Tuesday 14 August 2012

Here, Kitty Kitty...

a 'Tale of 3 Painters' update.



For someone whose use of metallic paint is normally restricted to the cold, steel tip of a bayonet or the occasional flashing sabre of a cavalry officer, to suddenly be faced with a miniature that is completely made up of metal elements was a tad overwhelming.  I have to confess that on more than one occasion I started to think that I was well and truly out of my depth with this beastie.   

Then along came the revelation that was, Vallejo Matt Medium; Mike, 'The Dark Templar' Reynolds had made reference to this wonderproduct in his earlier post 'A Tale of 3 Painters… Week 1 Summary'.  What it allowed me to do was to successfully add washes without them being repelled by the shiny, metallic surface that I had laid down; I can't tell you what a boon this was to someone with limited experience in this area!  



The concept of repeatedly layering on washes, building the depth of the paint was another technique that I don't tend to use on a regular basis, but when I saw the breathtaking work done by Andy Walker over at his 'Lair of the Breviks' I knew I had to raise my game a little; the metalwork on the Watcher  miniature that he is currently working on really has been an inspiration.  

With this in mind I excavated some aged Games Workshop 'Tin Bitz', which helped to create the tabby cat stripes that I was looking to achieve, then set about layering black ink, then a lighter tone of paint and then another wash of 'Devlan Mud'.  Trying to incorporate 'Guild' red into the miniature I painted a shoulder plate on either side of the Hunter, (think, "these aren't the droids we're looking for" Stormtroopers) these armbands with a liberal scattering of red autumnal leaves should give a subtle nod to the 'Guild'.



Mike had suggested that he was going to be using greys for his base so it seemed to make sense to do the same, picking out he odd cobble here and there and then washing with 'Devlan Mud'.  Aping Mike again, blue was used for the power source and the tube linking the neck to the head was painted to replicate rubberised canvas, any excuse to avoid painting metal!

I'm sure that I could continue to work up areas and there may yet be an opportunity to tidy up one or two mistakes, but overall I'm pretty pleased with what I've achieved to date.

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As always don't forget to keep up to date with the others, Andy Walker at 'The Lair of the Breviks' and  'The Dark Templar' himself, Mike Reynolds.


49 comments:

  1. fun odd mini! nice job with the oily tarnished metal :)

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    1. Thank you, the matt medium certainly played its part.

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  2. Looks really good, its nice to pla outside your comfort zone occasionally as it shows you can do more than you think

    Ian

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    1. Thank you Ian, I hear what your saying, but my word I had wobbles on this one!

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  3. This is very different from your normal style of painting and if I saw it posted elsewhere, I wouldn't be able to identify you as the painter. This is fun to watch as the skill level for all three of you is high. Nice brushwork Michael!

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    1. Thank you Anne, it certainly required me to pick up a couple of extra tricks, but I've been fortunate to glean these from Andy and Mike.

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  4. Excellent work, especially considering it is way off your usual things to paint.
    I make my own washes up using matt medium and acrylic inks so wasn't aware of the issue of metallics repelling washes.

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    1. Thank you Tamsin, it really has been a steep learning curve on this one; great tip on the washes.

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  5. I know how much these models put you out of your comfort zone, especially all these machines, but I think you have proved that you're up to the challenge regardless of the genre.

    I love what you've done with this guy – might use him as a steer for my Mech Attendant. I also like your treatment of the cobbles and will probably add some colour to The Guardian's base to bring it more in line. Excellent work – you must be pleased with how it's gone.

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    1. Thank you Mike, It was such a boost to turn this one round. When I saw Andy's work on his I nearly threw in the towel; what I get away with normally was not acceptable on these.

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  6. What a mean looking moggy! Fantastic paintjob as metal is difficult to look convincing.

    Regards,
    Matt

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    1. Thank you Matt, so pleased to have it finished though!

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  7. I really like the direction you are going with this model. Very nice work on the metals, more so if you are saying you are not comfortable with them prior to this model. Great job!

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    1. Thank you Sir, really learnt a lot on this little jaunt!

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  8. Wonderful colors and the details on the base are amazing.

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  9. Dangerous looking and well done!

    Christopher

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    1. Thank you Christopher, you certainly wouldn't want those claws digging into you.

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  10. Superb mate the paintjob is rather excellent the metal is cracking

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    1. Thank you so much, that is very kind of you to say so.

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  11. Kitty is looking damn fine Michael....

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  12. Your painting takes 'the cat's meow, Michael!" And the signature leaves on the base is a classic-personal Awdry touch! Super job!

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    1. Thank you Jay, I just couldn't resist littering the place!

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  13. Replies
    1. Great for Mouse hunting too; many thanks Ray. ;)

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  14. Replies
    1. Thank you Paul, glad to have got to the finish line with this one.

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  15. Vallejo Matt Medium eh?
    Looking very good sir. In your hands it proves its purpose!
    Excellent painting. :)

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    1. Thank you Thanos, credit to the Dark Templar for bringing my attention to the medium.

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  16. Excellent work Michael! I find the old GW 'Tin Bitz' to be a great foundation shade for pretty much all metallic colours. You did a great job with it

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    1. Thank you Curt, I now find myself reaching for it instinctively now; there is Tin Bitz on everything!

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  17. All I can say is; very cool! I love the dark tones and shading used, gives it an earthy evil look. Great stuff.

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    1. Thank you Scott, once I had a better understanding of what I was trying to achieve, things started to come together quite quickly.

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  18. I want to ask you a favor Michael. In the story I'm working I have Lord Ray Keeper of the Wyrm. I have a Knight that is to travel with him and I wondered if I could name him Sir Michael. He's a Dark Sword mini, in full armor and I'm going to try to paint armor gold. He's a Good and Brave Knight that has to put up with Lord Ray with the patience of a Saint.

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  19. That's fantastic Michael. I'm interested in the Vallejo Matt Medium - did you apply it after each washed coat? Did you thin it first? I'm very intrigued....certainly the results look terrific.

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  20. Thank you Sidney, I added a couple of drops of the medium to the metallic paint and thinned as normal. I kept adding the medium with subsequent highlights after each wash before, ultimately using a 'neat' highlight of metal. As Mike (The Dark Templar) noted it just helps to take the edge off the metallic paint.

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    1. Thanks very much Michael. I'll certainly give that a go!

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  21. Wow... lovely!!!

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  22. Really cool mini and fantastic painting of the various metallic colors. The base is very well executed too. Best, Dean

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  23. Excellent results with this Michael. Would be good to see a medieval type fellow in his full plate armour using this method.

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  24. Oil instead of milk, is the feeding advice :-D

    Unusual figure, excellent painted!

    Greetings
    Peter
    http://peterscave.blogspot.be/

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