Dry Brushes. Either way, the technique is very simple, just apply paint to the brush, rub the brush across your finger or a napkin to get rid of the excess, and gently pull the brush across the model. If you want more coverage, than go back and apply the step again. For the water ratio on this one, I add very little water when I am dry brushing. Also, for this color, you want a liberal dry brush at the base, and almost complete coverage at the top. See the picture above.

Stage 3: Blazing Orange
Ok, this step we are continuing to dry brush. At this stage, we want to apply a somewhat liberal coat of Blazing orange, as this is really the goal color that we want for our dwarf. See the picture below.

Stage 4: Fiery Orange
This is the last stage where we can get away with drybrushing, so go easy. Apply a gentle drybrush across the hair, allowing yourself to be a bit more liberal just at the top. See the picture above.

Stage 5: Merigold Yellow
At this stage we are going to switch to a Vallejo 3/0 Kolinsky Sable Brush. Here you want to start picking out individual strands of hair and highlighting the higher points. Make sure your paint is at that milky phase that we talked about during the skin chapter. Also, make sure to dab your brush on a napkin or against your hand to take off the excess water so that it does not leak all over the model. Take a look at the picture below:

Stage 6: Sunlight Yellow
Last stage, and the easiest. Same as stage 5, just hit the really high points to bring them out. Take a look at the picture above.

A Quick NOTE: I will probably go back once the model is \"done\" to apply one additional highlight to every stage. I usually wait to do this because it allows me to touch up any parts of the model that may have gotten messed up at the same time.

Up NEXT: Metallics

 

[mousekiller]

Chapter 7: Metallics

Ok, this is the part where things get kind of strange. Metallics, for me, are different on every miniature, and so I normally have to experiment with them to get them to be just as I want them to be. Also, we will be using some washes. A wash is nothing more than really watered down paint or ink.

Before we get started I wanted to cover another real quick trick that I use. As I mentioned before, I use some Reaper Master Series and some Vellejo Model Color paints, which come in squeeze bottles. So, to mix paint from these types of paints, I use water bottle tops. It is a really quick, four step process:

Step 1. Pour required amount of paint into bottle top. If you are mixing two types of paint, then pour both colors in.
Step 2. Dip the blunt end of your brush into your water.
Step 3. Remove from water.
Step 4. Place in bottle top and stir. Continue this process until the paint reaches the desired consistency.

With metallics, I tend to do them in a certain order: weapons, armour, jewelry. It doesn\'t really matter to me if these items require the same color paints, I work them in order so as not to miss anything. So, to start we are going to begin with the blades on the axes.

The colors we will need:
1. Gunmetal Blue (Reaper Master Series)
2. Blackened Steel (Reaper Master Series)
3. Tarnished Steel (Reaper Master Series)
4. True Silver (Reaper Master Series)
5. Pure White (Reaper Master Series)
6. Mithril Silver (Citadel Paints)
7. Black Wash (mix of black paint, future floor polish, and water)

Stage 1: Gunmetal Blue
Complete coverage, you can leave a small black line between the blade and the ornamentation. I use a citadel fine detail brush for this. First picture below.

Stage 2: Gunmetal Blue and Blackened Steel (50:50 mix)
Complete coverage, but leave a little of the Gunmetal Blue showing. Second picture below.

Stage 3: Blackened Steel
Ok, now I drop down to an older and used 3/0 brush. I use an old one because metallics seem to degrade my brushes more than normal paints. I now start painting lines on the axe blade. Third picture below.

Stage 4: Blacked Steel and Tarnished Steel (50:50 mix)
Staying with the lines that I drew before, I begin to thin them. Also, hit the upper edges of the axe. Fourth picture below.

Stage 5: Tarnished Steel
Continuing with the lines, I begin to bring the color up some. Fifth picture below.

Stage 6: Tarnished Steel and True Silver (50:50 Mix)
Now bring the highlights up some by hitting only the edges of the lines. First picture below.

Stage 7: True Silver
More highlighting. Second picture below.

