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Hi

I've been wanting to do Genestealer Cults for ages, finally made the plunge. I'm quite set on the skin tone, and I wanna keep the bases vaguely as they are (I have another thread to give you a better idea of what the finished base will look like)
Still WIP, so the finer details haven't been done, but, broadly speaking, I'm finished in regards to the most important colours. What do you think?

Thanks for looking!

If I was you, I would keep the model as is, but remove or significantly dull down the yellow on the base.

As it is now, the yellow is the focal point of the minature and not a very interesting one at that.

/ Regards, Fredrik

I like the the skin tone and complexion.
I'm curious, is this color matched to a tyranid army? And how are you going to approach the more human looking cultist variants?

For the clothes, the white is also great. I'm not so sure about the gray, it looks kind of similar to the green. On models where there is no white inbetween the two, it might become an issue?

I absolutely love the skin tone, well done. Not too keen on the gray, and I don't like the yellow on the base.

EDIT: I just had a look at your other thread on the bases, the yellow on the finished base is much more subdued, looks good.

Crazy_swede wrote:If I was you, I would keep the model as is, but remove or significantly dull down the yellow on the base.

As it is now, the yellow is the focal point of the minature and not a very interesting one at that.

Dulling down the yellow is very much part of the plan - I've yet to even finish the base layer with it, though. If you see the finished test base...

Zodfrey wrote:I absolutely love the skin tone, well done. Not too keen on the gray, and I don't like the yellow on the base.

EDIT: I just had a look at your other thread on the bases, the yellow on the finished base is much more subdued, looks good.

I hope you will be just as satisfied

Where or how might I go about pulling the focal point away from the base, in your opinion?
I quite like darker colour schemes, but I'm still reflecting on how to finish the banner. I want to keep the 'nid icon black, but have been toying with maybe a burst pattern in the green behind it. Or perhaps by having the adornments up top in gold or brass - do these sound alright?

HMint wrote:I like the the skin tone and complexion.
I'm curious, is this color matched to a tyranid army? And how are you going to approach the more human looking cultist variants?

For the clothes, the white is also great. I'm not so sure about the gray, it looks kind of similar to the green. On models where there is no white inbetween the two, it might become an issue?

Thanks! The skin tone matches this test termagaunt I did years ago: https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/780339-.html?m=2
I wasn't sold on it at the time, but I think that had more to do with my being unaccustomed to painting organic shapes.
As for the more human cultists, I'm gonna experiment with green bases and washes a bit, but trying to make sure that the dominant colours are of pale, light-starved human skin.

I'm also not sold entirely on the grey - I want an element of realism, and was trying for something that looked like a kind of boiler suit.
I'd also considered just knicking the GW blue scheme, but worried this would be even more similar to the green. Any ideas?

Cheers for all your feedback, and the kind words!

Your colour contrast game is way off.

You have a dark/light contrast that is going 'no where'. The eye is draw to the white hzard suit hr is wearing. But it is the least exciting part of the model. Also, since it is so bright the suple nunces in your very dark palette are harder to see.

Your colour contrast in regards to the colour circle is also off. Grey and brown are always neutral. But your green vertqnly does not match the yellow and the white. The green and the red handband is much better.

As peoole have pointed out your skill on the green is well done. It works better on the termagaunt because there it is the whole palette. Although the range of it is very dark for tabletop imho. But with added colours all of that falls away. Read a bit more about colour theory. It is not your handy work execuition that is wrong, as that is quite good.

 Niiai wrote:
Your colour contrast game is way off.

You have a dark/light contrast that is going 'no where'. The eye is draw to the white hzard suit hr is wearing. But it is the least exciting part of the model. Also, since it is so bright the suple nunces in your very dark palette are harder to see.

Your colour contrast in regards to the colour circle is also off. Grey and brown are always neutral. But your green vertqnly does not match the yellow and the white. The green and the red handband is much better.

As peoole have pointed out your skill on the green is well done. It works better on the termagaunt because there it is the whole palette. Although the range of it is very dark for tabletop imho. But with added colours all of that falls away. Read a bit more about colour theory. It is not your handy work execuition that is wrong, as that is quite good.

Thanks for the input.
It probably won't come as much of a surprise to you, but I would say that I've almost avoided colour theory. Personally, I don't find the idea (I will absolutely admit this is pretty close minded, and will happily concede that colour theory is based in very solid logic) of a mathematical approach to painting - or indeed, most other aesthetic/artistic media like music etc. - very satisfying.
As an advocate for colour theory, please you could impart a little more wisdom?

I think, broadly I agree with your assertion that the eye is drawn to the white part of the mini.
Should I be introducing contrasting spot colours? Broadening my palette? If so, what, in your opinion might work a bit more?
Personally, I've never been one for 'contrast for the sake of contrast', but I am still pretty new to making my own schemes. I like the idea that the miniatures fit a narrative setting I create for them, and their appearance reflects that. I think that slightly dull, dark colours work for the residents of a mining hive, no?

But for the neutral grey and brown, aren't those parts of the mini that ought not to stand out? fatigues and pouches aren't particularly interesting details, right? When I finish detailing, perhaps they will be a little more striking.

As for the yellow, my plan is to make that far more subtle - it should end up being much closer to a warm brown, along with the rest of the base.
Thank you for your comment, you've certainly given me some good food for thought!

posermcbogus wrote:
Where or how might I go about pulling the focal point away from the base, in your opinion?

If you paint his eyes relatively bright red for example, and maybe make the teeth a bit brighter, I'd say that would be enough to make you look at his face first.

