Shards of Everdark! I really love many of the models in this one. The Ice Wyrms are awesome, One Fist, Steelhorn, and Karnon are really great figures as well. I like the Dark Minotaurs models, although sticking with FFG's color scheme on them I think they came out kind of boring. Maybe that's just me though.
On 1/10/2018 at 3:29 PM, Kaaihn said:Shards of Everdark! I really love many of the models in this one. The Ice Wyrms are awesome, One Fist, Steelhorn, and Karnon are really great figures as well. I like the Dark Minotaurs models, although sticking with FFG's color scheme on them I think they came out kind of boring. Maybe that's just me though.
Awesome paint jobs! Would you mind sharing the paints/colors used for each of the heroes? If you have a tutorial/link to WIP steps, that would be appreciated too!
thanks
5 hours ago, jrvk777 said:Awesome paint jobs! Would you mind sharing the paints/colors used for each of the heroes? If you have a tutorial/link to WIP steps, that would be appreciated too!
Thanks!
I use Vallejo paints and a citadel, vallejo, and army painter washes. Army painter has a bigger range of skin washes, most colored washes I use are citadel, and a couple washes that citadel doesnt make like grey and solid black wash are the vallejo ones. The jpaint colors are straight matches of the bottled paints against the images on the package. I don't mix colors. I take a picture of each image and print it and have my wife label each area with the colors that match the Vallejo pallet since I'm colorblind. I don't keep the labeled images once I've finished, so I can't say definitively what each color used was, but I remember some of it.
For Karnon (yeti looking guy), the body fur is offwhite with an army painter soft tone wash, then highlighted back up with offwhite. His hair is bonewhite, same wash, highlighted back up with bonewhite.
Steelhorn, the skin is khaki, washed with nuln oil and highlighted back up with khaki. his shoulder armor is gunmetal, washed with nuln oil, highlighted with gunmetal and some object lighting highlights with chainmail silver. The loincloth is scarlet blood. The gold areas of the armor is the darker gold color (forget the name offhand), washed, highlighted, object light highlighted with polished gold.
One fist, his armor is gunmetal, nuln oil washed, gunmetal highlighted, then overbrushed with mutation green. The cape and loincloth and strapping and weapon wrap is leatherbrown, nuln oil wash, leatherbrown highlight.
The furs of the lady are deadwhite, washed with vallejo gray wash, highlighted back up with deadwhite. When painting white or yellow, paint first with white primer before washing, or it's likely not going to come out right.
If there is something else on the heroes you would like the specific color of I can try to remember (and ask my wife).
As far as a tutorial, the technique I'm using for almost all my Descent stuff is the same. I apply the base colors, wash, highlight back up with that same basecolor. If it's metal, I add a little object source lighting highlighting using the next brighter metal color. So, for "cheap" looking metal, start with gunmetal, then end with chainmail. For "quality" metal, start with chainmail, end with silver. Look at Steelhorns steel armor vs his horns and you can see the difference. Same for brasses and golds, except there are only two of each of those, so base with the darker, wash, highlight with same color as base, object source highlighting with lighter color. Generally, standard leather I use leatherbrown. Standard wood is beasty brown. Bones, teeth, and nails/claws are bonewhite.
I generally drybrush skin after washing to give it a more natural skin look, but just carefully paint the highlights back on with the base color for everything else so the model pops a little more. It's a very fast technique overall and gives a great look. I'm not going for high art with Descent since there are just so many models and the excess detail gets a bit lost really anyway in a tabletop game like this. I save the indepth super detailed jobs for things like Warhammer 40K, those I paint more for the art than as simple game pieces. Each of these heroes on average I can knock out in 3-4 hours each.
Quick tip, when you base color something and then wash it, liberally apply that wash. It will create a range of colors. Darkest in the recesses, a mid level darkening of the base color above that, and a light darkening of the base color at the highest areas. So just touching up the high areas with the base color again creates that highlight that makes the model pop. No extensive highlighting is needed at all. Saves a ton of time. The stingier you are with the wash, the fewer color shades you will have when the wash drys, which means more work to be done to get those shades put in manually.
And don't be afraid at all to use different color washes on the same model! Generally I nuln oil everything except skin. Quick touchup of the skin base color where I splashed nuln oil on skin getting everywhere else, then carefully apply a flesh wash to the skin. It creates a much more realistic effect.
On 1/12/2018 at 3:07 AM, Kaaihn said:
Thank you!
17 hours ago, jrvk777 said:Thank you!
