• Before I start:
Before I start to paint or even prepare a mini I make an extensive schedule (in my oldschool notepad :D ) where I list all the colours that I plan to use for different elements of the figurine as well as the sequence of painting. I find it very helpful when I need to go back to a certain colour. I just find the exact amount of different paints that I need to mix, without having to experiment. What is more it helps me to get an overview of the whole piece and make it much easier to plan and balance colours.
• Colourscheme:
For this particular mini I wanted to use a standard, codex scheme. Huron Blackheart is the Chapter Master of the Red Corsairs(pre-Heresy: Astral Claws), therefore the colourscheme consists mainly of: red, black and gold.
• Techniques:
I wanted to use my standard red and gold painting techniques, that some of you might recognize from my Khorne models. For other surfaces I decided on high contrast techniques.
• Preparing and basing:
I find it very important to carefully prepare a mini before I start to paint. Preparing consists of: cleaning, sanding and polishing with fine sand papers (I use sandpapers from 200 to 2000 as well as steel wool and felt blankets). Sometimes when the cast prooves to be of poor quality it is necessary to resculpt a part of the mini (most notoriously with white metal castings). The reason for preparing a mini so carefully is to obtain flat and smooth surfaces, without those tiny holes and scratches, that can prove to be quite a nuisance when high quality of painting is involved.
After a mini is prepared I basecoat the model using a diluted layer of Citadel Foundation paint (for this particular mini I have used Charadon Graphite). Those paints are highly adhesive and are therefore ideal for that purpose.
1. The first thing I did was basecoating the different surfaces of the miniature (reds, golds, blacks, silver). I will write down the colors I used for every colour in seperate sections.
2. I had decided to start my paintjob from the red elements.
Basecoat: Blood Red/Scab Red --------------> proportions 50/50 (in %, half of BR, half of SR)
I added some water to the mix to dilute it a bit (about 1 part of water to 2 parts of paint). I applied the paint in several layers until the colour was consistent.
Shadows: Basecoat(Blood Red/Scab Red)/Lich Purple/Chaos Black ----------> 85/10/5 (in %)
Again I diluted the mixture and applied it to the surfaces in which I had imagined there would be shadow, in several layers. For deeper shadows I added a bit more of Lich Purple and Chaos Black, diluting the mix more as the mix darkened. For the deepest shadows I added still a bit more of Chaos Black and applied it carelully with thin lines.
3. Highlights: After the shadows are placed I replaced tha basecolor in places where the shadows were to extensive.
First highlights: red basecoat/Blood Red --------> 50/50 (in%)
I added some water to the mix to dilute it a bit (about 1 part of water to 2 parts of paint). I applied the paint in several layers until the colour was consistent.
Second highlights: first highlight/Orange/Skull White --------> 50/45/5 (in%). I used Light Orange from Vallejo Model Color range, but it can be any orange paint. The highlights were placed more carefully now in the center of the previous ones.
4. Further highlights:
Third highlights: second highlight/Skull White ---------> 90/10 (in %) + a bit of water. I carefully placed the highlights in the center of light and on the edges. This are not the final highlights yet, however I decided to abandon them for now and worked on midtones and Black instead.
In this section I had worked on: 1.Red, 2.Black
1. Red: The most important part of my painting process ------> working on midtones!
I believe that a key element to make colours look interesting to the eye is, apart from achieving a high light/dark contrast, to achieve also a contrast in hues. In case of Red the hues must vary from light orange to salmon pink and light pink in highlights to intensive dark red and purple red in shadows. In the picture below you can see a good example of how Red can vary in hues in just a plain surface:
To achieve that effect and in the same time to obtain maximum smoothness, which I believe is also very important, I use the technique of glazes. In general this technique consists of using a highly diluted paint (almost wash) and very carefully applying it to a specific spot in many following layers, until you achieve a smooth transition. Generally it is used to make smoother transitions between shadows, midtones and highlights and to add different hues to the colour. That is also how I use it.
Enough of theory!
I prefer to work with all glazes at once rather than with one at a time, that’s why I mix them all in one pallette and have them available for me all the time. For the red colour I use following glazes:
---> Blood Red/Light Orange/Goleden Yellow -----> 50/25/25 (in %). Used between highlights and midtones
---> Blood Red/Red Beige(Vallejo MC)/Skull White-----> 60/30/10 (in %). Used between highlights and midtones
---> Blood Red (pure). Used for midtones
---> Blood Red/Scab Red ------> 50/50 (in%). Used between midtones and shadows
---> Scab Red/Lich Purple-----> 50/50 (in %). Used for shadows
I glazed and glazed and glazed working between shadows and highlights until I was satisfied with the result. And it took me some time indeed :D You just have to try it for yourselves!
After that was done I rehighlighted the edges adding even more Skull White than with previous highlights.
2. Black: The process of painting Black and, in general, any other colour is very similar to the Red. Therefore I decided not to do it in step-by-step and explaining everything as extensively as I did with Red. I will only write down the colors that I used for painting it.
I used Andrea Black Paint set (it is a 6 paints set with basecoat, highlights and shadows) as well as some Bleached Bone and Skull White for highlights. The black is by no means finished in this pictures. It will be continued on the following pixs.
