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JordanGreywolf — Candy, Anime Cyberpunk Heroine
Published: 2012-10-09 03:35:37 +0000 UTC; Views: 903; Favourites: 3; Downloads: 22
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Description
Pewter 32mm scale gaming miniature manufactured by Reaper Miniatures from their Chronoscope line -- #50024, "Candy, Anime Heroine" -- painted with craft acrylics and mounted on a resin 25mm round "industrial" base from War Cast Studios.Reaper Miniatures: [link]
War Cast Studios: [link]
Originally, this miniature was nothing more than just "strangely-dressed girl with big gun," but I decided to paint on a few "glowing" blue lines on the face and limbs in an attempt to hint at futuristic cyberware. (WHY this technology would result in glowing blue lines visible on the skin, I'm not entirely sure. I'm just making this up as I go. Plus, I thought it would look cool. It's not as if her *attire* is very practical, either.) I figure that this might come in use in a future sci-fi/cyberpunk Savage Worlds RPG campaign.
I was experimenting here a bit with skin tone shading, gradients, dark-lining, and attempting to make very fine line details (to get "plaid" on the skirt), but as is demonstrated, I have much room for improvement yet. I'm still learning. However, I hope this will still be good enough for tabletop standard, as the miniature is only 1.25" high.
In the background is a resin "cargo bay" door from Grendel (from their "Cargo Bay" set), also painted by me.
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Comments: 15
I just read that flow improver helps with fine detail, like plaid! I need to start working with it because the consistancy of paint I need on my brush always dries faster then I can apply it to the small space.
I love her pink hair.
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Hmm. Now that makes me curious just what "flow improver" consists of.
In any case, one of the frustrating parts of painting fine details like this is that I have to turn off the fans blowing on my work area when I'm painting, or else the paint dries out too quickly. (I am in Florida, and the air conditioner temperature is kept a bit higher than I'm entirely comfortable with, for energy conservation and budgetary reasons. I can hardly wait for "winter" to arrive.)
I'm glad you like the hair! It's done with some slightly-watered-down "hot pink" paint over a white base, then with a bit of touch-up work with some "carnation pink" (lighter pink) paint for highlights. I suppose that with the name of the miniature ("Candy, Anime Heroine") I was inspired to go with some sort of "anime color" hair rather than a realistic color. It's rare that I have an "excuse" to do something like that, so I might as well go for it.
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I have no idea what they put in flow improver, but it is sent from angels, I swear 
Very anime color! I'm glad pink behaves for you, well, I think red is my enemy, I have to work with it more to bring it up and down without turning pink!
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When highlighting red, I shift to orange or yellow rather than adding white. Adding white with my acrylics not only turns it pink (not surprising), but a very bland, colorless pink.
I have yet to find the perfect method, but when I want bright, shiny red, I start by underpainting white (making sure that it's *solid* white), then painting red. I usually apply a darker red or "burgundy," watered down, for shadowing. For highlights on edges (such as on armor), I go back and paint thin lines of white first, then paint highlights in a red-orange mix.
I guess I need to dig up some examples around here somewhere. It's not exactly a method that I've "mastered" in any regard, but it sure looks better than adding white to the red.
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I will try this! *runs off to paint* Thank you very much, I love receiving tips, very awesome. I work up from my darkest color to my lightest by applying watered down shades of the color, mixing three or four different colors from dark to light. I don't know if this is how I'm supposed to achieve my colors and painting but I guess there's no wrong way, right? I must do it the long way!
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Hmm. I honestly don't know how one is "supposed" to do it. If I'm trying for bright, shiny colors, it depends on the type of surface I'm painting. If it is a surface with very smooth areas, I take great care to under-paint it as smoothly and uniformly as I can manage. If it is a surface with lots of recesses, I might paint it mid-tone grey, then dry-brush white for my underpaint, making sure that the high points are solid white, but not so much in the recesses.
Then, I paint the "bright" color (i.e., primary or secondary color), possibly watering it down slightly if the paint is particularly opaque. (For whatever reason, none of my primaries and secondaries are among the more opaque of my paints, so this usually is not an issue.) Since the paint will tend to accumulate more in the recesses, this means that the paint will tend to be thinner on the high points; I just don't want it to be so thin that /white/ shows through. (If that's the case, I might need a second application -- and it's almost a certainty if there are any large, smooth areas to cover.)
