Layering

[Guybrush Threepwood]

Lately I've been trying a lot to get better shadow/light effects than just by applying wash and drybrush onto the basecoat.

Some pics of layering attempts (unfortunately the picture quality is not very good):

IMG_1335.JPG

IMG_1339.JPG

IMG_1337.JPG

Has anybody some good advice on how to do layering?

[Goblin-King]

There are several ways...

One method to make it easier is to simply buy some slow drying medium or "retarder". Mix it with your paint and it dries much slower, making it much easier to blend.
A variant of this is to make a wet pallette. It serves the same purpose of keeping your mixed colors wet for a longer time.
A variant still is to just thin your paint slightly with water.

All three methods serves to increase the amount of time you can push the paint around and mix it with other colors.

That being said, I like to paint my miniatures in their base/middle color. If I want to make some highlights I start by adding the lightest color, then I smudge it around a bit. Then I mix a slightly darker color and mix it in around the edges of the light color I just added. Keep doing this until there is a perfect bridge between the light and middle color.
For shadows you do the same, but start by adding the darkest color.

You can practice on a piece of paper or something. Just keep painting a lot of small bands of changeing colors.

Finally (in my opinion) it's better to make the contrasts too extreme than too dull.

Hope it helps

[Guybrush Threepwood]

Thanks for the info Goblin-King!

I already use thinned down paints and wet palette, so paint drying too fast is not an issue.

Next time I'm going to try to get more distinctive contrasts but there seems to be a dilemma between the mini looking good on the table (sharp contrasts needed, f.i. line highlighting) and the mini looking realistic at close up (seamless transition of color tones needed). I have not yet found the golden mean and need to practice more.

[Goblin-King]

Well, what you think looks good is of course very subjective

But to elaborate a little... There are two different methods I use for doing the actual blending.
Either be very fast and blend on the mini while the previous color is still wet.
Or keep changing the color on the palette ever so slightly, then smudge it around the base- and light color. Keep doing this until the transition is complete.

[knightkrawler]

Here's a video for an alternative technique.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3mf2bH_CFs&list=UUNf97KIzplNipgXwORdpd_w
Gus from Colour of the Gods calls it glazing, but the term is used for something different. I call it tinting. Try it, it's awesome.

[Guybrush Threepwood]

Here's a video for an alternative technique.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3mf2bH_CFs&list=UUNf97KIzplNipgXwORdpd_w
Gus from Colour of the Gods calls it glazing, but the term is used for something different. I call it tinting. Try it, it's awesome.

Thanks a lot for the link! Interesting approach of how to use lahmian medium. So far I just used it to create washes on my own but this is obviously the other way around. The dead blood angel at the end looks phenomenal!

I'm working on my chaos warlock right now and will post the results when done.

[knightkrawler]

I started to use Lahmian Medium to thin down my Citadel shades (washes) and sometimes for the line's regular paints, too, especially when I'm not using a wet palette.
Analogically, I use Glaze Medium for my Vallejo Model Colors.

I'll go through arseloads of medium, but less paint, obviously.
Using medium over water or distilled water makes a world of difference on my brush control and my ability to play with the paint on the mini.

Next thing I'll try based on medium is wet blending directly on the miniature - shaded basecoat - , then highlighting to the extreme of how light I want it to go and then subsequent washes and glazes and tinting.
I'll give you the name of the guy responsible for that inspiration, too: James Wappel. Try his blog and youtube videos. Not for the weak of confidence, but oh so awesome.

[Guybrush Threepwood]

The Chaos Warlock is finished!

IMG_1416.JPG

I used layering for the skin, tinting for the cloak, the helmet and the boots and drybrushing for the gloves.

IMG_1420.JPG

[Goblin-King]

Looks good!
Did you...uhmm... Did you bring your miniature outside and placed on the forest floor?

[Guybrush Threepwood]

Looks good!
Did you...uhmm... Did you bring your miniature outside and placed on the forest floor?

Yeah, you don't think this is creepy do you?

Next time I might set up a whole scene somewhere..