1 hour ago, FrogTrigger said:

Ok so I really suck at eyes. I botched jyns so bad I covered them and my Luke looked awesome until the eyes now he looks like a cartoon character lol.

@Sorastro Or anyone for that matter, any tips on this? Methods to follow? Best ways to just not do eyes but still make the face look natural?

its frustrating to spend so much time on a figure have it look good the at the very last step lose it all :/

I posted this in a thread a few months ago, but here's what I (as a sorastro-inspired amateur) find helps with my eyes. Sometimes it still takes me a few tries to make them match one another, but I find it way easier than trying to paint freehand.

If you do want to try for eyes, and you don't have the precision skills that some of the amazing painters on this forum have, I find it's way easier if you paint them first.

So paint the whole face in a darker flesh-tone, then do a wash, then once it dries paint the eye whites and pupils before continuing. Invariably my eyes end up huge and derpy-looking at this stage, but since I haven't done the highlights yet I can use the original dark flesh-tone to shrink the eyes back down to a more human-looking scale. I find it 10x easier to paint sloppy eyes and then shrink them to a neat size compared to trying to straight up paint tiny eyes like Sorastro and co. do. Better still, if you screw up at this stage it's easy to just start again without worrying about messing up all the highlighting that you've done.

Once you've got that done you can start highlighting with a lighter flesh tone (or a mix between dark tone/light tone, then the light tone afterwards). I also tend not to go too over-bright with the highlighting compared to what Sorastro does - when he does it it looks great, when I do it it tends to look more like they're wearing badly caked-on makeup.

The method @ManateeX describes is a sound one for almost every important tiny detail when you still lack the brush-control needed to get them right the first time - simply correct mistakes with the surrounding base colour as you go along. That being said, practising your brush control with every new mini you paint really helps on the long run, since it's basically all about routine and muscle memory.

As for the white of the eyes, I have another tipp for you that might help you greatly - it's become my go-to method for painting the white of the eyes:

With the clean and sharply detailed sculpts we get these days, the eyeballs are usually well-defined recessed areas. I dillute my white or off-white for the eyes more than I generally dillute my paints - just to the point when it starts to run, and then a bit more. Then I load the tip of a sharply pointed brush with the dilluted runny white, and slightly dip the tip of the brush right into or onto the recessed sculpt of the eyball. The runny consistency and the capillary effect of the small recessed detail does all the work for you, as the white fills the eyeball perfectly up to the eyelids. It is important that you do not overload your brush, and you might need to repeat the process one or two times, but I guarantee you that the result will be very neat and sharp.

I hope this is of help.

4 hours ago, Fourtytwo said:

With the clean and sharply detailed sculpts we get these days, the eyeballs are usually well-defined recessed areas. I dillute my white or off-white for the eyes more than I generally dillute my paints - just to the point when it starts to run, and then a bit more. Then I load the tip of a sharply pointed brush with the dilluted runny white, and slightly dip the tip of the brush right into or onto the recessed sculpt of the eyball. The runny consistency and the capillary effect of the small recessed detail does all the work for you, as the white fills the eyeball perfectly up to the eyelids. It is important that you do not overload your brush, and you might need to repeat the process one or two times, but I guarantee you that the result will be very neat and sharp.

I hope this is of help.

Thanks a lot for the tip! I'm going to try that on my next human mini (although it could be a while since I'm in the middle of a bunch of stormtroopers right now). The main problem with my method is that you tend to lose the shading and definition around the eyes that the wash created. Again that's not a huge deal for someone like me who's just trying to get things to look nice from table-distance, but it's always good to feel like I'm improving.

Wow thanks so much guys. I am doing Han next and going in I was thinking no way I'm trying the eyes on this one, but after reading your posts I think i will give these methods a shot.

i still might try and fix Luke a bit by shrinking the eyes, but for now he can sit I'll move on and let the frustration settle lol.

On 2/13/2018 at 1:54 PM, ManateeX said:

Thanks a lot for the tip! I'm going to try that on my next human mini (although it could be a while since I'm in the middle of a bunch of stormtroopers right now). The main problem with my method is that you tend to lose the shading and definition around the eyes that the wash created. Again that's not a huge deal for someone like me who's just trying to get things to look nice from table-distance, but it's always good to feel like I'm improving.