If I want a bright and shiny green object, I'll under-paint white, then paint yellow, THEN apply slightly-watered-down green. For purple, I have a light-purple "iris" color that I'll often use as my first color coat, then apply watered-down violet for the shadows. If I want /bright/ purple, though, my only recourse is to go to my friend and beg to borrow his Liche Purple (Citadel Paints). (Similarly, if I want bright orange, I have to use Citadel's "Blazing Orange.) For some reason, while I have no trouble getting bright RED paint or GREEN paint, or YELLOW, it seems like the craft stores I shop at can't manage a decent bold orange or purple in craft acrylics.
I then go in and take care of the shadows. I might do a wash, but that will bring everything down a bit, and possibly muddy things if I'm going with too much contrast in my main and shadow colors. If I can manage it, I might just paint in the shadows, and try to blend a bit at the transitions.
If I'm doing something like Space Marine armor, I'll feel obliged to go back and paint little highlights along all the edges of the armor -- drawing tiny lines in white, then going back and painting over that with bright orange or red-orange.
Really, though, a lot of the time I just experiment; I really don't have "the" method sorted out yet, and I can tell at a quick glance comparison between my works and those of the local "pride of the display cabinet" painters at my Friendly Local Game Store that I've got a long way to go. I'm certainly open to tips as well. 
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Wow, that's a lot of info, much appreciated! I always love to see/hear how other people paint. I tried the highlighting with the yellow, very helpful, thanks!
Why just cheap craft paint, Reaper offers some great starter sets of paint for $30, I love those paints so much! And they last forever, really, I had a pro tell me she's had her bottles for 4-5 years and they were still good.
I don't even know where to start with tips.... Ummm...I've taken to writing down the paint colors I use, otherwise I forget which ones I really liked and didn't for that model. Any specific tips?
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Well, the primary reason I use craft acrylics primarily is because I don't just paint miniatures; I also do a lot of scenery-building. Scenery/terrain pieces tend to use up a lot more in the way of paint. I tend to go through bottles fairly quickly.
The other thing is that I don't go through different colors of paint evenly; it's pretty convenient for me to pick up a bottle at Joann Fabrics or Wal-Mart when I need it, as opposed to having to do a special order.
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I see, that would be a lot better on your wallet and I wasn't knocking acrylics, I like them, I have a couple bottles hanging around for various reasons. I secretly like acrylic paint more than oil, I used to work in oil paint on canvas and detested the water based stuff but now I find the value in it, especially since I now paint miniatures.
I would love to learn how to build more scenery, you mentioned the art blocks? I've seen them at micheals, are the useful for mini basing. If so, I will invest in a box.
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Ah. Yeah, once upon a time, long ago, I tried painting canvas with oils and with acrylics. Each method really had its pros and cons: artist tube acrylics tended to dry very quickly, while oil paint took seemingly "forever." That could be a good or bad thing -- taking longer to dry meant that it was easier to apply blending, but also that there was a much larger window for making a royal mess -- especially if I had to pack up everything and move my work in between sessions. One big plus of the artist acrylics was that the mess factor was greatly reduced, and I had a lot more freedom in where I could set up. (Plus ... no turpentine!)
I don't even know if artist acrylics could be used for miniatures-painting, though. I don't think I could thin them nearly enough without leaving chunky bits in the mix that would show up unfavorably on the miniature.
As for as the "art blocks" I was referring to: I've been using "Hirst Arts Castlemolds" to cast building blocks out of hydrostone and other casting concretes. It's a messy process -- one that pretty much requires a dedicated work area to do properly (such as a work bench in the garage) with a high chance of making a mess. You can find examples here: [link]
I've seen a few kits in Michael's that look like knock-offs of Hirst Arts blocks for making castles, but they don't seem to have nearly the range of block types.
Anyway, Hirst Arts blocks present a number of opportunities for making some really stunning constructions with a minimum of fine-detail precision or skill ... but it requires patience and a careful attention to procedure, without falling into the temptation of trying to rush things or cut corners. Casting all the blocks required to build a typical construction project can require MANY repetitions of filling and casting the same mold, carefully cleaning the blocks, and letting them dry before you even get to start gluing them together. Plus, the resulting constructions are somewhat fragile, and need to be handled and stored with care. For my needs (hauling all my scenery and miniatures to conventions or store games), I've found that Hirst Arts scenery isn't necessarily the most practical -- but it almost always gets the most in the way of compliments. With the amount of labor that goes into properly building one of those really nice-looking constructions, however, I've found that while many people will go, "Oh, will you build one for me?" but nobody will be willing to pay me nearly enough to cover the materials, let alone a reasonable rate to compensate for the time spent building it.
