Step by step Dwarf Hero

[mousekiller]

Ok, someone asked me a while back for tips on how to paint skin. So, instead of just doing that piece, I am going to do a full step by step on the entire model.

Model: Dwarf Hero
Model Number: AoW01
Manufacturer: Avatars of War
Sculptor: Felix Paniagua

Background on the model and the sculptor. Felix Paniagua has done a lot of models in his time sculpting. You can see some of his other things at: Felix\'s Site. He started his Avatar\'s of War company a few months back and ever since I have been in love with his models (he currently only has three in his range, but they are all magnificent). This will be the first of his models that I have painted, so I am really looking forward to it.

Chapter 1: Pinning.

Ok, this model has come in 4 parts: The main body, the right hand and axe, the mohawk hair, and the lock of hair.
Tools needed for this section: Clippers, super glue, model pinning drill and a 1/32 bit, a paper clip, and a razor blade

Ok, the very first step will be to clip the three small pieces (axe, lock of hair, mohawk) from the piece of flash that they come on. Use the clippers to do this (sorry no pics of this step).

Next will be to decide where you want to pin the pieces together. There is no great science to this. Some people suggest that you pin one end, line it up, put a dot of paint, and that will mark where you will drill the adjoining hole. I just guestimate and save myself all that heartache.

Next, cut yourself some pieces of paperclip to pin with. I use the paperclips that have a rubbercoat on them, as they fit perfectly into my 1/32 inch holes.

Once you have that done, place the paper clip in the smaller piece and glue it into place.

Then, match the two pieces up to make sure that you have a proper fit. You may have to trim the paper clip or drill your hole deeper at this point. You also may have to trim some of the pieces a bit to make sure that they fit.

Once it all matches up, add some super glue to the area to be pinned and join the two pieces together. You do not need a large amount of superglue, just enough to cover the area.

And it is as simple as that. For larger pieces (dragon tails, etc) I use a larger drill bit (1/16) and pieces of coat hanger.

Up next will be prepping the models... so stay tuned.

 

[mousekiller]

Chapter 2: Prepping the model

Alright, so we have pinned the model. Now we have to get it ready to be painted. This means washing the model, getting rid of mould lines and flash, and filling in any gaps with epoxy putty.

Washing the model
Equipment needed: Dish soap, hot water, tooth brush.

Alright no pics here... because I skip this step. It is highly recommended in almost any painting manuals that I have read, but I have never done it and never had any problems.

Mould Lines
Equipment needed: Exacto knife, files, dremel

On this particular model, getting rid of the mould lines was easy, and there was almost no flash at all. All I had to do was use my exacto knife to carefully shave away the mould lines on his arms and the axes. However, on other models this can be a major step, and may involve more tools like files and a dremel, which I highly recommend getting if you are serious about painting.

Filling in the Gaps
Equipment needed: Exacto knife, epoxy putty (two part putty, green and yellow, often referred to as green stuff), and water

Mixing the epoxy putty is very easy. Cut yourself a small piece of yellow and a small piece of blue (or just pull it off the lump). Wet your fingers (this is probably the most important step, as it keeps the putty from sticking to you). Then roll the putty between your fingers until it has a nice green look to it. Easy.

On this model we have three main parts that needed to be fixed up.

The first is that gap between the mohawk and the tail in the back. In order to get the putty into the gap, I find it to be much easier to take a small piece of putty on the end of my exacto blade and stick it into the gap. Then, I dip the blade into some water and use the back of the blade to blend the putty into the model.

The second area that needs attention was mostly my fault. At the end of the tail in the back of his head there needs to be a piece of hair, and I think that that is the piece that I stuck to the center of his beard in the front. Oh well, I think it looks better anyway. So, the easy fix is to sculpt a quick little tail. This is very easy to do. Take a ball of putty and stick it under the tail where you want the extension of hair. Then, wet your blade again. Start by using the back of the blade to make indentations in the putty, making sure to pull away from the join. Once that is done, flip the blade over and use the sharp side to distinguish the blades of hair to your liking.

