Once again, good job. How long did it take you to paint these 3 zombies?
(03-03-2012 04:55 AM)phantomninja Wrote: [ -> ]Once again, good job. How long did it take you to paint these 3 zombies?
About 6 hours total. I'm still a slow worker but I think it will get better as I learn more. I'm still experimenting - for example I only had a bright yellow so it took me a couple of tries to mix paints that I was satisfied with for blonde hair (the mix I used was the yellow with some white added but thinking back maybe I should mix light brown in instead).
Also I stopped after the base paint job and went back to the forums to read samuraitrev's guide to washes and highlighting. When I made the wash I went with a burnt umber that was darker than everything on the zombie and watered it down but I should have added more water. It's hard for me to judge the volume of the water vs volume of paint.
I tried to use a darker green wash on zombie #1 but I didn't like how it looked on his shirt so I ended up adding some of the burnt umber wash over it.
Maybe I had the wrong impression. I thought you could use a wash on the whole figure. Are you supposed to used different washes over the different areas?
I then tried to do a little highlighting, mostly on zombie #2, using a lighter green on raised areas of the face and other exposed skin. I felt like my highlights were too dramatic though so I mitigated them a bit when I added the blood (which was a pretty fun part after all that work).
Also I didn't do any work on the bases until the end because I haven't found a satisfactory way to immobilize the figures while I paint them. I've been holding them by the base and painting so when the main figure was all done I still went back and added primer, paint, and varnish to the base.
So definitely time-consuming but I'm learning and having a lot of fun.
Well, for washes I generally use a mixture of Sepia (light brown) black and a dark brown called Devlan Mud. It depends on what shade I would like to achieve, for darker colors and good crimson blood I use black. For light colors, whites and light browns I tend to use Sepia. This works great on a solid white...it makes it look like a smelly dingy work shirt. And lastly, I use Devlan mud when I want a quick shaded figure all around. Some hobbyist use a method called the 'DIP' method which requires submerging the mini in a tiny vat of shader. This works but the miniature of course is shaded in a dark brown.
Also for the highlighting I would use the same color that you used as a base, apply the wash and then drybrush that same base color. I find that this doesnt make the highlighting stand out too much.
Within time you will catch on the the tricks and painting time will decrease.
(03-03-2012 05:14 AM)goodcop2000 Wrote: [ -> ]I'm still experimenting - for example I only had a bright yellow so it took me a couple of tries to mix paints that I was satisfied with for blonde hair (the mix I used was the yellow with some white added but thinking back maybe I should mix light brown in instead).
Yes mix a small amount of brown with it.
Also I stopped after the base paint job and went back to the forums to read samuraitrev's guide to washes and highlighting. When I made the wash I went with a burnt umber that was darker than everything on the zombie and watered it down but I should have added more water. It's hard for me to judge the volume of the water vs volume of paint.
A good watered down wash is about 50/50 water/paint. If you have a pipette just use 1 drop. (About the same amount as a peasant's tear drop.) Then use a loaded standard brush of paint and mix. If you are lazy like me you can buy ready made washes from GW but they ain't cheap...
Maybe I had the wrong impression. I thought you could use a wash on the whole figure. Are you supposed to used different washes over the different areas?
Yes (for blonde Zed) use a different wash for each area. A watered down darker green (or brown works well) on his rotten skin. A watered down darker brown for his trousers/pants and hair. The shirt would probably be ok without a wash.
I then tried to do a little highlighting, mostly on zombie #2, using a lighter green on raised areas of the face and other exposed skin. I felt like my highlights were too dramatic though so I mitigated them a bit when I added the blood (which was a pretty fun part after all that work).
Dramatic results can work really well. If used sparingly. Such as the edge of weapons can get a sliver of silver. Anything angular can have the edges painted with a dramatic highlight. This gives a great 3D effect here's an example. Notice how the edges have been painted a dramatically lighter colour that gives the impression of man made material i.e not naturalistic. + rigidity and weight.
[attachment=1175]
Also I didn't do any work on the bases until the end because I haven't found a satisfactory way to immobilize the figures while I paint them. I've been holding them by the base and painting so when the main figure was all done I still went back and added primer, paint, and varnish to the base.
Use blu tack to stick the figure(s) to something. A thick piece of card cut to about 12 cm is about right for 3 figures. Have a go at bases it's worth the effort!
So definitely time-consuming but I'm learning and having a lot of fun.
Glad to hear it. I like to think that as you're painting a figure you are bringing it to life. Adding colour, shape and character to a void. When it's finished it should bring a sense of satisfaction, pride and enjoyment as you or your friends check them out and/or use them in your games. That's my take anyway!
Any more questions fire away. I'm happy to help in anyway I can.
If anyone's reading this considering painting their figures. It's now time to give it a go. Let's see what you can do.
Every great journey starts with a single step.
Good job Goodcop and Trev sums all you need to know right here.
You can definatly see progress in your work man, keep it up.
Trev, I got some pieces I've been working on, just to show you how
far I've come from your initial help. Ill post them soon.
G Cop, keep at it man, I havent been reading a lot of post lately, but
a small tip I can give you would be to thin your base coat paints a
little more with water. It'll put less thick paint in the crevices, so when
you apply your wash it will bring more definition of shading and then
keep your highlights kinda thick so it doesnt go every where like the
watery base coat. Still your doing a great job, if a played as much as
I used to I would go back and redo my zombies with the finesse I've
learned over the past 8 or so months, but my paint schedule is full on
other projects. I think your Zombies look better than mine did when I
first started though.
I would really like to see them pred.
These look sweet, GoodCop. lot's of gore, too. I like it. Great advice in these replies, too. Keep it up; I bet your heroes come out nice.
When painting my dudes, I use a small amount of super glue to stick them to the top of a take-out chopstick. Then, I grab the other end of the chopstick with some x-acto hands. Sometimes it is a little hard to peel it off when you are done, but I haven't ruined anything yet. The x-acto hands are super useful for looking at the figure from all angles.
(03-03-2012 06:56 PM)vikinglad Wrote: [ -> ]These look sweet, GoodCop. lot's of gore, too. I like it. Great advice in these replies, too. Keep it up; I bet your heroes come out nice.
When painting my dudes, I use a small amount of super glue to stick them to the top of a take-out chopstick. Then, I grab the other end of the chopstick with some x-acto hands. Sometimes it is a little hard to peel it off when you are done, but I haven't ruined anything yet. The x-acto hands are super useful for looking at the figure from all angles.
Thanks to everyone for the encouragement and the advice! I will try to incorporate all of this teaching into my next set of figures.
I do have a couple of questions about definitions - I've never heard of a "peasant's tear drop" as samuraitrev mentioned and I have no idea what vikinglad's "x-acto hands" are.