Anytime, feel free to ask questions. I took a couple snaps at each stage of this Ogre I just did. Not the most exciting model or color scheme, but since it has a lot of both metal, skin, leather, and fabric on a large model, I figured it was a good one for this. You can see the overall process is really simple that I use. Just base coat cleanly, wash heavily, and a little bit of highlighting. Your highlighting job is mostly done already if you go heavy with the wash. As you can see, there isn't a giant difference between the washed stage and the highlighted stage. The highlighting is to make metals look more realistic, and make colors overall pop a bit when seen in person. That isn't necessary, it's just the style I like for fantasy models.
I finished two of these, from base coating to complete, in about 4 hours worth of work.
Bear in mind that the camera picks up and enhances color somewhat, more than what you would see in person, and there is a big *** light shining right on this model just out of frame. So the washed stage photo you see here is showing more vividness and light reflection than you would see in person. That's why I highlight, to create the light reflections and vividness in person from any distance, without needing to hold the model right under a light bulb to get the effect and impact.
6 hours ago, Kaaihn said:Anytime, feel free to ask questions. I took a couple snaps at each stage of this Ogre I just did. Not the most exciting model or color scheme, but since it has a lot of both metal, skin, leather, and fabric on a large model, I figured it was a good one for this. You can see the overall process is really simple that I use. Just base coat cleanly, wash heavily, and a little bit of highlighting. Your highlighting job is mostly done already if you go heavy with the wash. As you can see, there isn't a giant difference between the washed stage and the highlighted stage. The highlighting is to make metals look more realistic, and make colors overall pop a bit when seen in person. That isn't necessary, it's just the style I like for fantasy models.
I finished two of these, from base coating to complete, in about 4 hours worth of work.
Bear in mind that the camera picks up and enhances color somewhat, more than what you would see in person, and there is a big *** light shining right on this model just out of frame. So the washed stage photo you see here is showing more vividness and light reflection than you would see in person. That's why I highlight, to create the light reflections and vividness in person from any distance, without needing to hold the model right under a light bulb to get the effect and impact.
Thanks again! Curious about those Troll figures, though! would you mind showing close-ups, and describe which paints/colors you used? Excellent work, as always!
15 hours ago, jrvk777 said:Thanks again! Curious about those Troll figures, though! would you mind showing close-ups, and describe which paints/colors you used? Excellent work, as always!
I'll post photos of all of them like I usually do once I finish this H&M pack. Almost done with the Manticores
Amazing work, Kaaihn!
That is some excellent painting as I wouldn't consider the Descent miniatures to be amazingly detailed; you've managed to capture and create detail where there really isn't any and it makes those models pop. I just recently got into Descent and have rediscovered painting miniatures in general and your photos just make me want to cry - it looks like a daunting amount of work! I've also got some Bolt Action miniatures (never mind all the terrain ... yikes) and will likely be adding Legion soon as well. What have I done...
I didn't read through this entire thread so you may have already answered this question but how long does it take you to do a typical group of 3-4 monsters?
Edited by Digitalfiends37 minutes ago, Digitalfiends said:That is some excellent painting as I wouldn't consider the Descent miniatures to be amazingly detailed; you've managed to capture and create detail where there really isn't any and it makes those models pop. I just recently got into Descent and have rediscovered painting miniatures in general and your photos just make me want to cry - it looks like a daunting amount of work! I've also got some Bolt Action miniatures (never mind all the terrain ... yikes) and will likely be adding Legion soon as well. What have I done...
I didn't read through this entire thread so you may have already answered this question but how long does it take you to do a typical group of 3-4 monsters?
Thanks! It's only daunting because of the number of miniatures really. As far as process goes, I'm keeping it really basic. Base colors, wash, super minor amount of highlighting and call it a day. Metals I put one extra color highlight on so it reflects correctly, but that takes no time at all.
Heroes take me 4-5 hours each, and monsters typically take 4-5 hours also, but for the whole group. Exceptions are models I go overboard on, or have to experiment to get the look correct on. That's mainly been the dragons because of their mostly solid colors. The less color variety in the palette, the more work it is to create the appearance of detail.
Visions of Dawn. I love the Ogre and Troll sculpts in this one!
Wow, those look awesome!
Crown of Destiny
I really like what you did with Gherin's face. What made you choose to make that creative decision?
5 minutes ago, subtrendy2 said:I really like what you did with Gherin's face. What made you choose to make that creative decision?
That's what his face is supposed to look like. All my figures are just color matched against their official artwork. He is wearing a half mask, its sculpted into the figure.
except the mask is not green but more Iron, so "yellow"
On 4/26/2018 at 12:10 PM, rugal said:except the mask is not green but more Iron, so "yellow"
Yeah, I see what happened. There is a small area on the side of the face in the cheek area of the mask that is green, that's what was labeled for me. I thought my guide was just saying the mask is green. Oops!
