Goroloth (Aboleth)

[magtagj]

Hello, 

I have been charged with painting an evil ancient alien fish monster for our D&D group. I want it to be really special. Painted in pale blotchy blues and purples. But what I really want is a slime. Canonically the creature is covered in a layer of slimy mucous. I want a color not unlike Dungeon Slime but I want it translucent and glossy. Is there a way to make a thick, wet-looking film over the outside of the creature without totally invalidating the colors underneath?

 

How do do I achieve this? Maybe a dungeon slime wash heavy over dynamic areas then a gloss finish?

[JackMann]

Sharp, white highlights and a gloss finish would probably go a long way to selling the effect.

[Madog Barfog]

You could tint some Woodland Scenics Water Effects with the desired color, then brush it on. I think it would look like slime. I also think it's going to look very different than your typical painted miniature, and that such an effect might not be really attractive.

 

But at least it's something to consider if you really, really want a slime effect.

Edited June 19, 2019 by Madog Barfog
Clarity

[golldan]

As stated there are many brands that sell a Water Effects, but for small clumps of slime a clear household cement or craft glue (E6000) might work and then the spray coat of gloss varnish.

[snitchythedog]

If you want a thin coat of slime Acrylic gloss medium painted on neat in lumps.   If you want thicker stuff, two part epoxy resin will do the trick.  All I got.

[Madog Barfog]

I like two part epoxy resin when a smooth, glass-like coat is desired. However, I've had problems at least once in mixing the correct amounts of resin and hardener together, and the result is a never-hardening goop that pretty much ruins the mini I was working on. One also has to watch for bubbles, although I've always managed to avoid them by being very careful.

 

Thats why I recommended a single part water effects medium. It isn't smooth, but I get the feeling a slimy mucus layer doesn't need to be smooth. It is a lot easier to work with.

[Maledrakh]

Try mixing some green paint with some unthinned pva glue, then when dry gloss varnish. Dont put the glue too thickly on, or it looses all translucency.

[lexomatic]

Gloss medium works fine too and you can add some color to it if you want too.

[JackMann]

I think your best chance of making this work would be to paint the model normally with some sharp highlights. Hit it with a coat of gloss. Then hit strategic parts (ends of tentacles, the mouth, etc.) with some sort of fake goo. The single-part water effects would work nicely. Alternately, if you can get your hands on some Uhu glue, that can also work. I strongly recommend playing around with the goo on something else before actually using it on the mini, so you have an idea of how it would react.

 

The goal is to have most of the mini just be glossy and wet-looking, so your paint job isn't lost, with enough bits of goo to sell the idea.

[Pineapple]

On 6/22/2019 at 9:29 PM, JackMann said:

 I strongly recommend playing around with the goo on something else before actually using it on the mini, so you have an idea of how it would react.

 

Probably the most important idea in the thread. Test out techniques on spare minis or plastic spoons or whatever else you're comfortable scrapping until you find one you like.