WIP Chinese General, Han Dynasty - 54mm Pegaso
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phil_h
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Ok, guys - just a quick update. I finished up one of the arms, so here is a quick pic.
I mentioned I was going to be doing the arms "off-line", because everything on the arms is has already been done. But for sake of completeness, before I moved onto the ax (the next post), I'd just give a few quick comments.
First, the arm was painted as a separate piece, and was only glued onto the body when I could finish painting it with out any other part of the model getting in the way.
It was painted in the following order:
1. The hand was painted first. I used the exact same mixes for the hand as I did for the face. However, I did not go quite as deep on the shadows or highlights. Being that the hand is not being hit with as much light as the head, we're a little less extreme in the upper and lower contrasts.
2. The white shirt/gold armband was painted next; using the same mixes that were used for the white and gold on his shin armor.
3. Next was the freehanding on the cuff areas. This is the same exact colors and approach taken for the patterns on his collar. However, this was more difficult because it turned out to be a much smaller area to do the patterns on, but totally worth it, as it helps tie the robe together and gives it a harmonious feel (at least I think so
)
4. Next I basecoated the sleeve the same red as used in the above robe. It was at this point, after the basecoating that I glued the arm onto the body. There were two reasons for gluing it on at this point in the process:
Regards,
Phil
I mentioned I was going to be doing the arms "off-line", because everything on the arms is has already been done. But for sake of completeness, before I moved onto the ax (the next post), I'd just give a few quick comments.
First, the arm was painted as a separate piece, and was only glued onto the body when I could finish painting it with out any other part of the model getting in the way.
It was painted in the following order:
1. The hand was painted first. I used the exact same mixes for the hand as I did for the face. However, I did not go quite as deep on the shadows or highlights. Being that the hand is not being hit with as much light as the head, we're a little less extreme in the upper and lower contrasts.
2. The white shirt/gold armband was painted next; using the same mixes that were used for the white and gold on his shin armor.
3. Next was the freehanding on the cuff areas. This is the same exact colors and approach taken for the patterns on his collar. However, this was more difficult because it turned out to be a much smaller area to do the patterns on, but totally worth it, as it helps tie the robe together and gives it a harmonious feel (at least I think so
)4. Next I basecoated the sleeve the same red as used in the above robe. It was at this point, after the basecoating that I glued the arm onto the body. There were two reasons for gluing it on at this point in the process:
- I could now finish it without worrying about needing to get those hard to reach areas, because those areas have now been painted
- In order to do the shadows and highlights properly for the sleeve and collar pattern, I needed to see how it would be oriented on the model.
Regards,
Phil
Chris Ribchester
A Fixture
I have same trouble and also have to brace my hand, age thing I suppose, gives me hope I might get near this standerd
of work, will keep on trying.
Chris
phil_h
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Hey Chris -
Aside from bracing your arms and hands, if you're interested in getting some freehand stuff under your belt, another great way to improve is to buy some plasticard sheets. (Either online or at your local hobby shop/art supply store).
Once you have them, you can prime them up and then cut them into squares, which you can then use to experiment, practice, and test on. It allows me to work out a complex pattern or experiment with an idea BEFORE I just go ahead and possibly ruin a model that I might have just put god knows how many hours into! Even if it's something as simple as practicing painting very thin straight lines (a technique that should be in every painter's toolbox), it'll help your hands develop some muscle memory - so when you're ready to have a go at it on your model, your hands will feel much more comfortable.
I would definitely recommend you give this a shot - it's a very, very cheap, inexpensive way to practice without worrying about ruining models, or if you mess something up. (You can also use them to practice things like various blending techniques, non-metallic metals, etc...)
Regards,
Phil
phil_h
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Hello everybody... time for another update. This time it's the General's ax that we'll be painting. You're not going to get much done as a General in Han Dynasty China if you don't have an impressive ax to help out...
The ax is essentially a wooden haft with a fancier metal blade attached to the top. The first thing I thought when I saw the ax haft was, "well, that's going to be way too small to paint in any kind wood grain in scale." Unfortunately, wood grain patterns is one of the easiest ways to give visual interest to something that is otherwise boring to look at. I wanted the haft to have some visual interest regardless, so once again turning to the figure for inspiration. I started asking myself about the General and his Story. It turns out the General has fought quite a bit and has grown rather fond of his ax. When he was younger, he was given the ax, and the haft had a nice deep red varnished/lacquered finish. Now that he's late middle aged, and his ax has seen a lot (and I mean a lot) of use, some of the varnish has worn off over time from hand oils, has been discolored from the elements, and so on. I also wanted the head of the ax to look rather regal and dramatic, so took some liberties with metallic contrasts...
