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Painting Philosophy: Into the Dark

Painting Philosophy: Into the Dark

PROLOGUE:

This is a second installment in the ‘Painting Philosophy’ series in which I let you in on ‘how’ and especially ‘why’ I do some things in a certain way. “In my opinion a proper approach to painting is crucial to maintain healthy and rewarding experience. Final result depends on it in the same way as on techniques, know-how and tools used. Nowadays internet is full of painting tutorials yet it takes some inner understanding of our own capabilities to find what suits us best and fully benefit from all acquired knowledge. That being said – In this series I will reveal what works best for me as a painter. I hope you will find some wisdom in it…”

PAINTING PHILOSOPHY: THE EDGE

The edge, a plastic frontier between a piece of art and the rest of the world. It divides a miniature from the surrounding chaos. It defines the paint job. It underlines the final result of your work, enhancing the visual effect. In short, a properly painted edge of a base will enclose the miniature just like a frame around a painting. Can you imagine a ‘Mona Lisa’ in a dirty styrofoam frame? Well, that’s what I see each time I look upon a picture of awesomely painted miniature on a base, with dirty, unprepared edge. No matter the quality of paint job, a piece of art turns into a kid with chocolate smeared all over it’s face. I just can’t appreciate ‘that’. But is the difference so evident? Don’t take my word for it – see for yourself…

This actually IS the exact same miniature, with the only exception of one base’s edge being covered with a dirty base edge Photoshopped from a work in progress picture. But enough about ‘how I feel’ and let’s skip to ‘how I do’. For me there’s only one paint capable of fully POPing a miniature on the battlefield and it’s BLACK!

Why this color?

In light spectrum black is not even a color per se, being an ultimate lack of color instead. In the world of hobby paints black is technically a color, due to pigments used to create black paint. This particular colour will work with whatever color scheme you choose for a miniature, enhancing the effect of what’s on the base. It is worth mentioning, that black paint usually surpasses other colors when it comes to opacity, therefore it is much easier to provide a smooth, opaque layer using black than most other paints.

How I do it?

I go about it in a simple, old school manner – with regular medium sized brush and a good, trusted paint. After testing a lot of different black paints I chose Vallejo 74.602 Negro Surface Primer. It works great both with brush and surface. Usually one layer is all that is needed to fully cover the edge, if not – second one is always enough. This paint leaves a nice, smooth, thick layer, hiding some irregularities that might happen to cover the edge of the base. It is worth pointing out, that the base’s edge is always the last thing I paint, before finishing a project. First I thoroughly clean up my painting space of any project leftovers, then I apply varnish and just then move to painting black edges. This way both Varnish and edges are clear of any dust particles and unwanted stuff that might stick to them.

What if...?

How do I deal with a situation, when a game requires the base to be marked / split or otherwise painted so that the arc of vision or other feature is clearly visible? I prefer to either:

* Use a modelled on-base feature to clearly indicate the direction a miniature is facing,

* Use a marker instead,

When painting a project for someone else I’m sometimes asked to add an ‘arc of sight’ on the base’s edge. If possible I provide small markings to minimize the other colors impact on the otherwise black edge. This seems to work pretty well and keeps the initial feel of a miniature being underlined.

EPILOGUE:

So here we are, at an end of the second installment in the Painting Philosophy – a series that is meant to ‘infect’ you with some of my hobby ideals. Hope you found this one interesting and helpful.

As usual – I have put a lot of effort into preparing for this article, yet I am sure I missed something important. If you happen to have any questions or suggestions related to it – feel free to hit me with them. Also take note that what works for me, might not necessarily work for you – still there are many ways to accomplish certain things – mine is just one of them.

All right, sweethearts, you’re a team and there’s nothin’ to worry about. We come here, and we gonna conquer, and we gonna paint some, is that understood? That’s what we gonna do, sweethearts, we are going to go and paint some. All right, people, on the ready line! Are ya lean?

Scarhandpainting

1 comment so far

GoldmundPosted on4:52 pm - Dec 28, 2017

Very nice article, thanks for sharing!

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