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Here is a really good example of what I am talking about
http://coolminiornot.com/205686
NOT MY MODEL!!!!!!!!!!! Just borrowed the pic!
I want to know how people do such a smooth blending like done everywhere on this piece. Mostly the cron as that's what I intend to be painting!
Anything you can give me is helpful, but is someone made a tut, that would be awesome.
I'm sure I'm not the only one wondering this so please help!
Thanks a bundle!
Mew.

Simple answer - Assuming you've learnt to keep paint 'within the lines' already, just thin your paint LOTS, paint in many layers, and take your time.

Long answer - We'll save that one for later...

Idk about the blending, not there yet.

But for thinning paint: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LieIi9WfBBY

The 'blends' you see here arn't blends btw. They are transitions created by using multiple layers.

The transistions in the example given arn't particularly smooth either tbh. I can see major jumps in the layers all over it. Some attempts to feather the paint may appear to have been made, though this is often a result of sharp layer jumps as it seems here (paint not thin enough and/or going up to a too light/dark a tone staight away).

The jpg compression masks this somewhat to the eye, and there is also alot of rusting/weathering applied (which also hides jumps in the transitions well).

Edit - Just thought I better add that i'm not poo-pooing the piece, just clarifying the techniques.

That's a style I've associated with European painters (particularly the Spanish and French), and I think it's born from a classical painting background. These guys have been taught how to paint on canvas, they may even be using oils, and they're very, very good at creating depth and complexity in flat spaces. They're also extremely well versed on color theory, and understand how to use sophisticated color combinations to lighten and darken.

Honestly, you're not going to learn to do this any time soon, but if you do want to learn it, I think you'd actually do well to take traditional painting classes, and learn the techniques involved thorougly before attempting to translate them to models.

Phryxis wrote:That's a style I've associated with European painters (particularly the Spanish and French), and I think it's born from a classical painting background. These guys have been taught how to paint on canvas, they may even be using oils, and they're very, very good at creating depth and complexity in flat spaces. They're also extremely well versed on color theory, and understand how to use sophisticated color combinations to lighten and darken.

Don't say that!

Thats the sort of post that will get me started on my long answer!

Phryxis wrote:Honestly, you're not going to learn to do this any time soon, but if you do want to learn it, I think you'd actually do well to take traditional painting classes, and learn the techniques involved thorougly before attempting to translate them to models.

Yeah, any cross discipline training/experience will help with any related field, but learning to blend/layer takes no longer than reading a how-to and just getting on with it. Results will vary with brush control, experience and practice obv, but nonetheless there is NO substitute for just getting stuck in and doing it.

The web is full of tutes on how to paint to display standards. Just go find one and get stuck in! Assuming you've got your brush control down (which is 80% ergonomics, 10% patience, and 11% practice), you'll be amazed at your progress providing you pay attention to the lesson and don't get carried away and rushing to finish it. No brush control, no pimp minis. Simple.

Also sign up to mini painters forums (not Dakka or B&C or any of the other primarily game orientated ones), post your work, ask questions, and be prepared for the constructive critisism, and looooong hours that will follow...

I can blend but getting such an amazing texture like that is something I don't get. So when you say 'many thin layers' amd I supposed to slowly change color as add more thin layers?
Here is another example by our forums' own Nakatan. He told me he also paints in very thin layers and slowly darkens the color or what not. SO between every 2 or so layers, I slowly add the color I want to blend the current color too?
http://coolminiornot.com/206937

Mewiththeface wrote:I can blend but getting such an amazing texture like that is something I don't get.

I'm not sure what you mean by texture here, there isn't any texture as such painted in these examples. Do you mean regarding how smooth the paint is (ie no lumps), and smooth changes in colour?

Mewiththeface wrote:
So when you say 'many thin layers' amd I supposed to slowly change color as add more thin layers?
Here is another example by our forums' own Nakatan. He told me he also paints in very thin layers and slowly darkens the color or what not. SO between every 2 or so layers, I slowly add the color I want to blend the current color too?
http://coolminiornot.com/206937

There are almost as many subtlties in approaches as there are painters, but as a rule of thumb the bigger the jump in colour from one layer to the next, the thinner your paint will need to be (and more wiped off the brush before applying it to the model). Over thinning (and dirty/hard water) can result in chalkiness if you step up to a too light a colour too quickly. Under thinning will result in noticable jumps in the transitions, so as another rule of thumb you can't really over thin (unless jumping tones too quickly), it just takes more layers to get the pigment up to a saturation that you're happy with.

To start with just try say a mid, then 50/50 mid/light tone mix, then pure light tone. Thin the paint to a wash like consistency (you will need to play around with exactly how much water to add), wipe it off the brush on a towl or kitchen roll (tissue leaves bits of crap behind on the mini) and apply by drawing the brush away from the center of you area towards the edge where you want the pigment to be stonger. If you get the amount just right it will dry before you've even finished your stroke. Yup, THAT little on your brush. Repeat this a few times, each time covering a smaller area until your happy with the transition.