Stage 8: True Silver and Pure White (50:50 Mix)
Hit just the highest points, and the extreme edges of the lines. Third picture below.

Stage 9: Black Wash
Apply a very diluted wash. Continue this process until you are happy with the result, just be very careful not to over do it. Fourth picture below.

Stage 10: Mithril Silver
Last highlight. I don\'t know what it is about citadels Mithril Silver, but I really like the shine that it produces. Fifth picture.

 

[JakeSh]

Looking good. I like the tutorial on orange hair. I love it, but I have such a hard time painting it over black undercoats. This should help. The axe blade is looking great, too.

 

[Jericho]

Dark Flesh is the way to go for basecoating orange hair, Vermin Brown works great too. Pretty similar results, Dark Flesh being a bit darker.

 

[War Paint]

Like the idea of the dark flesh undercoat for the hair - I\'ve always used Vallejo Burnt Cadmium Red.

I\'ll give this a try

 

[mousekiller]

Chapter 7: Weapons cont.

Ok, onto the gold. No great wisdom here, just a couple of stages. Only thing new that we will be using is a Brown Ink, but this is applied in the same way as washes. Make sure to water it down so as not to overpower your highlights when you apply it.

Colours we will need:
1. Ancient Bronze (Reaper Master Series)
2. Antique Gold (Reaper Master Series)
3. New Gold (Reaper Master Series)
4. Mithril Silver (Citadel Paints)
5. Brown Ink (Citadel Paints)

http://www.reapermini.com/forum/uploads/monthly_03_2007/post-2668-1173134888_thumb.jpg

Stage 1: Ancient Bronze
Apply this color to all of the parts that will be gold. Make sure to completely cover the black. Take a look at the first picture. I use an old brush for this just like for the silvers.

Stage 2: Brown Wash 1
I use this to pick out the details, and to figure out where to start applying highlights. When dealing with metallics I find it is really hard to highlight without knowing where to put the highlight, because they tend to blend together really well and hide the detail of the mini. Take a look at the second picture below.

Stage 3: Antique Gold
Ok, now start picking out the details with your Antique Gold. I use that same worn out 3/0 brush for this. Take a look at the third picture below.

Stage 4: New Gold
Start really minimizing your use now, especially on the inside threadwork of the weapon, as this will be your final highlight there. Make sure to pick out the fine details of the dragon head. Take a look at the first picture below.

Stage 5: New Gold and Mithril Silver mix
Highlight only the dragon head and handle, as this will set it apart from the inside scroll work of the axe. Take a look at the second picture below.

Stage 6: Brown Wash
Apply this wash only to the inside scroll work of the axe heads. This will further separate the colors of the inside scroll work and the dragon heads. Take a look at the last picture below.

 

[mousekiller]

Chapter 7: Weapons cont. (wood)

Ok, so even though theses weapons would probably look really great as all metal monstrosities, I have a tendency to try and incorporate wood into my pieces. So, the handles on both axes are going to be made of wood.

Colours needed (all citadel paints):
1. Scorched Brown
2. Bestial Brown
3. Snakebite Leather
4. Desert Yellow
5. Kommando Khaki

This is a recipe I use a lot.

Stage 1: Scorched Brown
Base coat. Cover all of the areas where you want the wood to be (for me this will be the shaft of both weapons). Leave a thin black line between the shaft and the metal pieces. First picture.

Stage 2: Bestial Brown
Ok, using my 3/0 Kolinksy sable brush, I begin to make lines on the wood. They don\'t have to be straight, or in a similar pattern. What you are trying to do is to simulate wood grain, so use your imagination. Second picture.

Stage 3: Snakebite Leather
Moving away from the shadows, but on the same lines you just created, begin to highlight the lines. Third picture.

Stage 4: Desert Yellow
Another highlight, even further from the shadows. Fourth picture.

Stage 5: Kommando Khaki
Final highlight, only in the extreme center of the lines. Fifth picture.

Up next: Glowing runes....

