Drachenklinge goes Steampunk

[Drachenklinge]

Hello Folkes!

First of all ... I am not entirely new to painting ... though I often feel like °_O

This is a WIP Mini which I am posting here, to get some new input. Somehow I am looking for a new style to paint my minis and I like this foundry-type style very much ... simple (of some very difficult sort) and effective.
However I think, I still need to thin my colours even more. And the DO LOOK really thin and waterlike while painting *snif*
Maybe I should even try to learn wetblending, to master the Foundry-Style?

Please, do not misunderstand ... when painting my gaming miniatures I am usually quite comfortable with my results, but I want to get on a next level - so to speak - and I simply do not know, which way to go. Wetblending? Try NMM? Thin more? Layering? All of the above?



So, here are two pix of my Bobby-WIPs from LA:




Without the zoom, they look "ok" (and for sure good enough for gaming), but with the zoom, I think they are showing many painting-mistakes ... which is, what I intended (not the mistake, but showing it ^^)!

I am not quite happy with the actual colour, since I wanted the "Bobby" (I later want it be more of a british soldier version) a bit more of a grey-blue, so it is some sort of a test, anyway.

So ... what can I do? *sigh*

Any help would be great!

best wishes
Drachenklinge

PS
I hope the links will work!

[Doomhippie]

In my opinion the Foundry painting style only looks good from the distance. Layering is a technique that looks rather promitive up close. I suggest learning blending techniques. Colors are a lot more flowing and realistic looking that way. But it certainly takes a looooong time learning and mastering that.

[Prof.Witchheimer]

First of all ... I am not entirely new to painting

yes, it's obviously, the painting on the mini looks not bad at all.

But if you wish getting better at so-called Foundry style so please forget wet-blending and stuff like this. That style is based on relatively big and relatively smooth/equal painted areas on the skin/dress/things and addition of some fine and decent lights on the tops of the "folds". And that's is the difficult part of Foundry style, to find right places to set these lights and to make them not to wide or too long.

For example I've cut out a part of your photo, see the attachment. You've placed three lines of brighter blue on that area of the back side of the leg. Though it's not really necessary there. There aren't any folds there. So I would paint that entire area quite smooth and equal and set some lights on the upper fold.

I will check my painted version today afternoon and post the photo of the same area.

In my opinion the Foundry painting style only looks good from the distance.

I'm not of that opinion

[Drachenklinge]

@ Prof
I see ... thanx a lot!
So, I should use much much smaller lines on that specific area and/or follow more closely to the actual sculp of the miniature in general? For sure the latter.


When I paint minis, I always apply the first layer in the darkest colour of the wanted range, working myself up to the highlights ... I am not fond of the hither and thither ways of some shading techniques. To me, it seems to lurk in desaster more easily.

For the last minis I also try to apply the first layers very thin and watery, so I suppose there is no way around a wet-palette to have the same viscousity of my colours. Especially when mixing them.
The second layer is usually a relatively similar (to the first colour) layer (due to contrast, brightness, shade, etc.), so if making mistakes they will not stand out so much. From that point I am trying to went on more distinct and more careful.

Another question is ... how do You choose the shades between the "starting-colour" and Your highlights? Is it more experience and rule of thumb or some specific protocol?
 
best wishes
Drachenklinge

[Prof.Witchheimer]

or follow more closely to the actual sculp of the miniature in general?
 

That’s the point, there’s no need for painting things if they aren’t existing on the mini. Many painters going to try that Foundry way are thinking it’s just making lots of hard-lined areas on the trousers or skin. It’s not. At least in my understanding.  And that’s very individual, really, I’m sure there are enough painters thinking different about it. So please be aware, that talking it’s not the ultimate truth.

The second layer is usually a relatively similar (to the first colour) layer (due to contrast, brightness, shade, etc.), so if making mistakes they will not stand out so much.

That’s a good way, exactly what I do.

Another question is ... how do You choose the shades between the "starting-colour" and Your highlights? Is it more experience and rule of thumb or some specific protocol?
 

