WIP Wrath of Kings Goritsi Zeti

Here are some quick shots of a very WIP Wrath of Kings Goritsi Zeti vampire chick. I do wish the details on this model were a little less…soft. I’m having a horrible time picking colors on this model, and I really don’t know why. I started out with a strong idea of what colors to use, and somehow it didn’t work out. Hopefully she will come together in the end!

MGM Painting Wrath of Kings Goritsi Zeti WIP 5-16-15a

MGM Painting Wrath of Kings Goritsi Zeti WIP 5-16-15b

Some thoughts on blending

I’ve been asked recently for some tips on blending, and I thought that is something that would make a good blog post. For me there are a few different methods for blending:

1. Gradually changing the paint color on the palette and applying full coverage layers – this is the most straightforward, easiest method. It also uses a ton of paint. I rarely, if ever, do it.

2. Wet blending – Applying wet paint in one color and then applying wet paint of another color and blending the two different wet paints on the model – I rarely do this as well, although when I’m painting textured surfaces like feathers and fur it is my preferred method. I know some people don’t have this problem, but I actually have a tougher time getting smooth blends on smooth surfaces with this method.

3. Two brush blending – Applying thicker wet paint and then taking another clean, wet (but not too wet) brush and sticking it into the edge of the paint and feathering it down across the transition. This is what I used to do the most, but on larger areas this method annoys me because paint tends to dry awkwardly. There are a lot of people that use this method. It is relatively easy to learn the mechanics of, and it doesn’t require a lot of patience. Practice makes perfect here, and additives can be your friend. Don’t worry about the folks that want to say you don’t need them – some people need them, others don’t, there is nothing wrong either way. The weather even has an effect on your paint, so don’t be afraid to try different things.

4. Glazing/layering with super thin paint – This is what I usually do most often now. Paint a base coat – it can be the highest light, the darkest shadow, or anywhere in between…it just doesn’t matter too much where you start, just do what feels right to you. I start in different places depending on what I’m doing, and it’s a thing I feel my way through rather than decide on intellectually. Maybe it can even depend on your mood. After the basecoat dries, take a color in either a shade or highlight direction and thin it a lot, get some paint on your brush, and then run it on a cloth to remove most of the moisture. Take that barely moist brush and gently apply successive thin layers where you want that color to be. Color will build, and you will gradually move across the area as your transition forms. It is also possible to paint a hard transition between two colors and use one or both colors thinned like this to smooth the transition. This method can require some patience, but it is not as slow as it might sound. How much to thin the paint is something I just “feel” now instead of measuring. You can test your paint on another surface to see if it is right. It should be transparent, but still have a little color to it.

I think a lot of people use a variety of methods to blend, depending on what they are doing. I rarely think about what method to use or how to do it anymore, I just do it. The best blends (for me at least) typically come from going back and forth between colors over a transition. For me, the hardest thing to learn (and probably the most important as it allowed me to just paint instead of overthinking it), is that any transition can be blended after the fact. Even if you mess up, it can be fixed.

WIP Warmachine Retribution Warcasters

Here are some quick shots of a gaming standard Retribution warcaster commission: Dawnlord Vyros, Issyria Sibyl of Dawn, Lord Arcanist Ossyan, and Vyros Incissar of the Dawnguard. These models are part of a larger lot, but they are the models I am painting first. My client’s color scheme involves rocky armor, which is something I hadn’t seen anyone do before. I will be painting some ‘jacks coming up, and hopefully more Retribution models for this army down the line.

Reaper 03525 Tyree Spellsinger

Here she is finished! This was a really fun model, and I have several color scheme ideas for painting her again.

 

MGM Painting Reaper Tyree Spellsinger 04-15 Standard+++

MGM Painting Reaper Tyree Spellsinger 04-15 Standard+++

MGM Painting Reaper Tyree Spellsinger 04-15 Standard+++

MGM Painting Reaper Tyree Spellsinger 04-15 Standard+++

MGM Painting Reaper Tyree Spellsinger 04-15 Standard+++

MGM Painting Reaper Tyree Spellsinger 04-15 Standard+++

WIP Reaper Tyree Spellsinger

She’s almost there!

MGM Painting WIP Reaper Tyree Spellsinger

MGM Painting WIP Reaper Tyree Spellsinger

WIP Reaper 03525 Tyree Spellsinger Sorceress and orb tutorial

Here’s another WIP shot of that awesome sorceress model. I am still working on the NMM…it appears to have more contrast under my bright work lights than it actually has, apparently.

 

I’ve been asked a few times how I do orbs like these, so here is my process on this model:

1. base coat of VMC Prussian Blue,
2. Glaze thinned VMC Deep Sky Blue from middle to bottom of orb, not worrying overly much about the transition,
3. Glaze much thinner VMC Prussian Blue over the transition towards the top of the orb to smooth the blend,
4. Add a pinch of VMC Ivory and VMC Fluo Green to the thinned VMC Deep Sky Blue and thin further,
5. Glaze Fluo green mixture into the brightest part of the orb,
6. Glaze with super thin VMA Imperial Blue (more of a deep purple) into the very top of the orb,
7. Fix any transitions with VMC Prussian Blue or VMC Deep Sky Blue glazes,
8. Coat with Liquitex Gloss Varnish,
9. Hold under light at the proper angle to visualize glints, paint them on with VMC Ivory,
10. Re-coat with Liquitex Gloss Varnish
With all of the blending, make sure the brush is always moving towards the place you want the most pigment to be deposited.

WIP Reaper 03525 Tyree Spellsinger Sorceress

Here are new WIP shots of the commission Reaper Tyree Spellsinger. I think she’s really coming along!

Reaper Mocking Beast 77048

I painted this as my entry into this year’s Wyrd Iron Painter Challenge. It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. I hope to be doing many more display models like it in the future!

Dark Sword Female Undead Hunter

Here are finished pictures!

Privateer Press Circle of Orboros Warpwolf Stalker

This was another recent commission to go along with the Riphorn Satyr. I’m glad to have been able to paint this model and the Satyr so I have some idea about what they are like while I make plans for my own Circle of Orboros army as I’ll probably include both models in my list options.