35 replies to this topic

[dks]

For my next project, I am going to paint the hellborn paladin that I sculpted a couple of years ago (03419 Vaeloth).
I recently painted the female hellborn rogue (Tiviel) -- link to Tiviel Forum post.

Usually I just dash off my paint jobs without pausing to take photographs, but I think I can restrain myself enough to show at least a few steps along the way.

I had a general idea of bronze armor and red leather. (Another idea in keeping with the "devilish" warm colors established by my version of Tiviel might be red armor with black/purple leather. Or an unexpected color choice would be cooler blues or greens.)

I decided to paint a little color study on a piece of paper first, to avoid possible hours of aimless repainting if I don't like my color choices.

I started by drawing a simple sketch of the figure, in pencil, at about the same size as the figure. Sometimes, I have used a photograph of the primed figure (or Reaper's official photograph of the "white") for this stage.


Then I set out the paints that I thought I would use, put a drop or two of each on my palette, and painted right on the paper.
I found, as it developed, that I wanted the armor to be more coppery (more orange in the highlights), the leather to be more orange (not purple), and the hellhound pelt to be more brown (less saturated, not the initial bold red-orange). For complementary-color interest, I dabbed in some green for under-reflections. I also sketched some sinuous/fiery symbols for the shield and leather skirt.
This study took about an hour and a half, overall.
Here is the result:


Now I am ready to begin!

Derek

[haldir]

Amazing work, even in the planning stages. You could almost just clip that pic out & stick in a slot base, ha ha.

Looking forward to your WiP.

[TaleSpinner]

Thank you Derek. I look forward to learning from you.

Andy

[Boussole]

*settles in to watch*

I love the little color studies you do! I keep thinking they'd be perfect for a children's D&D picture book adventure~ ^___^

[ClauseRose]

Is there going to be any green in this? I think that, especially in the shadows, green could make the warmth warmer and lend a bit of a sinister quality to the piece overall

[joshuaslater]

D'oh!! I'm betting many of us never thought of sketching the plan out first.

I never did.

I'll put this one away for future reference.

[dks]

@Boussole: Hmmm... D&D picture book? I'll file that one away and think on it.

@clauserose: Yes, my thinking exactly. A little green in the shadows will play off the reds and oranges quite well and give that sinister slant! Just because this is a "paladin" doesn't mean he's all holiness and light!

Derek

[Loim]

I can't wait to see more of this. Thanks so much for taking the time to share this. I think this guy might make an excellent Blackguard/Anti-Paladin also.

[dks]

#1: Preparation and Priming:

I cleaned off the flash and mold lines, spray-primed the figure white, and then discovered some new mold lines that I had missed. This is common. Priming a miniature not only gives paint something to stick to, but it also shows you the mold lines that you missed. So I carved and filed down those "new" mold lines.

I also used Green Stuff to repair a few details. On his right horn, I had cut away too much with my knife. On the right side of his head, the mold line ran through his hair. On the nose and claw of the pelt, and in a few other areas, the metal hadn't filled the mold properly and had left a slightly mushy detail. (I picked up this figure at Reaper HQ and they were out of stock at first, so they fired up the spin-casters to make a casting just for me. For the first few spins of some figures, the mold is too cold and the molten metal solidifies before it fills the cavity completely, so the figures from that spin are thrown back into the pot and remelted. I was impatient that day and took castings from the second spin, but I guess I should have asked them for a third!) I will touch up the Green Stuff with brush-on primer before applying paint.

I drilled holes into the arm and shoulder and fitted the arm with a brass pin. I will paint the pieces separately and then attach them.

Lately I have preferred to use a binder clip to hold my figures while painting them. A binder clip is small enough (and has a tapered shape) that it doesn't prevent my brush from reaching certain areas of the figure. It also doesn't require any glue or tape. When I have attached figures to bottles or blocks of wood -- anything bigger than the base itself -- I haven't liked the fact that I couldn't get my brush in at some angles. It is easier to use a binder clip if the figure already starts on a tab instead of an integral base, but I can improvise. If an integral base is already very small or if I don't expect to spend more than a couple of hours painting, I just leave the base on. I used clippers to remove part of this figure's integral base, but I left a piece attached that I could fold down and fit into a binder clip (and then I removed the two wire "flaps" from the clip). I know, holding a binder clip isn't comfortable for some painters. Use what works for you.



