Gems from the Deep

Well, I've been putting this off for a week and a half now, but I've finally finished the long expected GEM TUTORIAL!!! Trumpet fanfare, please!

So, as this is a similar tutorial to others online, I need to do something different from those to make it stand out! So, I'll be trying to simplify the process as much as possible, as well as making the tutorial readable by any Joe Painter off the street! This won't be getting any Golden Demons, but you'll be able to efficiently and effectively paint a full army of soul-stone bearing Eldar or windows on your Rhinos.

On to the tutorial!

Step one is to paint the entire gem black, as a base coat. This provides the depth and contrast. Personally, I wait to do this till after I paint the gem mounting, it's easier to get the detail that way. Use a 1:1 paint water ratio for this entire tutorial, you want a nice thin layer that will leaved a nice flat coat.

Follow the dried black with the shade. Take the black, and mix 1:1 with your gem color of choice. Then take this mixture, and mix with water again to achieve 1:1 paint water. Paint this layer on the lower two thirds of the gem. To achieve the proper look, alter the shape of the paint layer to mould to the gem/window. So for example, a square window will have an edge that looks like a boomerang or a sharpened chevron, while a circle would have a crescent shape. Turn the shape to the opposite 'corner' from the angle of chosen lighting, focus on one side.

Next, take the 1:1 paint water base color and paint a 1/3 mimicked shape , in the corner again. So you'll have a small shape on top of the larger shape ontop of the black basecoat.

Take the next shade brighter for your gem color (Orange for red, ice blue for royal blue, etc) and edge the gem color area. You want the effect of a final bit of inner color, to enunciate the shape and color. 1:1 water paint again.

Finally, take your finest detail brush, and put a fine white dot in the OPPOSITE corner from the color. This should be the effect of direct light bouncing off the polished surface. You can alter the shape if it is larger, but at the smallest sizes, it won't really matter.

You can also layer the gem in gloss varnish for more shine, but it's not necessary, unless you matte varnish the model for protection.

Here's some examples of the effect, both painted in green. Enjoy, and happy hunting with practice!

Good Night, and Good Luck!

Tuesday Picture Dump

Well, it's Tuesday, and I've been neglecting updating everyone on the latest of my painting exploits. I believe I've finally gotten the hang of painting yellow, and my Imperial Fists have flourished, but more on that later. I also managed to get some touch ups to damaged models, namely my black Legio trooper. I also managed to paint, very well in my opinion, my space marine Sergeant. Personally, I think he's one of my best so far!

On top of this, I took some pictures to notice the difference between a subtle black highlighting and a hardlined highlighted black. Left is Legio trooper, right is one of my commissars, actually the original one I ever recieved! I just love the model, it seems to fit Warhammer 40k in general, and the Guard specifically!

As you can see, the hard lined trooper has much starker lines, but also looks brighter, despite similar amounts of color. The commissar, however, is much darker and more befitting his menacing appearance. Mainly, this was achieved by skipping the final step of my black tutorial, the final codex grey highlight. Also, this is a key difference between hard armour, well maintained and polished in appearance, and a cloth/leather trench-coat, more likely to be dull and dark in the field.

Finally, we have some examples of my upcoming gem/glow tutorial. I've been practicing, and I believe I've gotten the technique down. However, close examination will show flaws, so for now this is tabletop quality only, unless you are feeling ballsy about entering a competition!

Gemmed bolter lens and eye piece

Gemmed eye piece

Gemmed Eye pieces

Glow effects on the back pack

In addition to commenting on the over all quality, please also mention your preference for my Tau paint scheme, I'm encorporating it into all my Tau army. I'll be posting more pictures of those when I have more finished.

Finally, the progress on my Fists as mentioned before. I was curious about the community's opinion on my choice of schemes. I have one painted as demonstrated by several tutorials, and one I developed on my own. I won't mention my preference, so as to not bias the decision, but the left, completed model is the tutorial. The right is my own test model, unfortunately unfinished. One of these will be the final look of the army, but that's up to you to decide!

The yellow coloration is the main thing I'm looking for, I've decided on every other detail. Also, the black trim is going to stay, as those are the appropriate colors. I hope to hear from all my readers in the comments below, but until then, this is Lord Fancy Feast signing off. Good night and good luck!

A Black Day

I know in my last post I said I was going to write a tutorial on gems and glow effects, but I need to do a bit more research and development stuff. Instead, I shall focus on painting black in an effective and dapper manner! This is effective on anything you want to paint black, from armour to cloth.

Step one is to start with a primer coat. This can be either black or white primer. I prefer a white coat, as it allows you to see the next layer better. The black will be easier though. In the end it's up to you.

Step two is to follow with a thinned layer of black paint. This can be applied with an airbrush, or paintbrush, whichever you find easiest. This is where the white coat comes into effect, you can see where exactly you need to apply the paint. The thinned paint shouldn't be quite 1:1, as that would run into the crevasses a bit too much, and would probably end looking dark grey. MAKE SURE THE COAT IS EVEN AND COVERING.

Step three begins with taking the black you used in 2, and mixing it 1:1 with codex grey. You can find the colors in whatever brand you want (I personally like Valejo, nice droppers for precise measurements) This dark grey is then applied to all raised edges, also called lining. Line all parts of the model that you wish to be black. This will take the form of turning the model to see just where the reflected light would come from, namely edges. This will be a difficult step, as the lighting and the paint are going to be very similar.

Step four is to take straight codex grey, thinned down, and hitting the extreme highlights. Hold the model at a specific distance and orientation to a source light, and hit all the spots that the light reflects from. DO NOT TILT THE MODEL in any fashion, as this will expose different highlights, making your over all effect a model standing in a white room, instead of a warrior on a battlefield. If you wish to, you can rotate the model around the vertical axis, giving an effect of a halo of light above the model. This is better for tabletop models, as the model can be viewed well from any position around the table.

Once this is finished, if the effect is too bright for your tastes, you can apply black wash to the model. This should be done after all other details are painted, to provide a dark shadow line for any changes of color (Between gun and hand, etc...) Black armour goes well with most lens and detail colors, the best being bright primary colors to stand out (Green, red, yellow). If at all possible, do not apply gloss varnish to the black armour, as the hard work you put into the highlights will be overshadowed by the near-mirrored light reflection of the varnish.

Another random hint, you can mix small amounts of other colors with the original black and greys to make an extremely dark version. This can lead to a black that seems red, green, of blue. Use this with care, and planning, as the new warm or cold version of the scheme will react differently to detail colors.

Pics of the only black model I have currently (His squad languishes in the torture box back home) and he needs some touch ups after a brutal move.

Good night, and good luck...