And the last place that needs attention is the join of the wrist where we pinned the right arm. This is the easiest piece. Take a small piece of putty, very small piece, and place it in the join. Then, just like before use the back of the exacto knife to blend it into the creases of the hand.

Now, the last stage of this game is to set the model aside for a few hours so the putty has time to dry. This will prevent you from accidentally ruining your work with fingerprints.

Up next will be basing.

 

[JakeSh]

Wow... the hole you drilled to pin is HUGE. Don\'t you ever mess up any detail or part of the figure?

Also, I always wash my minis before priming. I have had the primer flake off some minis in the past, and washing them seems to prevent this. It can\'t hurt anything, so why risk the trouble.

 

[Aidan K]

Looking good! I\'ll follow this with interest.

It can\'t hurt anything, so why risk the trouble.

If i was time limited, id rather paint my minis than give them a bath. Sometimes i do, sometimes i dont, but ive never seen a difference.

 

[Larre]

you should remove the mold lines before putting it all together.

// Larre

 

[mousekiller]

Larre: Agreed, but really depends on how complicated the miniature is. In this case, he really was well moulded, so not too many problems.

Aidan K: all personal preference really. I have seen some really dirty miniatures (i.e. oily) that have needed it, but never painted one that has.

JakeSH: I have been looking to get a 1/64 bit, but can\'t find one for a decent price. As far as messing up the details, not really. It just looks really big, once you throw the paper clip in there it fills the space nicely. As far as washing, you are completely right. I am probably playing with fire, and cursing myself here, but I just don\'t do it. That said, I do thing it is important and that is why I mentioned it.

Thanks all.

 

[mousekiller]

Chapter 3: Basing

Ok, so we have the model prepped. The next step for me is to base the model, or at least get the majority of the stuff that I want on the base there. This is important because it allows your basing material to get a coat of primer also.

Step 1: Decide what type of base that you want.

For me this is my favorite step, as I really enjoy doing bases. Also, if you are building an army, it is important to have a really nice theme. Usually, for dwarfs I go with a rocky, wintery theme, so for this one we will do the same.

Step 2: Base it.
Materials needed: Cork board, elmers glue, super glue, sand mixture

Choose the materials you want to use. There are so many things out there that you can use, from real rocks to bark to erasers, the sky is the limit. I like using cork because it is nicely textured and very light.

Take the piece of cork in your hands and start picking pieces off of it until you are happy with the product. Set them on the base in the layout that you prefer, and make sure that you test it with your model before attaching anything permanently. Once you are happy with the product, super glue the pieces of cork to the base.

Let the superglue dry for a bit so you don\'t mess up the cork. Then, add some texture to the rest of the base using sand. I do this by applying a couple of drops of elmers glue (or any sort of wood glue will do) and smearing it in the areas I want texture with a brush. Once that is done I dip the entire base into my sand drawer and press it into the sand.

NOTE: I think it is very critical to keep an entire drawer of sand. Some people use baggies or tupperware, but I really like the ability to get into the sand and play with it. Also, I use a mix of fine and medium sand to give a more realistic texture.

Step 3: Attach the mini

Ok, sometimes I find it best to permanently attach the mini later, but for this particular mini I am going to permanently attach it now. This all depends on taste, and how complicated of a base you are going to have.

To attach the mini, I clipped off the slotta piece from the bottom of the miniature with my clippers. It may be necessary to file some of the excess off the miniature, but in this case it did not make a difference. Then I drilled a hole in his right foot so that I can attach the model to the base. Once this was done I clipped a piece of paper clip and attached it to the hole in his foot.

At this point you would normally have to drill a hole in the cork and the base to attach, but somehow I managed to line everything up so that the original diagonal slot on the base had just enough of a hole that I did not have to do this (amazing how things work out sometimes).

Next up will be primering.

 

[Gilvan Blight]

Very detailed with lots of pics, thanks!

It looks like you have a gap where you attached the \'tail\' to the beard.

 

[demonherald]

hee hee just finished mine will be posting shortly.
did the same thing as you r.e the end of the beard and the plait. except gs\'ed the front one...
great step by step lovely model to work with.

