awong

Very cool figures. Love the ladies. The two cowboys on the left are reminding me of "the Duke". There's a poster of him in that colored shirt. -AW

A very nice piece. I especially like the color scheme. -AW

Wow, that Paladin is awesome. Love that lighting! -AW

You can also get the black lining effect just by pushing the shading of your mini. You have probably heard this before. With properly thinned paint, the usual direction of the paint brush is in the direction towards and ending where you want to deposit your paint. That is, if you are highlighting with a lighter color, your brush moves from mid-tone toward the area of highlight and leaves the mini where the brightest point would be. Where the brush leaves is where the highest concentration of paint will deposit. Conversely, if you are shadowing with a darker color, your brush moves from the mid-tone into the recess or shadow area, lifting off where the darkest spot should be. I always think of drawing with those thick magic markers...that big blob of color I always get at the end of my stroke. Use this to your advantage. If I'm applying shadows around a belt strap (for instance), my brush would be naturally moving towards the belt strap edge, depositing most shadow color right at that juncture. This way, you can get great contrast, but it won't look like a hard line drawn against the belt, but rather a natural progressing shadow. Even on the area near the crossing of the belts, although the garment is highlighted (near the top of his belly), you could start a subtle shadowing towards the belt. You'll get some contrast and the effect that the belt is causing the garment to depress under it's weight. Where the two belts are crossing, use a darker color and shadow the lower belt, moving the brush towards the crossing top belt edge. You'll deposit more dark color at that height change, strengthening the contrast and giving you some color variation. To make this area punch even more, highlight the proud parts. At the belts crossing, highlight, with a lighter brown, from the center of the top belt out towards the edge of the belt. Again, do this with thinned paints in multiple passes (drying between each pass). You'll get great contrast between the upper belt over the lower. This can be done all over any figure or concentrated at areas where you want to direct a viewer's attention. You'll really start feeling like you're sculpting the mini with your brush as you follow the folds and details. For me, this is what makes painting enjoyable and you start appreciating the sculpt and the artist's work . Wow, quite a ramble. I hope that made some sense Regardless, you've got a great start there. We'll be wanting to see a lot more. -AW

The only way I have found is to pour all the way to the top of your "dam". In my case I place the tape (I usually use painters tape as a dam for my bases) at the exact height I want the water to be and pour to the top of the tape. Just put it somewhere safe and don't move it til it hardens! Thanks KatieG, I'll give that a go. I guess that stuff half submerged, or river banks, etc, will get the creep no matter what. -AW

Great tutorial! Say, have any of you seen hints as to how one could avoid the meniscus creep along poured 'water' edges? I know that in 1:1 scale, yes, fluids do creep up slightly at container surfaces...unfortunately, it looks way out of scale on miniatures. Any ideas? Thanks for some great tutorial sites. -AW

This is probably too late for you in this instance, but... unless you are planning to use the mini for gaming, you could probably fore-go the gloss/flat protective spray altogether (I know many do, myself included). Next time, especially for a contest, I'd leave off the spray protection until after the contest is over. Nothing worse than having a wonderful paint job spoiled by a nasty surprise like a bad batch of dull-coat. Hopefully, your mini can stand the minimal handling between house, venue. and judging (assuming the judges aren't gorillas). Later, if you are going to use the mini for games, spray. This way, the judges see your mini paint job as you intended.

Looks like a nice collection there! I'm no expert on photography, but I can make a few simple suggestions that might help some. I would firstly remove the cover. That's going to mess with your lighting, give you odd reflections, and keep your camera from getting in close. I think a nice establishing shot of the whole group is in order, then I'd start taking individuals, or smaller group shots. We'll be able to see more and more will be in focus. Besides, I'd love to see some of these up close! Keep'm coming! -AW P.S. I think you should credit your quote there...G.S. Patton

He has a Han Solo, Harrison Ford vibe for me...so I thought JACK Ryan at first A very nice paint up. Maybe bring up the highlights a little on the skulls...I didn't even notice those until Jabberwocky mentioned them. -AW