Alright - enough words, let's take a look
Here are the paints used:
Let's base coat the ax haft raw sienna (consequently, you can see his dismembered right hand as well):
Alright, next we want to emulate a worn, rubbed out varnished finish, that's been buffed out and worn away to various degrees depending on where on the haft we are. Also, we want some dirt, weathering and possible scorching at the end of the haft.
Here is how we're going to do it. We are going to wet-blend 3 different tones onto the haft
1. Raw Sienna
2. Raw Sienna / Red Oxide mix
3. Red Oxide.
After these have been wet-blended together, we'll add a little bit of grey shading at the bottom of the haft, to represent some dirt, scorching, etc...
It's impossible (at least for me) to wet blend and take photos, so here is the finished haft after receiving the above treatment:
With this, we're been able to give our ax haft (something that could be by far the most boring part of the miniature) some nice visual interest without going overboard or doing too much.
Here is the palette:
At the bottom are the three tones we wet blended together, and in the middle is the tone used to add a little bit of weathering to the bottom of the haft.
Next let's do the jade ornament that separates the ax haft from the ax head. This was just basecoated Chromium Green, and then striped with a mix of Titanium White and Chromium Green (you can also see all the black primer I had accidentally rubbed off and had to reapply) :
With that done, let's take a look at the ax head. The plan is to:
Here is the dark steel metallic tones along with the brighter steel on the blade, top and ridges:
With the steel tones in, let's do the flower ornament (I don't have photos of each step, so here is the whole thing done):
Here is the palette with all the different colors used:
With that done, the ax is completed and ready to be glued onto the rest of the figure (YAY!) Let's take a look:
Well, here it is - the figure itself is finally completed. However, before we can say "finished" we'll need to do the basing/groundwork for him. This will be the subject for the next post in our General's journey.
Regards,
Phil
The ax is essentially a wooden haft with a fancier metal blade attached to the top. The first thing I thought when I saw the ax haft was, "well, that's going to be way too small to paint in any kind wood grain in scale." Unfortunately, wood grain patterns is one of the easiest ways to give visual interest to something that is otherwise boring to look at. I wanted the haft to have some visual interest regardless, so once again turning to the figure for inspiration. I started asking myself about the General and his Story. It turns out the General has fought quite a bit and has grown rather fond of his ax. When he was younger, he was given the ax, and the haft had a nice deep red varnished/lacquered finish. Now that he's late middle aged, and his ax has seen a lot (and I mean a lot) of use, some of the varnish has worn off over time from hand oils, has been discolored from the elements, and so on. I also wanted the head of the ax to look rather regal and dramatic, so took some liberties with metallic contrasts...
Alright - enough words, let's take a look
Here are the paints used:
Let's base coat the ax haft raw sienna (consequently, you can see his dismembered right hand as well):
Alright, next we want to emulate a worn, rubbed out varnished finish, that's been buffed out and worn away to various degrees depending on where on the haft we are. Also, we want some dirt, weathering and possible scorching at the end of the haft.
Here is how we're going to do it. We are going to wet-blend 3 different tones onto the haft
1. Raw Sienna
2. Raw Sienna / Red Oxide mix
3. Red Oxide.
After these have been wet-blended together, we'll add a little bit of grey shading at the bottom of the haft, to represent some dirt, scorching, etc...
It's impossible (at least for me) to wet blend and take photos, so here is the finished haft after receiving the above treatment:
With this, we're been able to give our ax haft (something that could be by far the most boring part of the miniature) some nice visual interest without going overboard or doing too much.
Here is the palette:
At the bottom are the three tones we wet blended together, and in the middle is the tone used to add a little bit of weathering to the bottom of the haft.