That tip above is how I paint Stormtrooper's "shades" these days. Rather than trying to fill the dark eye areas with paint, I use a couple of applications of neat Nuln Oil into the eye "sockets" and they look great. Much neater than I can ever paint with the brush.

If I had it, I'd use the gloss Nuln Oil, but the regular one looks fine.

Drokatta! A bit underwhelming so far in our campaign, but fun to paint. This was my first attempt at wet blending

What do you think?

On 1/27/2018 at 5:14 AM, Sorastro said:

Ahsoka Tano

After getting carried away with the object source lighting on Obi Wan, I think I might have been too restrained here with Davith. It's more obvious in real life, and I did want it to be subtle (after all, he's meant to be stealthy) so perhaps it's ok as it is.

Love his eyes, very well done. Any tips?

10 hours ago, FrogTrigger said:

Love his eyes, very well done. Any tips?

Thanks! They are about the first non-alien eyes I am happy with. I think I was helped by Davith having a nice open face with quite big features.

I followed the advice higher up the thread. I painted the eyes with Vallejo Ivory and then a dark spot (can't remember if I did macragge blue or german grey now) for the pupil, and then I painted the skin around the eyes with Cadian Fleshtone. It was easier to cover the unwanted ivory than try to paint the eye in. It took a couple of attempts to get pupils I was happy with, and they actually look better once the skin tone is covering a portion of them. When I was painting the pupils in last previously it often meant the pupil was "escaping" the eye area.

Another tip I read somewhere was to paint the pupils as a small vertical stroke, and aim to put them 2/3rds towards the nose rather than in the middle of the eye. Not sure I managed that on his right eye!

Finally I used a reikland fleshshade wash and made sure to pull excess wash away from the middle of the eye with a dry brush, so it just tinted the outside of the eye.

This thread is 67 pages of people thanking Sorastro for his excellent videos, so I know I’m not adding a whole lot by posting here. But I am about the least artistically gifted person in the universe - I’m clumsy with big hands and usually not very patient. But I got it in my head that I would paint the Imperial Assault miniatures my son got for Christmas as a way of enhancing the game for us and I don’t think I could have done it without Sorastro’s videos. The production value and the soothing calm voice make them so viewable and I like the way he walks through the steps.

My goal with the miniatures is to get them looking decent from a tabletop viewing distance so I typically dilute my wash and then do less highlighting afterwards, compared to the video instructions. The results obviously don’t have the same level of contrast and quality as the ones in the videos but they are passable. But as I get a bit more skilled I find that I’m adding more highlight layers. Like everyone else I started with the stormtroopers thinking it would be easy and these are the figures I’m still the least happy with. I have actually stripped three or four and started over. My Vader came out pretty well but I’m really pleased with my low effort version of the Emperor’s Royal Guards as well as Jyne Odan and Fenn Signis. Like Skywalker came out pretty well too.

Heres the one I think came out the best.

We really are lucky to have Sorastro's guides. I can honestly say I wouldn't be a mini painter right now if it wasn't for him and it is a hobby I've grown to love.

there is also a way to make sure we keep getting great creative content from him

https://www.patreon.com/Sorastros/posts

Hi folks!

It's time for me to spread some more painting love, and this time I'm painting the awesome Vinto! I hope you enjoy the new video

On 3/13/2018 at 10:41 PM, FrogTrigger said:

We really are lucky to have Sorastro's guides. I can honestly say I wouldn't be a mini painter right now if it wasn't for him and it is a hobby I've grown to love.

there is also a way to make sure we keep getting great creative content from him

https://www.patreon.com/Sorastros/posts

Totally agree. I would have never even made an attempt at the hobby if it wasn't for his videos.

Curious to see if anyone has painted their IA Jedi Luke using Sorastro Legion Luke techniques?

I'm finally gearing up to tackle the Rancor, and have completed the first steps of assembling the figure and priming it, including my first adventures with Green Stuff. So far so good.

In @Sorastro 's video, he uses a mix of XV88 and Steel Legion Drab for the "mid-tone" and I am a bit low on those colours - can anyone recommend a Vallejo paint that would be a similar colour to that mix?