The black was highlighted some more with the addition of more Skull White. I also used some glazes mixing black basecolor ( a kind of grey in fact) with a bit of Snakebite Leather and Scorched Brown. After that was done I applied final higlights with more Skull White added to the mix.
I also added first shadows to gold and silver metallics, which I will explain in following pictures.
Scratches: I painted those scratches in 2 steps:
Step1: I mixed Scab Red/Chaos Black ------> 50/50 (in %). Then using the tip of my finest brush I carefully applied the dark lines, making sure they are thin and with sharp edges.
Step2: I mixed Blood Red/Skull White -----> 50/50 (in %). With even more attention I applied yet thinner lines directly under the dark ones, to make an impression of a 3d reflection.
1. As a basecoat for gold I used Old Gold, an alcohol based metallic paint from Vallejo Model Color range. I find alcohol based paints very useful, especially for basecoating, even if using them might came a bit troublesome. First off all they’re the most adhesive paint you will ever find! You just need to put a one thin layer and that’s enough. No more fighting with gold acrylic metallics to finally cover a surface! Apart from that they’re more shiny.
When shading metallics, I like to make them as matt as possible. For this purpose I use lots of pigments and matting mediums. Pigments are very useful if you add them to appropriate mediums. When mixed correctly you will be able to shade smoother than with any acrylics, and you wouldn’t get this irritating shiny surface from too much addition of vinyl and stuff to your paints. Considering the medium I prefer to use Matt Varnish (Vallejo) which I mix with pigments and water, as well as White/Brown/Black Glazes (those are the names of paints/mediums/patinas, not the technique, Vallejo Model Color). They are a strange paint like mixtures but with very little strenght, but when you add them to pigments you will achieve a very smooth mixture! Finally, for shading gold I use Andrea Earth Pigments Set. This contains six different pigments of earthly hue from very light to dark, which is all you will need to shade your gold.
First shadows: I mixed Natural Earth Pigment/Sienna Pigment/White Glaze/Matt Varnish + water. I applied several coats over the entire gold (it can be seen in previous photos).
Second shadows: I mixed Natural Earth P./Dark Mud P./Brown Glaze/Matt Varnish + water. I applied those as normal shadows to the surfaces where I estimated were to be darker.
2. Rehighlighting: I mixed Shining Gold(citadel)/Beige(Vallejo MC) ----> 80/20, added some water and carefully applied the paint to the surfaces I estimated were to be highlighted.
3. Glazing time! The process is very similar to the one I used for Red, therefore I will only write down the mixtures that I used.
-----> Snakebite Leather/Beige/Skull White---> 50/40/10
-----> Snakebite Leather (pure)
-----> Snakebite Leather/Scorched Brown --->80/20
-----> Snakebite Leather/Scorched Brown/Black --->75/20/5
Glazing, glazing, glazing :D until satisfaction :D
4. Final highlights:
Shining Gold/Skull White -----> 50/50. I added water and very carefully applied to edges
And that’s it!
This time steel metallics. The technique is the same as with gold, so I will only write down the colors/mixes that I used:
1. The basecoat was done with Liquid Silver (again alcohol based metallic paint from Vallejo). After that was done I mixed:
Panzer Grey Pigment(Mirage)/White Glaze/Smoke(Vallejo)/Matt Varnish + water. I shaded the entire surface. For darker shadows I added more Panzer Grey Pigment and a bit of Black Pigment.
2. I rehighlighted using a mixture:
Metal Mediun(Vallejo MC)/White Glaze/Panzer Grey P. (a little!). After that I prepered a few glazes of White Glaze/Panzer Grey P. in different proportions from light to dark and worked with them until the transitions were smooth.
3. I mixed Skull White/Emerald(Vallejo MC) ----> 80/20 and used it as a glaze to add blue/green hues between higlhlights and midtones. Then I rehiglhighted with Metal Medium mixed with White Glaze + a drop o Skull White.
1. I basecoated the face with a mix of:
Elf Flesh/Scorched Brown/Ultramarines Blue ----> 70/15/15. After several coats of paint had been applied I mixed basecolor/Elf Flesh/Skull White ---60/30/10 and did a basic highlighting.
2. Shadows: Basecoat/Scorched Brown ------> 80/20 and then 60/40. For deepest shadows I added a drop of Chaos Black.
3. Further highlights:
Basecoat/Elf Flesh/Skull White ------> 50/25/25. Then I kept adding a bit of Skull White to every following higlight.
Glazes:
---->Elf Flesh/Beige (Vallejo) ------->50/50
---->Snakebite Leather/Ice Blue -------->50/50
4. I shaded the skull with diluted Snakebite Leather and then Snakebite Leather/Scab Red/Lich Purple -------> 60/20/20. After that was done I shaded the skull with diluted Woodgrain (Vallejo MC).
For painting teeth I used: Vomit Brown, Scorched Brown, Bleached Bone, Skull White
For painting eyes I used: Beige (Vallejo), Ice Blue, Frostbite (P3 Formula), Skull White
I painted a few details, like gems, stripes of leather, and done the base.
Final pics with changed background.
Well, that's it :D
I hope you'll enjoy it and find it helpful
Bohun
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