Started Painting C. Hoffman's crew (comments & suggestions appreciated)

[dunce002917]

I just got my C. Hoffman crew box yesterday. I'm actually glad that his bot-pack is not built in so I had a chance to paint him and the pack separately for easy access.I just waiting for the sewer base insert to dry up before I base Mr. Hoffman. The Constructs are currently primed, unbuilt and unbased on my work table. I'll post updates later.

Here you go:

What do you guys think?I also painted a Lady Justice crew and you can check it out over here.

[SpiralngCadavr]

Hi, his apparatus could probably use a black or brown wash, and highlighting, to get it to "pop" more. Drybrushing the metallics on would have helped (for future advice, though that isn't great for this, unless you want to start over).

I can't tell if it's the light or the paint job, but Hoffman could also use a little shading, particularly on his skin and white shirt.

Your paint job is crisp, but there's not a lot of dimension to it. A lot of people swear by GW's Devlan Mud as a wash of choice, which might be worth looking in to.

...unless you're happy with it as-is, or want tips on shading/highlighting w/o the aid of washes, in which case, that probably isn't necessary advice.

[dunce002917]

I'm planning to apply a light coat of GW black wash tonight. I took that picture at 1 am this morning so my hands were already cramping (which explains the slight blur) and my eyes were tired.

I just finished basing it during lunch and he's not drying up the glue+green stuff... tonight, the Watcher is on deck.

@SpiralingCadavr I'm all ears for more tips and tricks with painting miniatures. I'm relatively new and spent my early painting days on Warmachine minis... which are larger than Malifaux. I think both deserve some highlighting and washes.

[Guild Monkee]

A wash would make the world of difference. One word of caution though, sometimes a wash can dull down metallics a lot. Using something like P3's armour wash works better than GW washes IMO as it keeps the shine nicely (although admittedly it works better with silvers than golds).

That said, it's nice and neat which is the hardest bit to get right, it's just a case of adding a couple of techniques to go from good to awesome. It's worth taking a look at Hot Lead, it's a painting tutorial series that covers loads of stuff from the basics right up to insanely hard things like NMM (I can't remember the web address so just Google it).

Nice work, I look forward to seeing the finished article and the rest of the crew.

[dunce002917]

cool, will check that out.

[SpiralngCadavr]

For basic highlighting, a few pointers:

for natural colors, mix up with bone/off-white; for mechanical stuff, mix up with white; for metal, a bright silver will work surprisingly well as a highlight for brass or gold. Also note that metallic paints aren't pigments or inks, so they don't mix the same way as normal paint

for most shading, you should do 2-5 layers (depending on your comfortability and the colors, for instance, dark leather will probably only require 1-2 steps of difference, while a smooth white will probably require more than 5)

thin paints a bit when shading, but only so they go on thinner, not so they become watery (unless you're using them like an ink)

move towards crisp points as you layer highlights, i.e. the sharpest edges will be the lightest, while softer areas probably won't have the strongest highlights.

[dunce002917]

Updates:

So I finally finished up C. Hoffman's crew.

I tried to follow Hot-lead.org's tips on dry brushing and washing. You will see the progression from the Watcher, Guardian and the Hunter. I used Wyrd's Sewer Bases for the base and milliput/green stuff and some glue to put the model on the base. I maximized the points of contact to avoid any breakage while gaming.

Here you go:

C. Hoffman final - I used GW Black wash

The Guardian final - I "accidentally" used GW Blue wash... turned out good.

The Hunter final - I used GW Black wash

The Watcher final - I used GW Black wash

At first I thought the Guardian would be easy to build but out of all the models, it gave me some headaches and I had to re-glue and re-touch the paint at least 3 times. The Hunter only gave me a headache with it's pose of the sewer base. I was able to figure out a pose with 4 points of contact which made me happy.

I'm still learning to paint, shade and wash properly. Hopefully when Hot-lead's dvd comes in, I can watch it and learn more. So far, I learn through practice.

Check out my album to see the models unwashed. Did I do the right thing by applying washes on the crew? Please leave comments and tips.

Thanks!

[recklas]

I like the guardians paint job the most. The blue wash looks fantastic in the photo.

[SpiralngCadavr]

Hi, those washes look good, and I think the blue did a nice job giving a little sense of oxidation. I also like the toxic green on their bases.

What did you do for the Guardian base?

Regarding bases, in the future, it'll probably be a good idea to pin minis to their bases. While glue will hold decently, you'll eventually get some breakage (though it's less likely on the hunter, because of 3 points of contact).