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