Praetoriian Posted March 11, 2014 Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 Wow, candy looks great, you've done a great job on this. Love the extra details on the basing. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings Posted March 11, 2014 Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 Lovely looking minis - you're making me really want to pick them up (or possibly take a holiday and steal yours). The only thing that doesn't sit quite right with me is that the carpet looks a bit flat and uninteresting. Maybe a pattern, border, or just some texture? Not that I'm going to complain about the way the minis steal the show at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProximoCoal Posted March 11, 2014 Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 Fantastic work! I particularly like you OSL, beautiful. Keep up the good work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyboy30672 Posted March 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 Thanks, everyone! Don't tease me, Wings... I have a spare bedroom in my house where you and your bf can crash, if you really want a holiday across the pond... And I am GLAD you point out something to be improved! Yeah, I had originally thought about doing something funky with the carpets on all of the models, rather than just purple... The first thought was to do a spirally pattern, to emphasize the theme of insanity and overall weirditude and creepiness. But then I thought it would compete for the eye's attention with the actual model itself. I didn't want to take away from them; they are the focus! Especially after also adding childs' blocks and other accoutrements, I didn't want any of the models to get too busy overall. So instead, I kept it as a basic flat purple (not even highlighting it at all), just to extend the purple/green theme of the crew. Maybe that was a subconscious cop-out... I dunno. The first model I painted with the carpet was my Sorrow, and there's just not enough of it showing to get a good recognizable design into it. Besides... with that much green on him, I really needed to get more purple going. Conversely, after finishing Candy, I thought I might need more green on the model, other than just the ribbons on her basket. I almost painted her eyes a glowy green. I still might. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings Posted March 12, 2014 Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 As long as you're happy being left without any minis by the end of the visit. There's no way you'd want the bases to compete with the minis, but the large areas of carpet (at least in comparison to the size of Candy) do look a bit sad I think. Maybe just a dark band running along near the edge of the carpet? Next to all the rest of your beautiful painting it looks a bit unfinished. Candy looks lovely as she is. She's got enough luminous green to clearly be part of the Crew and looks creepy without needing to be overtly otherworldly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyboy30672 Posted March 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 I think the airlines have some sort of hefty fee for baggage that weighs over 100 kilos... Then again, I'd sacrific a LOT of pewter and plastic to have to opportunity to sit down and paint with you! And that goes for the rest of all you Master Painters!! If anyone is gonna be on the East Coast of the States, lemme know!! I'm not far from Washington DC or New York! Of course, you're right, Wings... Maybe just something small... I probably won't get to try it out until Friday evening, at the earliest (lots of work this week that I have to bring home with me... yuck), but I'll definitely give it a go. Hell, if it looks like complete crap, I can always paint solid purple back over it. Or I could make it LOOK like a line, but really it's very teeny tiny lettering circling the border of the carpet that reads "Wings made me do this... Wings made me do this..." Heeheeheehee Actually...hmm... if I could pull that off, I'd totally do it... That would be hysterical! And thanks for the accolades about Candy! I was a bit nervous with the idea of painting her eyes green, because if I bled paint onto the face, I'd have a bitch of a time getting it nice again... I'm glad the green on the basket is enough. I always appreciate comments and suggestions from everyone! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpiralngCadavr Posted March 12, 2014 Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 Yep, she definitely doesn't need magic eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 Or I could make it LOOK like a line, but really it's very teeny tiny lettering circling the border of the carpet that reads "Wings made me do this... Wings made me do this..." You should definitely do this. I demand a close up of the writing though so we don't just have to take your word for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyboy30672 Posted March 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 Damn you and your manipulations...! Or, damn me for being such a sucker... sigh... Just prepared to be underwhelmed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 Underwhelmed seems unlikely! There's a lot of good panting here. Besides, for writing like that, you can always use the Mike McVey Green Knight method, and draw it on with a fiber tip pen (I was painting that thing by hand when he told me he did that...) Perhaps a little stippling of paler and darker purple would break up the carpets a little, make it look more like pile without making it distracting? Says a lot that the biggest thing we're seeing is the carpet, the rest is good stuff and I reckon you're seeing more faults than we are! