30 Sec Tutorial - Stripping a section!

From time to time I make error, heck I make a lot of them but most I can live with (and lets remember it's all a learning process) but others I need to do something about. If I can't paint over the error I strip the area and start again. This isn't as horrible as it sounds - using a cotton wool bud (Q tip) and some airbrush cleaner it's quite easy to gentle wipe paint away from your mini. 

A couple of things to remember - less cleaner the better, just a drip on the bud is all that's needed - the idea is that the liquid shouldn't run out of the wool but it should just be damp. Also try to strip an area within a boundary or up to an edge. This way you wont get a step in the following rework, but rather the step is hidden on a boundary or edge. Gentle wipe the paint until it comes off and soaks into the bud. 

I found some pointy buds at a recent model show that are sold for cleaning airbrushes, these are ideal as they're rather stiffer than normal ones and are pointy to help get in tight areas. 

But try and test the method before you use it for real!

On the Butcher I was lazy by using drying metallic paint on the axe head, this left the surface finish rough which looked grim. Using this method I took the paint off, brush primed and started again.

On the Afghan tribesman I wasn't happy with his face so I stripped it using this method and retried....

Oh - it's a dirty stripper!

Before = 

During =

After =

The Butcher Pt8

The Butcher continues, today I can show you his cloth, axe and inside of his shield all complete or almost complete. I've also updated the Butcher paint post to show you what colours I used for the shield. Oh, and I just noticed a few touch ups needed on the axe shaft ;)

The Butcher Pt7

This week (due to Destiny being damn addictive) I've been slow in painting his legs in true metallics. They're close to how I want them and I'm really happy with how he's looking right now. Next I'll finish the cloth and then onto his arms.... 

30sec Tutorial - Add interest to metallics by adding a coloured glaze or two

To add extra interest to metallic paint you can add one or two glazes of normal colours. This increases the depth and also helps to bring the metal part together with the rest of the mini. I'll create another tutorial at some point on how to apply glazes but for this one it's simply the idea that adding a glaze can have a dramatic affect. 

For one glaze you can use any colour (although to shade it more you may need to increase the contrast with black added into the mix). But for two colours of glaze it works best if you use complementary colours (red green / blue orange etc...). This is due to the complementary colours tending to black when mixed (although in practice it often goes a brown black). 

For example:

 


For the butcher on the steel metallics I'm using the following colours - 

These give the following results 

On the G.A.St.Art cow I followed the same principle with purple (and green by the looks of it, although I can't remember) - 

The Butcher Pt6

For the last couple of evenings I've been working on his waist area and upper legs. I've added the metallic colours to the Butcher paints post. He's really starting to take shape now :)

30sec Tutorial - Seeing the whites of his eyes

As with all these tutorials this is how I approach my work and shouldn't be considered the only or best way of painitng, rather it's just another option. But I hope these are bringing an insight into how I paint and to give you something new to try. 

Today I want to mention the colour of eyes: I normally paint the whites of the eyes in either a flesh tone (Vallejo Light flesh normally) or GW Space Wolves Grey as I find pure white is way too stark. I then allow some GW Ogryn Flesh to pool in the edges around the eye lids. I've found doing things this way I get a much more natural looking eye. 

The Butcher Pt5

Over the weekend I managed to get some more flesh tones down and also completed his upper right arm....

The Butcher pt4

Some work from last night....

30sec Tutorial - Temperatures around the face

Around the face there are a number of different areas of warm and cold - the most obvious are the cold areas around the eyes and warm at the tip of the nose. However there are a few more that's less obvious - top lip tends to be cooler and bottom warmer, likewise the lower and inner parts of the ear are colder and upper parts warmer. 

The Butcher - Colour Choices

Along side the standard wip pictures I'll keep this post up to date with the colours I've used on each section. 

Skin Tones - 

Green Cloth -

Brown Cloth/Leather -

Steel Metallics (Base coat and then colours for glazes) - 

Gold Metallics - 

Shield, Brass Metallics and weathering (the corrosion applied with a sponge) -

The Butcher Pt 3

I've further refined his face but mainly been on the cloth around his shoulders. 

30sec Tutorial - The addition of a highlight can do wonders to a crease in various materials

Here's my second 30sec Tutorial. 

The addition of a highlight in the root of a crease can add wonders to the look of a material. It's not somewhere immediately obvious a highlight would go but have a look round and you'll see them there! 

Take a look at what I mean:

With highlight = 

Without highlight =