nagash13 Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 I have decided this will be the first malifaux model i attempt to paint. what i need help with is the color theory and scheme planning. I know i want to attempt sheer black nylons effect with my airbrush. other than that, i'm open to color suggestions. my initial thought was red and black, as that is what you most often see in the windows of a lingerie shop. glossy red hooker boots, black nylons, black gloves? are you folks fans of using 2 colors for the corset/skirt, or combine it into a single color? there is also the matter of the lace frill and what color to do that. white? or is that too harsh a contrast? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Webmonkey Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 Red, black, and white,.... ? You could go harlequinn with it. Is the first thing that comes to mind with those colors anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dracomax Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 Sheer fabric is transparent, so you want to paint the skin/extra fabric under it first. White isn't necessarily to bright a contrast, but... I'm only mentioning this because you asked specifically about color theory. A couple of things to keep in mind. assuming you are using a dark red and Black, pure white is probably not the color you want. A medium gray will often read as white or light gray when surrounded by darker colors, and if you use pure white, you have to remember that that is going to be the brightest spot on the model. When dealing with adding definition, you are going to want a range of grays, because if you use pure white or pure black, you have no way to go beyond that. White is the whitest you get, and black is the darkest you get. Even a slightly lighter gray can help to add definition to black. also, keep in mind that when looking at reality, many things we read as light, or white, are actually darker than other colors(when in shadow, when surrounded by other colors, etc. and the things that read as dark can actually be lighter than parts that read as light. All color is entirely dependent on the surroundings of that color. It is entirely possible to have a color that looks green on one background and red on another. You can not trust what you see on your pallete, only what it looks like when dry and in place. Painting is an art because of this. That said, get at least 2-3 shades of red. Most reds don't blend well from light to dark, so if you can find something for mid-tone, light and shadow, it's going to help, because red seems to blend better with red(as I have learned to my chagrin recently) Also, keep in mind that beckoners are all about brilliance. Especially as you are using an Airbrush, it's not a bad idea to use OSL with the eyes, or the mouth. With a red/black main scheme with light highlights, green to light green should work well to show this. if you want to add another color, either use blue and yellow, or blue-green and yellow green for the best compliments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nagash13 Posted October 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 I love the harley quinn idea, but i think i'll be doing that on the ronin with 2 pigtails. so i'm not sold on black and red. obviously lots of people do greens because of the artwork, but i'm open to any ideas you have for main colors/pop color. if i did black sheer stockings/gloves, and wanted purple to be the big rich cloth color, with yellow OSL eyes, could that work or is it too much dark? i'm just trying to figure out how to break up the color blocking of boots, skirt, underwear, corset. i want to avoid the barber pole effect of switching back and forth between 2 colors every piece of garment on the model. would you do different tones of the same color like the green artwork? maybe a rich royal purple for boots and corset with like a lavender for the skirt? or would it be better to combine corset and skirt into one main color? sheer black stockings with gloss black boots? would flipping the palette completely and going wit a lighter spring look of lots of yellows, whites and some purple OSL eyes be a better plan? trying to figure out if i can do a sheer white stocking without her just looking super pale, or a sheer red stocking and not look sunburnt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Webmonkey Posted October 10, 2013 Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 Black sheer would be cool for the stockings,.. though,.. fishnets might work too. What about doing the opposite,.. all white?? (think emma frost from the x-men comics here) Otherwise, toning the red down might be a thought. Pink on black instead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dracomax Posted October 10, 2013 Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 I love the harley quinn idea, but i think i'll be doing that on the ronin with 2 pigtails. so i'm not sold on black and red. obviously lots of people do greens because of the artwork, but i'm open to any ideas you have for main colors/pop color. if i did black sheer stockings/gloves, and wanted purple to be the big rich cloth color, with yellow OSL eyes, could that work or is it too much dark? i'm just trying to figure out how to break up the color blocking of boots, skirt, underwear, corset. i want to avoid the barber pole effect of switching back and forth between 2 colors every piece of garment on the model. would you do different tones of the same color like the green artwork? maybe a rich royal purple for boots and corset with like a lavender for the skirt? or would it be better to combine corset and skirt into one main color? sheer black stockings with gloss black boots? would flipping the palette completely and going wit a lighter spring look of lots of yellows, whites and some purple OSL eyes be a better plan? trying to figure out if i can do a sheer white stocking without her just looking super pale, or a sheer red stocking and not look sunburnt. Keep in mind that while we think of both red and black as "dark" colors, they don't have to be. There are light purples and brighter reds(although those tend towards either orange or pink) Just as examples: Note how several of the purples are quite birght? Also, keep in mind that the skin, which there is a lot of, is going to be a fairly bright color, and that a few highlights/mid-tones can make the entire color feel lighter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dracomax Posted October 10, 2013 Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 To be honest, though, I'm not a huge fan of the yellow glowing eyes, simply because on most skin tones, it's going to look more like jaundice than glow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Webmonkey Posted October 10, 2013 Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 Yellow eyes will look great though,... if you paint her up as a drow elf. You know, jet black skin and white hair and all,... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dracomax Posted October 10, 2013 Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 Yellow eyes will look great though,... if you paint her up as a drow elf. You know, jet black skin and white hair and all,... Well, yes, if you paint the skin dark colors, it would work well. but then you need to seriously consider using lighter colors for the dress, to keep the entire thing from becoming just a dark blob. Tone balance is important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nagash13 Posted October 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 I see what you mean about yellow glow on flesh looking jaundice. i was only thinking the yellow being opposite purple on the color wheel would make a good accent color. I was avoiding pink, because it is too close to the only skin tone i can do decently. when it comes to darker skin, i'm the captain of the failboat. it just looks wrong and i hate the way it comes out. i guess i could break it up by doing a white frill and a blackline at the frill/skin edge to visually break it up. I often pick which projects/armies to do next based on what color i need a break from. obviously this is more an issue with painting games workshop armies where you need to do 50+ models in the same colors, compared to a malifaux team that is much smaller. I havent done anything in purple for a long time, so i might try and do some sort of lavender/purple combo. green or orange glow for eyes since yellow is a bad plan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dracomax Posted October 10, 2013 Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 Well, you could always do a purple glow to the eyes too. If you do green or orange, it's best to try and work both into your piece somehow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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