My other question about this video is about the wet-blending, glaze medium, and paint thickness. Watching the video, it looks a lot like Sorastro is applying just a single coat of paint to the figure, while still having good coverage. Usually I think my paints a bit with water, but always have to apply 2 or 3 coats to get good coverage, but that doesn't seem compatible with the wet blending technique shown in the vid. Any advice on how to prepare my paints for this?

I thought I'd give Vinto a go today, while I build up the nerve to try the Rancor.

Featuring my first attempt at non-metallic metal!

On 4/22/2018 at 8:20 PM, udat said:

I thought I'd give Vinto a go today, while I build up the nerve to try the Rancor.

Featuring my first attempt at non-metallic metal!

Fantastic work Udat! I love the vibrant colours and strong contrast you've achieved

Next from me is Onar ; I hope you like it!

Onar’s sculpt is so good, I had a lot of fun painting him.

Your videos got me to make a serious go at painting my dudes. Thought I'd share some tricks I've picked up along the way.

000: Initially painted with Tamiya Gunmetal, washed in Nuln Oil. Don't remember what I used for the eyes, but I need to go back with my new Mephiston and Wild Rider reds.
For the electricity arc, I cut up some pieces of Army Painter Razor Wire, painted it white, then covered it with Tamiya Clear Blue, and put some on 000's body where appropriate. I plan to replicate this effect with the Riot Trooper stun batons and with Emperor Sheevy P, but with purple instead.

To make him feel at home in a cozy torture room, I painted the base black and glued on some window screen material. Dry-brush a metallic, then Typhus Corrosion, then a little bit of orange for rust. Get some Blood for the Blood God on the hands, feet, and seeping through the grate. Some Nurgle's Rot can imply that he had an alien guest, or a human that couldn't hold his lunch.

I mostly followed your video for Ahsoka, except for having too many blue lines on the left lekku, a very thin Runefang Steel glaze over the lightsaber blades, and a Crait-inspired base.

I had just watched The Last Jedi and when I saw Crait, I just had to base somebody with it. Paint it white, Blood for the Blood God, and then, not knowing what PVA glue was, I brushed on some super glue and shook it in my Gale Force 9 Tundra/Ash Flock Foundation and dry-brushed it white. I left the area in front of her right foot uncovered since it looks like she raked it back. Naturally, there's a slight concentration directly behind said foot.

I think I did this before your video, but tweaked the eyes after.

I really wanted his base to resemble his rolling stone slab, so I gave it Agrellan Earth, Tamiya J.N. Grey (there are better options, but it's what I had at the time), then Nuln Oil. Where I had fun was with the Nurgle's Rot. Jabba's a pretty gross dude, so I started by having some come out of his mouth like drool, but realized that it should be seeping through his creases. As you can see, I got a little crazy with it. His little food jar is on his left, so I covered that hand. Finally, I determined that he would probably leave some residue on account of sitting there all the time and worked some in under him, drawing from the terrible mental image of seeing a friend's dorm room bedsheets.

The friends that I play with find this mini to feel gross to hold, which gave me a profound sense of accomplishment and sympathy for Princess Leia.

Being a veteran of Shadows of the Empire on N64, IG-88 needed an Ord Mantell Junkyard base. I have a cousin with a metal shop and was able to score bits of metal shavings. I very much do not recommend touching the edges. It also has Stirland Mud, a flap of window screen, and bits of a brass tube clipped and warped. The centerpiece: a rubber tube made to look like rusted metal. I used your Rancor saliva and Nurgle's Rot to get some toxic ooze pouring out.

Nice work Averross. I really dig the thought and action put into the bases.

Mostly done, except for the emblems being messy and missing. Oh God, I just noticed the strap buckle is brown. My favorite detail in The Force Awakens is the little bits of laminate clattering on the ground after a stormtrooper gets crit'd. I wanted to replicate effect that on a base, and Biv Bodhrik loves nothing more than punching stormtroopers. I shaved bits of PVC pipe with an exacto knife and covered them in Tamiya Smoke (eq. Nuln Oil Gloss) so they look charred, but shiny.