Sorastro's Painting

By Sorastro, in Painting

37 minutes ago, Hawkstrike said:

So with all the painting and videoing ... have you gotten to play much Legion?

Hi Hawkstrike!

I've had a couple of games with my daughter and we're loving it! We've got most of the rules down now and are ready for a full 800 point game now that I've got the airspeeder complete.. :)

Hey @Sorastro Your minis and videos make me angry. How can anyone have such effortless skill! haha But seriously thanks so much for the videos. They are the reason I got into Legion. I know I'll never be the artist you are, but you have a way of making even advanced technique seems simple enough that even I had the confidence to give it a try. And while my results aren't at your level, I simply don't have a hand steady enough to line like you, I am really happy with what I was able to do.

21 hours ago, xbeaker said:

Hey @Sorastro Your minis and videos make me angry. How can anyone have such effortless skill! haha But seriously thanks so much for the videos. They are the reason I got into Legion. I know I'll never be the artist you are, but you have a way of making even advanced technique seems simple enough that even I had the confidence to give it a try. And while my results aren't at your level, I simply don't have a hand steady enough to line like you, I am really happy with what I was able to do.

Ha ha - thanks xbeaker!

I really appreciate that, and I'm glad to hear you've summoned the confidence to try some of the more advanced techniques. I've always felt that it doesn't hurt to aim high - even for beginners, because even if things don't always turn out perfect, the end results will usually be a lot better than those attained by playing too safe, plus you'll be learning loads long the way. I think a lot of painters also don't realise what they're capable of with a little care and practice. :)

Hello @ Sorastro !

Your Vader painting tutorial were very helpful but I have an additional question, what would be the best way to give Vader's eyes a slight red tint like they have in A New Hope and Rogue One?

Really enjoyed watching these videos. I'm planning to buy just enough paints to do my Storm Troopers and then add more paints over time for the rest to spread the cost out a little. Leaving Luke and Darth until the end, by which point most of the paints need I'll already own.

The Primer sprays bump the cost up a fair bit and I'd probably prefer brush paint more than spray with the exception of spraying the Zenith highlights. I've three questions based on that as I'm trying to keep my up front costs a little lower without really sacrificing much.

What volume of primer would be sufficient to cover the 33 models? Spray cans appear to be 400ml whilst you can get Vallejo Primer bottles (airbrush or brush on) in 17ml bottles for 1/4 the price. The price per ml favours the spray cans (depending how much wastage there is in spraying?) but just how much is actually needed to cover the core set? Would a 17ml bottle be sufficient?

From the videos I gather I'd (eventually) need VMC Black Primer, Mechanicus Standard Grey, Corax White and Fine Surface Primer. The first two I could get brush on versions of, whilst the last two both appear to be used for Zenith highlights on different models (Corax on rebels, Fine Surface on Troopers). Would it change the look much if I used a Vallejo brush on equivalent of Corax White and used the "Fine Surface Primer" spray to do the zenith highlights for both Storm Troopers and Rebels? That way I can do any of the primes using brush on primer and need only one spray can colour for the zenith highlight?

Depending on the answers to the above, can anyone suggest reasonably close matches in the Vallejo brush on primer range for "Corax White" and "Mechanicus Standard Grey". I was thinking Surface Primer Grey (74.601) as a single replacement for both those primers?

Edited by DwainDibbly
11 hours ago, RavenGear said:

Hello @ Sorastro !

Your Vader painting tutorial were very helpful but I have an additional question, what would be the best way to give Vader's eyes a slight red tint like they have in A New Hope and Rogue One?

Hi RavenGear! I'd probably just mix some red with black and paint them in. There's not much room for varying the tone with shadows and highlights etc, but I might go in with a white or off-white to provide a reflective glint on top. :)

12 minutes ago, Sorastro said:

Hi RavenGear! I'd probably just mix some red with black and paint them in. There's not much room for varying the tone with shadows and highlights etc, but I might go in with a white or off-white to provide a reflective glint on top. :)

Thank you for the answer, keep up the great work.

Hello @Sorastro . Love the videos.

Any suggestions for weathering the speeder? I know your vid isn’t up yet. Similar process to the AT-RT?

I haven’t done much weathering before. I’ve got my speeder up to that point but unsure where to go from here to make it look like it’s not fresh off the line.

Edited by Orkimedes
1 hour ago, Orkimedes said:

Oh - nice! - almost a shame to weather it.

On 22/04/2018 at 5:23 AM, DwainDibbly said:

Really enjoyed watching these videos. I'm planning to buy just enough paints to do my Storm Troopers and then add more paints over time for the rest to spread the cost out a little. Leaving Luke and Darth until the end, by which point most of the paints need I'll already own.

