after visiting a workshop with Jérémie Bonamant Teboul in the first week of this year I have started to incorporate the learned stuff. I learned a lot of new ways in painting miniatures and aalso a lot of tricks. After some time thinking about all that I decied to add the new learned things to my skills and advance some of these things.
For training and experimenting I decied to paint two identic miniatures, one in the old way and an other in the new way.
Here I will show my results with some notes:
Priming:
The workshop teach us to prime white with short shots from above and below. Both in an angle of 45° to get a equally priming. The result shoul look brown (yes you reead right) because the priming is to rough the surface not to be a closed white undercoat. I never thought how important this could be and how much this influence the later painting which becomes more easy.
I decieded here to try out something new. I primed both miniatures black and closed the surface with painting everything with thinned chaos black.
Then I took one of these miniatures and primed it the teached workshop way. The idea was to combine both positive aspects of the difficult priming methodes
Then I started the paint job with the skin colour. From now miniature 1 is the old way of painting, miniature two is the new way of painitng:
The skin
miniature1:
I used a blending technic whichs started from the darker colors and add more and more highlight until I reached the light colors. For the skin I used only bleached bone and chaos black and different mixes between these two colors. The problem here, two light up the dark surface you need very much layers and the big difference between the start color and the light color makes it difficult to paint a smooth blending. I needa lot of time here but with a ot of highlighting and shading a get a good, but no execellent result. Here I don´t use a light source, I paint by the GW rule, high surfaces are light and deeper surfaces are darker.
miniature2:
Here I udes a new blending technic which starts with a color which is situated by 70% of the colorgradient. Here this was pure bleached bone. Then I had to do a lot of shading which is a lot easier than highlighting. On the workshop I learned a new rule: never use pure black or pure white. Always put a warm color into highlights (here white, the warm color to add is bleached bone) and a blue color into shadows (here black, the cold color was a mix of chaos black and hawk turquoise). Based on these rule I used these colors to create mixes for shadows and highlights. Also I add a zenith light source. The rule for it is that all surfaces vertical to the light source are the most light ones. The surfaces below are the darkest. The miniature is first painted with a overall blending form the top to the feet, Then it is seperated in mind in different geometric forms (arms and legs like zylinders) which are also painted with the right light effect rule for these forms. After that detail situations are put into the blendings like deeper shadows or parts which are opposit to the light source. It´s very complicated to explain and much more to understand and learn evan if someone shows you but if you master the result is breath taking. I´m very pleased with this second try but it could be much better.
The face
The main work here are the eyes, lips and some make up.
miniature1:
Here I used my old colour schema. blue eye shadow, red lips and and eays way for painting eyes. The eyes are a highlight from codex grey to skul white with a black dot for iris and pupil. The lips are painted on base of scab red highlighted with dwarf flesh and some red ink for a wet effect.
miniature 2:
Here I try out some color theory based stuff. I used opposit colours for eyes and eye shadow here green eyes and magenta eye shadow to get a maximum contrast. The eyes are painted in avery realistic way with eye color (here green) for the iris, a black dot for the pupil. also a white very fine dot is put into the black one to show the light reflection. The lips are the same like miniature one, but instead of red ink I used the gloss vanish. Also the lips are painted by the rules of zenthal lightning
loincloth
miniature 1
Here I primed the surface of the loincloth with a mix of liche purple and chaos black. Then I used pure liche purple and liche purple mixed with dwarf Flesh (more dwarf flesh for lighter highlights) for the highlights.
miniature 2
All highlights were set by the same zenith light source. First a overall blending from top to bottem was painted and then I cared for the details.
I primed the surface with liche purple. First I shade the loincloth. For that Mixed a mix of Chaos Black and Hawk Turquoise with Liche Purple (Remember adding cold colours to shades here again the hawk turquoise - chaos black mix). The highlights where done in the same colours like discribed under miniature 1.
The details:
In a second shading step I darkened the deeper areas with the normal shading colour and also I darkend the bottom surfaces opposit to the light source. Also I highlight the upper surfaces close to the light source with a mix of light mix of bleached bone and liche purple.
First Gold NMM:
Miniature 1
I used my typical colours for Gold NMM (Chaos Black; Scorched Brown; Snakebite Leather; Golden Yellow; White and all the midtones btween them) . I used the normal metal blending rule: painting upper surfaces dark and bottom surfaces light (opposit to normal blendings / zenital light situations) The tights are painted wrong, but I mentioned it to late so I doesn´t change. The crown is also painted opposit to this rule but this is a choosen error because of a favoured contrast between light gold area on the top and the dark hair.
Miniature 2
I used the same colours here but doesn´t paint from dark to light. I started with a snakebite leather - golden yellow mix which becomes a fatal mistake. Painting GOLD NMM based on black surface can´t be repeated in the same way on a white surface!
The colour becomes to light on the white surface and all looks to brownish. The whole thing end in a choatic blending which I can´t repeat here. I have learned to dark the normal lighter mixes with scorched brown and 7 or chaos black. The result are strange colours like olive green etc. which were excellent for painiting the gold. I will try again then painting the second session Gold NMM and hope it becomes better. Because of the application of the blendings. I used the zential light source to set the highlights. Direct vertical surfaces like the middle of the shoulder armour becomes light and then gets darker to the edges. Parallel surfaces to the light source with a light angle out of the miniature were painted by the metal rule described above (can be seen on the tights, here correctly). Some surfaces are a mix of both rules like the crown.