Next let's do the jade ornament that separates the ax haft from the ax head. This was just basecoated Chromium Green, and then striped with a mix of Titanium White and Chromium Green (you can also see all the black primer I had accidentally rubbed off and had to reapply) :
With that done, let's take a look at the ax head. The plan is to:
- Use a dark steel metallic for the inner body of the head
- Use a much brighter steel for the blade and ridges
- In the middle of the ax head is a flower-ish looking ornament, we'll use a dark golden tone for this
- Shade the above ornament using a sepia tone
- Highlight the flower with a lighter gold tone
- Add a nice jade inlaid center to the flower ornament
Here is the dark steel metallic tones along with the brighter steel on the blade, top and ridges:
With the steel tones in, let's do the flower ornament (I don't have photos of each step, so here is the whole thing done):
Here is the palette with all the different colors used:
With that done, the ax is completed and ready to be glued onto the rest of the figure (YAY!) Let's take a look:
Well, here it is - the figure itself is finally completed. However, before we can say "finished" we'll need to do the basing/groundwork for him. This will be the subject for the next post in our General's journey.
Regards,
Phil
Dekiman
A Fixture
He is really outstanding.
Masterpiece.
Masterpiece.
Chris Ribchester
A Fixture
An outstanding piece of painting, been good to follow this thread and pick up tips.
Also will try your sugestion .
Chris
Also will try your sugestion .
Chris
anstontyke
A Fixture
i agree with chris, this is a stunning piece of work complemented by a very informative guide.
tony
Phil ,
I have to take my hat off this is a fabulous SBS so much information
I see you use Golden ..how do these compare with Vallejo, Reaper etc
Nap
I have to take my hat off this is a fabulous SBS so much information
I see you use Golden ..how do these compare with Vallejo, Reaper etc
Nap
phil_h
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phil_h
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Thanks Chris! I'm glad to help. Hopefully there's been something in here that you can start applying soon!
Phil
(And please let me know how you make out with the plasticard...)
phil_h
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Thanks again Tony. It's definitely nice to hear you're still finding it informative and helpful!
Phil
billyturnip
A Fixture
That is a beautifully painted figure and a great sbs which I'm sure everyone will have gleaned something from.
phil_h
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Thanks Nap! As somebody who has done more than their fair share of wonderful SBSs, I'm glad you're finding this one interesting!
Re: Golden
I love Golden paints. I think Golden pretty much makes arguably the finest acrylic paints out there. Their fluid acrylic line - the paints I've been using to paint this figure with (and the Spartan Warlord bust as well), have got to be some of the most heavily pigmented, richly colored paints out there. This is nice because if needed, you can dilute the hell out of 'em, and you'll still have plenty of pigment left to apply. I also think their metallic paints are just amazing.
However, as they are an artists acrylic and not a hobbyist acrylic (like the Vallejo and Reaper lines), they can take a little getting used to. The two main things with Golden to keep in mind are:
- They're a little thicker than most hobbyist paint lines. This can take a little getting used to
- Because of the heavier pigment load, you'll need less than you think when you're loading your brush.
- Their finish generally tends to go from satin to glossy depending on the color. This means that more often than not depending on the kind of texture or effect your looking for, you may have to add matte medium into your mixes, or add a coat of matte varnish to any surface you want to have a matte finish (cloth, fabrics, etc...) Golden does make a nice matte medium for these paints, along with a great matte varnish as well - I use both. In addition, fairly recently, Golden has released a line of matte acrylics to compliment their normal range. I have almost all the colors in this line and use them constantly! The only downside is that the color selection is fairly limited. (But that is an individual thing I suppose)
(If you are going to try them out though, make sure you do it on a throw away figure first to get used to them and see how they handle!)
Regards,
Phi
phil_h
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That is a beautifully painted figure and a great sbs which I'm sure everyone will have gleaned something from.
Thanks for the kind words Roger. Glad to hear you're enjoying the SBS !
Regards,
Phil
phil_h
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Hello Everyone...
Today we have our penultimate posting on our General. We're going to do the base. This should be a fairly short post...
My thoughts on the basing are pretty simple. The figure is so elaborate and detailed, that essentially almost anything we do on our base will either take away from the figure itself, or just be plain distracting. So I decided on going as simple as possible. We're going to do a simple, straightforward muddy-ish ground that has been disturbed due to the fact that it's right after the battle.
Here we are primed and ready to go - I added the small stones on the front and back, just to break it up a little bit:
For the groundwork, here is what we used to mold it around the base that was supplied with the figure:
Today we have our penultimate posting on our General. We're going to do the base. This should be a fairly short post...