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyboy30672 Posted March 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 Those compliments have tonnes of weight, coming from you, Mako!! Thank you!! Yeah, I painted the Green Knight like McVey, too, years ago using a brush instead of a pen. I was a bit disappointed when I heard he used a pen. I still feel like that would be cheating, as I am stubbornly a "brush-purist" (a brushist...?), but the thought of using a pen for the worded carpet borders HAS crossed my mind, admittedly... I am not sure I have a brush good enough to keep a point that fine while still holding paint. I suppose pile carpeting might be a good look, actually, though I had envioned them to be flatter, like a simple, thin, purple throw rug. But for the sake of detail and interest (and I do love a good painted texture...!), that could be an excellent choice that I never in my life would have thought of. Thanks, Mako! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 It was a pretty funny moment of "wait, you did what??!"; he said he's always been impressed by people doing it the hard (or possibly crazy) way Over time, I've half abandoned the purist approach in favour of whatever gets the job done. Lucky for me, I did all the practice that means the brush is usually the best choice as I have more control... If you keep the pile subtle, maybe a little deeper in places than others, it might look old, thin and worn, which could keep a bit of the look you were after. Experiment on something else first though I suggest, you don't want to have to redo this lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kotep Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 Wow! Fantastic work! How long, and how many minis did it take you to hone your technique? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyboy30672 Posted March 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 @Mako: Yeah, I could see the whole, "Wha--??" moment going on. I've never met Mike, but I've always been a fan of his work. I don't think he would have been so impressed with MY Green Knight... that was about 15 years ago... not nearly enough experience under my belt... Yeah, I'll have to experiment a bit with the carpet texture and see what I can come up with... I think I have a spare base insert I'm not going to use immediately, so I can have a go on that and strip it later. Thanks for all the advice! @Kotep: Hahaha... "honing my technique"...? Nah, not really. Granted, I've been painting miniatures for over 30 years, but I know plenty of award-winning painters who have painted for much less time than me, and are far better at it. In fact, it wasn't until I was about 18 that I started improving at all. Granted, I painted VERY sporadically in my youth, but what took me to the next level was a little leaflet I picked up at my FLGS called How To Paint Citadel Miniatures. Hell, I didn't even know who Games Workshop WAS at that time..! So the idea of something called a Space Marine Librarian, to me, was rather ridiculous... Heh! But it taught me the techniques of Drybrushing and Washing (or Inking), however, and with just a couple tries, my painting skills jumped radically forward. About 6 years later (after university and discovering Warhammer), I was lucky (?) enough to be offered a job at the GW HQ North America, here in Maryland. I moved up to the area and first had a job in their Retail Store in Fairfax, Virginia. When we weren't helping customers, we would be sitting at the table and painting miniatures to be displayed in the window cases. So my manager would give me tips about how to shade different colors more effectively, about freehand tricks, etc. My painting took another big step forward. After 4 years at GW (through different departments), a job in the US White Dwarf Studio came up. They created the position of Studio Photographer specifically for me, since I have a degree in it, and I started shooting competitive models at Games Day US in 2000. For the next 6 years I photographed every Games Day and GW Grand Tournament all across North America, and would see a lot of the same people at multiple events throughout the year. I got to know (and drink with... hehe) a lot of them. And since then, whenever I really have troubles with painting specific things (or if I am painting a model to look like the box photo of it, and the original painter is someone I know... haha "Hey, Jess, how did you paint the belly hair on the Executioner model on the box...?"), I will enlist the "experts'" opinions to help me. You'd be AMAZED how much of miniature painting is less about actually painting like a canvas artist and so much more about what tricks and techniques you know, in order to paint a tiny 3D surface better. Like the pen suggestion from Mako (another Master Painter, if you didn't already know!!!), it's more about working smarter, not working harder. That's basically why I am in these forums and why I post my work. I'm not here to get accolades... I'm here to steal everyone else's great tricks!! MUAHAHAHAHahahahahahahahaha!!! (Honestly... this is one of the best painter communities I've known, and I am already indebted greatly to many of its members for giving me invaluable advice... That's how I got to this level.) Wow... this became a huge post... sorry, guys. And now back to your regularly scheduled painting... