Today in the hobby I....

[BitsHammer]

I practiced doing more skin (something I've done in the past using the GW method, but I've been trying to learn to put more contrast into my models so they pop at distance and up close):

 
And as my hobby tip of the day, if you want to make sure your model "pops" enough between the highs and lows take the image and make it black and white and use that to see if your contrast is strong enough:

I left the top of the head with very little contrast as I'm planning on adding woad tattoos and didn't want to have too much visual confusion on there as I'm adding tattoos over it and there isn't a lot to work with on top to add extra depth to.
 
For the record, a lack of contrast is why the GW minis tend to look a bit underwhelming:

Now to be fair, GW paints to show off the model detail, not the impressiveness of the paint job, but if you've ever wondered why the default Ultramarine paint scheme isn't that impressive and makes things look a bit off, that's why.
 
I know it's not 40k, but hobby is hobby right?

[Magos Takatus]

That's some useful advice there Fulkes. My Mechanicus models don't have very much contrast to them, it's probably an aspect of painting I need to be more mindful of.

 

TiTHI continued work on my Sydonian Dragoon and I was visited by a close friend who gave me some awesome Nighthaunt character models for my birthday. For someone that isn't in the hobby, she has a knack for picking cool models for me to practice my skills on. :)

[BitsHammer]

That's some useful advice there Fulkes. My Mechanicus models don't have very much contrast to them, it's probably an aspect of painting I need to be more mindful of.

 

TiTHI continued work on my Sydonian Dragoon and I was visited by a close friend who gave me some awesome Nighthaunt character models for my birthday. For someone that isn't in the hobby, she has a knack for picking cool models for me to practice my skills on.

Glad I could share something useful! Something else I picked up recently is from Ravenswood's praetor plog (he was working with NMM, but the ideas can be used the same on other paint schemes) was varying the brightness of the colors from light source (in this case top down:

 

 

The Light. Before the beginning of work on bronze, I mentally divided the miniature into three levels of illumination: the high level included the shoulder pads and the torso, medium - the belt and the legs to the knees, to the low-the lower part of the leg armor. I needed to divide these parts according to the illumination to create a focal point near the head of the praetor. In addition, this would distribute the lighting at a remote light source.

 

You can notice that in the part with low illumination, there are almost no bright spots, and those that are not as bright as in other parts. In addition, in the part with low illumination, the shadows are much darker, while the midlight are shorter.

In the middle part bright patches of light appear, and somi surfaces become more contrasting and more elaborate from the point of view of midlights.

 

This can help you create contrast across the model to help draw the eye more naturally towards the head and face while keeping it from feeling unnatural. This also can help make the light source feel like it's above the model instead of more next to them (also a nice thing to keep in mind for OSL).

 

I have been digesting a LOT of information regarding painting lately. I can't even say I'm using half of it, but by Dorn I'm trying to learn and improve regardless!

[Darnok]

Thanks Fulkes, some helpful advice indeed!

 

YITH & TITH I got some substantial painting done, as well as some sculpting. A second wave of ten Poxwalker-cultists is ready to get primed and join the Battle for Sludge City.

[Gederas]

TITH, because I stayed at home from work today (yay for not getting much sleep the past three days), I picked up my Asmodai model I ordered, as well as got a new pot of Lahmian medium because I spilled mine last night...

 

Additionally, I got the new Apothecary White contrast paint, Corax White base paint, the Sector Imperialis 60mm and Oval Base box and the last 'Ardcase at that GW store.

Edited June 15, 2019 by Gederas

[BitsHammer]

Thanks Fulkes, some helpful advice indeed!

 

YITH & TITH I got some substantial painting done, as well as some sculpting. A second wave of ten Poxwalker-cultists is ready to get primed and join the Battle for Sludge City.

Always glad to be of help! 

[Magos Takatus]

That NMM effect is amazing. I'll have to check his plog for ideas. Thank you.

[thewarriorhunter]

TITHI I got my vow put in for ETL.

[Gederas]

TITHI finished my Primaris Asmodai, aside from some minor details.

 

[BitsHammer]

TITH I finished painting skin on a Gorgon for Aid and have been mulling pver a painting/conversion project for 40k so I can finally have an army of Wild Boyz.

 

For example: I'm thinking those new Squig Hoppers could be good conversion material for Stormboyz.

[Ace Debonair]

Today in the hobby I learned that one good thick coat of Iyanden Yellow contrast paint over a white basecoat makes a nicer looking yellow than I've been able to achieve in almost twenty years of trying to learn how to paint yellow.

 

I'm very tempted to go back and redo the trim on all my Chaos Marines, except that would probably take me the rest of the year.  

 

Oh, I also learned that contrast paints over a Silver basecoat make some really nice metallic armour (Iyanden Yellow again gets a particular mention, as does Blood Angels Red), and as a result I am now planning colours for about thirty new Space Marine Chapters.

[BitsHammer]

The contrast yellow over silver is a scheme I've been considering for Imperial Fists. Though to prevent splotches I'm thinking multiple thin coats to be best.

[Magos Takatus]

TiTHI have been working on my Dragoon for my ETL. The actual walker is pretty much done, I'm still working on the rider, a couple of armour plates and some computer screens. I'm still deciding what to add to the base. Most of my models have some broken wargear or machinery on the bases, so I'll be raiding my bits box soon.

 

I looked at the web page that Fulkes linked and the techniques are a bit intimidating, I'll have to try to work on them gradually over time.