First silver NMM
miniature 1
Here I paint my normal silver NMM based on the the colours Chaos Black, Codex Grey, Fortress Grey and Scull White and mixes between these colours. I don´t use a rule system here. Some surfaces are painted by the rules described by gold NMM, others are highlighted by the GW rule described above. I worked from black to the lightest highlights and end with reflection lines which is here more an edge lining than based on real reflections.
miniature 2
I started the painting of the NMM with priming the white surfaces with codeax grey. Then I shade with a mix Codex Grey / Chaos Black and with pure Chaos Black. The shading was a lot of work becasue the dark elf should be very dark. For setting the blendings I used the zenital light which dictates the two rules described above. The highlights I made with Fortress Grey and Scull White. After painting the Fortress Grey Highlights I used some very thinned Ice Blue and put some layers on the light surface. This is a heaven reflection and helps to make the metal more metalic. Then I set the reflection line but only on part there really a total reflection is possible. The feet get some shading with Scorched Brown. One one hand this is dirt, on the other a reflection of the ground. Also I put some scratches all over the metal to give it a more used and realistic look. also I add some blood the the right arm armour.
Tights:
miniature 1
Here I used Grey-colours, which I shade with Chos Black. For the light situation I tried to support the shape of the legs with using the GW rule.
miniature 2
This blending based on Bleched Bone. The surface was primed with bleached Bone first and then shaded with a Bleached Bone CHaos Black Mix and then with pure Chaos Black. The zenital lights is here also involved. For the highlight I used Bleached Bone to light up the darken areas (after shading) and put some additional spots with a mix of Bleached Bone and Skull White. Very carefuly I painted again the fine lines in he tights. I´m very leased with the final result. It looks very harmonic and supports the legs light colours (based also on Bleached Bone) with the fine dark net of the tights.
leather
miniature 1
For my classic leather parts I start with priming the parts scorched brown. Then I add highlights with a mix of scorched brown and graveyard Earth, Graveyard Earth and Bleached Bone. All blendings are painted by the GW rule. The result becomes a bit to light and in following it looks a bit transparent. This is a nice effect which wasn´t planned that way.
miniature 2
Here I tried out Jeremies special receipt for a realisic leather. For that prime the white surface with bestial brown. Then shade it with a mix of Dark Flesh, Red Gore, Shadow Mix (Hawk Turquoise and Chaos Black) and Chaos Black. Then add the first highlight with snakebite leather. THen a secon with a mix of Snakebite Leather and Bleached Bone. Add some specks with bleached bone for more realism, also some cracks with the line of shadow mix and line below with bleached Bone for the reflection. If it´s too dark you can light it a bit with very thinned Bleached Bone, if it´s too light shade it with the shadow mix. For more gloss you can use chestnut ink.
Second Gold NMM
miniature 1
In this step I painted the missing gold part. I used exactly the same technic, described above by First Gold NMM
miniature 2
Here I solved the starting Problem. I did a darker start and used a Snakebite Leather - Chaos Black Mix for priming the upcoming gold parts. Then I shade with scorched brown and a mix of scorched Brown and Chaos Black. The highlights I did with snake bite leather, Golden Yellow and different Golden Yell - Skull White mixes. Additionally I used some different Snake Bite Leather - Chaos Black Mixes... (look greenish) some with a bit scorched Brown in them to add some thin layers which gives a more realistic look.
The dagger
miniature 1
here I painted a normal silver NMM Blending from dark (inside the mini) to light (outside the mini) Each surface is opposit blended to an other so that always a dark side is edged to a light side and backward. For the colours see above silver NMM.
miniature 2
Here I did the same like on miniature 1. Additionally I add here some Ice blue in the lighter highlights to add a light sky reflection and a bit scorched brown and a it snakebite leather for reflection the gold of the haft. Also I add some cacks with Chaos Black for the crack and Skull White for the reflection below it.
The hair:
miniature 1
Here I used different Grey Mixs from Chaos Black, Codex Grey and Fortress Grey to light up the hait. Further I did some shading with a dark Chaos Black, Codex Grey Mix. I continue using the GW rule for painting the highlights. The red parts I painted with priming them with dark Flesh and light them a bit with a mix of dark Flesh and Red Gore.
miniature 2
Here I use the same mixes like on miniature 1. Additionally I add some more light on the surfaces in direct line to the light source to get a better light effect through zenital light. For them I add a mix of Fortress Grey and Skull White and some pure very thinned Skull White.
Basing
miniature 1
my classic miniature gets the classic base. I add the typical white / Black marble. The Dark stones are painted with Chaos Black, some stripes Codex Grey - Chaos Black Mix light up with thinned Codex Grey. Then I added some fine chaotic lines with fortress Grey. The white stone parts get a priming with Bleaches Bone. hen I add some stripes with very thinned dark Flesh and very thinned Graveyard Earth. I add some moe layers Bleaches bone o get a better link between the colours, then I add some layers of a bleaches Bone - Skull White Mix. The very thin chatoc lines are painted with Scorched Brown. The Sand is drybrushed with Codex Grey, Fortress Grey and Skull White.
Some static grass was added for a more interesting look.
miniature 2
Here I did something similar like on miniature 1 but I tried to repeat most of the colours I used for painting the miniature. SO I add also purple colours and more brown colous with very thinned layers. This helps to creat a more individual base which is in full harmony with the miniature becasue it uses the same colours. The static grass was here painted with brwon colours and also I add some leaf.
The miniatures are now finished and ready to put o my others
Hope this helps a bit for all who wanna learn more about showcase painting. Here the final Pics:
Regards GeOrc
) and it's far more effective.
