Queen Bee Knight -- Thank you! Please read the new post

[JeffTibbetts]

So, here's the exact look I was going for on the brass parts of the skeleton. :D

Note the dull color except on the worn edges, and the sea-green patina in the corners. I love it.

Step one: 70/30 mix of Averland Sunset base paint and Runelord Brass layer paint. It's grainy because the Averland Sunset was almost dry when I opened it. Luckily I want it to be all grubby and whatnot so for this, it's fine. I emailed GW about a replacement, though. Wish me luck.

After a heavy wash of diluted ancient GW dark brown ink. Darkened up very nicely. I then drybrushed the original paint mix over the top. Wet palette for the win!

Drybrushed, very lightly, some old Burnished Gold on the exposed edges. The texture is really popping at this point. Looks warm, used and pretty realistic.

For the verdigris I took some Nihalakh Oxide and added just a drop of green ink. The color was spot on. The old GW inks, for whatever reason, remain water soluble. So that means I was able to darken the streaks of corrosion as they picked up a little of the dark brown ink. I added a bit more of the oxide right around the rivets to show the more established verdigris. Does't come out as well in pics but it looks pretty good IRL.

This morning, in the natural sunlight, you could see the effect a bit better so I snapped another pic. What do you guys think? I dig it.

[Forté]

Looking the part that's for sure. Will you be oiling up the pistons?

[JeffTibbetts]

Oh yeah, dude. I'm not even close to done with the regular metal. That brass is almost done. I'll probably add some nicks and scratches to it yet. The metal around it is just barely started. 

[ChromeZephyr]

Very nice.  Having a reference material to hand looks like a real help, will have to remember that.

[RolandTHTG]

That looks awesome, though I think I'm using up all my likes on this topic (not that there's anything wrong with that) .

[JeffTibbetts]

Thanks for the kind words, peeps.

[Ace Debonair]

Looking good so far!

I kinda can't wait to see what you do with the rest of the metal now, though.

[Ovidius Incertus]

That closeup of the leg really does the gray metallic more justice.  Looks great and the brass is phenomenal.

[JeffTibbetts]

Thanks! I was in there last night dropping more Typhus and washing with Nuln Oil. It's coming along. There's just so much of it... The gray metal will get a similar treatment to the brass in the sense of metallic highlights on the edges and whatnot. I plan to add scratches and wear marks on both the silver and brass areas at the end. The Typhus itself is a rather time-consuming step, and I plan to add more later on as well as same other oily treatments. This is going to be a marathon... 

[Lord of the Cull]

That is awesome. You are really good at what you do, and i may or may not be really jealous of your skills.

[JeffTibbetts]

Alright, I've been working on the silver metal bits, and I'm getting pretty close. I still have to add more rust and dirt, but the underlying metal should be ready to roll at this point. I took shots both in artificial light last night and the morning sunlight. It shows different aspects of the finish, so I'll pop them both in here. First up, warm artificial light.

And a closer shot of the greasy, oily pistons.

And now for the brighter natural sunlight:

And that's it, really. The basic recipe (I'll do more of a tute showing the stages on the other leg if anyone wants it) is the mix of gray and dark silver for the base, typhus corrosion, a black wash, drybrushed original gray/silver, drybrushed necron compound lightly, added painted scratches with light silver, stippled silver on edges with sponge.

The pistons started with bright silver, added Seraphim Sepia around base and area where the piston goes into the machine. Then, added a bit of Agrax Earthshade to the lip and added some streaks. Then, I added the (high water mark) lines where the piston's movement area would extend to. I want to go through and add some gloss coat to the dark grease bits. Has anyone ever tried tinting 'Ardcoat and brushing it on? Does that work?

[ChromeZephyr]

I believe this is what is referred to in the business as "dead sexy."  I've no idea about the 'Ardcoat, though. Maybe experiment on a piece of sprue and see?

[Montuhotep]

You'd be much better off getting a small pot of gloss varnish for that one - I'm thinking you have more control

 

 If you were here in the UK, I'd be recommending Humbrol's Acrylic Gloss no. 49, but over there in the States I have no damned idea.

 

 Sorry, boss.

[JeffTibbetts]

You'd be much better off getting a small pot of gloss varnish for that one - I'm thinking you have more control

 

 If you were here in the UK, I'd be recommending Humbrol's Acrylic Gloss no. 49, but over there in the States I have no damned idea.

 

 Sorry, boss.

 

Haha. Thanks. Most scale modelers simply use Future floor polish, from what I can tell online. 

