8 replies to this topic

[-Q-]

Searched your posts and couldn't see where you explained your black technique. I really like how your blacks turn out, could you share your recipe and any insight you have on painting black? I thought this would be a good public discussion rather than a PM with so many Flesh Tearers and Sanguine Brothers.

EDIT: ** Link to examples of Lucumon's black **

Edited by Jolemai, 01 September 2020 - 09:19 AM.
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[Lucumon]

I would be happy to share... most of my painting technique is picked up from tutorials or other people's models online. I 'discovered' this technique a few months ago while looking at Koyote's awesome somewhat-cartoonish models. The biggest problem I have with painting black is how flat it looks. If you look in some comic books, they will use a dark blue as a black so that it is not a mass of black pages. That was the same idea here.

I use four colors, and all of them from some craft store from years ago. Rather than using a sharp contrast in the highlights, the point here is blending, but in a lazy way. Water is an awesome aid. A normal black is used as a basecoat... more often than not its a flat black primer from a spraycan.

The second coat is called "Charcoal Grey." Probably any Dark Grey will do (75% black, 25% white or darker). From the paint pot, I will make a 1/3 water, 2/3 dark dark grey. This will be painted on all the raised surfaces so that the black serves as the color for the recessed areas. Blacklining is the intended effect. I make sure there is no grey where there shouldnt be. Note that this is not a dry brush unless it is for the finer details and I am feeling lazy. I usually skip this color for very fine details like the little chains or the place where the marine's mouth would be on his helmet. Basically anything that requires a 30/0 size brush to get to.

The third color used is a grey-blue. I forget the name off the top of my head, but this is a blue-grey. I will get back to you on the specific color. But this grey-blue is mixed 50-50 water/grey-blue at least. The high amount of water will make the paint somewhat translucent so the blending is easier without having to mix it with the dark grey. Also, instead of painting parallel to the edge, try to use the brush to apply the paint in perpendicular lines so that the highlight isnt obviously the same length away from the edge. All raised areas and edges get 2 or 3 fading highlights. Another way to say it is that you are trying to blend the dark grey into the grey blue so that it is easy to see the color change from a couple feet away.

"Hippo Grey" is the final color, about 50 to 75% white and 50 to 25% black. This is the only color that is used a highlight in the sense that it is painted only on the edges where light would reflect, and even then sparingly because it is in such sharp contrast to the other colors you would use. I do not water down this and use the flat edge of the brush so the highlight is very thin and subtle.

I hope this helps.

Edited by Lucumon, 12 October 2006 - 12:37 PM.

[Venerable Jazzman]

This is a link to Koyote's general painting tips, I'm still looking for a colour guide from him..

I'm going to try out the tutorial above, see how I get on. I'm getting bored of my boring DC..

[Koyote]

I would be happy to share... most of my painting technique is picked up from tutorials or other people's models online. I 'discovered' this technique a few months ago while looking at Koyote's awesome somewhat-cartoonish models...

Edited by Koyote, 12 October 2006 - 05:08 PM.

[grizzly77]

Koyote: Now that is funny! Thanks for the laugh!

-Griz

[The_Chaplain]

beat me to it grizzly! I just about ROFLMAO after seeing that pic!

[Lucumon]

Haha, excellent!

[Koyote]

This is a link to Koyote's general painting tips, I'm still looking for a colour guide from him..

I start with a base coat of Chaos Black. Along the edges of the surface to be highlighted I paint successive bands of a thinned down mix of Chaos Black and Skull White. The first band is a very dark grey and every successive band is a little lighter (more Skull White) and a little thinner than the band which came before. The band along the edge of the armor is the thinnest and the lightest grey. For table-top models I normally paint three or four levels (bands) of highlighting.

If you are satisfied with the result then stop here. If not, you can take it a step further.

Once I am finished highlighting, I mix a very thin wash of Chaos Black and water. It is important to mix the wash thin because if it is too thick, then all of your hard work will be covered up. The wash is applied to the highlighted areas. Take care not to let the wash pool on any flat surfaces as it will produce areas of dark splotches over what should be a smooth graduation from dark to light. Let the wash dry completely. If you are unhappy with the results, apply a second coat.

If the wash produces dark splotches or does not produce a consistent graduation of color across the highlighted area, mix-to-match some thinned down Chaos Black and Skull White and touch up those areas by hand.

Here's an example of the finished product:

Edited by Koyote, 18 October 2006 - 11:53 PM.

[Venerable Jazzman]

Thank you