Derek

[dks]

@Loim: Definitely! I would really like to see some other renditions of this figure. Maybe I'll revisit him after I've gotten around to painting some other figures on my (long and ever-growing) list!

Derek

[dks]

#2: First part to paint: the skin.

The skin colors are similar to those from the Tiviel figure, but slightly darker/ruddier -- a midtone between Rosy Shadow and Redstone Highlight. The shading goes down through Redstone Highlight, Ruddy Leather, and Brown Liner. I filled the neck area with the shadow color to serve as lining for the collar-armor. I also lined around the hands. The highlights go up with additions of Rosy Highlight, Burnt Orange, and Linen White. There's a little Violet Red glazing on the cheeks and lips, and I think some Rust Brown on the nose, too. I will probably paint fingernails on later.

The hair got a basecoat/wash of Ruddy Leather.

The horns are mostly Russet Brown (dark) up to Creamy Ivory (light), with a little of the skin colors mixed in at the brow. I painted ridged highlights on the horns to give them a texture.

The eyes are Buckskin Pale (light yellow-tan), glazed orange and highlighted with Linen White.

This was about 1.5 hours of painting.

Uh-oh, I realized that I forgot to paint the exposed part of his tail! It is under various layers of armor. I'll get to it later.



Derek

[MamaGeek]

Thank you so much, Derek, for doing this. I'd love to attend one of your classes at Reapercon someday, but until then, I've been waiting and hoping you would do a WIP. I know there is so much I can learn from you, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time to give us all that chance!

[TaleSpinner]

One take away I have already is how many tones you are using to make up the skin, and the various shades used in different areas. I'll have to rethink my skin philosophy after this.

Thanks,

Andy

[dks]

#3. Time to get dark.

Almost everything gets a wash or two of Brown Liner as an underpainting layer, to knock down their value and to put darks into the recesses. I also use some Blackened Brown, Mahogany Brown (dark red-brown), or Chestnut Brown on some areas.

I start painting the lower sleeves. They are Cinder Brown and Ashen Brown (purplish browns). They're just supposed to be "dark neutral", but I'll have to see how they look next to the more orange (bronze/copper) colors of the armor. I might glaze them and re-highlight with a more saturated red or red-purple if they look too washed out.

Anyway, just an intermediate step....



Derek

[dks]

#4. Start at the feet ...

The plate armor (legs, tail-tip) is a coppery color: Earth Brown, Chestnut Brown, Rust Brown, Orange Brown, plus some Rosy Highlight added to the Orange Brown. I'll paint his breastplate, left arm, shoulders, and the top of the shield with the same colors. I've lost the dark shadows, and the highest highlights aren't as bright as I want -- this lack of contrast keeps it from looking like shiny metal now -- but I'll add contrast after I get the other parts painted. It also might be too orange, but I can change it with glazes later if it is competing with other areas.
For the knees and the fancy plates on top of the feet, I use a brassier recipe and stipple some relief-texture: Harvest Brown, Chestnut Brown, Golden Skin, Creamy Ivory. It isn't very yellow (compared to the Buckskin Pale that I use for the buckles), but I can make it yellower later.
I also paint the tail, which I had forgotten to do when I painted his face and hands. Same colors, with some Ruddy Leather for the mottling toward the tip.
I paint the straps on his left arm and on the tail, with Sandy Brown, plus Basic Dirt for shading and Creamy Ivory for highlighting.
I smooth out the base colors of the hellhound pelt, using Redstone Highlight, Orange Brown, and Brown Liner.
I also put a base coat on the scale shirt, with Chestnut Gold (and some Harvest Brown and Brown Liner).

I spent two hours to get to this stage from the last one.
Total so far: 4.5 hours.



Derek