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very nice

Wild it is I say! good work and composition

Yeah that's it!
looks great!

Looks cool, but I would lighten the edges of the osl maybe a bit with a further light white drybrush maybe?

Wicked!!!! I can almost hear the candle starting! Now you sold the look! (Now pilot flame needs osl too )

Update: Well I think it's done.

So thank you for the feedback guys.

Here are the shots in all there glory, please visit the gallery and vote if you feel happy to. Also as always your C&C are most welcome. I will be shifting my attention to Funder Turd to get that finished now.

Pics.

















Thank you for looking.

Cam, it's cracking, but I have a niggle with your OSL (sorry) - if you have it from the flare, you really need it from the flame! I would also consider lightening out the edges a bit, too. Don't get me wrong, it's great work and you know I'm a big fan - just my tuppence.

Thank you Graven. Please be critical. i need all the help i can get here. I get the concept, but struggle on execusion.



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Update: so trying here so please help.





Please comment, thanks.

Bit more subtle work on Wigourney.

Comments greatly appreciated.

Why is Margaret Thatcher shooting Xenos and not poor people?

In all seriousness, very well done, looks great. Loving the base.

I have to say, I flinched a bit seeing you manhandling wigourney with pincers...aren't you afraid to destroy your awesome paintjob on her?

I can't see anything missing except for tidying her base edge Good job

Just about ready for the judges eh?

This looks great mate! Real sense of atmpsphere and action! Great paint job too!

So here's my entry complete.


[





Well your thoughts and comments are as always welcome.

Thanks for looking.


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PS Welcome MagosBiff90. Thanks for looking in and commenting.

So after the lord mayors parade.....

Back to normal and back to school.

After I entered one of the competitions lately, I have realised I really need to pick up my brush work. I came out ok and am happy with the feedback I got. When I entered the comp I was under no illusions as to my abilities and I have been amazed to do as well as I have in the past in comps. But I got slated for my paintwork. "good tabletop" is the standard quoted. Now I am not happy with that. I want to be better than that especially as my models never see tabletop. So I want to learn.

So here is my plan.

Comes in 2 parts. First i will do a very detailed look at how I paint at the moment, and show it step by step, in the hope of you guys telling me where I am going wrong. Then I will open up for you to hopefully tell me how I should be doing it.

I know this will take time, and I hope you guys are up for it. And it has another plus, in that it will hopefully help others to do similar.

For this I have some models I have started already......

These guys are the start of me painting up my Imperial Guard army. For those who have not been along for the ride already, they are a motley crew of Catachan and Cadian troops unfortunately deployed to a desert planet. Sand, sand and more sand. so you will get the guist.
These guys are at present, undercoated white, the a wash of brown. then base in flesh with Cadian fleshtone, vests with dark grey. Then I have washed on some white on the headdresses, washed some black on the guns, and gone over the flesh with Elf Flesh.

Please leave comments if you like, this stage is me showing what I do now. I hope to have some good honest criticism.

Still a lot to learn from my part, so I guess I'll be one of the helped others more than helpful myself!

Good idea, will be following with interest.

Cheers.

Sounds like a plan Cam.
I'll help where I can, but I'm still learning more than I teach.

Early advice; Read as many tutorials as you can and if you see someone paint something in a way you like, ask them to share how they did it... and then save the information for reference later.
When you come to paint something, try out a new technique. Don't expect to nail it on the first attempt, the more you do something the better you'll get at it.

That's what I've been doing for the past year and a bit and my painting has improved dramatically.

Also, and this is the surprisingly tricky thing to do, don't rush. Especially on the small stuff.
Base coats, washes etc. can be slapped on, but when it comes to highlights and blending and other techniques, really take the time to do each piece (like the edges of a kneecap) and get that done to the best of your ability before moving on. Over time things will get easier and then you can speed up a little.
Slow, steady, smooth is what takes your painting to the next level.

At least that's how I approach it. Maybe it won't work for everyone.

Thank you guys, great to have some response already.

I totally agree Dr. I will be looking into the Tut's although I would say if anyone has tutorials they think are good please post a link here. My aim here would be to eventually put up an article with the slimmed down details and links to the most helpful information I gain.

Thanks also for the little snippet of tips there, taken on board.

Now a couple pics which as I have said is how I am currently painting, rip me to bits on this.

In these I have put a Sepia wash on the whole thing, then painted the uniform and guns with Ork brown, and highlighted the uniforms with Ushabti bone, dryshing. Then put a black wash over the t-shirts. Then white washed the head dresses, and picked out the details in white. Things like eyes, and buttons. then I have run an Agrax Earthshade wash over the uniform and gun.

My aim is to blend the materials up. Thoughts please.

Update. Detailing and thats it apart from basing.

Really hope this does not Autoupdate.

Ok so tonight I have detailed in the models. Highlighted edges, Added stubble. They are just about done. And normally I would be pretty happy with them, but as I have said I would like to take this further, so please have a look and tell me your thoughts. What should I ave done different.

Cool large back pack on ammo guy Cam

Right, I'm going through your process and typing as I go and will try to break it down into sections so it makes sense...

Skin:
Looks fine in the end, although a little shiny.
The blending from the dark up to the main skin tone could be smoother in places. Could be improved by taking a mixture of paint between the dark wash colour and the skin colour and painting that between the two extremes, then painting the main skin colour as usual (leaving a little of the mid-tone between that and the dark tone). More graduations will lead to a smoother outcome and that brings you nearer to wet blending the whole thing.

Also, the highlights of the skin could go lighter. That depends on the complexion you want to achieve, but I think it needs another level of skin tone added to the dark shade and main skin tone (or at least more obvious). This will also need blending/layering in the same way as the shade above with a mid-tone or two.