 

[War Paint]

Really nice detailed piece

Agree bases a personal choice when you attach. For me depends on complexity of mini.

Looking forward to next installment

 

[vincegamer]

When you finish this, you should definitely edit the posts together into a tutorial on this site. This is one of the best explanatory articles I\'ve read. Someone with no idea what they are doing could really learn from this because you aren\'t skipping anything even if you may think it obvious.

 

[mousekiller]

vincegamer: will do.

War Paint: On this one I wanted to keep him a bit simple, plus he has that really cool orc head so I didn\'t want him to get lost. I remember doing a giant eagle once where the giant eagle was the smallest part of the base...

demonherald: throw a link in the thread here when you post it.

Gilvan: Thanks. Now that you mention it I see it too, but hopefully it will be hidden by the shadows or we\'ll have to do a special thread about applying green stuff in mid paint :drunk:.

 

[mousekiller]

Chapter 4: Primering

Ok, so we have the model prepped and ready to go, now all we need to do is primer him so we can begin painting.

Something to keep in mind here is that there are a few different ways to primer, the top three being spray primer, brush, or air brush. If that was not difficult enough, you also have to decide what color to primer, the primary choices being black and white, but almost any color can be used. I prefer to use a spray primer, and the brand in particular that I use is from Games Workshop. A also prefer to primer in black, but I will on occasion use white. The big difference in my opinion is the way the paint looks afterward. If you primer with white, then your initial base coat color is going to be much brighter, but you will also need to make sure and do more darklining. If you primer in black then your basecoat is going to be much darker, but the shadow areas will need much less work.

Weather can play a big difference when primering. If it is raining or humid outside, then the primer is not going to stay on the model as well when you first spray. If it is below freezing, the primer may not stick at all.

To begin, make sure and get yourself an old box top so that the excess paint does not go everywhere. You should always spray paint in a well ventilated area, as many of the fumes can be toxic. I do all my primering on the back porch and place my box top on an old stool. The stool helps because it allows me to rotate the box.

The next step is to shake your primer vigorously for a full minute, as this will help to ensure the ingredients are well mixed. This is especially important if the can of primer has not been used in some time. With the model in an upright position, begin spraying by holding the can approximately 12 inches away and spray evenly across the surface of the model in short bursts. You want good coverage, but do not go overboard because you may obscure the details of the miniature. If need be you can always go back and respray the model. Once the model has a good coat on it, begin rotating the box around on the stool so that the entire model gets a coat. Allow this to dry for 30 minutes.

Once dry, lay the model on its back and begin primering again in the same manner as above. This will ensure that you are able to get the entire model. Allow this to dry for 30 minutes, then lay the model on its stomach and repeat the process.

Allow the model to dry for at least 30 minutes. Then you can take some watered down black paint and an old paint brush (I achieve this by dipping my brush in my water, then into the paint) and touch up the spots that you missed with the primer. Don\'t worry if there are still a few small spots that are showing, as this will be covered up later with the initial basecoat.

Let the model stand overnight, and you can begin painting.

Up next, starting on the skin...

 

[mousekiller]

Chapter 5: Painting the skin

Ok, now the fun begins. To start, I want to explain how to hold the brush. This is important, especially if you have extremely shaky hands like I do. Hold the miniature in one hand, and the brush in the other. The trick is to keep the bottom portion of the hand that is holding the brush against the miniature, this will allow you to place the brush exactly where you want it on the mini. Take a look at the picture to see what I mean.

Lets start painting. For a really nice table top quality model I like to use between 7 and 9 stages of paint to achieve the desired effect. If you want to enter golden daemon then I would go with up to 10 to 12 layers. Or, if you want a quick and good table top quality you can go with 3 to 5 layers. To paint the skin we are going to be using a technique called Feathering, which is simply the application of progressively smaller transparent layers of color in order to visually blend each layer into the previous one.