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 I definitely second the stippling idea to give the carpet more depth. (And if Mako suggests something it's probably a pretty good idea to do it) Wow, that's a long time painting. Sounds like a pretty awesome career too! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyboy30672 Posted March 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Well...it USED to be a fun career. In 2006 the GWHQ in Nottingham, UK, decided that ALL images were going to be supplied solely by the UK Studio henceforth... so my job was dissolved... sigh. I got paid a measly salary for what I did, anyway, even though I loved my job. I still work in the hobby gaming industry, just not as a photographer anymore. I miss it. Sigh. Yeah, Mako's suggestions are always things that make me think, "God, that is a brilliant idea!! Why didn't I think of that?? Oh, right... Because I'm not as brilliant as Mako is..." hehehe I am really looking forward to painting a ton this weekend!! No work to bring home! I have a lot of laundry to do, so I'll be switching loads and folding clothes when I need to take short breaks, for the sake of my back. I have a TERRIBLE habit of hunching over when I paint, and my back hates me for it. I'm like the Quasimodo of miniature painting... Hopefully I'll have at least one image to post by Monday, if I can superglue my fingers to my brush for long enough. An idea, just to throw it out there like raw meat into the lions' den... I am starting my Poltergeist... Traditionally, he would be painted like the art, and would be glowy green and grey, like my Sorrow(s). With my purple/green theme, how do you think it would look if I painted him in grey and glowy purple...? Is that gonna disturb the force too much, Obi-wan? The idea just popped into my head. Thought I'd share the concept and catch some perspectives... Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyboy30672 Posted March 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 So... epic fail. I didn't finish the Poltergeist this weekend, like I had planned. A day of board gaming and beer and bad horror movies ensured that. Let's just say that if anyone ever sees the movie "Dagon" for free, you didn't get your money's worth...! Thank god for the beer... In other news, I decided, since the Poltergeist takes up so much acreage on his 50mm base, leaving little room for anything purple, that I will forego the artist rendition of black hair in favor of purple. This will keep with my schele, and it's enough that I don't have to paint his eyes purple, too. I think that would look silly. AND it also leaves the billowy bits of the lower body green and glowy, to go along with the other Sorrows. HOPEFULLY I will have him done by the end of the week. Hopefully. No promises, people. In other, other news, I am also considering to become a Henchman for the Maryland, USA area. That means I'll need to paint up another crew. Yikes. I am so SLOW in painting..! I have some colors on a Sonnia crew box, and I already have 3 of the metal Witchling Stalkers painted. I hope Wyrd wouldn't mind the metal ones. I like how they've turned out. Then again, maybe I should really bite the bullet and truly paint the box contents. Seems more in the spirit of things. It all just means I have more and more on my plate...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrG Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 These minis look fantastic! I really like your choice of tones for Pandora's hair, care to share what colors you used? I agree with the others, the carpet seems to be a tiny flat and what I notice it's that my attention is drawn from the model to the rug. BTW you are here to steal others' painters secrets, why do you think I'm here for? ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyboy30672 Posted March 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2014 For Pandora's hair... I think I started with a Heavy Red from Acrílicos Vallejo, then went to Blood Red, then a Fiery (?) Orange, I think. They have 2 Oranges, and I chose the one closer to yellow (I think). Sorry... I am not very good with remembering my paint recipes! Thank for the compliments, MrG!! Yeah, I still want to experiment with those rugs and see what I can do to spruce them up a bit. Odd that you say your eye is distracted by them. Hmm... I'll have to be more careful about that. Thanks for pointing that out! No, I'm sorry, Wings, I haven't bought the pen yet. I need to do that soon. I've been trying to get this damn Poltergeist done... Speaking of which... no, it's not done. But a WIP shot: The green glowy body is just SO MUCH surface area, so it's taking forever to do each thin layer I'm doing. It's about halfway done now, and I need to keep bringing the color up. But I settled for the purple hair, which I think is going to work out well. Yeah, everything is very flat-looking. It's a WIP, I promise! Did I mention how horribly slowly I paint..? Still photographing on the ironing board, and still using my phone, just because it's late and I wanna go to bed, rather than pull out the camera... And for consistency throughout the thread, if nothing else. Besides... the ironing board is becoming somewhat of a celebrity... heehee... But at least there's proof that I did SOME painting this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zFiend Posted March 18, 2014 Report Share Posted March 18, 2014 Already looking good though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpiralngCadavr Posted March 18, 2014 Report Share Posted March 18, 2014 Nice palate, and yeah, I expect that much flat surface gets maddening after a while. Also, interesting