Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Like this:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/89/a1/a3/89a1a33eea2d2adba65d965eebe8291b.jpg

I've dreamed of making some forces that look terrified for some time and I'd like to get ready for doing this. In my mind's eye, it just comes down to some work gouging out a face, hitting it with a file, and then green stuff. I'm up for that challenge (though I'm a *total* noob still), but are there any examples or techniques out there that I should know of?

EDIT: For bonus points, advice for adjusting the arms etc of a model to help sell the fear/terror would also be appreciated.

I'd say try to do it with paint first. There's plenty of yelling heads out there for various armies as a starting point, you just have to make them look scared instead of mean. Do an excellent job priming and painting to preserve maximum detail and then get your tiniest detail brush warmed up. Comics author/artist/theorist Scott McCloud has some great guidelines on drawing emotions, so do some image searches with his name. All you need to craft an emotional state is eyes, eyebrows, and mouth.

That seems like...a bold move lol. Hard to see how it could pod work but I suppose it's possible! I've kind of thought a bare minimum approach would be adjusting the eyebrows by shaving the parts closest to the eye to move up...then painting could be enough with, yeah, a shouting head. But I wonder how much you can trick the eye into seeing an entirely different *expression* with just paint...?

Do not worry about green stuff or files yet.
Try paint first.

Small adjustments to bottom corners of the mouth can drastically change the entire expression.
Slanted eye brows alone! will also drastically change the entire expression!
Painting eyes closed might work well too. look up (eyes shut cartoon) for reference.
Pupil of the eye that is dead center and not touching upper or lower lid is a default "deer in headlights" look up (scared eye draw)

Best example that I can share is an attempt to change the "shape" of the face by painting on it. It is like the Bodypaint trick.
I did not like the triangle face in the sculpt, especially the jaw. In my painted model the lower lip looks like the chin, even though it is not.
1 - White line on top of the dark "collar" to hint that there is a collar lip, even-though there is nothing
2 - Jaw is painted with same color as the neck to blend in the two
3 - At most angles the jaw line kinda disappears
4 - neck blends in with the lower part of the jaw that I dont like.

In fact, if you have not seen the model prior to painting, wouldn't even be able to tell the what is sculpted and what is painted.
more of same model https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/30/780044.page

So, if I was able to change the shape of the face it self and change the facial expression from original sculpt by painting, or (body-painting).
You should not have too much trouble making necessary facial expression adjustments on standard sculpts.

Hope this makes sense, and have fun!

Just give it a try! if it works cool, if not and you want more, then go ahead and bust out GS

I don't think it's that much of a reach, but it will take some time, patience, skill, thin paint, sharp brush, good light, magnification... so not going to be quick and easy. But I'd say still easier than GS unless you're a sculptor already. If I were to try it I'd get a bunch of the same Space Marine or Imperial Guard yelling head, glue them in a row to a piece of sprue and mount it on a cork, pill jar, or painting handle, and experiment with line color, thickness, and shape to see what you get. I like Mothsniper's ideas for eyes: big white eye with pinpoint pupil; for brows I'd do a raised but furrowed brow, turned down at the outer edge and up in the middle; for the mouth I'd over-emphasize the upper lip and draw the corners down below the lower lip to create the impression of a frown, but with an open mouth.

Here's McCloud's guidelines on some other dude's blog:

https://www.jeremyshuback.com/blog/the-six-fundamental-facial-expressions

Not too sure if raised, painted eyebrows will cover up the moulded angry furrow-brow. Could end up looking like Cesar Romero's tache. Or Groucho Marx's.

I dunno. In any case I think you could get away without putty if you're careful enough with a knife. Gingerly carve and scrape the plastic away to that raised arch shape. Also pare back any bunched up wrinkles between the eyes and nose, or it could end up looking like Arnold Rimmer instead.

The best way to get a frightened effect, is to have a pupil with whites showing both above and below. Good luck!

feth painting it - sculpt soemthing!!! People always seem scared of sculpting, but willing to try comparatively very ambitious painting techniques. I had a go a little while ago with moderate success:



It is surprisingly easy to sculpt faces... I used a skull from a GW kit as a base, which is extremely useful as it mean all the sizes and proportions are already mapped out. Sculpt in stages. I started with the forehead and brows and let it fully cure; then made the cheeks and eye sockets and let them fully cure; made some eyeballs and let them fully cure; made the lower eyelids and lips. Do it stage by stage, the more stages the easier it will be. Try it on multiple faces at once and you'll get at least something useable.

I think the forehead is a critical area; you want a wrinkles on the forehead to sell the the expression, if you just paint/ sculpt the brows to be raised it can look very silly. You need the forehead to match what the brows are doing.


...If you are struggling/ don't want to GS it, there's 2 faces in GW's Gargant/ Giant kit that should match what you need. It's got a couple of fightened peasant-types included, though they can be tough to get hold of:

Paint the facial colors normally, then add a watered down rotting flesh(only works in light skin tone); paint the eyes intentionally like most beginners with a bulge.

The rotting flesh will make them seem like they just browned their pants, bulging eyes=shock, frightened.

Wow these are some incredible suggestions guys, thanks! Though shmvo is really speaking my language I think lol. I think in the end it's going to be whatever I find actually works for me, sculpting or painting lol. I'm pretty damn amateur at both. I think I'm more into the sculpting though... But now I know I have options.

Thanks all; though by so means if you guys want to keep up the discussion please do. The world needs more scared minis so the rest of the mini's have people to intimidate XD

 Netsurfer733 wrote:
Wow these are some incredible suggestions guys, thanks! Though shmvo is really speaking my language I think lol. I think in the end it's going to be whatever I find actually works for me, sculpting or painting lol. I'm pretty damn amateur at both. I think I'm more into the sculpting though... But now I know I have options.

Thanks all; though by so means if you guys want to keep up the discussion please do. The world needs more scared minis so the rest of the mini's have people to intimidate XD

If you feeling sculpting, Go for it! seriously. Enjoy the process!
And post pics to share progress

Tons posted above but I’d give a +1 to sculpting.

It’s really not easy, but the knowledge you pick up from sculpting is huge.
It opens up far more possibilities for future projects as you learn more.
My only regret is I left it so long as I was worried about it.