[JeffTibbetts]

Big update coming soon(er or later), involving oil paint rust and weathering on the legs. Man, that's a really fun technique and not hard to do at all! In the meantime, knocked up a quick color test last night to silence the haters regarding the metal trim. I put myself in that camp, mind you. I've been going back and forth on the idea of bronze/copper/brass trim as opposed to iron or something. As I was working on the rust effects, I realized that I really don't want iron trim on the armor plates.

Here's what I did real quick:

and with the flash on:

I'm not sold entirely on the actual finish itself, but I do think it works as proof-of-concept for the contrast. I think it's dark enough to work well with the yellow, and light enough to work with the gray/black. I'll end up with more blue-green patina in the final finish (I'll probably end up repainting this bit a few times) and I think the metal finish will be more dull in the final piece, but I think something similar will work.

Also, as an added bonus, I finally got some microbeads for rivets, so I replaced the white glue versions on her custom groin armor piece.

A couple are a little crooked. I think it'll look okay once painted, but I might buckle and redo them altogether. I think I could do it better next time around. The little beads look perfect though, I think. Maybe I'll slap some paint on it before I decide.

[Ovidius Incertus]

I think the brassy color of the trim looks fantastic, but I agree with you that it needs more verdigris around the rivets.  My only qualm is that I think the black should be blacker (if that's possible) to contrast more strongly with the brass.  The yellow looks fine as a bright compliment, but I feel like the black doesn't really pop; it gets especially washed out with the flash on (though that really highlights the excellent brass coloring).

 

Where'd you get the micro beads?  Definitely something I'd like to add to my arsenal.

[JeffTibbetts]

I think the brassy color of the trim looks fantastic, but I agree with you that it needs more verdigris around the rivets.  My only qualm is that I think the black should be blacker (if that's possible) to contrast more strongly with the brass.  The yellow looks fine as a bright compliment, but I feel like the black doesn't really pop; it gets especially washed out with the flash on (though that really highlights the excellent brass coloring).

 

Where'd you get the micro beads?  Definitely something I'd like to add to my arsenal.

 

Thanks! I'm not yet sure what the final black is going to look like. It's either going to be a dark gray with black victorian floral scrollwork, or black with lighter gray scrollwork. Haven't settled. I get your point, though. I was more concerned that the brass would look too much like the gold, so I'm happy that a darker version of it pops so well on that side. I think the added color around the rivets will help make it pop on both sides. Also note the dry brushing wasn't masked at all here in this quick test, and the flash is picking up some metal flaking on the black side. 

 

The rivets, in my case, were from Michael's the hobby store. I found them in the scrapbooking section, believe it or not, and they come in a big package. I have literally hundreds more than I will ever need there. One of the Forgeworld Masterclass books suggests breaking open a water filter (a Brita pitcher style one) as they are filled with bits of charcoal and microbeads. I'll try to remember to snap a pic of the package I got. 

[Disruptor_fe404]

A heavier (is that the right adjective for it?) patina will really make it pop (which you're already intending to do). Carry on, mate!

 

Good colour theory up in here too.

[Ovidius Incertus]

Never would've thought to look in the scrapbooking section...only ever found overly large beads in the cake baking section at Michaels.  Thanks!

[Battybattybats]

I like the look of the tirm.
As for the crooked rivets i'd just put a little black next to them where you think the rivet should be, and paint a drip or patch of rust with typhus corrossion so it looks like the original hole has widened from frequent repairs or damage, or that the rivet is working loose.

[Forté]

Love the colour but don't overdoo the verdigris.

 

http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z395/Lord_Futtock/145856113_zps871696e5.jpg

 

One thing I'm not sure on though is where the brass has gone onto the blue. Maybe do the trim first with the dry brushing then cut in with the colours after.

[JeffTibbetts]

That's a great reference pic! So, in this case I added the oxide and then I did another two layers of dry brushing. I think on the real deal I'll add some oil paint weathering on top of this stage as well, so it would have a double shot. I feel like it adds some depth. I didn't do the oil bit because I'll need to mix up the color and I didn't want to mess with that yet.

[Forté]

Have a look into brass tarnish images.

[JeffTibbetts]

Have a look into brass tarnish images.

 

Oh, I have. Part of my problem here is that I'm not even sure if this is going to be brass, bronze, or some fantasy metal. :P The legs that I've already done are flat-out brass, as you can see in the pics above. This, though, will be different/darker. The color and level of patina are really up to me so I can control as much as possible. 

[Forté]

End of the day, who knows what colour materials are in the future or what atmosphere they have to endure. Go wild ;)