Cerridwyn1st

Does the paint become more opaque because of the layering, you've added more paint, the loss of water from the paint, or some combination of the above?

Yeah, I think part of why this one is still sitting after almost six months is that I don't like the base that came with it and I haven't come up with anything better yet. I do want to see how this comes out. I used the Dark Elf Skin triad on something. I think it was a horse for a GW Blood Dragons Necromancer. It is an interesting series of colors. I'm with Ishil on how close together the skin tones can be. It is noticeable in the Fair Skin, but I see it somewhat in the Tanned triad as well. I often use colors from the adjacent triads (Dark Skin and Fair Skin) to give a bit more contrast to the Tanned triad. I would probably used Tanned Skin as a base for Fair, if I were to go for something really pale.

After looking at Meg's waggas, I decided to try her "hair" method. I used linen white to up the highlights just a tad more, then a mix of Sepia Ink and Buckskin Pale as a wash to smooth the transitions. I think the Suicide Blonde is even closer to true than before. I've also started working on her nails, though not much as yet.

Wow, you go girl! Looking very nice. I'm glad to see you posting your entry for feedback and advice. I think it's great that this year we can do that.

By the way, Anne, thank you for the advice about painting from one side to the next without touching up. I tried this on an experimental piece and the effect was much smoother. The only place I had some "lumpiness" was around an eye I was having problems with. I couldn't resist re-touching it, and you can tell if you look closely enough. Other than that, the skin on the new model is very smooth. Thanks again for the tip.

I peruse this one: http://web.mac.com/thminiatures/iWeb/THBlo...A978290BB0.html Cool! He's got pictures of the figs with listings of the paints he uses. Too bad I don't read French.

You have such lovely freehand on the dress and such nice skin, I wouldn't want the shoe to detract from that. I'd go with black. Taupe would fade into the skin color. White or red would stand out too much and detract from other details. Black would look nice without detracting from other parts of the mini.

Oh, duh, I remember when he emailed the WIP on those articles to us for comments before he published them. Thanks for reminding me.

Thanks Cerri---I've already got the list off the Rackham site and your site (thanks to you!)----when you and Thierry, among others, were going back and forth about the colors--way back when the thread was created---I followed it pretty closely. Now, if you've got a list somewhere that's not published publicly-----I'd absolutely love to have it. Kev You might find this funny, Kev. Thierry directed me to that conversation because I was asking him a lot of questions via email. He suggested I go to the website and join the conversation. It's nice to hear that the discussion and documents were of use to you. I'm not sure what you're asking for. The only thing I can offer is the link above, Couleur Vallejo. That is a list of the full Vallejo line of colors, with the ones Thierry uses in blue. AFAIK it isn't published elsewhere. Thierry was talking about putting up his own site, but I don't know if that happened or not. Back on topic, I think "style" comprises several elements. It is the conjunction of color preference, artistic ability, education, the influences of other artists and culture, and skill. Where all those things come together, that's what we call "style". I think it helps to study and to a degree copy the work of master artists when trying to develop your own style. You won't end up copying them - you can't. But in trying you push yourself to your limits. When you've reached your limit and pushed on to the next level, that's when you can begin to develop a style that is all your own.

A green mix that I use for Elves starts with Pine Green or Green Liner. The next part is Field Green, with Moth Green for highlights. I guess for NMM you'd continue highlighting up to white for the hot-spots. I know a neon green sounds a bit odd but with the darker, earthier tones mixed in it actually comes out rather nice. Just a question, maybe Anne could answer this. If the armor were enameled or annealed (probably spelling that wrong), would it be less reflective, and there for have few if any hot spots?

You use smoke as a paint? You might try thinning it WAY down and using it as a wash. You'll be amazed at what the stuff is like. It is really more of a clear color than a paint.

wow :rotflmao: wow, that is so me. I got frustrated with drybrushing because I it looked so bad, so I tried the "advanced techniques". Later I had a ton of figs for Warlord to paint, so I tried drybrushing again. Guess what I found out? My drybrushing sucked because my brush control sucked. When I tried it again, after years of practicing other techniques, I could finally do it!

