77018: Skeletal Archer. First painting attempt.

[MächtigeMaus]

Hey, folks! I'm brand new here, though I've been lurking for awhile, and brand new to miniature painting in general. This is my absolute -first- attempt at painting a mini. I tossed around whether or not to post, but why the heck not, eh? The earlier I get constructive criticism, the earlier I can put it to use!

 

I've been wanting to try my hand at painting for awhile now, and finally decided to get a learn to paint kit. I set right to it after receiving it yesterday. He's by no measure great, but I'm fairly happy with him for a first attempt. At the least, I was never tempted to strip him down and start over. :P

 

If anyone has any constructive criticism or tips, they'd be greatly appreciated. The most trouble I ran into was with dry brushing highlights; I seemed to either go far too light or far too heavy on it, with no real middle ground.

 

In any case, if I had any doubt about sticking with this as a hobby, they were long gone last night. Down the rabbit hole I go! :P

 

(Edited to correct the absolute mess that my image uploads were.>_<)

Edited April 12, 2016 by MächtigeMaus

[Guildenstern]

That is absolutely EXCELLENT for a first mini! honestly!

[Chris Palmer]

Congrats on your first forum post!

 

Super first mini!

 

My only minor criticism would be that the spaces between some of the bones need to be darker, so they look like empty shadows.

[MächtigeMaus]

Thanks so much! I really appreciate it. :D

One of the reasons why I waited forever to start, aside from the cost that comes with it, was some insistence that I'd be terrible at it. I'm so glad I decided to just go ahead and try it. And honestly, it was just -fun-, even if it had turned out terribly. :P

[Hibou]

Welcome to the forum and welcome to the hobby.  

 

 

That looks great for a first attempt.  It is certainly better than my early attempts.  

 

Some constructive criticism.  I would make a wash (very thinned out paint) from brown and black and apply it to the recessed areas of the mini. Use a wet paper town or even your finger tips to wipe away from the raised areas.  Use a clean dry brush to wick away any excess wash that pools up.  This will give more depth to areas like the ribs, fingers, teeth, and toes.

 

The second thing i would do is consider making the skull thing on his shoulder a slightly different color to make it pop more.

 

Some positive reinforcement.  It looks like you are doing a good job thinning out your paints. Slapping on layers of thick paint is a common rookie mistake that you have successfully avoided.

 

One drybrushing trick i learned is to take a worn out brush and to cut the bristles down very close to the base of the ferrule. I usually cut them dow to 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch. This give you a short stubby somewhat rigid brush perfect for dry brushing small areas.

[Citrine]

Welcome to the forums and to painting minis! That is an excellent start!

[MächtigeMaus]

Thanks for the welcome, everyone!
 

Welcome to the forum and welcome to the hobby.  

 

 

That looks great for a first attempt.  It is certainly better than my early attempts.  

 

Some constructive criticism.  I would make a wash (very thinned out paint) from brown and black and apply it to the recessed areas of the mini. Use a wet paper town or even your finger tips to wipe away from the raised areas.  Use a clean dry brush to wick away any excess wash that pools up.  This will give more depth to areas like the ribs, fingers, teeth, and toes.

 

The second thing i would do is consider making the skull thing on his shoulder a slightly different color to make it pop more.

 

Some positive reinforcement.  It looks like you are doing a good job thinning out your paints. Slapping on layers of thick paint is a common rookie mistake that you have successfully avoided.

 

One drybrushing trick i learned is to take a worn out brush and to cut the bristles down very close to the base of the ferrule. I usually cut them dow to 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch. This give you a short stubby somewhat rigid brush perfect for dry brushing small areas.

 

I did actually do washes, but I think that during the drybushing I painted too far into the crevasses, and negated a lot of the shadows (particularly with the teeth; they look way too clean now!) Cutting down the brush sounds like a great idea. I'll give it a shot with my next one. :D Looking at the skull shoulder pad again, you're right. It does rather blend in, doesn't it? Especially looking at it now, in natural lighting.

 

Congrats on your first forum post!

Super first mini!

My only minor criticism would be that the spaces between some of the bones need to be darker, so they look like empty shadows.

 

Yeah, I really messed up all the progress I made with the washes when I started drybrushing, especially with the highlight color. He is, in general, a few shades lighter than I was aiming for overall. Next time I think I'll go a little lighter on the.. ah. lightening. >_> I'm hoping to figure out how to avoid lighter washes from seeping in to the deeper spots and washing out the darker washes, in my next few attempts.
 

Welcome to the forums and to painting minis! That is an excellent start!

 

Thanks very much! :D

Edited April 10, 2016 by MächtigeMaus

[Darcstaar]

You've got a very solid first attempt here. It's obvious you have great brush control, which is 99% of the battle. The last 1% is a mix of practice, patience, and willingness to try new things, make mistakes, and try again.

 

Welcome to the hobby and the forums.

[Lidless Eye]

Turbo-tastic!

[MächtigeMaus]

Turbo-tastic!

Thanks, Wreck-It Ralph. :P

 

Now to get 5,000 skeles and get good at nothing BUT skeles! :P

[Tosek]

Moin!

 

Are you from germany, "MächtigeMaus"? Or is it just "Mighty Mouse" gone through google translate? :D

 

I think you hit the colors really well on that skelly. Maybe you could set apart the single anatomic entities by throwing in a bit of black not only in the eyesockes but also inside/under the ribcage, thin lines between the ribs and around joints etc. This usually intensifies the skeletal looks.

 

Oh, and - like everyone else already said: excellent firstie!

Edited April 10, 2016 by Tosek

[MächtigeMaus]

Moin!

 

Are you from germany, "MächtigeMaus"? Or is it just "Mighty Mouse" gone through google translate? :D

 

I think you hit the colors really well on that skelly. Maybe you could set apart the single anatomic entities by throwing in a bit of black not only in the eyesockes but also inside/under the ribcage, thin lines between the ribs and around joints etc. This usually intensifies the skeletal looks.

 

Oh, and - like everyone else already said: excellent firstie!

Thank you! Not from Germany, just learning in my spare time. It wasn't through Google translate; I took a solid guess and didn't think to accuracy check before I'd already signed up. :P

[Silvervane]

Excellent 1st mini.  As I've told many people just starting: Save your first mini.  If you continue to paint, it's a handy reference to how far you have come.  Me as an example: From 2nd to this.  Alot of the improvements came from signing up and listening to people from this forum.  So keep posting and practicing.

[Generic Fighter]

Most Excellent! You have a good start on the skills needed for painting. Listen to the Guys and Gals on these forums, they know TONS of stuff that will help you improve! Also, I agree, keep this mini for later comparisons! You will be amazed at the changes that happen with your skills as you try new techniques and styles and such. I still have my First Painted Mini and it is like night and day the difference between it and my recent work. It reminds you how much you have gone through and the hard work it took to get here from there!

 

GF

[FluidFire]

Great looking first mini, welcome to the forums!

 

I'd add constructive criticism if I could think of any that hasn't already been offered! :)