Mind The Gap

I played with green stuff tonight after returning home from visiting family over the weekend. While I wanted desperately to paint, I just didn't have the required focus or energy. I gathered up my Works In Progress and neglected Shelf of Shame miniatures that were mounted to painting pillars (old medicine tubes weighted with coins) and stared at them hoping I'd be struck by inspiration.

I wasn't. However, I did decide to stop avoiding my Kingdom Death pinup since I've yet to attach her head. I have never assembled a miniature that has so many separate parts which results in some tiny gaps. I'm told "Green Stuff" works well for filling these gaps so I decided I'd give it a shot and realized this: I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm not a sculptor, nor do I have the proper tools for the job. Despite this, I gave it my best effort with a sponge-like blending nib and an Exact-O knife. I mixed the two-part epoxy and rolled think strips to apply to the mini. I admit, I know gaps are supposed to be filled before priming the miniature. However this Kingdom Death mini is for fun and experimentation. Some of the best lessons are the ones learned through trial & error so I've told the perfectionist in me to sit down, shut up, and enjoy the ride!

Once I re-prime these sections with thin coats of brush-on primer, I doubt it'll look as sloppy-- that's my hope! I set her aside and will continue working on her tonight after work. Yes, it's Memorial Day and I'm working. I used up all my vacation days for family emergencies and memorial services with just enough left over for my annual miniature convention. I don't mind working today though-- it was important for me to be there for family over the last few months and I wouldn't have it any other way. Today, I'm giving thanks and remembrance to those who made sacrifices to earn us the freedom we enjoy today-- especially my grandfather. Love you & miss you, Lolo! 

Pupil Progress

Nailed it! I'm finally in a place where I'm proud of the eyes that I paint. While it's not a perfect science, I've dedicated a large amount of time to practicing how to paint eyes and I'm seeing the results of that hard work! I obsess over the eyes of a miniature, as I explained in my last blog post. Facial expressions set the tone, or mood, of the miniature and I prefer to paint them first. If I'm happy with the eyes, there's a good chance I'll enjoy painting the rest of the mini. However, the reverse is also true: if I'm unhappy with a miniature's eyes, it's impossible for me to enjoy painting the rest of it. 

Noreth Skyblade · Reaper Miniatures #02994

 I've had this particular Reaper miniature on my shelf of shame for over a year. I really like painting elves-- the prettier the better! However, this particular gentleman elf was primed over a year ago and when I started to paint him, I discovered one of my very-talented painter friends had also just painted the same mini. While his version of Noreth is absolutely stunning, I felt discouraged at the time. "There's no way my miniature will ever look that good!" I thought. "I'll just end up being disappointed in the end" so I put him aside in July 2014 and vowed to paint him one day. Last night, I decided I was ready. I patched up some chipped primer (in all honesty, I should have stripped him and started over but I appreciate a good challenge!) His long jacket will be royal blue and I'll be painting some NMM on his boot armor, shield, and sword. I still don't think I'm to the level of Cash's version, but it no longer discourages me-- it inspires me to paint to that advanced skill level. So i started on his jacket base coat and while I waited for it to try, I started on his eyes.

Eyes are a painfully long process and it's something that I put pressure on myself to get "just right". However, I watch a lot of anime, and I'm influenced by that particular stylized eye. I attempt to paint my miniatures with big, expressive eyes and I'd like to incorporate that into my consistent painting style. Here's what I started with last night (see below with paint line-up) and the Instagram photo below that is what I ended up with. It was hard to believe I hadn't picked up my brush since ReaperCon. Over the last week, I've been working on cleaning and assembling new minis, and only now have been able to apply the knowledge that I learned at the Con and apply it to what I'm painting at the time. Something must be working, since I'm now "seeing" things I was unable to identify before attending the Con. Now that I know what I want to see, I attempt to match my expectations to my current skill level-- I was shocked at what I was able to accomplish in a year! While my minis, even my guys, have heavy outlines around their eyes, I like it-- it's my preference, since I appreciate painting clean, high contrast when it comes to expressive faces. It takes considerably longer, but it's hard to argue with the results!

In addition to Noreth, I'm also working on Dannin Deepaxe, a Dwarven Reaper mini I've owned for a long time. She's been cleaned up and primed (despite the constant rainy weather we've been having!) She's a smaller sculpt than humans, so I thought her eyes would be more difficult to paint. However, Werner Klocke sculpts some big eyes for painters to enjoy and play around with. He really does a great job with this, and I'm able to push-the-envelope when it comes to painting interesting eyes! Next up for these miniatures-- hair! I haven't decided on color scheme, but I hope to be struck with inspiration tomorrow when I pick up my brush. Some days I have it, others I don't-- let's hope tomorrow's another "great painting day". Wish me luck!

Eye Spy a Challenge

Costume design reference

Ah, poor Rosie. I wanted to paint her up for ReaperCon, but she was one of the miniatures left by the wayside as I scrambled to finish the miniatures I'd already started. This sculpt reminds me of Kaylee from Firefly (one of my very favorite shows) so I decided to research a few costume design pictures-- I think I'll paint her clothing to match! It sounds like a fun challenge since I'll need to paint freehand flowers on her shirt sleeves. I also want to try some oil spatters after taking the "Weathering Effects" class. I paint everything pristine and I want to try painting dirty things. I mean, she's a mechanic, y'know? She'll eventually be holding a wrench in her raised hand that extends behind her head, but I don't want to attach it before I paint the back of her hair. Excited and nervous about this one-- it seems a pretty big challenge, but I'm always trying to push myself to try new techniques. 

While I want to jump right into the freehand and weathering techniques, I have to start with the eyes. First, I painted a few light coats of brush-on primer on Rosie. Since eyes are one of the most important parts of a miniature for me, I often don't want to move on until they're "just right" and I'll be distracted from the new techniques I want to try (or just give up since no matter how good the rest of the mini looks, if her eyes suck, it kills my motivation). Silly, maybe, but I know myself well. The Shelf of Shame is littered with my previous eye painting failures. 

Here you can scroll through my initial process with painting eyes along with a more recent picture where her eyes are complete and a few of her outfit shapes are blocked out in dark liner. (It may look messy now, but it won't when I'm done with her!) And yes, I included my nails in the photo crops because it's rare when they look nice-- honestly, it's for pure vanity and to prove I actually paint them once in a while. So without further ado:

 

Reaper Miniature #50016 · Rosie, Chronotechnician · Sculpted by Bob Ridolfi

Add a dash of color + a spot of pure white = voila!

 

Okay, okay, it's not that easy :) In fact, it took me three tries to get these white dots right and they're still too big in my opinion. Anyway, if I mess with them more they'll get too chunky-- so they're good enough for now! Some days, I'm never happy with the eyes I paint. I make the mistake if over-working them until the paint builds up too much and I have to start over. Other days, I have "good days" and end up with stuff like this:

Arnise Work In Progress - click picture to zoom

Andromedan Hunter - click picture to zoom

One day, I think I'll try a detailed eye painting tutorial blog post now that I have a decent camera to capture details more easily. The photos above were taken with my sad little phone and it shows :( Once I figure out the lighting, it's only a matter of time before tutorials will be an option! Studying how different painters approached various painting techniques was extremely helpful to me as I began miniature painting. It remains useful and interesting for me today-- there's always something to learn from everyone! 

Do you want to see tutorials here? If so, which ones?