Painting 'dull tones' ("french touch")

[paintner]

So I am looking for pointers to help me learn to paint less cartoony and bright.

I want more of the green/blue and dull tones. But I do not seem to pull it off.

 

Many thin layers I heard. Some say use white undercoat and build up your color and let the white shine through for highlights etc.

 

Any more tops or tricks?

[Teetengee]

washes, washes are your friend

[paintner]

washes, washes are your friend

So thin thin layers is the secret =)

[Bung]

Its not only that, if you have a picture of what you wnat to achive it would make it more easy to help.

 

But for painting more dull tones use desaturated colors and colors with a matt finish  something like Scalecolor or Vallejo Model Color.

To desaturat your colors try to mix them with some neutral grey tone, that would give you an easy dull effect.

[paintner]

@Bung ... Something like this. Dull tones and more realistic looking.

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1ueabap3eP0/U9nCXxuOPUI/AAAAAAAADxE/2Vl9LTw4kSg/s1600/boelg600b.jpg

[Teetengee]

Yeah, that is mainly lots of thin layers/washes etc.

Aside, where is that mount from?

[Bung]

I dont know where you stand as a painter but to achive something like that you need some things in my eyes:

 

First good tools:

- some good brushes with kolinsky sable hair (my tip Windsor & Newton Series 7 (normal not miniature))

- a wetpalette

 

Second

- scrap nearly everything you learned from the last GW painting vids and their layer system and learn to mix paints

 

Third 

- you need to learn about some important things

1. Light and Shadow are the most important to learn when you want to paint a more realistic miniature like where is my top highlight / the deepest shadow etc.

2. learn to mix your paints for highlights / shadow and only to use white and black only for the top highlight and deepest shadow 

I use 2 colors from Vallejo Model Color Ivory and Dark Sea Blue to mix into almost any color to get paints for highlights / shadows.

3. There are some techniques you need to learn and improve layering is one but i prefer blending for smother transitions and glazing forsubtle color changes.

4. Contrast of colors and more color theory

 

Here are some helpfull tutorials to begin with:

 

Light and Shadow

http://massivevoodoo.blogspot.de/2009/12/tutorial-light-and-shadow.html

 

Read up some other articles from Massive Vodoo which will help you.

 

Then i would recommend to you this book:

http://www.figone.fr/en/figopedia-version-anglaise/

 

It covers more about Light and Color theory as in the articel i linked.

 

Or maybe if you have the chance seek out painters that do some workshops like Roman from Massive Vodoo.

He does some realy great beginner workshops but mostly in Germany.

So try to look for someone in your area who will give you a more hands on lesson.

[Honda]

I strongly agree with Bung. He's done a marvelous job of summarizing important information and approaches.

 

The one thing I would add to this is practice, practice, and practice some more. You can study lots of videos and get a lot of "book" knowledge about what to do, but you never really learn the skills till you put paint on something.

 

Also it might also help us help you if you could be a little more specific on what you are intending to paint.

 

Are the techniques you are looking to develop for a single figure or an entire army? The reason I ask is that painting in mass is a lot different than spending 300 hours on a single figure (i.e. Golden Demon level painting).

 

So what are you looking to paint?

 

I too prefer a more de-saturated palette for my figures, specifically my Templars. I primarily use Vallejo Model Colors range and as Bung suggested, usually mix either a light or dark grey into my colors to tone them down a bit. It took a little while to figure out how much contrast I wanted, but experimenting and practicing helped me figure it out.

[Bung]

And i forgot something.

 

Maybe get an airbrush if you can afford it.

It helps alot for lights, blendings etc. and big plus its alot of fun.

 

The other option would be doing fading with oil colors, which is another thing in the painters tool box.