My thoughts on the basing are pretty simple. The figure is so elaborate and detailed, that essentially almost anything we do on our base will either take away from the figure itself, or just be plain distracting. So I decided on going as simple as possible. We're going to do a simple, straightforward muddy-ish ground that has been disturbed due to the fact that it's right after the battle.
Here we are primed and ready to go - I added the small stones on the front and back, just to break it up a little bit:
For the groundwork, here is what we used to mold it around the base that was supplied with the figure:
phil_h
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Oops, once again I hit the post button, here is the rest.
So once more, here is what we used to mold it around the base that was supplied with the figure:
So once more, here is what we used to mold it around the base that was supplied with the figure:
This is some great stuff. It's think acrylic resin with a very fine grained sand texture in it. I use this stuff a lot. Here it is after it's been applied to the figure:
I made some ridges, and dips and what not to make the mud and ground look like it was disturbed and moved due to the battle that just took place. Once that dried (about 24hrs), I primed it all black:
Once primed, I just grabbed a bunch of earth tones, didn't have a specific color in mind, but I figured we'd just see what happens. Here are the paints:
I just laid them out on the palette all mixed and jumbled up, looking for all sorts of random color mixing - here is what the palette looked like:
Laying out the paint like this allowed me to easily wet blend all the colors onto the base into each other.
Here is the base with some colors applied to it, in the middle of the process:
It's hard to see, but as we get closer to the figure, the colors are getting darker.
After the above has dried, I decided to bring out the textures, and ridges, divots, and recesses made in the mud by giving a light dry brushing of Titanium White mixed with a little bit of Yellow Ochre:
With that done, we now have a finished base, that is simple (but has at least a little bit of visual interest), and most importantly, does not distract from our very fancy General.
The next post will be some final thoughts and bring everything to a close!
Regards,
Phil
phil_h
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Hello Everybody...
So with the above posting on the base, that brings everything to a close. I really hope for those who read and stayed through to the end, that you've enjoyed this narrative style SBS. I didn't really have the intention to get into the details quite as deep as I did, but I'm glad I did, and it's made me happy to hear that many have found some useful information buried within all these postings! I would like to do more in the future.
For the beginners out there, I'd like to touch on a couple of quick points:
Here is a pic of the final figure:
I will be posting some more pics in the Completed Figures Forum - be sure to check them out.
I'd love to do another SBS like this - let me know what kind of figure or subject you'd like to see!
I've very happy with how our General has turned out, and I hope you guys are too!
Thanks again, everybody - it's been a great ride
Regards,
Phil
So with the above posting on the base, that brings everything to a close. I really hope for those who read and stayed through to the end, that you've enjoyed this narrative style SBS. I didn't really have the intention to get into the details quite as deep as I did, but I'm glad I did, and it's made me happy to hear that many have found some useful information buried within all these postings! I would like to do more in the future.
For the beginners out there, I'd like to touch on a couple of quick points:
- Sometimes, super detailed/elaborate figures can be a little intimidating (especially at 54mm); however... if you take the time to break things down into small sections, and think about your order of operations, you'll be able to tackle figures like this in bite sized pieces, and start knocking them out with no problems.
- Regardless of skill or experience, we all make mistakes; sometimes we make a lot of them. Over the course of painting this figure, I painted the face twice, the eyes 3 times, touched up the face again ( ), had to change color choices, mess with contrast constantly and generally fix, clean, and touch up almost every part of this figure while painting it. Often we see some brilliantly painted figures once complete, but far less often do we see the mistakes and missteps that went into getting there. I really wanted to show some of the mistakes that can happen, and how we can deal with them.
- There is no rush. The figure is finished when it's finished. I looked back, and my first post on this thread was back in July! (Granted, I was away on and off for several weeks throughout the summer). It really pays to put in the extra effort to get each part of the figure to look just the way you want it to. Don't be afraid to keep going back and cleaning, fixing, and getting it exactly the way you want it. It takes time and effort, but the results are worth it.
- Freehand patterns - hopefully I've provided some helpful information and maybe helped demystify some of what goes on with that kind of thing!
Here is a pic of the final figure:
I will be posting some more pics in the Completed Figures Forum - be sure to check them out.
I'd love to do another SBS like this - let me know what kind of figure or subject you'd like to see!
I've very happy with how our General has turned out, and I hope you guys are too!
Thanks again, everybody - it's been a great ride
Regards,
Phil