I have been working on an Urban Legend Sophie. I've also seen examples posted by others recently. The thing I've noticed is that each figure seems to have a different expression, even though they come from the same sculpt. I'd like to know what makes expression? What makes a figure look saucy, sexy, defiant, bored, whatever? How do we get such a range of expression on what are often the same sculpts?

Do you have a pallet with wells? You might try using the amounts she indicates and see how it works for you. One of the things I see a lot is people either use too much on their pallet or too little. You need enough paint so that you can get a good "working puddle" as Anne calls it. Too much and you can't get it to a good working consistency without having a mess on your hands. Too little and it dries out too fast. I finally "got" what Anne and Jen have been saying about using a welled pallet, and it has helped me a lot. I remember your Troll, buy the way. Really nice piece. The eyes are awesome.

The cool thing to note is the details in the skin. When I look at the hands, I can see highlighting on the knuckles. It is also just a bit darker immediately below the knuckle. The bed of the nail near the cuticle is just a tad lighter than the tip. When you look at her right arm, you can see the highlight on the top of the arm and again on the elbow. It's really cool to see how these details evolve in painting the mini. Thanks for sharing, Anne.

Looks like you need to thin your paint a bit. A bit of an ink wash on the metals would give them some definition.

I think the hair is especially nice. The shading on the cloak looks good too. She has a very fierce expression. This lady isn't taking crap off of anyone.

Ary: I remember the style you mention from one of their early catalogs. The models it was used on most were the Alahan ones. I don't think that painter is employed by them an longer, or has been re-trained to the style used by Husser and others. For the record, I didn't like it, either.

I've been a fan of the Rackham paint jobs since I started painting---and try and mimic the style fairly often. I'm fortunate enough to have at least one nice Rackham piece in my collection, for reference, that was painted up by Thierry Husser. I've got a few other pieces in my collection from what I consider top painters (for example Whiz, Flynn, Eric Johns). Studying the differences is something I do fairly regularly---as my most prized pieces all sit right on my painting desk and not in my display case (sacrilege, I know). Kev Kev: I'm a fan of Theirry as well. I haven't corresponded with him lately (same on me!) but I do have a couple of familiars painted by him. I have also gotten some instruction from Vidal Pagan, a local artist who paints in the Rackham style. I think that one thing that sets the Rackham style apart is the color pallet and how it is used. What colors they choose and the way they are applied. If you would like to see a list of "recipies" by Theirry compiled from the Rackham English website, go to Thierry's Paint Chart which I have posted on my site. I also have a list Theirry sent me of the VMC colors he uses, Couleur Vallejo. I've been studying the Rackham style. One thing I'd suggest would be to look at "Cry Havoc!", their magazine, and check out the painting workshop section.

She is coming out really well. The tail looks nice, especially since one of your concerns was the lack of detail on the sculpt.

Claws and teeth tend to be dark at the root, lighter the farther they are from the gumline. I'd suggest re-painting the teeth and claws with Linen White, then working blending from dark to light starting at the root and working up.

You're thinking of the monk in Inu Yasha. It's not a "cartoon", it's anime.

I think the conversion is really cool, just concerned about how well the model will hold up over time. If it's a display model it will be fine, but if you intend to play it there could be trouble. I'd recommend adding some counterweight to the base of the figure to give it some stability. I've done the same on my Warlord Wraith models I've recently re-done. Rocks, bits of sprue, metal skulls (like the shakers in the paint), any of those will do, just so long as you put something sort of behind the fig to balance out the conjoured flame.

You're not just making it matte, you're changing the flow characteristics. With ink you really need that. At the very least, thin it with some water. Otherwise inks can leave rings, droplets and other nastiness. GW fleshtones - don't go there! From what I've seen, GW Bronze Flesh has lots of nice applications, such as gold NMM. But it stinks as a skin color. Dwarf Flesh and Elf Flesh have an orange cast, like bad foundation. I meant the Reaper Rosy Skin triad, though the Tanned Flesh might be nice too. IMHO, Reaper makes the best skintones in the business. Always has, always will.

FYI: RPP Blue Black is an analog for Payne's Gray. At a guess, I'd say RMS Blue Liner is pretty close, too.