Highlighting

[puck]

So I've come to the conclusion that I must be missing something fundamental. I've tried line highlighting on several models now and I can't seem to get the effect right.

Example:

I paint a pair of lightning claws DA green, then go to highlight the edges of the glove with the next color up snot green. Then I wash with pure dark green ink to bring the two layers together and what I end up with is a line that is not uniform in thickness despite my double checking it and has a "splotchy" appearance. Furthermore, if you stand back far enough the "splotchyness" becomes less of an issue but then it looks like I've outlined the area with a lighter green instead of giving the "light catching the edge" effect that seems to be so routinely painted by many people here.

Is this a problem that is easily addressed or is this a case of "practice makes perfect"? I believe part of the problem is that I don't fully understand light sources when I try to highlight and so I highlight areas of the model that should be in shadow thus destroying the effect. I've no real clue what to do about the splotchyness except thin down the ink. However when I do this it doesn't run into crevices correctly and ends up looking even more uneven.

Thoughts?

[Terminatorinhell]

what you can try is wet blending, that is putting the highlights on as the first color is still drying, do extremely thing highlights (mostly water) and build up the effect.

[EmbattledSoul]

see this is where i wish i had a master painter i could throw some money and have them show me how to do things, and while im doing it, give me an affirmation that im doing it right.

[Terminatorinhell]

make a youtube video of you painting it and post it somewhere.

[EmbattledSoul]

but then i wont have the mr miagi experience...wax on, wax off.

[Vindicatus]

You need two things :

 

Thinner paint.

 

Washes.

 

With thinner paint, it's going to go on there smoother, not look as clumpy or blocky; sure it might take a few goes to get it the right shade or colour, but you'll be happier in the end.

 

Washes; what you're talking (I assume what with the browns in there to show shadow) about isn't necessarily highlighting, but depth (though that shows natural highlighting).

Washes will sink into the lower areas of a model (the little cracks, and whatnot) and create a darker colour. If you really don't want them super-dark, water down something like Badab Black and run it into the areas. Throw a little Floor Polish in there and it'll skate around into the right spots like it's the new dance beat on the block.

 

Hopefully you'll take this as constructive rather than derogatory, which I don't mean it as, but looking at the lightning claw there, colours will normally be lighter in the center, darker at the edges. What I mean is, swap the colours you have on there, so that the lighter green is the majority of the colour and the darker is closer to the edges and emblems. That effect is extremely easy to get with a quick wash of Thraka Green.

 

If you need further affirmation and have the time to do it, check out AwesomePaintJob on youtube (or his blog); he has several extremely useful tutorials and walkthroughs to show you exactly how he got the effect he did. I was fairly impressed with the things I picked up by watching an episode or two (seriously, who thought Leviathan purple wash could be used as an effective shader for flesh? /boggle).

[Brother Nihm]

(seriously, who thought Leviathan purple wash could be used as an effective shader for flesh? /boggle)

Followers of Chaos obviously!

Seriously though, the above is good advice, check out his vids: link

[Vindicatus]

Strange that you mention that, Nihm; I found that out while painting a buddy's Nurgle Termies. Two guys in his lineup didn't have helmets and I had to figure out gross, decayed, necrotized flesh in a hurry. :)

 

Go figure.

[Cold Fire]

I love this forum!

 

I finally started my IFs last night. An Assault Squad. The base layer is done, thanks to another post about painting yellow, and then I thought after I have done the wash to give it shade and depth where the hell do I apply highlights to?

Came on here this morning(GMT) and was about to post, but low and behold someone has already asked the question!

 

Thanks for the answers, I am going to check out the vids and advice here once I get home from work tonight and hope that I can make my IFs look magnificent instead of just flat.

 

Thanks

[Tanhausen]

Les has cool videos and makes it look so simple...

 

But now he's into something with his youtube channel with WGConsortium or whatever... and they post stuff in one side, then you have to check it on the other...

 

For AB painters... check out how he does the sword in the "how to paint space wolves"!

[Khestra the Unbeheld]

Strange that you mention that, Nihm; I found that out while painting a buddy's Nurgle Termies. Two guys in his lineup didn't have helmets and I had to figure out gross, decayed, necrotized flesh in a hurry. :D

 

Go figure.

 

It's really amazing what a basecoat of Rotting/Elf/Bronzed Flesh + some weirdo wash color will do. I've used everything from Ogryn Flesh to Lev Purple to Thraka Green for Nurgle-izing skin tones. My Lesser Daemons are a basecoat of Elf Flesh, a layer of Baal Red, and a layer of Leviathan Purple on top and they look weird and Warp-y.

[jwentzel]

but then i wont have the mr miagi experience...wax on, wax off.

 

Poster above is exactly correct you need to really thin down the paint, if you look at the photo of your terminator closely you can see where the paint was applied too thickly, I personally use flow aide that can be bought pretty much anywhere get a seperate bottle, dilute it according to instructions, and then add the diluted mix to your paint on the pallet. You will find that the paint on the pallet stays wet longer allowing you to lighten it up as you go for your highlighting. I hope this helps.

[EmbattledSoul]

but then i wont have the mr miagi experience...wax on, wax off.

 

Poster above is exactly correct you need to really thin down the paint, if you look at the photo of your terminator closely you can see where the paint was applied too thickly, I personally use flow aide that can be bought pretty much anywhere get a seperate bottle, dilute it according to instructions, and then add the diluted mix to your paint on the pallet. You will find that the paint on the pallet stays wet longer allowing you to lighten it up as you go for your highlighting. I hope this helps.

 

 

lol im not the OP, but info is always good.

[Grand Master Neo]

believe it or not you can actually thin yur paints using dettol multi-surface cleanser. i was chatting to a guy in uni doing a chemistry degree who found out that it has the exact chemical makeup to dilute the paints but still help it 'stick' to the surface

[Wicksy]

believe it or not you can actually thin yur paints using dettol multi-surface cleanser. i was chatting to a guy in uni doing a chemistry degree who found out that it has the exact chemical makeup to dilute the paints but still help it 'stick' to the surface

If you want to use something to dilute paints, water with a little dishwashing soap is fine. All you need is a little surfactant in the water to lower the surface tension so that the paint wets the surface. Dettol multisurface cleaner will contain surfactants but there might be other chemicals present that can stop the paint sticking. Diswashing soap is cheaper too ;)

 

To the OP, to get a smooth blend you need to dilute down your paint and build up layers gradually so there is a colour gradient. The wash then helps tie in all the layers together.

 

I found girlpainting on youtube to be very helpful. Her videos have been great. http://www.youtube.com/user/GirlPainting?blend=2&ob=1

 

Also have a read of Vince Hudon's Magmatrax article. This has a lot of info on blending aswell: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.p...howtopic=105449