I'm colorblind, I enlarge and print the picture from the original artwork and then have my wife label the colors based on the Vallejo paint line I use, I don't pick the colors myself. They would look all sorts of screwy if I tried.
On 4/26/2018 at 5:10 PM, rugal said:except the mask is not green but more Iron, so "yellow"
The green works though, have no idea why but it works, perhaps because it is different to the other colours thus stands out, especially from the other yellows.
So maybe a happy accident or bit of creative license.
On 1/12/2018 at 2:07 AM, Kaaihn said:since I'm colorblind
What in the...? I can't even... Your work is astounding, and then I read that. Wow. Way to be!
I've saved quite a few of these pics for inspiration as I just started with the base game last week. I have a long road ahead of me.
1 hour ago, Demtor said:What in the...? I can't even... Your work is astounding, and then I read that. Wow. Way to be!
I've saved quite a few of these pics for inspiration as I just started with the base game last week. I have a long road ahead of me.
Thanks! The entire game really is daunting to think about tackling. My 2 cents, don't force it. As much as I would like to have the whole game done, remember there is so much that you will usually only see a fraction of figures in any given game. So no point burning out on painting by forcing yourself to do it like its a job when you won't really even end up changing your gaming experience at the end. My group pretty much only uses the app, so what I did was painted the base game, then went through the boxed expansions one by one (lieutenants done as part of each relevant box), then moved on to H&M's. I added each expansion to the app as I finished painting, so our games just got more and more options as I painted. Everyone really enjoyed that, yet so many times comments would happen like "oooh, never seen that, that must be newly done"! No, that monster group had been done months ago, the app just hadn't chosen them yet for us. So no point rushing it all!
I think I have 4 or 5 more hero and monster packs to finish. I finished the medusas out of my next H&M pack and then seem to have just gone on sabbatical. I'll get back to it when the mood strikes me (new job that has me traveling for a week or 2 a month and most of my creative juices doesn't help).
I'm doing a very simple job on these. Takes 4-5 hours per hero, and about the same amount of time per monster group. If you would like any tips based on my process feel free to ask, happy to share lessons learned with anyone. Just don't ask me for color recommendations ;)
My only critique of your painted miniatures is that I personally would bring them up from where they are in terms of highlights. It looks like you might have stopped at washes for the most part?
Those figures are way better quality than a simple wash.
On 5/18/2018 at 11:06 AM, Alcovitch said:My only critique of your painted miniatures is that I personally would bring them up from where they are in terms of highlights. It looks like you might have stopped at washes for the most part?
I've said a few times that it's just Descent, I'm not going crazy with the paint jobs. Higher levels of highlight and OSL aren't really noticeable on the table for Descent over what I've done. That said, these would look significantly different without highlighting, far more washed (lol) out. There is at least one level of highlighting everywhere, with another on metal areas and extra on certain figures that I felt like doing a little more on.
The nice thing is that if I ever decide to turn these from game pieces into art pieces I can just pick up any piece and continue adding more layers of highlighting and object source lighting to get them there. I doubt I'll ever bother though.
Edited by KaaihnOn 5/19/2018 at 11:55 AM, Kaaihn said:I've said a few times that it's just Descent, I'm not going crazy with the paint jobs. Higher levels of highlight and OSL aren't really noticeable on the table
Glad to hear I'm not alone in this. I was getting angry at my zombie faces (not sure if I sprayed them too close and washed out their detail or the models just sucked) before I finally just said, "Whatever, moving along." Who really cares when the game is going. (Besides, IMO these aren't exactly Games Workshop Golden Daemon winning models or anything.)
That said I still probably spent more time on them than necessary but I am off to a good start with my first few groups of baddies. Especially proud of my brown spiders.
7 minutes ago, Demtor said:Glad to hear I'm not alone in this. I was getting angry at my zombie faces (not sure if I sprayed them too close and washed out their detail or the models just sucked) before I finally just said, "Whatever, moving along." Who really cares when the game is going. (Besides, IMO these aren't exactly Games Workshop Golden Daemon winning models or anything.)
That said I still probably spent more time on them than necessary but I am off to a good start with my first few groups of baddies. Especially proud of my brown spiders.
Your stuff looks good to me for Descent! I put faaaar more time into my 40K miniatures when I was painting and playing Warhammer. Descent mini's are not Warhammer mini's, exactly. If someone enjoys going the extra mile on these (darkstarminis work is amazing), more power to them. I don't think they are worth it. I just want a fun good looking set to put on the table. These aren't going on a display shelf or being entered into a contest.