Minion solos WIP

Just a few shots of some WIP models.  These are late additions to my journeyman gator army.

Thrullg

Totem Hunter

Viktor Pendrake

On the painting table, 12/2/12

The Stormwall is assembled, but I'm procrastinating on painting it.  In the meantime, I started on the pods. I'm going to try some weathering effects on them once the painting is complete.  I'm thinking soot on the vanes and mud on the base.

Storm Pods

Arlan is almost done.  I tried to add some details by painting his gauges with a needle and "danger zone" but I'm not sure if it really adds much to the model.  I still struggle with painting metal, especially on isolated spots.  Larger bits are easier.

Arlan Strangewayes

The Thunderhead has been assembled and primed for months now.  Having just finished pNemo, I'm trying to get some progress made on him.  Recently I started using a Vallejo "extra opaque" brown to undercoat the gold instead of the typical black.  It's worked out really well.  Even when base-coating white, which I normally avoid with metals, the brown is dark and opaque enough to cover fine.

Thunderhead

Also in the queue, I'm assembling Boomhowlers and Jonas Murdoch.  They should be a nice complement to a large majority of Cygnar lists.

Not to forget the Circle

I painted these a couple of months ago, but this is the first time I've had a chance to post pictures.  We've got some new additions including the Bloodtrackers + Nuala and Gallows Grove.  I've yet to put either on the table but hopefully this weekend it will happen.

Bloodtrackers

Nuala

Gallows Grove

New editions to Cygnar

I finally got around to photographing the recent models I've added to my Cygnar army.  Despite writing a tutorial on photographing minis, I'm certainly no expert.  I'm not super-pleased with how the pics turned out. They're lacking contrast and look flat to me.  Click on the photos to embigginate.

Gun Mages 

Stormblade Gunners

Stormblade Officer Attachment

Stormblade Infantry

Defender - front

Defender - back

Ol' Rowdy - front

Ol' Rowdy

Ol' Rowdy

Hunter - front

Hunter - back

Disclaimer:  The guys below were done quite a while ago.  I look at them and cringe a little inside.  Still, I like to keep them here for the sake of continuity.

Journeyman Warcaster

Journeyman Warcaster - back

Squire, saddle my horse and fill my tankard!

Squire - front

Squire - back

Photographing Minis

I've written a brief tutorial on how I photograph my minis.  It's a simple setup designed to get the best results with the least complexity.  I wrote it assuming little familiarity with photography.  If you're not satisfied with the photos you're taking, have a read and see if anything below strikes a chord.

I've also included some "problem" photos as examples.


Lights

The most important part of the setup is not the camera, but the lighting.  There's a limit to what your camera can do and without good lighting, you're fighting an uphill battle.

What's good lighting?  In the context of miniature photography, there are three qualities to light that matter the most - brightness, diffusion, and color.

Ideally, you want to flood a miniature with enough diffuse light that makes for a bright image, but doesn't cast shadows onto the background.  Background shadows are really distracting.

• Brightness - room lighting is typically not enough.  You'll want to use at least two external lights positioned to the side and front.  [image here]  If the camera has a flash on it, I recommend using it.  The downside of using a bright flash is that it's very direct and usually bright, which will leave shiny spots on the model.  However, if you're supplementing extra lights, it shouldn't fire very brightly.  They're pretty smart that way.  

• Diffusion - the best case for lighting is when you look at the miniature and you can't tell where the light source is.  Bright, diffuse lights will wash out the background shadows very well.  I made a light box out of a cardboard box and tracing paper.  It does a pretty good job.  

The background shadows are a result of too much direct light, probably from the main camera flash.

• Color - this one is a bit harder to control.  I look for "daylight" colored lights or "warm" lights.  The color of the light affects what the photo technology refers to as White Balance.  Fortunately, this is one of the easiest things to correct for in photo editing software.

This is an example of poor white balance and too intense directional lighting

Camera

The camera is the least important part of the setup.  You can get good results with a craptacular camera (even a camera phone) if you follow some basic guidelines.  Most cameras now allow you to select various shooting modes including "aperture priority."  That's about all you need in a camera.

