He suggested maybe trying to make it look like a power sword, or similar. It isn't something I have tried before, but I figured I would give it a crack. I however imagined a power sword like crackling blue electricity and lightning arcing down it, when he sent me this:
We both agreed that the lightning would look pretty naff, but trying to replicate what is essentially a NMM technique with metallics was not really something I had put much thought into before.
If I was to list a few of my weaknesses as a painter at the moment, it would start with metallics, then I would have daylight second, then hair, eyes and texturing. And my biggest issue is that I cannot seem to figure out how to shade them correctly. Mixing transitions in a normal flat colour is quite easy to see the subtle changes, and you can see on the model where that shade needs to go. With metallics, I find it hard to see the difference between the shades on the palette, and on the model its often difficult to place it effectively and correctly. I've had some success on a few different models, using washes and lots and lots of glazes to create the shadow, like this chick.
I still cannot seem to make it really click however. It's something I am going to practice a lot on my next bust, a zombie Knight. But I figured I could give it a crack, and you can see the result of the paintwork on the middle Haley in the finished photos!
As per usual, key strengths as a painter do not include photography, so these make the models look a little less vibrant and smooth but you can see he rough idea of them!
I really went into this project with an open mind, willing to give anything a try. I was not expecting to have my basework stand up without my usual grass to hide mistakes behind, but I think the shapes are not too discernibly cork bases, with the bricks and assorted doodads making up for it. I got to experiment a bit more with pigments which was good, I tried mixing bicarb in with the pigments to give a bit more substance, which helped also covering up the mistakes.
I expected to love painting Grandma because of her beautiful cloak but the lines in it fucking crushed me. She was easily the longest paint of the three clocking in at like 7 hours, almost half the total time I painted for.
Changes I would make if I was starting from scratch: I would be a little more considerate of the bases and the lack of grass, adding some more rocks and points of interest to hide the cork. Reverse the cool and warm colours, or at least add a few more warm tones into the models themselves. They look super cool and I am very happy with them, but I would try a different concept and see how it panned out.
Up next of course is the big trip to Germany, for the MV class, and Steamcon to enter my Kraken and a few of my teams. I am painting a couple of Fisherman's Guild models to finish off the Fish, as I have sold them. And once that is completed, no more commissions for a while, as I focus on my two BIG projects for Cancon, and Crystal Dragon.
The first is the Docks Gang, the working title on my as yet untitled diorama. I'll have a more indepth blog post showing off the start of this journey tomorrow. The second is a very secret project, which I plan to take plenty of step by step photos of, and do a full writeup on here after the event. No Twitter updates, it will be exclusively on the blog, after January 27th!
Cheers
Trent
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