Thoughts about black on black

[DaemonDoesMinis]

Ok ... so its been a few months since I've been on here. But i got tasked with doing a one shot campaign and a guy coning asked me to make a mini.... a tiefling... with a rapier... thats a warlock... (crap) and these were my marching orders for color...

I like red a black but this just seemed like a blob waiting to happen... 

So i ended up with this...

 

I basically decided to prime in grey and use dark wash to tint on the black instead of using paint.... as it seemed to be the only way to keep the color he wanted and have it be softer like the studded leather he is "wearing" instead or armor. I used gloss black for the eyes cause i like the effect if the light creating the "iris's that follow" you when the mininis turned. however being its d&d tieflings have tails and he wanted tail... its my first green stuff sculpt. Man that junk is sticky! i had water on it me table tools... stuck to everything anyway. So i'd like to know what you all think... i want to "highlight" the skin mainly cause he is serious about wanting clothes dark dark...Suggestions on black on black no contrast mini's? Oh and greenstuff tips would be great... like shoukd i wait longer than 30 mins to sculpt it? etc etc... Thanks!

[Mad Jack]

 

 Always lubricate your sculpting tools - a lot of the pros use vaseline.  When mixing the green, use about twice as much yellow than blue, and then let it sit for about five minutes until some of the initial stickiness goes away.

 

[Cyradis]

My current project (necrobard) is a ton of black, with an occasional green, white, and purple. It has taught me a lot about shading for sure! 

 

Think like Archer Stirling: there are multiple shades of black for turtlenecks. Midnight black, velvet black, vantablack... etc. You don't need something to stay all black to seem black. 

 

The depth of the colors is not as much as some of my other figures, it is true. But I've managed (or at least I think I have) to separate "black" and "mostly black" as colors on him. He has black gloves, tunic, shoulder piece, and boots. His pants and undershirt are dark gray which could be seen as "dull black". His lute/guitar is shiny black. 

 

I have concealed the lack of contrast with a lot of freehanding though; instead of highlights, I have skeletal patterning, the gloves have skeletal hands within them, the tunic has runes, his horns are glowing. His lute/guitar has a skull freehanded on the back, bloodstain (his character beat his brother over the head with it), runes, glow, OSL from the skeleton-hands, and spell-effect coming out. And the trim on the black is either pastel green or white. You could probably make the purple work for trims. Heck, even his accessories (bird skulls) have glowing green eyes). 

 

My recommendation is to hide the heck out of your lack of contrast if you're going heavy black. Play up that red and the purple. Make something "shiny black" by over-highlighting the heck out of it. In order to read "purple" on my heavy black thing, I got away with a pale purple - otherwise it blends in too much. Figure out what parts get the emphasis: the boots on the necrobard are the most lacking on the highlights, imo, but the eye is drawn to the knee-caps with a skeletal-purple thing going on. 

 

Your sculpted tail looks good! Red and black is a good combo, but I don't envy you the task of a zero contrast black. If your player doesn't mind, find *something* to use as a trim color that can break up the black to show different zones. 

[DaemonDoesMinis]

Cyradis, thanks for the advice... unfortunately i asked the player already...when i'd shaded all the recessed areas dark black... and had the raised ones still grey primer, showed him the pic but...

 

 

No luck talking him out of it... he's dead set on a blacked out sneaking getup.... first Raiper welding ninja warlock i've ever seen 

[Cyradis]

Hmm. Could you use two different grays for highlighters to note the different material? Black will need gray highlights even if the entire ensemble is "black". 

[Ratmaster2000]

Oh man, I must be tired. I read the header as "Back in Black" so I thought it was some AC/DC tie-in

[Glitterwolf]

5 hours ago, Ratmaster2000 said:

Oh man, I must be tired. I read the header as "Back in Black" so I thought it was some AC/DC tie-in

 

Me too!

 

Awesome progress btw!

[lexomatic]

There's a few reaper off blacks but I forget which is which. When I've wanted lots of dark I've used corporea black (3*sapphire blue,1*walnut brown). I would consider mixing a few off blacks with a mid purple (replace with other colors) and a really dark brown. Shade with black,highlight with that color. Should read as super dark version of x and give you a little variation.

[Cyradis]

Nightshade Purple is what I have generally been using as a base for black lately. Shade with pure black, highlight with the Dark Elf Skin triad (gray with a tinge of purple, instead of distinct purple). 

 

I still need to get Walnut Brown. Seems like a fan favorite. 

[lexomatic]

Just don't use it as the first coat on bones - it doesn't stick.

[DaemonDoesMinis]

Thanks for that clarifocation Lex