hosercanadian Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 Hi everybody, Despite playing with toy soldiers for years, I haven't really painted Reaper miniatures before. So I have been enjoying the first little plunge because of the character and individual nature of these sculpts. Also, being able to spend a bit more time per figure is a nice change from the factory style painting I normally churn out. So below are a few samples of my first few Reaper minis. Still not finished basing them as I am not sure exactly what I want to do. I am sure I will add some foliage, but I might also wash the sand too. Without further ado: 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hosercanadian Posted April 27, 2014 Author Share Posted April 27, 2014 I was having trouble getting the pics to display properly, so a few posts will show each one: Anirion, Wood Elf Mage. This is actually the Bones mini. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hosercanadian Posted April 27, 2014 Author Share Posted April 27, 2014 Marius Burrowell, the Gnome thief. I love the character of this figure and he screamed out for bright colours. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hosercanadian Posted April 27, 2014 Author Share Posted April 27, 2014 Brother Roberto. This is the best priest sculpt I have come across period. Uploading this picture I see I need to do some touch-ups. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hosercanadian Posted April 27, 2014 Author Share Posted April 27, 2014 Harley Brimstone. I had no idea this model existed until I stumbled across him in the store. Such a characterful model. I think this is the "How my 1st level fighter really looks" picture. I tried doing some ambient light effects and failed miserably. Any tips? 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catdancer Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 (edited) Harley Brimstone. I had no idea this model existed until I stumbled across him in the store. Such a characterful model. I think this is the "How my 1st level fighter really looks" picture. I tried doing some ambient light effects and failed miserably. Any tips? Hi hosercanadian; This is one of my favorite male figures of the period (medieval fantasy)...I wish that they would make a whole group like this...simple (weapons, garb, armor, bedroll)...it really has a feel of character to it (unlike other warrior/fighter figures with 7 foot swords and enough fancy armor to arm a battleship)...You did a very nice job on all (4) figures. I just noticed that you joined today...welcome to the fold...you will find a lot of friendly and helpful members here. Paul (Cardancer) Edited April 27, 2014 by catdancer 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kay13 Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 (edited) Welcome to the Reaper Forums! Have fun joining us in our madness/obsession. You looked like you had lots of fun with those figures! I love the colours you choose for your gnome! One little tiny point - I noticed that your whites on both the gnome & the priest look a bit textured? Was that on purpose? If not, thinning the paints down a little might help the whites go on smoother. Edited April 27, 2014 by kay13 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Sundseth Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 I was having trouble getting the pics to display properly, so a few posts will show each one: Photography suggestions: It looks like your camera is mostly seeing a white background (which is quite bright relative to the miniature) and exposing to get that at about 20% gray. This is expected behavior, btw. If you use a darker background (medium gray works well), you'll get a better exposure on the figures. Your white balance is quite off (you're getting a strong magenta cast to the photos). My best guess for that is that the camera is set for fluorescent lights and you're shooting either under incandescents or daylight-balanced lights. If you set your white balance to match your lights, you'll get a better color. You're using a single light to camera left. From the sharp edges to the shadows, I suspect it'g back a ways from the figure. Recommendations: Use two lights, one from either side of the figure (make sure you're using the same sort of bulbs). Also, move the lights (or light if you have only the one) around more to the front of the figure and push it in until it's just barely outside the field of the shot. This will give you a softer light and more light on the front where you want it. HTH 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Darsc Zacal Posted April 27, 2014 Moderator Share Posted April 27, 2014 Liking the adventuring party you've collected. Looks like they're all ready to set out and do some exploring eh. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pingo Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 These are some well-chosen figures nicely painted. There's a lot of personality here. And you did good work with a muted color palette. I think the photographs don't do justice to your painting. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hosercanadian Posted April 27, 2014 Author Share Posted April 27, 2014 Thanks for all the feedback. I try to limit the colours to "realistic" when I can. It leaves for a boring palette sometimes. Welcome to the Reaper Forums! Have fun joining us in our madness/obsession. You looked like you had lots of fun with those figures! I love the colours you choose for your gnome! One little tiny point - I noticed that your whites on both the gnome & the priest look a bit textured? Was that on purpose? If not, thinning the paints down a little might help the whites go on smoother. Actually I was looking for the patchy effect. I do a gradual build up to white unless I intend it to look bright. I still am fine-tuning it to get fabric to look textured and off-white. Considering that was my intent, was it effective? I was having trouble getting the pics to display properly, so a few posts will show each one: Photography suggestions: It looks like your camera is mostly seeing a white background (which is quite bright relative to the miniature) and exposing to get that at about 20% gray. This is expected behavior, btw. If you use a darker background (medium gray works well), you'll get a better exposure on the figures. Your white balance is quite off (you're getting a strong magenta cast to the photos). My best guess for that is that the camera is set for fluorescent lights and you're shooting either under incandescents or daylight-balanced lights. If you set your white balance to match your lights, you'll get a better color. You're using a single light to camera left. From the sharp edges to the shadows, I suspect it'g back a ways from the figure. Recommendations: Use two lights, one from either side of the figure (make sure you're using the same sort of bulbs). Also, move the lights (or light if you have only the one) around more to the front of the figure and push it in until it's just barely outside the field of the shot. This will give you a softer light and more light on the front where you want it. HTH Thanks for the useful tips. I haven't had any advice on photography before. I might need to grab my manual to figure out what button does what to make those changes. I actually meant I am technically impaired and couldn't make them display on the forum posts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonator Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 Really like the simplicity of your color scheme. Very nicely balanced. Brother Roberto is quite the sombre study ! Keep up the good work ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hosercanadian Posted April 28, 2014 Author Share Posted April 28, 2014 Doug Sundseth, thanks for the photography tips, I think it really improved my pictures. Here is a re-take of Harley Brimstone that better shows off the failed ambient light effect. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hosercanadian Posted April 28, 2014 Author Share Posted April 28, 2014 I also have a new model to show. Not quite finished, I think if shows the experiments I did with photography. I tried placing the light source closer and further away and taking pics from above and below. Overall, I am happy with the photography tips. Astrid here will get a touch-up on her armour washes and flocking and her base cleaned up a bit too. Any other comments/suggestions for this classic rock gal? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kay13 Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Thanks for all the feedback. I try to limit the colours to "realistic" when I can. It leaves for a boring palette sometimes. Welcome to the Reaper Forums! Have fun joining us in our madness/obsession. You looked like you had lots of fun with those figures! I love the colours you choose for your gnome! One little tiny point - I noticed that your whites on both the gnome & the priest look a bit textured? Was that on purpose? If not, thinning the paints down a little might help the whites go on smoother. Actually I was looking for the patchy effect. I do a gradual build up to white unless I intend it to look bright. I still am fine-tuning it to get fabric to look textured and off-white. Considering that was my intent, was it effective? Knowing that you were going for the textured look, I think you achieved it nicely in the priest. The gnome looks a little grainy, not badly so, but enough to notice at the magnification of the photos on the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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