Difficult. It’s more a feeling and some experience than a rule. Just trust to your sense of when and where  you have to stop with highlighting.

[Prof.Witchheimer]

here, check the pic, it's small but recognizable. That's what I mean. Less is more.

[Drachenklinge]

I think, I will start the second one this evening ... going back a little bit in detailing ... making my colours darker and more grey. If it works, there will be a little bit steampunk-aceton-fun for the first one or for both if not 


And I will concentrate on followong the sclups. It seems difficult to break with some habbits ^^

thanx & best wishes
Drachenklinge

[Drachenklinge]

That is the Result of yesterday's work ... maybe better ... but actually the front looks really ugly ... I even do not like the satin shiny-thingy-look. That was the Foundation one.
I like it better from the rear, though I do not know what to change. My colour WAS thin (more water and I could have swim) and I also concentrate on the sculp/mold's texture.




Then I could not resist to start painting this little mini
And I really like the way, the colour turned out. Green rubber clothes and yellow rubber boots ... actually I think the sculp-following works better on that one ... at least I feel like.


With the fisherman I "cheated" and used some ink from P3 over the dark green starting layer, maybe that helped.


hard criticism is welcome!

best wishes
Drachenklinge

[Prof.Witchheimer]

the blendings on the police man are too hard, I'd say, you need more between-layers.

but Grimm looks good

[Drachenklinge]

thanx for the statement ... well I have less problems with shading brown into flesh with my dwarves ... either because I did it so often or because the colours are more simliar ... maybe both ^^

However ... yesterday I got the idea to make photos from my minis before starting to paint them, so I have a better impression of what to come, where to highlight, etc. Photos are merciless and a good way to control oneself. What one do not see ... they do ^^

Question @ Prof
How many layers did You use for the Bobby-blue (just to have an example) ... and do You have a more - hm - linear shading or a more exponential one? Can You say?

beste wishes
Drachenklinge

[Sangennaru]

i have to say: even if it seems to be a dialogue between Drachen and the Prof, I think it is one of the most useful threads i ever read.

thanks guys! ^_^

[Prof.Witchheimer]

Question @ Prof
How many layers did You use for the Bobby-blue (just to have an example)

6-7 layers.

and do You have a more - hm - linear shading or a more exponential one? Can You say?

sorry my ignorance but what is the difference between linear and exponential shading?

[Drachenklinge]

@ Sangennaru
I hope, that if You have any question related to the topic You will ask them! Because - though it may seem so - it is not a discussion between just the two of us (Prof and me)!

@ Prof
http://people.revoledu.com/kardi/tutorial/Regression/NonLinear/Image/NonLinearTransformation_clip_image002.gif

I am not sure, if it is "putable" (^^) like this, but on the picture above (just the two top diagrams) the left is "exponential" and the right one "linear".
So in a "exponential" shading, colours closer to the left side would be even more similar to the colour on that mixing-side than in a linear shading they would be.


If You use six layers - as mentioned above - is each of these shades equally mixed? For eamply from white to black
1/6th
2/6th
3/6th
4/6th
5/6th
6/6th of white
that would be "linear" if one might phrase it like that and

1/6th
1.25/6th
1.5/6th
3/th
5.5/th
5.75/6th
6/th
that woul be a more "exponential" one ... see? see? 

I am afraid this specific part of painting might be easier to talk than to write about °_O


best wishes
Drachenklinge

[Sangennaru]

@ Sangennaru
I hope, that if You have any question related to the topic You will ask them! Because - though it may seem so - it is not a discussion between just the two of us (Prof and me)!

i'm sorry, it wasn't a criticism, i was saying that even if the topic was short and with only two partecipatns (at the moment i wrote) it was really really cool and useful!

[Drachenklinge]

I did not take it as critisism, do not worry! I was happy about the statement! Thanks a lot!

@ Bobbies
They asked me for a aceton-bubble-bath-fun-action with some female miniatures, so I obliged to them

I will start new and post the results

best wishes
Drachenklinge