Today is another focus on blending, specifically as it applies to highlighting. The same principle as I've written about before applies (building up the paint to transition gradually), but I thought I'd give some thoughts on improvements I've learned.
To start with, Lahmian Medium is great stuff. It also goes by other names from other suppliers (Acrylic Flow Improver, for example), but by whatever name, it's still very useful. As the example I gave suggests, it's best description is perhaps to improve the flow of the paint, and naturally also thins it down. Both of these properties can be used to essentially make any of the Citadel base and layer paints into a glaze, which has different fluid properties to water and makes it much easier to control. Another bonus I've found is that when mixing it on an appropriate tray, it also takes longer to dry out (useful tip: deeper depressions in the tray surface can form a puddle, which is where it stays more fluid longer). So if you're going to take the blending approach I use, then get some Lahmian Medium!
When dealing with Lahmian Medium, or whatever it is, do not simply use it straight from the bottle. Get an old eye-dropper bottle, or something similar (some modelling shops will sell them) and keep the Lahmian Medium in that. One or two drops at a time are all that's required, and this allows you to keep the amount used consistent, controlled, and prevents contaminating it with any leftover paint from the brush.
Water can still be used, but it's more tricky to work with, and I find that it has a habit of running off into places you don't want far too easily. It also dries much faster, which can be difficult.
When using any layer paint as a glaze, simply paint a very thin amount (glaze consistency) from the darker area to the edge you want highlighted. Wait for it to dry (painting other areas during this time is a good idea), then repeat, moving the start point closer to the edge as you go. Moving the brush this way really helps draw most of the pigment to the last place the brush touches (the edge). It's very important, however, to wait for each pass to dry first if you want to get a smooth colour transition.
I also find that after a little while, the paint on the tray starts to thicken slightly as it dries. This can actually be used to transition from using it as a glaze to more of an actual layer paint, and really build the edge up to the colour you want. That really comes down to practice and getting a feel for the thinned down paint.
Do not overload the brush. Use only a small amount on the tip of the brush at a time. This makes it much easier to control where the paint goes, which in turn makes building up the layers that much faster. I can't stress that enough: do not overload the brush! If there's too much, wash and dry the brush, and then just get a small amount on the tip from the mixing tray.
Most of the above applies when using water too, but Lahmian Medium really does make it much easier to use.
Note that I did apply this to building up an Eshin Grey highlight on Lemartes' armour, but it doesn't really show up in the photo. I also used Nuln Oil to pull back the colours where appropriate, so that final step of applying a wash (or even glaze) of the base colour is often still required.
A final note for this post is non-metallic-metal gold. This video serves as a good reference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3H7i9neDtU
I used that to help try out both better blending and NMM gold on Lemartes' Crozius Arcanum. I also used a Druchii Violet wash at the end to contrast the yellow, which really makes a difference. As a test it worked quite well, but took a very long time, so I'll stick to special models with that particular technique.
-- silly painter
No comments:
Post a Comment