Scott's newest mini

Here's another thing that I have picked up from you recently (insert obscure compliment). If anyone notices how Scott doesn't just paint the Warhammer shaft a solid colour, but paints the highlights on it? I've been trying to retrain myself to not just 'paint by numbers', GW style, but to actually paint lighter colours to create that look instead of just hoping the lightbulb does it's job. I still suck at it, but I'm starting to notice these things.

....and my wife said the money I spent on the Jeremie Bonamant DVD was wasted...pfft!

I noticed that too!

TY Don and Nathan.

Vallejo makes two ranges. Game Color, which is a blatant rip off of the last edition of GW paints. The colors are names like Bald Moon Yellow and Star Wolves Grey for instance. I bought them because I prefer the dropper bottles vs. the flip top or screw top lids. But essentially they're the same as GW, only I've actually found some of the colors to be quite poor for whatever reason. Poor coverage or they don't stand to thinning very well.

Vallejo Model color on the other hand is fantastic! They have more pigment, almost like the foundation paints but not quite there, but they lack the protective resiny stuff the game paints have. Who cares? Spray a sealer on and you're fine. The paints are very good in quality, they thin super well. Really fine pigment!

Where do you get them? I had to order mine online from an eBay seller. The Cool Mini shop sells them too. I think Darren can order them from the Den now too. BUT the good news is the Flames of War game uses Vallejo Model color paints for their references and Darren not only sells themed box sets (Russians, German SS etc.) but he cracked a few boxes open and you can buy singles.

Will it change your painting look dramatically? I say yes. So long as you don't do the mental thingy I did when I started using them where you decide to paint something brown so you go looking for the paint color closest to Scorched Brown. If you instead try to use some of the different colors I think you'd be suprised. If you took one model, like say a blood letter, and subbed the darkest GW red for Vallejo Burnt Cadmium red it WOULD look like a totally different model based on that one change.

Better yet, without re-inventing the wheel the two best things I can think of for ANYONE who wants to try something different is to paint one model by going one step darker up to at least one step lighter. The next thing would be to use different colors other than black/white for lightening and darkening colors. Using a super dark blue instead of a black looks super nifty in a lot of cases, as does adding a bright yellow or even just off white for a highlight.

But I digress.....

Short Answer: Yes, using a different paint range can change your look and style by making you choose colors a little different than you're used to using. That leads to experimentation and some awesome results.... dammit.

Short Answer attempt #2: Yes.

I love Vallejo paint. The Reaper master series at the den has some really, really awesome colors but I don't like the pigment they use very much at all. I find it doesn't thin as readily as Vallejo and for most of the people I know who use it do some kind of system where they use a retarded to keep the paint from drying on the mini. That's retarded. I want my paint to be dry by the time I am finished the stroke! I also use a hair dryer quite a bit now.

I'm lovin' the painting again after a bit of a lull. Can't wait to really give 'er nuts on some figs and spend some real time on them. My goal is to score an 8.5 on CMON this year, which is no joke. Next year I travel to Switzerland for the World expo of mini's and I'd like to get a medal while I am there. That;s a lofty goal!

My goal is to score an 8.5 on CMON this year, which is no joke. Next year I travel to Switzerland for the World expo of mini's and I'd like to get a medal while I am there. That;s a lofty goal!

I noticed that awhile ago on C'mon. I think all you need to do is go door-to-door, with your eyes crossed and you could probably sponser yourself to go for free! regardless -- good luck.

I'm terrified to post a fig there as I'm pretty leary on what I would score. It's funny; Some pictures I look at and they score an 8, and I *think* I can paint better than that. And then I look at a 6 and think I simply cannot match that and wonder why it didn't deserve a better score.

I posted a few of my figs on CMON a while back under the username Hillbilly Carl. They all scored around 6-6.5 which is kind of what I figured but they were hands down the best things that I've painted. I wouldn't dare trying to post some of my older stuff.

I've always thought about using different paints too, but I just can't justify spending a bunch of money on a whole new line of paint. Maybe I'll give it a shot now.

The finished mini after acting on some suggestions from around internet land. I liked painting this one. Can't wait till the next one I get to spend time on. This is going to be auctioned off for charity, I'll spam the link here when the time comes bitches!

Nice one!

Man, I don't know what the deal is with this pic. the actual light levels would be in between the two pics. I just don't know how to tinker with them. Photobucket doesn't help either. The raw unhosted image works better.