"Macro mode" is not needed.  In fact, I recommend that you don't use it at all.  More on that below.

Action

Here's how to do it in a few bullet points.

1. Use a Tripod
2. Avoid "macro mode"
3. Set your camera's shooting mode to aperture priority and select an aperture between f/8~11
4. Move the camera away from the subject and zoom in
5. Turn on the flash if you have it
6. Unless you have a remote trigger (if you're not sure, then you don't) use the camera's timer function to snap the picture.  

A tripod is essential.  With the amount of light present in your house, you probably won't be able to photograph at a high aperture using a shutter speed fast enough to eliminate motion blur, especially when zooming in.  As a rule of thumb, if my focal length is 50 mm (which I don't consider wide angle, or zoomed in), I won't go slower than 1/60th of a second on the shutter.  If you double the focal length, increase the shutter speed accordingly.  At 100 mm, I want at least 1/125 sec.  The tripod allows you to use a much slower shutter speed without losing sharpness to motion blur.  So, it's strongly recommended that we use a tripod.  You're not as steady as you might think.  

Avoid "macro mode."  Macro mode lets you get really close to your subject.  In this case, you don't want to be close, you want to be far.  More on that below.

An aperture around f/8~11 will increase your depth of focus, helping to keep the whole miniature sharp.  Moving away and zooming in will flatten the image and make the miniature stand out from the background.  It's a neat effect.  

Notice how the ax is out of focus.  This resulted from using a very low aperture.

The on-camera flash is optional.  If you want more light on the front of the model, or if you don't have enough lights, you can use it.  That's something you'll have to play with.

Finally, and critically important, don't hand-trigger the shot.  Since we're using a small aperture (high number) the camera will likely compensate by using a slow shutter, unless you have a ton of extra light.  In that case, the image will be very sensitive to motion blur.  Meaning, if the camera moves, the image will blur.  It only takes a tiny amount and because we're zooming in, that motion will be exaggerated.

In summary

Use a lot of diffuse light, shoot on aperture priority mode between f/8~11, always use a tripod, and don't trigger by hand.  A light box can be made really cheaply and helps out a great deal.

I'd like to develop this tutorial more, so if you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask them.

So, what does it look like when everything comes together?  

This is one of my favorite shots.  The detail stands out and the light isn't harsh.  The little bit of shine seems purposeful.

Good shooting!

New photo setup

I'm trying out a fancy new photo setup.  The pictures below were taken with a light booth made out of a cardboard box, two external lights, and my iPhone.  Just goes to show you that it doesn't take much to get half-decent photos of your dudes.

Gorman di'Wulfe

There are still some shadows present below, but I think this will be mitigated once I strap the flash onto the SLR.  The iPhone camera is surprisingly good and it does fine in a pinch.

Smaller Gorman

The key is to flood the model(s) with enough diffuse light to eliminate some shadows.  Diffusing the light also makes for fewer shiny highlights.  You can also change the position of your light sources to add depth to the model.

A common mistake people make is using a very low aperture that limits their depth of focus.  If one part of the mini is sharp, but the rest is blurry, that's what's happening.  Best case is to use a tripod and lower the shutter speed.  Also, if you have a zoom, move the camera away from the subject and zoom in.  This can effectively blur out the background while keeping the model sharp.

What I've Learned about Painting - Part 2

...continued from Part 1

As I mentioned in the first post, these are based on my own learnings and experience.  The list goes on...

People like bullet points.  Here they are:

• Matte medium is my friend - Adding matte medium allows you to maintain the same tone, but with increased transparency or less (but still smooth!) coverage.  Water will also make the paints more transparent, but the pigment becomes really splotchy.  I use it for washes to add transparency, but still encourage the paint to settle in the cracks. 

• Keep a damp brush handy for cleaning up mistakes when they happen.  A little more water in the paint may make the difference between having time to clean up and not.

• Planning makes a big difference in efficiency.  Figure out ahead of time what's getting dry-brushed and do that first.  Lately I'm putting down the first base coat on the whole model, then doing the areas that need dry-brushing.  