The Primer sprays bump the cost up a fair bit and I'd probably prefer brush paint more than spray with the exception of spraying the Zenith highlights. I've three questions based on that as I'm trying to keep my up front costs a little lower without really sacrificing much.

What volume of primer would be sufficient to cover the 33 models? Spray cans appear to be 400ml whilst you can get Vallejo Primer bottles (airbrush or brush on) in 17ml bottles for 1/4 the price. The price per ml favours the spray cans (depending how much wastage there is in spraying?) but just how much is actually needed to cover the core set? Would a 17ml bottle be sufficient?

From the videos I gather I'd (eventually) need VMC Black Primer, Mechanicus Standard Grey, Corax White and Fine Surface Primer. The first two I could get brush on versions of, whilst the last two both appear to be used for Zenith highlights on different models (Corax on rebels, Fine Surface on Troopers). Would it change the look much if I used a Vallejo brush on equivalent of Corax White and used the "Fine Surface Primer" spray to do the zenith highlights for both Storm Troopers and Rebels? That way I can do any of the primes using brush on primer and need only one spray can colour for the zenith highlight?

Depending on the answers to the above, can anyone suggest reasonably close matches in the Vallejo brush on primer range for "Corax White" and "Mechanicus Standard Grey". I was thinking Surface Primer Grey (74.601) as a single replacement for both those primers?

I know you were asking Sorastro here but IMO you would do just fine to simply prime them white (meaning you only need one can of primer). I would spray prime as you will likely get a nicer, smoother coat that way. Using multiple primers is more expensive and zenithal is nice but also a somewhat optional step. White storm troopers are going to look really good even without that subtle grey undertone. Heck even Corax white, even if it's a bit of a lighter grey vs white, will look good imo.

On 22/04/2018 at 12:23 PM, DwainDibbly said:

Really enjoyed watching these videos. I'm planning to buy just enough paints to do my Storm Troopers and then add more paints over time for the rest to spread the cost out a little. Leaving Luke and Darth until the end, by which point most of the paints need I'll already own.

The Primer sprays bump the cost up a fair bit and I'd probably prefer brush paint more than spray with the exception of spraying the Zenith highlights. I've three questions based on that as I'm trying to keep my up front costs a little lower without really sacrificing much.

What volume of primer would be sufficient to cover the 33 models? Spray cans appear to be 400ml whilst you can get Vallejo Primer bottles (airbrush or brush on) in 17ml bottles for 1/4 the price. The price per ml favours the spray cans (depending how much wastage there is in spraying?) but just how much is actually needed to cover the core set? Would a 17ml bottle be sufficient?

From the videos I gather I'd (eventually) need VMC Black Primer, Mechanicus Standard Grey, Corax White and Fine Surface Primer. The first two I could get brush on versions of, whilst the last two both appear to be used for Zenith highlights on different models (Corax on rebels, Fine Surface on Troopers). Would it change the look much if I used a Vallejo brush on equivalent of Corax White and used the "Fine Surface Primer" spray to do the zenith highlights for both Storm Troopers and Rebels? That way I can do any of the primes using brush on primer and need only one spray can colour for the zenith highlight?

Depending on the answers to the above, can anyone suggest reasonably close matches in the Vallejo brush on primer range for "Corax White" and "Mechanicus Standard Grey". I was thinking Surface Primer Grey (74.601) as a single replacement for both those primers?

Hi Dwain!

Sorry for not replying to this sooner; I missed your original post for some reason...

Firstly - I agree with MiniJunkie and would definitely spray prime the minis rather than attempt to use a brush.

If you're on a budget and want to start off with just a single spray primer I'd also recommend just buying white (either a pure white or Citadel's Corax White). This would be fine for the Stormtroopers and will easily cover 33 models.

If you can stretch to a second primer you could get a mid-tone grey (like Mechanicus Standard Grey). This would be very useful for when you get to the vehicles but could also be used to create zenithal highlights by first priming in the grey, followed with your white from above. I've seen Stormtroopers done with Mechanicus Standard Grey followed with white and even though it's a darker grey than I used, they still look really good! Just take care not to over-spray - especially when applying multiple coats.

I hope this helps! :)

17 hours ago, Orkimedes said:

Hello @Sorastro . Love the videos.

Any suggestions for weathering the speeder? I know your vid isn’t up yet. Similar process to the AT-RT?

I haven’t done much weathering before. I’ve got my speeder up to that point but unsure where to go from here to make it look like it’s not fresh off the line.

F15CC9F2-E2F3-4252-AC45-7B88244156F6.jpeg

Hi Orkimedes!

Lovely work on your T-47; Like ABXY says - it would almost be a shame to weather it!