[Stoic Raptor]

The contrast yellow over silver is a scheme I've been considering for Imperial Fists. Though to prevent splotches I'm thinking multiple thin coats to be best.

 

Having used Contrast paints for the first time yesterday, I'm inclined to agree - two thin coats still seems to be the best way.  Maybe not as thin as regular layer paints, but especially with the more heavily pigmented colors it would help for a smoother application to avoid tide marks and splotchiness.

[BitsHammer]

I looked at the web page that Fulkes linked and the techniques are a bit intimidating, I'll have to try to work on them gradually over time.

It's easy to get overwhelmed by new ideas and the like so here's some of my own tips: pick a single new concept to work on per army. For my Beasts of Chaos that concept is tattoos (I changed how I am doing skin but that just changes the steps not the overall techniques used).

 

For NMM I would recommend starting with Kino Minature's tutorial:

[YouTube]

[/YouTube]

 

And then once you have the concept down move onto Hobby Cheating for some methods.

 

Alternatively just use the link I shared as a way to plan your shades and highlights and ignore the whole NMM thing. It's just another tool in your tool box after all.

[Viridia]

YITHI attended Phalanx 2019, sadly I didn't manage to get my hands on the FW Deimos pattern Vindicators I saw at the bring & buy, but I did score a much larger K&R storage container that will house my HH infantry while my smaller bag gets repurposed to carry my Blood Bowl and Necromunda teams/gangs. Speaking of Necromunda, I also grabbed ten of the old metal Van Saar gangers because they've always been some of my favourites, and also grabbed some MDF corridors to use for Zone Mortalis/'munda.

[BitsHammer]

I pulled a 12 hour day yesterday so no real hobby progress beyond basecoating some fure and giving it a wash.

 

So instead have a painting tip: don't be afraid to be messy when you paint. Some techniques require you to make the model worse before you make it look better.

[Stoic Raptor]

It's like remodeling - in the middle of the project it will look messy, if you push on through and tidy up it looks great.

 

This weekend in the hobby, like many others, I tried Contrast paints.  I'm going to need to work with them more in order to find the best methods - the "one thick coat" thing is a lie unless you want bad results.

 

Also, this weekend, my girlfriend painted her second miniature ever - mostly using Contrast.  she's very excited with the result and I'm glad because it's motivating her to want to paint her Sylvaneth and Nighthaunt armies (she is not a gamer).

[thewarriorhunter]

This weekend in the hobby I helped my son finish building his Necrons from the Forgebane box. I primed them this morning and we'll get them painted over the next two weeks so I can take him to my FLGS for his first 'real' game.

[treadhead]

TITHI Finally finished the 10 csm from a while ago (pesky real life getting in the way of painting time grrr) one of two obliterators and most of a venom crawler

 

YITHI Put the finishing touches to most of the loyalist elements of shadow spear, just got the librarian left to finish off

 

T(omorrow)ITHI'll be doing a ton of transfers as I'm far too lazy to hand paint that many insignia

[Chris521]

Today I had my first go with contrast and painted a Deathwatch marine.  There is a metallic dry brush under the contrast paint, most of the model is based with contrast.

 

 

 

[FelipeFlops]

YITH I finally caught up with the painting for my Primaris Marines from Conquest.

[Gederas]

Today in the Hobby, I was reminded why I hate painting white :lol:

 

Finished three Apothecaries though:

[BitsHammer]

So I did the usual thing I did: committed to a new project (not stopping work on those angry goat boys, but the way I'm painting them takes a while): Feral Orks (themed around being on some kind of Death World). Basically the plan is that I'll be building Bonesplitterz for AoS to also count-as Ork units for 40k, but to help round the army out I'll be doing kitbashes to help create Feral Ork versions of other units (Squig riding Orks to be Stormboyz, Terradon riding Orks to be Deffcoptas, Mangler Squigs to be a melee-only Deffdread, Stegadon to be a Battlewagon, ect). The army is going to be painted almost completely in Contrast (of course some things won't be contrast, but the plan is to do mostly Contrast so I can get the army banged out in a timely manner, though I'm mixing in a fair bit of zenithal prep work to make sure the Contrast looks better than just slapping it on over a primer coat).

 

Not sure if I'll be trying to mix this into ETL, but it's a thing I should actually be able to knock out stuff for pretty quickly.

[Panzer]

So I did the usual thing I did: committed to a new project (not stopping work on those angry goat boys, but the way I'm painting them takes a while): Feral Orks (themed around being on some kind of Death World). Basically the plan is that I'll be building Bonesplitterz for AoS to also count-as Ork units for 40k, but to help round the army out I'll be doing kitbashes to help create Feral Ork versions of other units (Squig riding Orks to be Stormboyz, Terradon riding Orks to be Deffcoptas, Mangler Squigs to be a melee-only Deffdread, Stegadon to be a Battlewagon, ect). The army is going to be painted almost completely in Contrast (of course some things won't be contrast, but the plan is to do mostly Contrast so I can get the army banged out in a timely manner, though I'm mixing in a fair bit of zenithal prep work to make sure the Contrast looks better than just slapping it on over a primer coat).

 

Not sure if I'll be trying to mix this into ETL, but it's a thing I should actually be able to knock out stuff for pretty quickly.

 

The wife of one in our group plays feral Orks from time to time when she wants to join in. Usually it's lots of bikes because those are super easy to justify with boars and I've to say in casual and semi-competetive games it's not bad at all. There's also a truck (basically a wreck pulled by more boars) filled with boyz and of course lots of gretchins using the old night goblin models.