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That is just gorgeous, Tom.

Thank you thank you boys, really appreciate the support , especially from old friends!

I have not done much since the last post, this weekend I was a judge at a local Mini comp with some stunning pieces, and hosted the winner Jeff Burns at my place.

Worth checking out to see some pretty models -
http://figurinesquebec.com/2017/

Man, those are almost all super good. The busts especially have some amazing detail.

That's... quite the level of painting you guys have in your comps. Do you happen to have a sideshot of the winner's bust? There seems to be some kind of effect on that blade.

So, were there any normal humans in this competition, or was it limited to demigods only?

Sell the Magnus to Whaley so he can send it to me to paint :-) I'm itching to get my brush onto a larger more demanding model to push my blends and highlights again, your progress is brilliant and I wholeheartedly approve of your scheme!

The gunpla was a real nice addition to see amongst all those realistic models.

It really is a huge undertaking, this above model. So many colors....it feels almost like your getting a little stretched thin, but then ill wait and see and sure enough youll tie it all together with a nice bow at the end and itll look amazing. The execution is top notch. Definitely excited for the end result.

An interesting concept you mentioned a bit earlier re: "throwing paint around". Its a scary concept to me because im ocd about my painting, but it has me thinking that its something i could really benefit from. The sort of letting it go, and slapping paint on a model kinda vibe. so carefree! Another poster put a tutorial, kujo painting i think, and he fully demonstrates that idea used two pretty seperate colors and glazing to blend the gradient. Its effective no doubt.

For devils advocate of course, is Nakatan, who is passionate about worshipping the smoothness, thats its ALL about the smooth. He waxes poetic about it for a while in one of his tuts... Anyways, lots of amazing painters with lots of interesting approaches. I love it all, your work included.

Cheers
B B

CommissarKhaine wrote:That's... quite the level of painting you guys have in your comps. Do you happen to have a sideshot of the winner's bust? There seems to be some kind of effect on that blade.

He did a liquid dip technique on it, worked really well! But he should have put more light and dark on the blade first as the dip flattens things a bit, but it is still a remarkable damascus effect

nerdfest09 wrote:Sell the Magnus to Whaley so he can send it to me to paint :-) I'm itching to get my brush onto a larger more demanding model to push my blends and highlights again, your progress is brilliant and I wholeheartedly approve of your scheme!

By all means! lol tell him to PM me

bebopdrums2424 wrote:It really is a huge undertaking, this above model. So many colors....it feels almost like your getting a little stretched thin, but then ill wait and see and sure enough youll tie it all together with a nice bow at the end and itll look amazing. The execution is top notch. Definitely excited for the end result.

An interesting concept you mentioned a bit earlier re: "throwing paint around". Its a scary concept to me because im ocd about my painting, but it has me thinking that its something i could really benefit from. The sort of letting it go, and slapping paint on a model kinda vibe. so carefree! Another poster put a tutorial, kujo painting i think, and he fully demonstrates that idea used two pretty seperate colors and glazing to blend the gradient. Its effective no doubt.

For devils advocate of course, is Nakatan, who is passionate about worshipping the smoothness, thats its ALL about the smooth. He waxes poetic about it for a while in one of his tuts... Anyways, lots of amazing painters with lots of interesting approaches. I love it all, your work included.

Cheers
B B

Lol I am definitely hoping it comes together in the end!

To your point on Nakatan though, this is the biggest trick to the rough experimenting... I had the reaction 'isn't it harder to get smooth after all that rough brush work?' and he said 'no, there is nothing you can't smooth no matter how rough'. And then he proved it right in front of me. Banshee can get airbrush like blends out of a brush, the man knows how to be smooth as silk. That is the biggest take away, sketching out your values and experimenting a bit in a very rough manner does not compromise your ability to be smooth in final result, what it does do is allow you to better judge your intentions before you start, and sometimes, to make happy adaptations to your piece. Nakatan is magnificent, but a combination of silky smooth and the ability to properly, artistically texture yields a banshee or a kirilll... there is room for everything done right!

Im sure it will

Yes im quite sure its something that i need to start experimenting with. The way you frame it, in terms of it being something that will allow me to see my "direction" my placement, so to speak, makes alot of sense. Ive been circumventing that issue basecoating glazes of the lightest highlight and simply glazing towards the shadows to darkness (essentially starting with my point of light so its always there) . It has started working more effectively on my more recent models, at least in the obvious places, but there are certainly moments where say my point of light might get a little squirrely. Anyways, i enjoy the conversations about the theory of it all. Its not as common on here as i would enjoy. I tried to start a blog about it, in my sig, but it didnt take off, and could have used your expertise.

Cheers
BB

Lord of Change is looking great dude.

EDC

 bebopdrums2424 wrote:
Im sure it will

Yes im quite sure its something that i need to start experimenting with. The way you frame it, in terms of it being something that will allow me to see my "direction" my placement, so to speak, makes alot of sense. Ive been circumventing that issue basecoating glazes of the lightest highlight and simply glazing towards the shadows to darkness (essentially starting with my point of light so its always there) . It has started working more effectively on my more recent models, at least in the obvious places, but there are certainly moments where say my point of light might get a little squirrely. Anyways, i enjoy the conversations about the theory of it all. Its not as common on here as i would enjoy. I tried to start a blog about it, in my sig, but it didnt take off, and could have used your expertise.