At this point many will go back to the mid tone and rework the layers where patchy to attain a smooth transition. Then start on the pure light tone, layering over say only the final 25% of the area to be highlighted. Rework the 50/50 afterwards if needed, then the final if needed etc. Do the same with your shade tone on the other side of the area and you're done.

If you mix your HL tone very gradually into the mid tone you will need less passes of each layer, more mixes etc and will run out of room rather quickly unless working on a large area. It's best to play with different paint ratios relative to how much you are appying at once, and on a given sized area. Smaller areas will require greater changes in colour to be able to fit all the required transitions in the given space.

This is a basic overview of layering, and the exact amounts/ratios/consistency etc will vary with prefernce, tones used, area size, desired effect etc. Rember to thin your paint, and take your time and you will pick it up quicker than you may think.

If it's of any encouragement to you, other than doing some stuff as a kid about 20 odd years ago, I've not painted since then. I picked up the brushes again last summer, and have now been painting just under a year. Once I learnt to thin properly the jump in my painting quality went up massively. It's the refinement, application and artistic presentation of those processes though that you can spend a lifetime on...

Good luck with your efforts, and don't be afraid to experiment.

Thanks, so basically, the gradients is caused be how much pigment is placed on the model form the brush? I.E. lighter in the middle do to less pigment and darker farther away?

Basically yup.

Orki knows what's up. I could repeat everything said, but that'd just be redundant. I'll just touch on a few things to maybe clarify.

The gradient is caused by thin paints (the pigment is spread across the water/medium more) and basically how a brush stroke works.

Assuming you thin your paint enough then paint a line (say on a tile or something) the beginning of your brush stroke will deposit less paint than when you end the stroke. It'll create a little teardrop shape in a gradient with less pigment at the start and more at the end.

Apply that idea to what you want to paint and you have easy gradients.

Color choice/theory is a whole different ballpark. It's easy to paint a gradient, but to have an outstanding paintjob you really need to put a lot of planning into color choice.

I'll find some old marines and practice on their shoulder pads as that looks like a good place to start.

Spacebase wrote:

Assuming you thin your paint enough then paint a line (say on a tile or something) the beginning of your brush stroke will deposit less paint than when you end the stroke. It'll create a little teardrop shape in a gradient with less pigment at the start and more at the end.

Apply that idea to what you want to paint and you have easy gradients.

Yarp. Though I call that the 'release method', and is actually a side effect of having too much on the brush still. Get it thin enough (and wipe enough off the brush before painting) and the paint will be dry by the time you've even finished the stroke, with no pooling.

The example you gave is a good example of bad glazing technique, and can be utilised effectively in its own right to provide quick effective blends. It's best used on a good tt peice to mitigate some of the time consumption issues that are neccessary to display painting at a high standard.

Like others have said it's all about painting with really thinned paints. The Julien Casses (miniature mentor) video is a great place to start imo.

Basically you can paint with paints as thin as water (or slightly tinted water) but you need to manage how much paint is on the brush or it will just run all over the model.

I practiced with just plain water. It took like 15 minutes to get the hang of... load up your brush, wipe the excess off, on a paper towel for example, then apply to model. If it runs all over the place then you have too much on the brush still. Wipe off and try again.

Orki wrote:

Spacebase wrote:

Assuming you thin your paint enough then paint a line (say on a tile or something) the beginning of your brush stroke will deposit less paint than when you end the stroke. It'll create a little teardrop shape in a gradient with less pigment at the start and more at the end.

Apply that idea to what you want to paint and you have easy gradients.

Yarp. Though I call that the 'release method', and is actually a side effect of having too much on the brush still. Get it thin enough (and wipe enough off the brush before painting) and the paint will be dry by the time you've even finished the stroke, with no pooling.

The example you gave is a good example of bad glazing technique, and can be utilised effectively in its own right to provide quick effective blends. It's best used on a good tt peice to mitigate some of the time consumption issues that are neccessary to display painting at a high standard.

I assume you're thinning strictly with water. I should have mentioned to wipe the paint off as that is a crucial step. I should also say that "tear-drop shape" is the wrong way to word that.

I thin with a mix of matte medium/water/retarder that I mix ahead of time and add more water to thin additionally. Essentially it's the same technique, but the medium/retarder extends working time on the palette and allows a second or two to correct mistakes on the model.

But to quote you, "There are almost as many subtleties in approaches as there are painters"

Okay, I have been trying to gradient an orange down to a blood red on a chaos termy shoulder pad. How do I control how much pigment is at the beginning and end of the stroke? Do I progressively apply more pressure towards the end of the stroke or do I keep that constant? Thanks for the patience!

By how much paint is on the brush. Load your brush with thin paint, wipe it off on a paper towel until it looks like there is nothing on the brush, then paint on the model.

The rest is in brush control, which is a little more difficult to teach online. If you keep the pressure constant, paint, then lift the brush at the end of your stroke, more pigment will be left at the end of your stroke.

Getting the hang of this technique is all about practice and paying attention.