#help with smoothing transitions

59 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

lethal basalt
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Hello, I’ve been watching some videos and asking questions around here and other subs and trying to apply to this model.

Problem is:

I can’t, for the life of me, get the Hornet cloak right… to start with I think I messed up with the base coat, but fast forward to the shadows and highlights.. I’ve been told to 50/50 brown&red for the the recesses of the cloak and then smooth from there.

Today I’ve watched a video from Vince where he says that while you’re laying down the first layers, it’s a good practice to sketch where the highlights might end up being, so I did that, straight out white on the super raised parts then layered red on top of it then some orange on the highlights but it didn’t look too good, so I covered with a layer of red 🥸

After the 50/50 for the recesses, I’ve added a bit more red to walk towards the base coat.

Send help please 🥲

IMG_1104.jpg IMG_1102.jpg
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Circled colors on this hot mess is what I’m trying to use

IMG_1103.jpg
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What confuses me the most is that I don’t see people doing these ratio mixing to make transitions and just straight out put the end colors and work from there but I can’t seem to get my layers to do the tricks they do

thin shadow
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The answer to getting those transitions without mixing in the palette is controlling both the amount of paint in your brush and how thin it is

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There’s varying degrees of opacity you can go for

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But for the smoothest transitions you thin it down to the point where it doesn’t look like you’re doing much beyond getting the surface wet, but control the amount of paint in your brush so you don’t flood the surface

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And to finish your brush strokes where you want the paint to end up

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You can gently build up that transition of color by alternating between lighter and darker colors, “pushing” each color to where you want it most concentrated

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there's other ways to do it of/c

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but that's the most common

sharp sequoia
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I agree with the Red Zaku. I would add that, currently in the pictures you've shared, the shadows can go darker. The eye sees colors relative to each other. One of the consequences is that, the bigger the distance between your deepest shadow and your highest highlight, the least the eye will notice steps in the color gradients in between. 😉

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One thing your brain may be expecting and we don't have here is the logic of the light coming from above (though it's probably too early to talk about that... Yeah, I guess it is. Let's suspend that topic for a little while? Just accept your brain will keep complaining about where you place lights & shadows, ignore that and keep working on the smoothness. 😉 )

sharp sequoia
# lethal basalt What confuses me the most is that I don’t see people doing these ratio mixing to...

Wet blending can be used to do this. But most things like The Red Zaku said would be to mix your colors on the palette, so you can have many various ratios. Check Sorastro's various mixes of colors. He goes very progressively in the mixes.
Mixing the colors to various intermediate steps (let's say 6, 8?) helps be less demanding on the ability to thin thin thin for a glaze consistency. Glazing is a skill that takes time to acquire, so it's probably a good idea to help yourself in the meantime?

lethal basalt
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Second person on this same topic that suggests a wet blending, I'll give it a go

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It's so many little things that's easy to be overwhelmed

sharp sequoia
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I'm more of a "mix on the palette + layer it out on the mini" person 😉

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maybe I've watched Sorastro for too long?

lethal basalt
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Oh right, but you brought the technique to the table!

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I'll let the info sink for a while and get back to the mini and see what I can do ThinkSphere

sharp sequoia
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I would recommend mixing on the palette

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if only because mixing colors is fun! 🙂

lethal basalt
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Oh, got it

thin shadow
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I'd recommend learning to thin your paints down before wet blending

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not that wet blending isn't useful

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it's just a different skill that doesn't have as much overlap with general control brush skills that you already have and should develop

lethal basalt
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I've got another question... I had the idea that I should always lay down a very uniform base coat before working on shadows and highlights, but recently I've seen people doing just a wash/contrast or then they already start sketching the highlights and suddenly the mini is done

thin shadow
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So there's a bunch of different ways to approach how you paint a mini

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in the end, whatever works for you and is the most comfortable is probably what you should go for

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Personally, I prefer painting all of my minis black

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then building up with white

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then doing color over it

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but there's no "right" way to go about it

lethal basalt
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Ive been having trouble with base coating where it never is uniform and it's kinda frustrating

thin shadow
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so that relies on two things

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  1. the color underneath
  2. how thick your paint is
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different colors will cover differently over lighter/darker paints

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yellow over black for example is a nightmare

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for 2. you generally want to do a couple of coats of thinner paint before you have a uniform surface

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try to do it in less and it'll be thick splotchy and uneven

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it's one of those things that is learned with experience

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of how thick you want the paint on your brush to be to attain the goal you want

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and actually getting it that consistency

lethal basalt
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I see

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Thank you!

thin shadow
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np

naive rain
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I dont have much to say in terms of advice but i love the hollow knight diorama ❤️

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Is it resin printed?

lethal basalt
naive rain
lethal basalt
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I'm afraid it's a paid model, sorry

naive rain
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Like where i could get it, thanks

left mauve
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look for it on etsy

lethal basalt
naive rain