Already prepping class models...

For Masterclass II, in a fervent hope that we can make it happen. Details TBD.

Masterclass I with Mathieu Fontaine: Ogrepalooza

So we had Mathieu Fontaine come down from Quebec this past weekend to teach his Masterclass I, which is all about figure painting. We learned to paint skin, cloth, faces, eyes, and metal; we learned to see the figures as a collection of spheres (much as a comic artist sees a form in circles); we laughed, we cried...it was better than CATS.

Here's the ogre I worked on. No figures were "finished" during the class; rather, the mini was a canvas for learning techniques. I learned A TON, particularly about highlighting and shading muscles.

On the Painting Table: Black Reach Dreadnought, Part II

Finally gave in and tried using Ultramarines Blue on the thing. I think it helped! Cleaned up the deets on the facing as well. Now for the legs, a purity seal or two and the bullet holes.

BTW, as I get asked this frequently, the base is made by Micro Art Studio out of Poland. Here's a link to their store page for this particular base: Click!

On the Painting Table: Black Reach Dreadnought

Highlights are going to be the death of me. I need to push the contrast a lot more.

48 Hours at the Chicago Bunker: Dark Eldar Archon

One Finecast challenge later, here's a mini I painted last weekend. Pretty happy with it!

Quick GenCon Paint-and-Take Fun

So I worked the Miniatures Hobby Exhibition tables at GenCon as a Paint-and-Take Instructor, and each day sat and painted the same minis the participants painted, using the same brushes and paints. Only fair, right?

In the process I discovered how much I love painting Wyrd miniatures. I didn't even know who these little guys were until afterward, but had a ball drybrushing them.

I'm even thinking of picking up a Malifaux starter set just to get more of the buggers.

Stormblades on the painting table again

Making slow but steady progress. I am using a method unlike the ones I've used before. Instead of highlighting and shading with lighter and darker tints of the same color (e.g., the Reaper triads), I'm using different colors altogether for shading and highlighting: colors distanced from each other on the color wheel.

Basically, Stormblades with their traditional blues, yellows, silvers and golds might as well have a half-finished "S" on their breastplates, because all they need to complete the Superman look is some red. This came to mind while attending one of Mathieu Fontaine's classes on color theory at Adepticon 2011. One of his favorite paints is P3 Sanguine Base, a deep purplish crimson color. So I'm using that to create more dynamic shadows. On the lighter side, some P3 Ryn Flesh is providing the other end of the contrast range.

Here's the Stormblade Officer as I'm in the middle of working on him. The blends are nowhere near ready, but the high contrast is starting to come out. To me, it makes him look like there's more...I dunno, like there's more "there" there. What was actually a pretty boring sculpt has a degree of interest now.