Whilst I was quite restrained with my AT-ST in terms of the weathering to better match the look from the movies, I went pretty full-on with my T-47. I'm hoping to be able to release the video soon, but you'll see me using a range of techniques already explored in the series for both the AT-ST and the AT-RT. I've also weathered the windows and had some fun with the blaster marks... :)

On ‎23‎/‎04‎/‎2018 at 3:20 AM, Orkimedes said:

Hello @Sorastro . Love the videos.

Any suggestions for weathering the speeder? I know your vid isn’t up yet. Similar process to the AT-RT?

I haven’t done much weathering before. I’ve got my speeder up to that point but unsure where to go from here to make it look like it’s not fresh off the line.

F15CC9F2-E2F3-4252-AC45-7B88244156F6.jpeg

I'm no painter myself, but putting some gunmetal wear on the barrels of the guns would make it look less "Factory New" and more "Well Maintained".

17 hours ago, Sorastro said:

Hi Dwain!

Sorry for not replying to this sooner; I missed your original post for some reason...

I think as I'd just registered a new account my posts were hidden until approved by a moderator. Then other posts between then and its approval hid it further :)

Thanks for the response.

As always Sorastro, first class thank you for the inspiration!

On 4/23/2018 at 12:14 AM, ABXY said:

Oh - nice! - almost a shame to weather it.

Definitely. It still has that factory, new 'speeder smell.

Wouldn't have any problem at all with some gun wear, as if from shooting or something.

22 hours ago, kuffdaddy said:

As always Sorastro, first class thank you for the inspiration!

Thank you sir! I really appreciate that. :)

The T-47 Episode is now live...

27834620458_1d23aeb428_b.jpg

I don't have all the paints from the videos, but I follow the basics and make do. Look at all of the videos, even the IA ones as they add insight to a great painter. My problem is that I have very little patience when painting.

However, when it comes to shopping I am a saint and can follow my wife around for hours, holding her packages and purse if need be.

I saw it was up Sorastro! Excellent as always. Been waiting for that to start thinking about my T-47. (working on the AT-RT right now and likely will be starting on my Rebel trooper squads as well).

That is a very good time to have patience Bohemian! Well done :)

6 hours ago, Sorastro said:

Thank you sir! I really appreciate that. :)

The T-47 Episode is now live...

27834620458_1d23aeb428_b.jpg

Many thanks!

Any advice on color choices for Veers?

My initial thoughts are:

Prime white or grey;

olive clothes; dark grey armor, helmet exterior; black e-11, microphone, goggle lenses, helmet rim/interior; lighter grey goggles strap; red/blue rank insignia; brownish grey boots.

7 hours ago, Sorastro said:

Thank you sir! I really appreciate that. :)

The T-47 Episode is now live...

27834620458_1d23aeb428_b.jpg

Welp, thought my T47 was done but this video made me start over...and I'm glad I did! Sorastro does it again.

5 hours ago, Derrault said:

Many thanks!

Any advice on color choices for Veers?

My initial thoughts are:

Prime white or grey;

olive clothes; dark grey armor, helmet exterior; black e-11, microphone, goggle lenses, helmet rim/interior; lighter grey goggles strap; red/blue rank insignia; brownish grey boots.

No problem! Regarding Veers, I haven't worked out the precise colours yet but I'll be painting him next.. :)

Great stuff @Sorastro thats all I can say really.

Love the T-47 video. Watched it last night with my son (10 yrs old) while he was falling asleep. He kept saying “wow. Dude, it’s finished already. You’re done bud, it looks amazing.” I think that started about 5 minutes into the 18 minute video.

I have not really tried to do much with weathering, but it’s tough to see this video and not want to give it a try. @Sorastro , can you tell me anything about the sponge you use for the chipped paint effects? I don’t want to get something that won’t work and then struggle to understand what’s happening (i.e. I want to be sure that when it comes out badly it’s the operator not the equipment).

Edited by BigBadAndy
4 minutes ago, BigBadAndy said:

Love the T-47 video. Watched it last night with my son (10 yrs old) while he was falling asleep. He kept saying “wow. Dude, it’s finished already. You’re done bud, it looks amazing.” I think that started about 5 minutes into the 18 minute video.

I have not really tried to do much with weathering, but it’s tough to see this video and not want to give it a try. @Sorastro , can you tell me anything about the sponge you use for the chipped paint effects? I don’t want to get something that won’t work and then struggle to understand what’s happening (i.e. I want to be sure that when it comes out badly it’s the operator not the equipment).

Thanks Cornwolf and Andy!

Regarding the sponge; I'm using artists sponge which I picked up at an art shop but they can also be found online ( https://amzn.to/2Jq8nQI ). You could also just use domestic sponge or sponge left over from packaging etc.. just test it out on something first to see if it produces textures at the "resolution" that matches the model you're working on. :)

I was happy with my Speeder.

I am now not happy with my speeder.

I was happy with Sorastro

I am now not happy with Sorastro

:D