Cheers
BB

There are quite a few venues to talk theory and such now, Dakka can be one such place but since it is not targeted specifically at display painters it can be more difficult to have an in depth theory discussion here. Now that is not a fault in my eyes either, army painters, younger folks and such need a space to show their wares without having the pants intimidated off them by a ridiculously high median skill level. I still think Dakka is a great place to grow, make friends and though it is not every time, get great advice from really talented folks.

If you are looking to level-up so to speak, then there are groups you can participate in that are self-selecting, in that display painters tend towards them and the pieces shown are usually display. A lot of great facebook groups like 'Eavier Metal for example. In the end though, the best relationships you can have are when you befriend guys who are way better than you and have a meaningful dialogue with them. I have been extremely fortunate in this regard and can count some serious heavy weights as buddies at this point, and they inspire and inform a great deal. I am nowhere near their level but I think the fact that I have degrees in both classical art and graphic design, as well as an expertise in 3D, lets me articulate a lot of concepts in a clearer way and offer more specific critique. Luckily that has given me some value added in that circle, I don't think I suck at painting or anything but I definitely suck compared to them lol!

Anyways, point being, there is gold to be had in any community, engage with the people who are inspiring you, be patient to let them be interested in your work, participate in multiple places and I think you will quickly find a lot to be had here at Dakka and elsewhere. Despite the fact I to a very large degree stopped participating in Dakka after I retired from MODship, I still only maintain this one painting blog, because it still feels like home, and you guys still feel like friends

Wow, just wow. It's a thing (literally) of beauty.

 MajorTom11 wrote:
Despite the fact I to a very large degree stopped participating in Dakka after I retired from MODship, I still only maintain this one painting blog, because it still feels like home, and you guys still feel like friends

...and we're glad you're still here Tom, you magnificent bastard!!!

 Alpharius wrote:

 MajorTom11 wrote:
Despite the fact I to a very large degree stopped participating in Dakka after I retired from MODship, I still only maintain this one painting blog, because it still feels like home, and you guys still feel like friends

...and we're glad you're still here Tom, you magnificent bastard!!!

+1

Such pretty colors on your lord of change. Vibrant. Can't wait to see him when he's finished.

lol a lot of pressure to not have it be a disaster lol!

I'll do my best, should get back to it sometime this week...

Thanks very much for the views and comments guys -

Another little update, this thing is, as mentioned, by far the longest, slowest model I have ever worked on... but getting there... need to tidy up feathers a bit, and then tie up the sash, feet and armor... then finally can move on to the rest...

Pretty satisfied with the scheme now, though, the armor and or sash could spoil things real quick if not very carefully handled.. will see!

*blown away* This thing is definitely worth the wait

Thanks brother... 'wait' being the key word here I think lol -

Tom!

ALWAYS glad to see you back posting here - and even more so when you drop that stunning piece of art on us - wow!

Ultra pretty chicken there.

Thanks guys, glad you like - I was thinking it was almost exactly the same as the last post but for the feathers but then I looked at them both side by side... and yeah I remember why this is taking for-gerd-derm-ever lol -

@Alph, lol you always make me feel welcome brother, in an 'I went to war and just came home' kind of way lol! So did you pre-order your 8th? I know you bloody did, the second I saw those TS marines and I said to myself, well, there goes Alphy back into the game!

Side by side, just gives an idea of how much texture is brush added, looking at it it looks like it is there already but for the most part, painstakingly added...

 MajorTom11 wrote:

@Alph, lol you always make me feel welcome brother, in an 'I went to war and just came home' kind of way lol! So did you pre-order your 8th? I know you bloody did, the second I saw those TS marines and I said to myself, well, there goes Alphy back into the game!

Ha!

Guilty as charged!

The Primaris stuff will probably be my main 40K 8E force for a few reasons - they're awesome, and I won't have to paint as many to get a force on the table!

Eventually I'll have a Karandras based Eldar force too...

But, more importantly, I cannot wait to see you finish this beast off - it is looking incredible so far, and I know the finished product will be mind-blowing!

Give me another few months... it's taking me months just to do the body lol...

Practicing for another crystal brush run?

Nah man, think those days are behind me... the only comps I go to now I am a judge... of people much better than I am lol.

This one, just wanted to paint something colorful and not a robot, space commando or alien. My painter friends have influenced me towards larger models and busts lately and though I still love 32mm minis, I have resigned myself that painting big mobs of minis is out of reach time wise, and by the time I can get back to it, something new and shiny has caught my eye.

Side-project, collating all my SM stuff and FW conversions to sell, a pretty big task in and of itself!

looking good, dude...
i like all of your color choices, except the orange feathers...
i would have carried that lovely teal color through to white tips...

looks like you are having fun with this big chicken

cheers
jah

Thanks Jah! Appreciate that comment - believe me, I kinda felt the same way. I think, when everything is complete and the wings are on, it should make more sense and work on the whole... if not, well, I am more than willing to re-paint, just have to see how it all comes together!

That Lord of Change is looking glorious!

EDC