 

[mousekiller]

Chapter 7: Weapons cont. (runes)

Ok, now for some fun. We are going to attempt to make the runes on this weapon appear to be very bright and glowing.

Rune Colours (reaper master series):
1. Black
2. Red Brick
3. Deep Red
4. Blood Red
5. Bright Red
6. Phoenix Red
7. Fire Orange
8. Merigold Yellow
9. Sunlight Yellow
10. Lemon Yellow

Seems like a lot of stages, but it is really not that bad. Also, note that I hit the dragons eyes with a couple of the stages.

Stage 1: Black
Ok, if you noticed the primer tends to rub off the more you handle the mini. Also, this stage is a good idea in case you got some other colors on the areas you want to paint. So, just go over your rune areas with some black paint. I am also going to hand paint some runes on the axe head (between the ears of the dragon) so I will outline the shape of the runes that I want. Sorry, no picture of this stage.

Stage 2: Red Brick
For all of these stages I use my 3/0 Kolinsky sable brush. This stage is really to help tone down the darkness of the black, since the end result that we want is going to be a bright color. Cover everything except a very thin line of black. Picture one.

Stage 3: Deep Red
Completely cover everything as before, just leave that really thin line of black. This color will be the deepest shade of the runes. Dot the dragons eyes also. This is really easy to do, just dip your brush in the paint (diluted with water of course), and then rub it across your finger. It is important here to be sure that your brush is not overloaded with water. Also, make sure that you have a nice point. Once all of this is in order, gently wipe your brush across the eye. Sometime there is not enough paint on the brush and you have to redo it. I will try to get pics of how to do this when we go back and do the eyes of the dwarf. Picture two.

Stage 4: Blood Red
Ok, leave just a little bit of the deep red showing in the centers of the runes (very small amount). Picture three.

Stage 5: Bright Red
Work your way out a little more at this stage. Dot the dragon eyes again. Picture four.

Stage 6: Phoenix Red
Ok, now start concentrating on the outer edges of the runes and the tips. Picture five.

Stage 7: Fire Orange
Edges and tips. Picture six.

Stage 8: Merigold Yellow
Edges and tips again. Dragon eyes for the last time. Picture seven.

Stage 9:Sunlight Yellow
Extreme edges and tips. Picture eight.

Stage 10: Lemon Yellow
Be greedy here, only a very small amount on the very extreme eges and tips. Picture nine.

And here is a final pic of the whole dwarf:

Up next: Loin cloth

 

[uberdark]

ok for some reason all of your pics are turning up incredibly small... bring them back please

 

[mousekiller]

Sorry about the small pics before... I will try to get that fixed as soon as I get some time.

Chapter 8: Loin Cloth

Ok, so this stage is probably the most fun, because it gives us a chance to add some variety to the miniature. Now, eventually we will do some tatoos on the body which will be in blue, so to tie that in my main color for the loin cloth will also be blue. I like to paint my dwarfs with a scottish type background, so my complimentary color for blue is white.

The Colours:

Blue - (all Reaper Master Series except the first one)
1. Midnight Blue (Citadel Paints)
2. Ultramarine Shadow
3. Ultramarine Blue
4. Ultramarine Highlight
5. True Blue
6. Sky Blue
7. Pure White

White - (all Reaper Master Series except the first one)
1. Bestial Brown (Citadel Paints)
2. Stained Ivory
3. Yellowed Bone
4. Creamy Ivory
5. Linen White
6. Pure White

Stage 1: Base coat of Midnight Blue on the loin cloth and on the straps in the front under the armour. Once that is dry run a stripe across the bottom of the loin cloth with Bestial Brown. First picture.

Stage 2: Leaving the Midnight blue in the deepest shadows, paint Ultramarine Shadow. Second picture.

Stage 3: Ultramarine Shadow and a 50% mix of Ultramarine Blue. Work up the bends in the cloth, leaving the deep fissures. Third picture.

Stage 4: Ultramarine Blue. From here on out it is just a case of feathering up as we have discussed in a previous chapter. First picture.

