Round 4 - Moderators vs. Beastmistress

[Ray Rivers]

Wish I could see a little closer on those fantastic Infinity minis!

[thebinmann]

The Mawes are from Hasslefree.  I love the skin tones on them too.

Thanks

[Chambersofminiatures]

Hubbabubba, you are my Infinity hero! I love your natural tones.

DrMathias, very well painted and nice scene.

Thank you both.

[magokiron]

OMG!

Another though choice!

I think this round has the hardest matches to choose from.

Please, please, please, we need a "Draw" button.

Best wishes to both EXCELLENT painters.

[Paddy649]

Two quality entries!  Tough choice!

[Laughing Ferret]

Both are so very good. The infinity are so smooth. Really top quality.

Those lion-esque monsters are stunning.  Not just that, it's also a brilliant idea.

I saved this picture.  It is inspiring.  My favorite entry of any round so far and wouldn't be surprised if it remains so.

[Old Coast]

@ the Doctor- Your best one yet, The shading and blending is awesome plus taking those critters out of a traditional Sci-Fi setting is brilliant.
I am just going to say it- my money is on you win this thing this year.

@ Hubbabubba, great entry too man, I know how it feels.   LOL!

[Dr Mathias]

Thanks for the comments all, they're certainly appreciated. The Mawes and 'Nubian female' are indeed from Hasslefree and the other figures are Perry from the Sudan range- I believe the fellows in fezzes are Bazinger NCOs and the one with the turban is from a Nile Arab pack.

Hubba, I really like your set up- the details like the electric panel and cargo containers are great, and those figs are without a doubt painted excellently. You really do fantastic work on the Infinity range- I bought the rules partly because of your various Infinity posts, and I'm going to concur with Drachenklinge, your pic could be right out of the rulebook

I am just going to say it- my money is one you win this thing this year.

Don't jinx me! My entries peaked in Round 5 last year, and I'm on track for a similar occurrence this year- I still don't know for sure what I'm doing for rounds 6-10 

[phreedh]

Great job both of you guys! I especially like the skin tones of those maws!

[Blackwolf]

Both brilliant entries,both of you paint to a standard I can only dream of.

Matthew,I love the sense of movement and understatement in your's,cracking work mate

[Drachenklinge]

Please, please, please, we need a "Draw" button.

No!, No draw-button, "painting" comes from "pain", so it is either sweet agony from loosing against a skilled opponent or sweet victory from winning! 

That pain MUST be felt by the voters, too!

best wishes 
Drachenklinge

[tsar1701]

I really, really love your african's skin Dr Mathias...

Could you tell us what colors/method you use ?

[Dr Mathias]

Could you tell us what colors/method you use ?

Absolutely. I've had to modify my long standing recipe recently, so it is currently in a testing stage. For African skin and basing I mainly used craft paint, relying heavily on "Spice Brown"- but Ceramcoat changed their formula and I don't really use it anymore. On a whim I ordered a few Coat d'Arms a few months ago and so far I like them quite a bit. I also have some Vallejo that I occasionally remember to use...

1. Anyway, on the woman I started with a rust (red oxide) colored undercoat. I use Dupli-Color auto spray primer- I switched to it exclusively about a year ago. I love it. Not only is it the least expensive, it works better than anything else I've ever used. I try to use the red oxide color for most of my African stuff that is on the medium/dark side.

2. The base coat is Coat d'Arms "Negro". It's okay if it is slightly thin, then the reddish underlayer will play a role. One of the problems with African skin is turning it greyish, so I use no black or white at all, and try to keep it 'warm'.

3. I then do an application on raised areas using a mix of 50% Negro, and 50% Coat d'Arms "Beige Brown". That mix skips a step in the triad as sold by Black Hat Miniatures, but whatever is in the middle (Horse Brown I think) is kind of out of key, it has a yellowish cast and is too much on the transparent side for my purposes. If I'm doing a unit of ten or so and want some variety I would include it on some figures.

4. I applied a wash of GW "Ogryn Flesh". It is a warm reddish brown, and I apply it pretty thin, mainly to tie the layers together rather than pool in the recesses to provide depth.

5. Apply "Beige Brown" to raised areas.

6. I then add Ceramcoat "Toffee Brown" to the Beige for highlights.

7. A thin application of "Toffee Brown" for the final highlights. I think I did a thin layer of "Ogryn Flesh" again. Keep in mind none of these applications are one-shots. I tend to paint thin and build up the opacity with layers.

To do lighter skin I would start with the 50/50 mix and go from there. I sometimes use the 'ole "Devlan Mud" for skin shading if I want to have subtle variety in a unit, but I don't use that particular wash near as often as other people. I more or less use a five tone method with washes to tie layers together.

In contrast, the Mawe have almost no official washes on them at all, just a little in the muscle creases. The regular paint is pretty thin though, almost 'wash like' if that makes sense.

I don't have a set method like some painters- I just go with whatever I think will work. Sometimes washes, sometimes not, sometimes non-metallic metal, other times metallics etc. A few weeks ago my wife asked me to describe myself with one word and I used 'capricious', which among other things describes my painting methodology

[Hammers]

A few weeks ago my wife asked me to describe myself with one word and I used 'capricious', which among other things describes my painting methodology

Your method is not easily duplicated but it is interesting to read that sometimes the best minipainting is not just a skilled craft but results comes from intuitive artistry. Maybe that is no surprise, but many times step-by-steps make things look like "if you do this you get this result" which is not always true.

[Blackwolf]

Ha! My wife suggests that I paint in an romantic style Capricous I like that.


 Oh and Hammers,congrats Elder God,suitable