• Glazing is used when you want to put down a thin layer of paint, but in thinning it, you don't want it running all over the place and settling in the cracks.  Matte Medium can be used to make glazes, but I've also tried Glazing Medium.  I'm too newbish to tell the difference.

• I'm still trying to speed up my painting so I'm doing a lot of work in batches.  Build some models, prime some models, paint some models.  My speed with the brush isn't getting better, but the overall workflow is. The airbrush helps with that...

• Airbrushes are sweet!  I'm finding the biggest benefit is speed and consistency.  Currently, I use it mostly for undercoating and base-coating.  You can get much, much better coverage than a spray can of paint while never having to worry about applying too much paint and filling in detail.  The downside is that they require some setup and maintenance time and additional equipment.  I could probably write a whole post about things I learned about air-brushing.

• I'm still thinning my paints with a 20-1 water-flow enhancer mix.  I think my brushes are beginning to suffer for it.  The paint wicks up into the ferrule much easier when using the flow enhancer and it's getting harder to remove.  Still, I love the flow enhancer, especially when painting details.  I can use a really light touch and don't have to worry about surface tension sucking a glob of paint off of the brush. 

And because everyone likes pictures:

Rupert Carvolo - WIP

April Circle

I'm a bit late putting these up, but April was a slow painting month.  I'm making up for it in May.  I'm steadily painting models for a Baldur theme list.  To date, I only had two Circle casters painted and table-ready - Kaya and Grayle.  This month I added eKaya and Baldur.  I'm getting a lot of practice painting sticks and stones, which are commonly used in Circle to break them bones. 

Megalith

Otherwise known as  "Kaya the Moonblood" due to her red pants.  Thank my wife for that one.

Kaya, the Moonhunter

I really like painting solos.  Baldur's model is clean and well-defined.  That's something that makes painting easier for me.  I don't enjoy painting models when I can't tell what a thing is.  Is that part of the coat, or is it his undershirt?  Is that surface pants or boot?  I struggle.  Perhaps I should not worry about it and just do what looks sweet.  On second thought, I'm too OCD to go that route.

Baldur, the Stonecleaver

Spoiler:  In May I finish the rest of Baldur's theme force.

Big month of Circle Painting

As mentioned previously, I wanted to field a T4 eKaya list for the March Madness event.  Ultimately, I needed 35 pts painted plus the caster - in one month.  I came close, but ultimately just fell short.  eKaya and Laris didn't get painted in time, so I fell back on a Grayle list that used all but two of the models.  Here's what made it off the table in March.

Shifting Stones

Warpborn Skinwalkers

Pureblood Warpwolf

Gnarlhorn Satyr

Druid Wilder

Druids of Orboros Overseer

Druids of Orboros

Pyre Troll

Learning the Ropes

The Woldwarden is the first construct warbeast for a Baldur themed army I'm building.  I don't know what that list is going to consist of yet, but I know it will have a Woldwarden!  This gnarly guy was a breeze to paint.  I started with a black basecoat and added progressively lighter shades of grey starting with thornwood green and ending with trollblood highlight.  As I'm learning the ropes, I'm following PP's painting guides where-ever I can.  I figure that emulation is the first step of learning to do something new.  Once I've built the skills, then I can afford to branch out and start experimenting.  Until then, I'm sticking with the copy-cat method.

Woldwarden

Dire Troll Mauler

Dire Troll Mauler

This guy turned out better than expected.  I struggled a lot with this shading, and had to repair it a couple times with a wash of trollblood base.  Overall, I'm pleased with him.  The stones on his back were easy.  A basecoat of battlefield brown with a dry-brush of rucksack tan was all they needed.

Dire Troll Mauler

Dire Troll Mauler

What I've Learned about Painting - Part I

I've been painting Warmachine/Hordes miniatures for about six months now.  I thought it would be a good time to stop and capture some of my learning process.  I don't consider myself  a great painter, but perhaps a decent one.  The yardstick I'm using is whether I'm able to achieve the results that I set out for myself.  I'm at the point now where I can do this more often than not.  So, personally, that's a milestone.