Stage 5: Ultramarine Blue and a 50% mixture of Ultramarine Highlight. Second picture.

Stage 6: Ultramarine Highlight. Third picture.

Stage 7: Ultramarine Highlight and a 50% mixture of True Blue. First picture.

Stage 8: True Blue. Second picture.

Stage 9: True Blue and a 50% mixture of Sky Blue. At this point you should be concentrating the paint at the very top of the folds. Third picture.

Stage 10: Sky Blue. Really start concentrating on the upper portions of the folds. First picture.

Stage 11: Sky Blue and a 50% mix of Pure White. Just the very tips of the highest portions of the folds. Second picture.

Stage 12: Ok, at this point we are going to highlight that brown strip. Go over it with a 50% mix of Bestial Brown and Stained Ivory. First picture.

Stage 13: Leave only the deepest recesses, go over the strip with Stained Ivory. Second picture.

Stage 14: Back to feathering. Stained Ivory with a 50% mix of Yellowed Bone. Third picture.

Stage 15: Yellowed Bone. Fourth picture.

Stage 16: Yellowed Bone with a 50% mix of Creamy Ivory. First picture.

Stage 17: Creamy Ivory. Second picture.

Stage 18: Linen White. Just on the extreme folds.

Stage 19: Pure White. Just on the high points of the extreme folds.

And here is the overall picture:

Next up will be the armour and jewels...

 

[lono]

Some cool stuff here for sure. Just one thing though, he looks like he is toppling over backwards. You need to rebase him because putting an already raised foot on a raised bit of cork is doing him no favours.

 

[Temporary Sanity]

Oi, where\'s our promised update?

Sorry, just being anxious here. Great tut so far

 

[Larre]

yeah, great tut indeed. can\'t wait to see it finnished!

// Larre

 

[mousekiller]

Sorry for the delay...

Chapter 9: Gems, jewels, and armour

Ok, the gold jewelry and armour will be painted in the same manner as the weapons so I won\'t be going over that again.

Gems, however, are a whole different story, and really easy.

Here are the colors we are going to need (all are Reaper Master Series):

0= Black
1. Red Brick
2. Deep Red
3. Blood Red
4. Bright Red
5. Phoenix Red
6. Fire Orange
7. Pure White
8. Future Floor Polish (or a shiny gloss)

Stage 1. Recoat all of the areas you plan to do with black. Picture one below.

Stage 2. Fill 3/4 of the gem in a moon shape with Red Brick. Picture two below.

Stage 3. Fill 3/4 of the red brick moon shape with Deep Red. Picture three below.

Stage 4. Fill 3/4 of the deep red with blood red. Picture one below.

Stage 5. Fill 3/4 of the blood red with bright red. Picture two below.

Stage 6. Fill 3/4 of the bright red with Phoenix Red. This should be about a sliver by now. Picture three below.

Stage 7. Fill just a small part of the phoenix red with Fiery Orange. Picture one below.

Stage 8. Add a white dot to the 1/4 black. Picture two below.

Stage 9. Finally, coat all of your gems with Future Floor Polish. This will give them that extra bit of shinyness. You should wait until after you dullcoat to do this though, I have done it here just to show you the result. Picture three below.

And here is the overall figure...

Next up, leather...

 

[mousekiller]

lono: I see what you mean, but I sort of like it. Looks like he is thrusting his weapons up...

Sorry about that delay in getting back to you guys.

 

[Temporary Sanity]

Originally posted by mousekiller
lono: I see what you mean, but I sort of like it. Looks like he is thrusting his weapons up...

Sorry about that delay in getting back to you guys.

No worries, mate. I know how time consuming it is to take pictures after each stage... Gotta stop what you\'re doing, set up, take pics, then get back to it. Thanks again for taking the time

 

[mousekiller]

...and then cropping them and putting them together... then posting them.... I am really enjoying it though. And it helps to know others are taking something away from the effort.

Chapter 10: Boots

Ok, this one is pretty simple and went by pretty quickly.

