Advice on modeling robes.

[JJD]

Circumstances have conspired to prevent me making much progress on my black knights and so as I’m sure we all do I am thinking about what I plan to add next.

 

All of my squad leaders and HQs are wearing robes or tabards and when I eventually get to adding some Primaris I would like this to continue.

 

Next in my paint que is a squad of DA Hellblasters. I have a DA Lt that I was going to use as a squad leader. This is fine for one squad but as I add more it will be very expensive and mean all my squad leaders are based on the same model.

 

The only 3rd part bodies I have found are the prime legionnaires but I’m not blown away by them.

 

My experience with green stuff is exclusively limited to gap filling so I am in need of a good tutorial is one exists.

 

Can any one point me in the direction of a good modeling tutorial or 3rd party bodies that fit the DA aesthetic.

[Greenz]

I’m on my phone right now, so I can’t post a link. But if you go in my thread down below, page 4, 4th post down is a link GRC put up. Check it out. The original poster, BCK, uses tissue and PVA to make capes, robes, etc. I’ve yet to try it myself, but it looks fairly straight forward

 

What I’ve done in the past is using very thin cardboard, such as cereal boxes. Cut it to the desired size, then make the folds and creases where needed. Glue that on the model, and use that as a base for a thin layer of greenstuff.

 

There are other, more complicated ways, but they involve letting the GS cure for a while, then forcing the folds while it’s curing. If you’re not used to using GS, I wouldn’t recommend that though.

 

Hope this helps

[JJD]

Thanks Greenz I check it out.

 

I’ve watched quite a few videos but they all seem to skip ahead and as a novice I need to follow along with every step.

[Father Mehman]

Here's a linky that should be helpful.

[Gillyfish]

There used to be one several years ago - I used it to sculpt the robes on my Belial model (shown on the image I use on the forum. I'll see if I can find it on the P&M section, but it may have disappeared by now.

 

It was the first time I'd tried sculpting robes and I was rather pleased with the result. From what I recall, you need to do the following:

 

Equipment:

Get some clear plastic to place the GS robe on (this will come in handy later).

Green stuff.

Sculpting tool

Vaseline or water.

 

First figure out the shape of the robe you want. I had mine flared out a little at the bottom to allow for curves and folds to be added. Then create that flat shape using a layer of green stuff, flattened against the clear plastic.

 

Let it dry for 30mins-1hr (I can't remember which precisely :( ). It should then be slightly more firm and can be folded and curved a little more easily. You may need the sculpting tool. You can also use this to add some shalow furrows to the material.

 

Place it on the model and fold it against the contours so it has the shape you want. It may still look quite flat which is where the next stage comes in. Let it dry.

 

The next step is to add folds onto the shape you already have. Create thin sausages of GS to the length you want and put them in place then use the sculpting tool and vaseline or water to blend the edges of the sausage into the existing GS so it looks like a smooth transition and part of the same material. Again let it dry then add more if you need to.

[Bryan Blaire]

Make sure you are referencing an approximately similar thickness cloth when you start sculpting folds - you’ll probably have to repeat some of it several times, but getting the cloth to “fall naturally” on the model will help sell the idea. Try and put the cloth in similar positions to how you are sculpting it to watch how the cloth falls over real objects, you may surprise yourself on things you notice.

[Gillyfish]

Bryan's advice is spot on - I always imagined DA robes as quite heavy and thick, so sculpted folds accordingly. So do have a close look at the models you are planning to sculpt and think carefully about how you want them to look - whether the cloth will be affected by movement and/or wind and to what extent. Also ensure that if they are to be affected that you capture that sense of movement in the way you sculpt by ensuring that they flow/move in the same direction.

 

In the example of my converted Belial, the Lysander model I used as the base already had a nice cloak which was flowing in a particular direction, so I tried to echo that in where the sculpted robes pressed against the armour or swept towards.

 

A little bit of planning goes a long way.

[shabbadoo]

References!  References!  References!

 

When robes are done badly you can tell. They just look unnatural.  There are some after market robed bodies that look okay, but few are very good. With regard to sculpting/drawing/painting anything, references will always be useful no matter how much you think you know.  Dark Angels robes always look like they are made of a heavier material (not linen, silk, etc.) and a good real life reference would be a fleece blanket or throw. Here are a couple reference pics to get you started:

 

http://www.tudorshoppe.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/0100298.jpeg

 

http://wisementrading.com/wptest/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Red-Burgundy-Monk-Robe.jpg

 

You can also use drawings or paintings as a reference too, or take a bit more dramatic artistic license and use comic book art as a reference.

[Grotsmasha]

Kromlech has you covered...

 

Robed Primaris 

 

Tabard Primaris

[JJD]

I’m not sure about the tabards but I can see the robes working with mk10 bits and maybe even the forgeworld upgrade heads.