And the addition of other colours can give skin a more natural look, such as a little red and less obviously blue, purple and/or yellow (only really use green for zombies).
A good little tutorial I saved for skin was by NukeArts here
Also Nerdfest did a nice tutorial for faces a while ago in his blog...
I've got quite a few different skin painting tutorials (inc. a couple of GW ones) and I think it's good to have a look at many and see what's common to them all.

While I'm on skin and faces. Why does one of them have a green face? I assume you were doing the green eyes and got some on his skin and then went over it with skin before the green had dried. Or is he just ill? You need to re-do the skin on his face again (flesh tone and highlights).
The stubble/beard on his face is a good shape although it's a little dark. Try mixing some grey/black with the skin colour and using that (more black means more beard growth).

The T-shirts;
Being largely without texture and being painted black they look, well... black.
Spaces like that are good for freehand designs, but that's not something that is necessary.
Maybe a little subtle blending from black at the lower third (and at the edges where it meets the straps etc..) up to a dark-medium grey will make them look more interesting and natural. Think about what I attempted recently for #10's black helmet (I went too grey, but you get the idea).

Trousers and boots;
Nothing particularly wrong with them. Could be made more interesting with blending like the T-shirts or a camo' pattern, but as they are is perfectly fine.
Possibly some more obvious, lighter edge highlights.

Guns;
Tricky to tell from the camera angle as they are mostly muzzle-on not side on.
The "sand" colour, like the trousers, could do with some edge highlights.
The dark areas on them just look black in the pictures and could do with being more metal-y (maybe) and probably some edge highlights.

Also I can see some bits that need tidying.
The muzzle on Mr. grenade needs some of the "sand" around where the black has gone over.
Mr. Knife's handle needs painting with the sand on the front face (as it's still pink from when you painted the hand).
And Mr. the other one needs the opposite to Mr. grenade with the addition of black on the end.

The head-scarves;
Last but not least. I'm not sure what you mean when you "wash" these with white. As when I think of washes it's to add the dark bit of shading and not to add a light colour...

I think improvements on these will really add to the model.
They look too uniform in colour and need shading like the T-shirts again. There are dark recesses and then the rest looks white/bone and there doesn't seem to be any graduation between these.

So, I think from all that the main thing you can work on, as a technique, is smoother blending/layering and greater use of that on more surfaces.
And be more anal' with tidying your painting by looking at extreme close-ups of your photos and/or getting hold of a magnifying glass (I recently acquired one and it helps for spotting messy bits and things you've missed).

I hope that all helps in some way and doesn't destroy your motivation. This is pretty much the same process I go through will all of my own models and why I don't tend to comment in such great detail on other peoples work (unless they ask for it ), I really look in very fine detail and I'm not happy until I've got all the smallest of details done neatly.

On that thought, maybe look at what brushes you are using and how you use/thin your paints. It can really make painting easier (and therefore better) with the right/best brush and the perfect paint consistency.

Thank you Dr that is perfect, exactly what i want, good honest critic. Thank you so much for taking the time.

Now to work and see if I can correct these bits.

taking the time

That post of mine is an example of why my models take so long...

Not a problem. You have given out plenty of ideas and advice, so consider it a little back your way.

Good luck, keep practising, read tutorials, ask questions and you will improve in time.

those shades look very good...and the wihite scraves really do sell these desert soldiers...

i am by far not the man to teach you...the only thing that i am currently wondering about... what´s with that green eyed fella???...

other than that... keep it up... your mining gold again here

Every single stroke should have meaning. Every shadow. Every highlight. Every hue. If you leave anything to chance...down the hill you go. There are no short cuts. The long road really pays off. This is the philosophy i have when i strive to paint a miniature the very best that i can. (ie not batch or army painting, but like the priest for example) I start with a midtone and work down then up...Sometimes ill start with the darkest shade but that is rare and is usually on a smaller item...a big cloak per say, would be midtone first.. A satchel might be dark to light...more experience will dictate that...

Oh and im sure you hear this alot....but why not reiterate...thin your paint

a technique important to master is wetblending. Youll find that it takes the place of the usual "wash"...

and finally....study minis that you like. look at them long and hard. How do they do that?? how does that happen. let your eye see every shade and hue that goes into it...think about the mixes one must've used to achieve that. Thats what i do and i find that it helps alot. I usually have already painted the mini berfore i actually paint it. its like i see it and i do it. not having a clear idea of what you are about to paint is what i like to call "painting blind". Rarely does that give me a result im haappy with though its necessary to find your way in the sense of discovery. so it is necessary but i reserve it for when im experimenting.

all this being said, we are all trying to improve. I too am uhnhppy with where im at and am making steps to further increase my ability to paint. Just keep practicing and ENJOY it

Hope i gave ya something to think about
BB

Thanks Vik. Yes the guy with the green eyes, I tried to put a tiny dot of ink on the eye and it all went horribly wrong. Hope he's better now. See below.

@ Bebop. Thank you for dropping by and helping. Thank you for your comments. They are all being taken on board.

Doing a bit more and trying to correct some of the bit's DrH pointed out. Here are updated pics.






Please leave your thoughts the more the merrier.




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PS check out this guys painting.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/502845.page

I know there are lots of people out there doing work, but I think this guy needs some encouragement. Some of his OSL is out of this world.

I won't add any more critiques just yet. But I thought I'd pop in to say that the T-shirts look much more real with the addition of the grey. That's just what was needed (it's at the level that I'm thinking if it has been changed or it just wasn't picked up in the previous pictures...). Perfect.

And wise words from Mr BB.

Looking smooth dude! the skin tones are nicely done and the choice of colours are well chosen, I'll try and have another look tonight when I've more time :-)

I was convinced that the greenface guy was wearing camo paint myself - great job. ^^ what they said.