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...