Pinstriping Models-> Freehand

[Legacy40k]

I wouldnt really consider this a tutorial.. but some might, so we'll see where it ends up.

 

I think we will all agree, freehand work on a model really sets it apart, specifically.. decorative This is especially evident on vehicles and cloaks because of the large flat surfaces that have little to no detail on their own. Freehand can be added to anything though really, armour plates, shoulder pads, weapon casings, just to add some flare, or make the armour look like it is artificer armour or a weapon is master crafted.

 

Now, in this Decorative freehand work im going to break it up into 3 types.

 

1: Murals: This is work such as on DV8's Chaplain on the back of his robe. It is a freehand picture, instead of a canvas, its a very small part of a model. This is well suited to robes and tanks and really ads some flare to it. It can tell a bit of a story, or just involve the chapters icon in some way (The above is the grim reaper with his cyth for Cyths of the emperor.) This is definatly the hardest type of freehand because it involves more than just being able to follow the edges of an armour plate, you actually have to have some artistic talent. It's not easy, one must find a suitable image, likely sketch it out on paper to decide on a final design, and then transfer that to the model. There are ways to make it easier, such as by doing lineart transfers onto the surface, but this does not discredit the art at all. In most cases, I would put chapter icons into this catagory.

 

 

2: Line Art: This is far from something new. Most people people take their inspiration from Celtic Knotwork which has been around for a very... very long time decorating all manner of things in Ireland for hundreds of years. Now, there is nothing wrong with this, nothing at all, it looks great, its not too hard, you just need a steady hand, and it can be adjusted to fit in all manner of places. However, while there is an infinate number of possibilities with this style of knotwork, the look is pretty consistent on most models, meaning there isnt all that much variety, just the odd flare here and tuck there.

 

Now, here is where things take a turn. Something I have not been seeing yet comes from somewhat of an unlikely source, but it makes perfect sense. Where is that you ask? The automotive industry. One may ask what cars have to do with warhammer? Well, its not the car, its the paint on it, and specifically the custom paint job which is becoming a bit more common, or at least more into the open now thanks to shows such as Monster Garage, American Chopper and American Hotrod. The aspect we want to look at is Pinstriping. This is an untapped resource of freehand linework that could be converted to modeling without too much difficulty. Go ahead do a Google Image Search on pinstriping and see what you find. I don't mean flame jobs, they look cool and all.. on a car, but not so much on your Space Marine librarians robe. I'm thinking more like This on the corner of a cloak or something like This on the back of a robe, or even something like this. There are tons of artists doing pinstriping, you can find tutorials on it, among other things, the only real difference is the scale, so don't pick something where the lines are all really close togeather because they may touch when you shrink the scale. Above are some very complex examples, there is far far simpler, just browse a bit.

 

The third type is pretty broad: It includes everything else, so.. simple swirls on a lascannon barrel, or lines around a border, I wouldnt really consider single detached lines to be lineart as on their own, they would be less then impressive, they need to model.

the checkerboard pattern as seen on David Waeslynck's ork. I suppose we could even put in battle damage in the style so commonly showed by Cyril. This would also include Hazard Striping as seen on Ollie's Vindicator, which also makes good use of murul iron warriors icons. So any other little detailing done freehand that adds some flare to the model but is not part of the shading or colour blocking fits into this catagory. Excluding the above of course, lineart and mural work that could stand alone and still be considered art without being on a model.

 

 

So, with some hunting and asking around, you too can find an image to copy/modify for use on a mini!

 

-Legacy40k

[Jokersminis]

Pinstriping is an interesting idea. The fine line detail could really showcase a freehand artist's talent.

[mario]

For pinstriping you just need to browse through CMON for high quality Rackham work. Some painters changed the "Rackham swoosh" thingy for pinstripe style swoshes and other more complex schemes.

 

And just one additional tip regarding any freehand element. It has to serve the miniature. That's why (in my opinion) a lot of mural type freehand work is ridiculous. Some people just paint because they can paint it. A few little additions with a purpose can often work better than one big mural without a purpose.

[Chaplain Desmodus]

Hehe, before I actually went and looked at those example pictures, I thought to myself "pinstriped power armour, that's gotta look strange without a bowler hat!" :ph34r:

[Hemal]

lol, the "City Boys" Chapter if the Adeptus Astartes - replete with pink ties and unbrella-bolters :(

 

Looks good, to be honest I have actually seen this done a bit, mainly in Fantasy settings, on High Elves, Bretonnians and Empire

[JakeSh]

Ahhh.... a fellow stripe fan. I've been layin' lines for a year and a half now.

 

www.sketchkult.com is a great site for all things kool. Check it out! They have a great striping and art forum.

[ixupi]

While it's definately a cool looking technique, it just doesn't seem '40kish' to me. Looks very early 90's, trapper keeper material in my opinion. :devil:

[Yuri]

I am not certain if this contradicts some B&C rule for keeping discussion strictly on space marines, but I found this while browsing CMON. Now if that doesn't look absolutely splendid, I don't know what does. :devil:

 

Yellowone does similar things.

[JakeSh]

While it's definately a cool looking technique, it just doesn't seem '40kish' to me. Looks very early 90's, trapper keeper material in my opinion. :wub:

 

Oooh... That hurts. Definately a lot of style and history behind that technique. Pinstriping has been used since the 1800's on horse drawn carridges, but the more ornate and flowing form was brought into style in the 1950's on hot rods. It was pioneered by a man who called himself Von Dutch. Sound familiar? The clothing company of the same name stole his pseudonym.

 

Anyways, sorry for the off topicness. I'm done. This comment just offended me. Don't knock a style because you don't understand it.

 

 

Now for a bit of on topic-ness...

 

I really see the striping as being something for the inside of robes and to line banners.

 

http://bezerker-records.com/dudes/corner.JPG

 

Simple little designs like this would look quite elegant if done correctly. They would look EXCELLENT framing the huge armor panels of a Dreadnought (very much like how they framed panels of early autos and horse drawn carridges.) Again, banners and the insides of robes and capes would also be excellent.

 

Some food for thought.

[ixupi]

Anyways, sorry for the off topicness. I'm done. This comment just offended me. Don't knock a style because you don't understand it.

 

There isn't anything to understand. You can either like something or not, history is irrelavant in this case. Art is a matter of taste and preference. I'm sorry if a difference of opinion is equal to a verbal jab to you, but I think you need to lighten up. It's like me saying people who do metallics "just don't get NMM." That's pretty narrow minded.

[Obliterator]

Stop the personal attacks, boys, or I will.