Yep, that hat is what does it for me. Another great piece! -AW

Beautiful figure. I really like what you did with the face...there's a sort of weariness in her eyes, but she's holding up her head as if to imply she's still ready for anything. The leather dress does seem a bit close to the skin color. Maybe a darker shadow between skin and neckline could help separate the two? Pushing the highlights on the skin a bit, maybe adding a slight reddish glaze to the cheeks, that might liven and distinguish the skin from the leather also. A great piece! -AW

These are great. I especially like the first and last ones. Is that last one a Reaper? I really like the character and movement in the sculpt. Very cool! -AW

Very nice. Maybe hit the highlights a bit more, to give the skin a bit of that sheen...although I guess some of the more desert-y type snakes may look a bit muted due to dust? I agree with Froggy, darklining or deepening the shadows, especially between the two basic colors, would really make that area stand out. -AW

Just back from the P.O. 3 days in transit and it should find it's new home. Thanks Cerebro, not only for organizing this exchange, but letting me squeak in at the last minute! I had a blast and I'm looking forward to seeing all the fine paint-ups. -AW

This is looking very interesting! Those half melted chunks of snow will be neat to make. Looks like more layers of putty or clay? I've always wanted to do a dry riverbed scene with thin, cracked surfaces...I think your air-dry clay may be my ticket Looking forward to the progress reports! -AW

This is looking great! Can't wait to see the finished mini. Incidentally, you mentioned that you picked up the rock from your drive...so it's a real rock. Do you know how you're planning to mount the mini? Will you be drilling into the rock or will the dwarf be completely off the rock when he's mounted? Just curious. Very cool! -AW

Photos tonight, then in a box and in the air on Saturday. -AW

Very nicely painted. A great color scheme for a realistic military unit. Is that highlight on the face shield painted or is the surface gloss coated? If painted, that's very subtle yet effective! A good example of a reflection being the brightest spot on a mini. Can't wait to see the rest of the unit. -AW

I agree, very cute. (can a guy use the word "cute"?) I like your use of earthy tones. It really grounds him. Especially like his little beady eyes. Cute but deadly. -AW

Looks like a nasty unit. That's an amazing amount of work for only 10 hrs! -AW

The colors really work well with this mini. Looks like a fun paint-up. Thanks for sharing. -AW

A beautiful piece! The fur contrasting against the metals are awesome. And thanks for the tutorial on metallics! -AW

I got a nice surprise in my mailbox this evening She's a beaut! I like the bonus mushrooms. You did a great job being consistant with your color palette...even with the mushrooms! She's going to make a great addition to my little collection of Exchange Minis. Many thanks Brian! -AW Oh yes, I'm finishing up my contribution.

The shading on the skin is beautiful and I really like the colors, especially in the shadow areas! Her hair looks like it's going to be fun to do. Looking forward to further installments! Will you be doing transparent cloth like so many of the other versions I've seen? I'd really be interested in seeing the steps that goes through. -AW

Some have used glazes to help unify and even out splotchiness. I'm not sure how well that technique may work if you have physical caking and texture due to drybrushing. It might just darken and intensify the texture. I like very much your handling of the red stockings/booty things, and the blue of the ribbon! I can see your attempts at highlighting and shading (dry brushing is good at giving a very generic sense of overall lighting) and it looks like the general concept is there. I think a couple of in-between shades are all you need to help smooth those out to achieve a nice blend. Your hair is also very nice. Hair is a good candidate for dry brushing...for now . As you progress, you'll probably find layering a better solution (depending upon what you're trying to accomplish). As a first mini, this is way better than what I could do. Also, for a first mini, you picked an ambitious figure (this is one of the larger Sophie sculpts). I'd definitely hold onto her as is and quickly move on to your next project. Stay on these boards and submit often to the Show Off and WIP threads (I should take my own advise here ). In 6 months, compare your latest mini with this one...I guarantee, it'll knock your socks off when you see the improvements. Also, do you have a paint/game group or flgs nearby that you can tap for basic tips and tricks? Makes the learning curve much shallower if you have access to others who've done this awhile and who don't mind you looking over their shoulder. Good luck and we'll be looking for more of your work! -AW