First we have to decide what colors to use. In my case I am going to use Citadel Paints for the skin: Dark Flesh, Tanned Flesh, Dwarf Flesh, and Elf Flesh. So, we will end up with a good 7 stages:

1. Dark Flesh
2. 50% mixture of Dark Flesh and Tanned Flesh
3. Tanned Flesh
4. 50% mixture of Tanned Flesh and Dwarf Flesh
5. Dwarf Flesh
6. 50% mixture of Dwarf Flesh and Elf Flesh
7. Elf Flesh

Another question I get a lot is what do I mix into my paints for consistency. My answer is simple: water. When I use paints a lot, like I do with this particular skin recipe, I will add the water straight to my bottles and also I will have my 50% mixtures all pre mixed in there own bottles. Remember that the definition of feathering includes this statement \"the application of progressively smaller transparent layers of color\". So to get a transparent layer of color I go with a 50% mix of water to paint, with the exception of my base color which is a 25% mix of water to paint. The thing to remember is that you want your paint to have a nice milky substance when you begin painting.

Stage 1. DARK FLESH

For this stage I use a Fine Detail Citadel Brush (which is not as small of a brush as they would lead you to believe). I simply cover all the areas that are going to be skin, ensuring to get right up against the edges of things like bracelets, hair, etc. This only needs to dry for a few minutes.

Stage 2. DARK FLESH and TANNED FLESH MIX

This stage is going to use the same brush as before. I am going to ensure to cover all of the skin areas, leaving only a little of the Dark Flesh showing at the edges where the skin meets the bracelets, clothes, hair, etc. Again, this only needs to dry for a few minutes.

Up next, the next few stages...

 

[Ayla]

This is brilliant! Don\'t know how I\'ve missed it before, but I\'ll be watching it like a hawk from now on

For someone like me who is so new to the whole mini-thing, it\'s great to see *everything* step by step... thank you so much for taking the time to do this.

Now please get on and post the next bit!!lol

 

[charlie121]

I find all these step by step threads helpful this one on skin is great.
http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums/viewthread.php?tid=8673

 

[mousekiller]

Chapter 5: Skintones cont.

Stage 3: TANNED FLESH

At this point, I drop my citadel paint brush and start using a 2/0 Vellejo Kolinsky Sable Brush. The goal with this stage is to leave the Dark Flesh/Tanned Flesh mix showing in only the deeper recesses of the muscles. Also, start getting into the habit of following the path of the muscles with your brush, as it will give the strokes a more realistic look. During this stage you are effectively breaking your model down into a lot of little parts with the deep creases being the breaks. Take a look at the picture below.

Stage 4: TANNED FLESH and DWARF FLESH MIX

Ok, now we are getting somewhere. At this point you want to start recessing your strokes a bit, so that each inidividual muscle still has a little bit of the previous color on it. Also, start breaking the individual muscles down a bit to give them further definition. See the picture above.

Stage 5: DWARF FLESH

At this stage we want to start really dividing the big muscle groups into smaller ones (like the biceps, shoulder muscles, etc) so that they start taking on a sinewy look. I really like painting like this because it gives all my heroes a superhuman looking strength. Take a look at the picture below.

Stage 6: DWARF FLESH and ELF FLESH

Ok, at this point I drop my brush size down to a 3/0 Vellejo Kolinsky Sable Brush. I do this so that each brush stroke can be just a little separated from the last, which will allow us to separate those muscles even more. This color will be an extreme highlight for the lower portions (like under the arms, the belly, under the legs, etc). Take a look at the picture above.

Stage 7: ELF FLESH

Alright, this is the final highlight, and should only be used to eccentuate the muscles on the upper portions of the body, the parts that would be getting hit by direct sunlight. Also, really define these lines. Take a look at the pics below, in the close up I think you can see what I am talking about.

And that is it for the skin. Really simple. We will revisit later when we come back for final touchups.

Up next, we will start the hair...

 

[Logan]

Enjoying watching this develop.
Felix\'s stuff is top notch and he\'s responsible for some of my favourite minis - Ta for putting me onto his site.

Keep up the good work fella

 

[blackbone]

ARGH! More! I am on the edge of my seat. This tutorial is great.

Blackbone

 

[frenchkid]

Really nice tutorial.
Thanks for taking the time to do this. It\'s always nice seeing people take the time to help others. Will be watching the end with attention