Also, when you have painted the symbol on the flag, that could be quite eye-catching as well. Whether you want the flag to be the focal point or not is up to you of course.

I had three years of colour theory in highschool. If you think the branch of aethstic theory is a sub branch of math I do not know where to begin.

If you want a very brief introduction this link has a part 1, 2 and 3. I would recomend reading them, they are very short.

http://theback40k.blogspot.no/2010/05/little-color-theory-part-iii.html

This is just scratching the surface.

This took more time then I antisepated, but look at the colours you use. Your model is the canvas, it is mostly autonom. Meaning you limit the colour palette to what is on it. (Although enviorment can matter, but you can not determine that when it comes to warhammermodels. The gaming table is random.)

The first nid is mostly torquise/sea blue. The colours have a lot of black in them. Since they are from roughly the same colour, and are all shaded with a lot of black. This means you get a great mono hue that matches itself. There is no light dark contrast. There is no warm/cold contrast. If I where to critesiece it of anything is that the scales you work with from dark to bring is far to dark. On some distance away you might not make out the details. If they are on a bright table, yellow dessert, white snow etc. the contrast will be so strong that they apear mono dark. Also note that you have no base on the model. If that base where to clash with your colours, it can mostly ruin a good model.

Now if you look at your model number 2. You have the grey and blue stil in the turquise range, although stil in the dark colours.And then you have the mustard colour. While mustard colour can function with those two other colours, it is very different then your first model. White and black, often grey and brown are neutral colours. You can always use them. Note that grey and brown can often be shaded in a colour for contrast effect. To some degree black and white as well, but less so.

The eye is drawn to the bright colours, or movement. (There is no movement on the model, but you can make dynamic poses.) So you are drawing attension to: The white armour. The base. Should you not be drawing focus to the cool parts of the model? Since the skin is so dark the model just disapears.

Also, there is a contrast called quantaty contrast. This sub branch of aesthetics is math based. Basicly some colours are much stronger then other, demanding your attension. Right on topp of that list is yellow. So th eye is drawn to the massive amount of mustard yellow. So while you think in your head 'Man, I want that yellow industrual look, it is gonne look so cool.' you are sacreficing a good locking model on the altar of subjective insistance.

PS: I also included the red wristband on the colours you use, because it is very distinct. I think it actually clash quite well with the turquise in my opinion. I would recomend you serach up some examples of it. That could be a good lock for you cultistst.

PSS: Bellow are also some google seraches for torquise and mustard. The loving room one use all of your colours. Note that they use the white to put the sofa in focus, while you use the white to put your armour in focus.

PSSS: I have no idea how you are gonne make cultists that matches your nids. As your nids are so very dark. I myself have leviathan tyranids with a lot or red/pink in the shade. When I was making my cultists I think a yellow orange can contrast with my white/purple/red nids. And internaly I have my cultists as white/purple grey/orange. I do not know if I suckseeded, but I am happy with the atemt. Note, very little of my model cares about the ecetion, it is much more about the colourscheme. The skin colour on the hybrids are screaming skull, while the genstealers skinns is wytch flesh, same as the nids.

 Niiai wrote:
This took more time then I antisepated.

Holy crap.

Thanks for that, I can tell you put in a ton more work there than I deserve. I'll try and bare in mind your advice. I certainly think I understand more than I did.
Really, that's amazing. Cheers!

So I'm revising my ideas a little. Potentially, I might brighten up the grey, and use it for the armor, then add more purple to the tip of the tounge.

With regards to Zodfrey (thanks for your comments too!) I'm planning on keeping the eyes black (sorry, skin tone, chitin and eye colour are things I'm gonna be stubborn about) but either/both highlighting them up to white, or putting some ardcoat on them to give them a slick sheen.

Leaves me to go back to the drawing board vis-a-vis the fatigues/boiler suits.

For the skin on the human cultists, I'm planning on rakarth flesh and pallid wytch flesh, with some incubi darkness or coelia greenshade in the recesses (possibly also with some pinker tones on shallower parts) to give them an inhuman edge.


I did a little more painting before work while chewing this over.
I think it shows how muted I want the yellow to be, Ideally it won't be a dominant colour. Cheers for the feedback thus far, I'm amazed anyone is following this at all!



Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, I've been thinking of switching the mephiston red to khorne red - I'm a little hesitant because of how dark everything already is, but I love the tone of Khorne red - thoughts?
Cheers.

The new model is much better. No more mustard yellow.

The brown and metal (grey) base is neatral. The eye is drawn to the white armour and white trim of the banner. But it is not as distracting as before. Rather pleasant. The red also comes over as a good match/neutral while stil being a different colour.

Much better.

Did a little more tinkering today. He's still a WIP, but I think I'm nearly there now. I want to do a few more highlights here and there. and I haven't finished the browns for the equpiment, and there's a fair bit left to do on the banner.

I added some snow to the base, in spite of wisdom about white and drawing attention etc, but I think it works fairly well. I added some gloss to it, that you can't really see in the photos to make it look a bit melt-y-er, but overall, I think it's shaping up pretty nicely.
But, there's another issue.
In Korea lately, we've been having an incredible amount of powder-y airborne 'stuff'. One of my Korean colleagues thinks it's pollution (dust microparticles are a bit of a hot-button topic of late here), but I suspect, as it's a very yellow-green, it might just be superheavy pollen.
Whatever the hell it is, it's settling on my minis like a fething bejaysus. Anyone know how to get rid of it quickly and easily?
Cheers!