The colours:

Leather -

1. Scorched Brown (Citadel Paints)
2. Muddy Brown (Reaper Master Series)
3. Earth Brown (Reaper Master Series)
4. Leather Brown (Reaper Master Series)

Fur -

1. Scorched Brown (Citadel Paints)
2. Vermin Brown (Citadel Paints)
3. Vomit Brown (Citadel Paints)
4. Bubonic Brown (Citadel Paints)

For the leather:

Stage 1.
Apply a basecoat of Scorched brown over the entire boot, to include the fur area. Picture one below. You can also reference this picture when we start the fur.

Stage 2.
Muddy Brown. Begin picking out the raised areas, leaving only the deepest creases and a small amount between the leather portion and the fur. Picture two below.

Stage 3.
50% Muddy Brown and 50% Earth Brown mix. Begin highlighting the raised areas of the leather. Picture three below.

Stage 4.
Earth Brown. Continue highlighting the raised areas, leaving the lower areas Muddy Brown. Picture one below.

Stage 5.
50% Earth Brown and 50% Leather Brown mix. Continue highlighting the raised areas, leaving the Earth Brown showing at the bottom of the creases. Picture two below.

Stage 6.
Leather Brown. Highlight only the very tops of the creases. Picture three below.

Fur -

Stage 1.
Scorched brown. Reference Step one for leather to see a picture, but this will be your base color.

Stage 2.
Vermin Brown. Pick out all the individual hairs with this color, leaving the deep parts scorched brown. Picture one below.

Stage 3.
Vomit Brown. Highlight the tips of the hairs, about halfway down each strand. Picture two below.

Stage 4.
Bubonic Brown. Highlight the very tips of each strand of hair. Picture three below.

And, finally here is an overall update.

Up next, tattoos....

 

[Greg Ellis]

This is an awesome step-by-step. Thanks for taking the time to put it up.

I hope you don\'t mind a question?

How much do you generally thin your paints? And what do you thin them with?

 

[mousekiller]

Don\'t mind questions at all. I use straight tap water to thin my paints with. If you look back in the thread a little ways it goes over the method that I use, which is very barbaric. I put the paint that I want to use in a bottle top (like from water or soda), then I take the blunt end of my brush and dip it in my water. Then, that drop of water is transferred to the bottle top and mixed in. I don\'t have an exact science on how to do this, I just continue adding water until I am satisfied that it is thin enough (usually once it obtains a milky substance). Normally this is achieved on a 1:1 ratio.

 

[mousekiller]

Chapter 11: Tattoos.

Ok, some of you may be a little disappointed with me on this chapter, but I couldn\'t bring myself to do an elaborate tattoo, I just did not want to cover up any more skin than I had too. Plus, I am severely lacking when it comes to two dimensional art, I just don\'t have the talent to do intricate designs. So, what I did do was a couple of runes that mirror the runes on the axe.

The coulours:

1. Dragon Black (Reaper Pro Paint)
2. Ultramarine Shadow (Reaper Master Series)
3. Ultramarine Blue (Reaper Master Series)
5. True Blue (Reaper Master Series)
6. Sky Blue (Reaper Master Series)

Stage 1. Darken in the design that you want with Dragon Black (or a suitable black color). In this case I have gone with a simple design using the runes from the axe. Picture one below.

Stage 2. Using the Ultramarine Shadow, I have blocked in the black runes, leaving just a small amount of black around the edges. Picture two below.

Stage 3. Using Ultramarine Blue, I have filled in the Ultramarine Shadow, leaving only a small edge showing. Picture three below.

Stage 4. Using True Blue, I have hit only the raised areas of the tattoos. Picture four below.

Stage 5. Usine Sky Blue, very sparingly, I have hit all the corners and extreme raised areas. Picture five below.

And an overall picture:

Ok, so not what some of you may have been expecting, but if you have an aritistic nature you may have still learned something and can hopefully apply it with your abilities.

Up next, the ORC HEAD...