Bright mini and strong osl effect

[split osprey]

Hello so I am building a Shatterpoint force on umbara, and it will have two characters with lightsabers.

Normally i would give a very minor osl where it is really only a few glazes

but since Umbara is dark, I was wondering how I would get a strong osl effect without selling the bright, clone wars style with an osl. Additionally I would like to this just by glazing as to show some transparency beneath the armor

[split osprey]

OOps forgot to tag how to

Ok so heres what I think I was gonna do as to not violate that cardinal rule of OSL

[split osprey]

After giving a light was of the entire model which will darken slightly im gonna do I highlight of the areas that will be lit. (Obi Wan's Face, arms and clone armor)

also too make it initially darker i could mix in speedpaint black in all the speedpaints i am using which is the base coat,

the colors should still be all relatively saturated but the dimmer tone should help sell night more

(if use speedpaints will i even need to sketch out the most lit spots since they kinda do highlighting anyway?)

model for reference (not my personal one since thats already primed)

my basecoating and priming would be the same as in this video https://youtube.com/shorts/7so3by-kRmk?si=zQeNMrbA3sg581Ge

[pure ruin]

If you want the figure to be dark but the light source to be bright, then you will want to go a step further than just glazing your osl color. You will want to get your lights and shadows in then just osl filter. But the illuminated part of the figure will be bright to contrast the shadows of the rest of the mini

[split osprey]

How would I get my shadows in? I have a good idea of where my highlights will need to be for osl. Since I don’t have the space to get a black in for a zenithal I’m assuming my basecoat will be my shadow?

[pure ruin]

Well, it is often easier to do your shadows first then build your highlights. So yeah, you can prime in black. Not speedpaint, speedpaints aren't basecoats. They have very uneven coverage and a basecoat is supposed to be even. If using a spraycan primer as your base, make sure you have the same color in a bottle so you can fix mistakes. If not cover the primer in another color. Like a deep and dark blue for everything but the deepest shadows. Using dark colors will make speedpaints less useful since they work best on light colors. But if you are going for a very dark figure, for example, one that looks like a silhouette except for what is illuminated by the saber, then you will want the majority of the mini dark anyway. Then paint the parts that are directly illuminated by the source appropriately. Such as the face and chest at a normal brightness.

[split osprey]

so the issue here is since im in college i only have those one coat paints since i dont have the space for shadows midtones and highlights, so what i was gonna do is darken the color with black the closer i get to the base and on the back. Could that work?

I do have a friend who has paints i could use for highlights but not anything dark since they generally like painting in a very bright comic book style

[heady vigil]

So, you want it to look like at night? Check reference photos, especially from the umbara episodes. I did a similar thing with my clone commandos for legion, I tried to have them look like it’s at night with glow from explosion to the side, so I started from black and had everything kinda desaturated and had blues in most shadows, I’ll send a pic later

[split osprey]

Ok so the problem is I have to start from a white primer so I think I don’t know how to build the shadow

The osl of the lightsaber is also how I plan on selling it

[heady vigil]

You could always just prime and then paint on a coat of black, or just order black primer and wait

[split osprey]

paint a coat of black then go over with the speedpaint?

(because between that and high tones thats all i have and have space for)

[heady vigil]

No I mean just paint with more darks and make your darks have a lot of blue tones to add a nighttime effect

[pure ruin]

Ok. Just to be clear. You dont need a ton of paints. If you are willing to use some color theory then a set of 8 to 12 painta is plenty to paint just about anything. The effect you are shootung for though speedpaints arent really meant for

Alsi, speedpaints dont really add highlights. You basically do the highlights with your basecoat. The speedpaint adds a filter where it is thin tinting your raised surfaces.... Which might not be highlight surfaces

[split osprey]

I understand that, but I have already exceeded a budget with getting the models and paints, so im tryna brute force it working

[pure ruin]

You can't really force transparent paints to be opaque. If you're already over budget you might just want to shelve this project until you have more budget, Or change your goals so they are attainable with what you have

[split osprey]

where should the darks be placed? Closer to the legs?

[split osprey]

and would i want to use the blue tone on the whole mini or only where the darks are

[split osprey]

using this key frame which is the same pose the mini, i think what i could do is just use the darks on the knees down, and then mid back down on the backside

[heady vigil]

Darks should be in the shadows, creases in the robes, undersides, anywhere where it would be dark

[split osprey]

Ok so it might just be easiest then to zenithal, would i just do the white primer part of by the lightsaber? I might just go out and grab black primer and strip the primer of the original

[split osprey]

still wondering, or maybe just drybrush

[heady vigil]

Mb, I’d just start from black. If you want you could then get dark blue spray and do a zenithol of that, or just dry brush dark blue. Remember, everything should have that dark blue tint to help sell that darkness effect

1 sec lemme get a pic of my clones

Ignore the orange in the back that’s just osl