In the past six months, I've watched videos, read tutorials online, and scoured the "Forces Of" painting guides.  In that time I've painted 30-40 models.  During my limited experience, I picked up a lot of tips and tricks that helped me work faster and more accurately.  Here goes:

• Thin your paint - forever and always.  Even if it's just a drop of water, or a slightly loaded brush of water.  Thinned paint flows better and dries slower. 
• Don't thin your paint too much - whaaaat?  There's a happy medium.  Too much water and you don't get good coverage, the paint runs off the brush and pools everywhere in addition to where you want it.
• Use flow-aid, especially with metals.  Flow aid reduces the surface tension of the paint and helps it flow off of the brush easier.  It also "smooths out" the paint on the mini surface and helps get more even coverage.  It's also supposed to retard drying time, but I may not use enough to make a difference.
• Surface tension sucks - the only time it helps  is with washes, when you want the paint to settle in the cracks.  This is another reason to reduce it with flo-aid, or other means.  
• Who decides how much paint is on the brush?  I do! - Deliberately load the brush with just the right amount of paint.  I've learned that the amount of paint on the brush is just as important as how thin the paint is.  Too much paint and it runs everywhere, too little and it doesn't flow onto the model and tends to dry on the brush.  I load my brush, then wipe off excess on my palette.
•  Ceramic palettes rock - ceramic palettes are soooo much easier to clean than the cheap plastic ones.  Soak them in hot water for a few minutes and the paint sloughs right off.  I use a ceramic palette for making washes now.
• Wet palettes are neat  - I use it for everything but washes now.  The paint won't dry on the palette as quickly, which is a real big deal.  It also means you don't need to put as much paint on the palette to keep it wet - so I save paint too.
• Making washes is hard - I've constantly struggled with making washes that do what I want them too.  I've tried to emulate the wonderful GW washes, with limited success.  I have seen some improvement lately, when I backed off on the amount of water and leaned towards a darker, but thinner, paint. 
• Brush ferrules hate paint - don't get paint in the brush ferrule! 
• Synthetic brushes are good for metals and drybrushing.  I find I get better results with synthetic brushes and metal paints.  I suspect it's because the bristles are thicker and there's more space between them to allow the metal flakes to flow.  When using natural brushes, the flakes don't flow out along with the pigments as well.  Also - use flow-aid!

This is just part one but I think I've covered the fundamentals that I've learned in the last six months.

Lord of the Feast

What a great sculpt.  I love this guy.  The antlered helm, the raven perched on his arm, the severed hand hanging from this bag.... what??  Yeah, he's that kind of guy.

His assembly really challenged me.  At first I didn't bother to pin anything.  However, his sword arm broke off while painting him so I added the pin there.  It was a pretty easy pin job.  The horns, however, took me about 20 minutes to attach.  It felt like longer.  I couldn't figure out how they were intended to line up.  Eventually, after some filing, I found a position that seemed to work well and it glued surprisingly easily.

As usual, I tried to follow the studio painting scheme.  The part where I winged it was the antlers.  I'm not too happy with them, but overall I think he turned out okay for a tabletop standard.  I'm in the midst of trying to crank out 35pts for an event in two weeks, so I don't have much time to spare for the details.

Lord of the Feast

35 pt. Domination List

There's an upcoming Domination event at my LGS and I'm trying to get together a 35 pt army to field.  I already had a Circle battlebox ready, but that means I still need another 20+ points.  I decided to build and paint up the following to supplement the battle box:

Grayle
Wolves of Orboros (6 man)
Wolves UA
Woldwarden
Lord of the Feast
Morraig

I should mention that I have three weeks to get them done.  Wish me luck.

Circle of Orboros warpack

I finished up the Circle of Orboros starter warpack this week. They turned out ok. I'm still not ready to paint eyes on the humans so they just get some shading in their sockets. I picked up some GW flock and used it for the grass. I'm really happy about the way it turned out. The flock has 3-4 different colors in it and they really complement the colors in the Circle figures.

I should probably go back and add some highlights to the gold armor since I've just added a matte varnish (Dullcote).  But, I wanted to get them table-ready for this weekend.

The warpack

Kaya

Kaya

Kaya

Feral Warpwolf

Feral Warpwolf

Feral Warpwolf

Argus (stalking)

Argus (leaping)

Argus (leaping)