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They sound way involved for me, but I have no doubt they look awesome! I just try to stick to stuff I won't make too much of a mess constructing. I always look around for found item basing materials. Heck, I considered stuff in the antique store for basing with, or using as a base.
I'm actually on the lookout for a plinth. CoolminiOrNot has some but they're all really fancy wood. And then just hit me, right now, that I would probably like a nice piece of rusted metal or brass, any metal chunk! I don't know if you happened to read my journal, but I'm looking into entering the crystal brush competition with a steampunk inspired piece. So what's better then a metal base for a steampunk mini. Hmmm... now where to find some smaller pieces of metal. I live in a fairly industrial area, rusted and old would work or new. I guess I could hit up home depot for metal pieces.
Sorry to ramble, but you're making my brain think, turn over different ideas!
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Some ideas, just for the sake of brainstorming:
* War Cast Studios "Deep Dish" resin bases: ([link] ) -- Basically, this is the "round lip" for a base at 30mm, 40mm, or 50mm diameter, but with a hollow, recessed center. This could make for a good starting point and then "fill in" your own details. (Or, at least, that's what I use them for.)
* If you're aiming for a plinth, one possible starting point could be PVC tubing from the hardware store. Or, go through the thrift store and look for a plastic cup or cheap flashlight case that's about the right diameter, if you're willing to saw things down. That way, you could start with a large cylinder that you could modify based on how HIGH you want the plinth to be, and then start adding details onto it as needed. Sure, it isn't metal, but you could spray-paint it and give it a faux "brushed-nickel" finish, etc., as desired.
* If you have a local store that advertises "jewelry repair" or "watch repair," see if the jeweler has broken watch parts he'd be willing to sell. That's how I got several broken watches that I mine for gears and interesting bits. Note that the gears from actual watches are rather small and fiddly, probably more appropriate for decorating miniatures than bases for them to stand on, but you might get some inspiration (and a watch face to put somewhere useful). Clock gears tend to be more of an appropriate size for bases and scenery than watch gears.
* At JoAnn Fabric (if you have that or something comparable locally), I found something handy called "Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Sprockets" ([link] ). Even better, I got it at half off, thanks to a weekly coupon deal. (JoAnn Fabric seems to put out a coupon for 40% or 50% "the purchase of one item" with most of their circulars, and since the store is on my way home, it's pretty easy for me to stop in to get JUST ONE ITEM. 
* If you want inspiration for cool dioramas and scenery and such to make out of PURE JUNK, you can't beat some of Spielorjh's creations. ([link] ) He works wonders out of broken VCRs, for instance. I highly recommend his gallery (and the comments on individual pieces) for inspiration in that area.
* It's too bad you aren't local! On the western side of Orlando, we have a store called "Skycraft," which deals in surplus and "quality" junk, and often has oddball metal and resin and plastic bits (and gears and such) that would probably be perfect for constructing a "steampunk plinth." Of course, you could always check around your area and see if there's a surplus/supply store in your area that might carry knickknacks like that.
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Ok, so here's what I'm thinking:
I got those watch parts, your suggestions were helpful, we have a watch store in town! I also found a watch movement part for the base, getting that in the mail off of ebay.
I worked at Michael's last year, so I know exactly what you were talking about when you said Tim Holtz. That stuff is in the stamp aisle.
That store sounds awesome, I want to go there! I'll be in Florida in less then a month, but I won't be around Orlando, I'll be in Ft Myers. Hopefully the weather will be good! But I might be able to dig through some junk at a nearby flea market
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Re: Weather in Florida: So far, it has been "pullover weather" at its coldest (i.e., light jacket or pullover), and tolerably warm at the upper end. As far as I'm concerned, this is the best Florida gets for weather.
Re: Ft. Myers: Alas, I've never been there, so I can't offer any tips. Really, in all the time I've been in Florida, I've never been further south than St. Petersburg. A quick check on Google Maps ("flea market near fort myers, fl") reveals a few flea markets in the area, at least. This is probably the best weather of the year for visiting flea markets. (Speaking of, I probably should pay another visit to the flea markets up in Sanford and Lake Mary while the weather is cool, and before it gets cold -- by Florida standards, that is.)
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Anything is better then 30... trust me, you have sun most days, too.
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