stuff, re: prior career. Thanks for posting on that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyboy30672 Posted March 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 Thanks, guys! I am taking a bit of a hiatus from the Poltergeist, because he is doing his job correctly and driving me mad... Sigh... And I still have 2 Sorrows to go!! Ayyy... So I started to revisit my Sonnia crew for the Guild. I know that, like Pandora's hair, Sonnia's hair is going to be a pain to paint, simply because the detail in the strands is so shallow. I will need to just paint it on "freehand", so to speak, and try to best follow the grooves. Once I can get her done, I think my enthusiasm for painting her crew will return quickly. She's a beautiful model, so having her painted will motivate me lots! You're welcome, SC, about the bit of history on me. It just explains a little about why I am the way I am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyboy30672 Posted April 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2014 Just for the record... I blame Wings. She makes me do stuff... (no, I haven't bought the pen for the purple rug yet... bite me) Okay... so she has this INCREDIBLY painted Persian effing rug on the base of her concubine model (which, if you haven't seen, you've been living under a rock, but go here and look at it. No, really, go... I'll wait...). I know, right???? INSANE!!! So she says, and I gotta laugh about this... and I quote, "Any tips on improving this would be hugely appreciated." Like DaVinci casually saying, "Hmmm. I don't know about this smile on Mona here... I could use some input... Anybody...? Bueller...?" She says she needs to fix the marble on the base (currently what the Persian rug would be laying on). So, down the thread I mention that I painted some marble on a Trollblood Caber Thrower and gave some links to see it how the P3 Studio painted it. She comes back to me and says, "I want to see this unpainted Trollblood Caber Thrower of yours!" Sigh... Me and my big damn mouth... Sonofa.... Okay, Wings... you asked for it. Damn you. Yes, he's unpainted and crappy-looking right now. I mean, like REALLY crappy-looking. But at least the marble is painted. That was the fun part. Honestly, I am rather proud of it, though I know it doesn't look so much like marble as much as just hard, heavy stone. But it looks like something that would hurt if you were hit in the face with it, which is kinda the point of the model, so I'm satisfied with that. Here's a closer look at the caber: Okay... not THAT much closer, but the iPhone doesn't have a great Macro... That's as good as I could get with it. At least my blue ironing board still looks pretty. The cracks in the stone are sculpted into the model, and it makes highlighting and shading them VERY easy. So now let's all forget we just saw this half-nakedly primed blue guy and move along... So I haven't posted in a while. Why, you say? I'm glad you asked! Life keeps creeping in on my precious painting time!! I had a gig with my band 3 hours away, at the beach (in March???), so that took up all of last weekend... And I've spent most of my evenings last week trying to go to bed earlier and earlier, so I can get some decent sleep (not going really well) after long days at work... Sigh... And tonight? I was going to go to bed at 9pm, I swear! I just HAD to come look at the Wyrd Forums before going to sleep... I'm such a sucker... So I mentioned that I was taking a hiatus from Pandora's Woes and going back to my Guild for the time being. Painting all that swirly glowy green stuff is getting wearisome, and I wanted something new. Fire! Yellow and orange swirly glowy stuff!! (wait... I sense a pattern here...) Here's what I've done in the few moments of joy I've had lately: I think I need more blending with the colors of the fire. Okay, I know I do... What's really ruffling my feathers is the base, however. It's one of the 30mm Ghost Town base inserts from Wyrd. It's basically planks of wood (as on a boardwalk) half-buried amongst a lot of dirt and rocks. Well... since the planks of wood will be a medium brown (they are just dark basecoated and washed so far), what color should the dusty dirt be, in order to not blend in too much with the wood? Which should be the darker color? These wood and dirt colors will be echoed across my entire Guild crew to tie them together, so I really need to settle on a combo I like, and I'm just not getting inspired with anything yet. Any thoughts? Wings...? I could use some help here, dearest... Mako? Sybarite? Connor? Jen? Anyone...? Bueller...? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeebus Posted April 1, 2014 Report Share Posted April 1, 2014 i'm not a super great painter, but I would go with a lighter color for the rocks/dirt and what not (maybe a sandy greyish color) and go with a scorched effect on the wood. on account of the fire . . . just my two cents anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpiralngCadavr Posted April 1, 2014 Report Share Posted April 1, 2014 Wood should be darker unless you're wanting it to look like fresh soil.The exception is, if you want the wood to be completely sun bleached, you could go with a nearly off-white for the wood and a slightly darker color for the dirt.Personally, I like darker bases, so would go with a darkish wood and a midtone for dry dirt, since if the dirt is too dark it begs the question, why hasn't the wood just rotted away in the dampness? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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