Anyway, this was a guy from a super hero game called Pulp City. I call him Bat-Man. Get it. He's got a bat. The star tattoo on his elbow is my first ever real freehand attempt. Yeah, that's right, it's not much. BUt it's a start!

adjusting lighting levels is really easy to do on the comp, is that more of the the lighting your looking for?
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j188/kyup/scots_fig.png

Yeah, that looks about right. Thing is, the raw image looks like that, but the hosted ones are wierd as hell. The raw image is here...

http://coolminiornot.com/242136

"Bat-Man". Heh, I like that. you're talents are wasted on painting, Scott. I like the transition on the bat and I think I have stolen a clever idea for Halloween..

Hey kids! Look a Warhammer figure! On a round base. Sigh. Another commission, but I think this one is not too bad. If it was for me I'd spend a little more time on it, but nothing drastic I think. Pretty cool fig to paint though! I will for sure do up a warrior priest in the future for fun. I got an AoW one I am pretty jazzed about.


Small ass pics courtesy of Photobucket. Man.

Looks top notch, couple of things are the book is missing its print and the brown on the trousers looks a bit bland for a warriorPriest....but hey its a commission.

Whats with all the blue on your last number of figs?

I disagree about the bland trousers. If it was up to me, it'd all be in jedi or friar tuck type of clothes. I just think warrior priest probably are just slobs, praying to sigmar instead of bathing or looking for sales at the Tommy Hilfiger outlet store in Marienburg!

I'm not showing all the figs I've done, as some of them I don't really need feedback on. I am working through stuff for a customer that's not very demanding quality wise, so some of it hasn't been super effort filled. Not BAD, it's just not something I would put on CMON or here for crit's as I now of a dozen places at least that need work. So it hasn't been all blue. BUT I am trying to get good or at least competent with a coupel of colors. I think I can do brown now (The easiest there is! Next to maybe grey) but Blue and Red if done well I think can make or break lots of mini's. So I've been sampling different types of Blue. Blue shaded with red glazes, green glazes (This warrior priest has green glazed into all the shadows) and just stuff like brown's and blacks. The experts will take a color and apply different shading in different parts of the model and I'd like to get their one day. So for now it's practice, practice, and then some more. The Scibor dwarf I did got some very good crits in the highlighting dept. which I would have done on this guy but I didn't really want to. And didn't have to for it's purposes. So more Blue for a while, and still red. Green probably next. Just trying stuff out.

I used just light blue to highlight this guy. The scibor one was grey. That Bat-Man dude was turquoise. It's super fun to try and find something that works.

I thought I'd post this feller. He's a Man Hunter form a company called Kingdom Death. He's a big bastard, about an inch taller than a space marine. I'm trying new stuff on this guy, and really trying to add my own shadows. The pants are in full on light, the face is covered by the hat, I didn't do that. I've been reading and watching videos on how the top guys apply less and less highlights and more shading towards the bottom of the model. It helps keep the focus up top, and makes the mini cooler I think. So I am giving it a shot.

Looks like a Future Jonah Hex. Cool. You're really finding your stride with the clothing. Very smooth, very well done.

yep, your really starting to impress me with the skills, good work so far!

Hey, y'know what's pretty cool, the company that makes this model is run by a guy on one of the forums I am on. He asked if he could put this mini and the WIP thread onto the official site. I think that's pretty slick!

Then it's official; you've made it in the world of painting. Now you can get back to gaming!

Nice! It is really coming together Scott, I look forward to seeing it finished. It is shaping up to be your best yet.

Did more highlighting in the jacket, I think it's about where I want it to be. Also added a bunch of color, or tried to, to the skin. I'll likely have to go back and put in some more highlights.

Its looking better and better Scott, I think I might be tempted to try really darkening the shadows on the coat though, right now its in danger of looking washed out.

Okay, so poking around on this guy today. I had given a little thought to putting some real color, birght green and stuff onto the odds and ends on the belt and stuff. I decided that even at the risk of havingthe model all blend in together I'd rather see him look more like the horror movie villain in worn out old dusty style colthes and tuff than go with some colors that might've popped more. Any thoughts on that?

Any way, a little bigger pics this time. The last pic is from the angle I kinda imagine the light coming from, only in a sort of sloppy halo around the mini instead of being sourced from one specific kind of sunny source. Any thoughts on this? I was calling all the bits and pieces done, unless anyone has something to point out? The leather on the scabbard, working, or not? The gun?

Thanks to everyone so far!

I would leave the dusty earth toned clothes the way they are. The gun looks good but you might try a lighter color as a highlight on the wood, maybe in a wood grain pattern? The leather highlight on the scabbard almost looks a bit too bright in comparison to the rest of the model.

Looking really good so far!

Man. The pic is crap. I am pretty happy with it IRL, but the WIP pic's came out better. I gotta work on something!