Painted a mini for a friend. Critique Plz

[TKLH27]

So to test out my skills, I offered to paint my friend's miniatures for him.

I want to get better (for my self and for my friend), and want to ask the community for a critique.

So please critique on anything good and anything bad, thank you. For now here is a Widow-Maker Marksmen:

http://privateerpressforums.com/picture.php?albumid=287&pictureid=1217


http://privateerpressforums.com/picture.php?albumid=287&pictureid=1218


http://privateerpressforums.com/picture.php?albumid=287&pictureid=1219


http://privateerpressforums.com/picture.php?albumid=287&pictureid=1220

[komodokeeper]

Unfortunately, I can't see anything.

[TheBigRedMachine]

looks good to me. Though that eye looks a bit off putting up close. Overall great mini.

[CoachB]

Looks great though the eye does seem a little off. Too much white, might need to have the whites of the eye a little smaller.

[bloodspiff]

It looks like, with this "shiny effect", that you used brown ink to shade the model ?...
I would recommend using the GW devlan mud wash instead: just try it, it's really better than classic ink (as all the GW wash).

Spiff

[Loveless]

For the pupils/irises of the eye, try to be sure that they reach all the way to the edge of the eye. This will prevent the "crazy eye" look that you've going on right now.

Other than that, it looks pretty good.

[Vash1313]

I think the model is painted well. Here is some constructive feedback.

First - try and get a bit more black-line around the eye. it will shrink the size of the eye and make the pupil look less "crazy."

Second - you might try adding one final layer of highlight and/or shading to your colors. Your choice of color pallet looks very good and the paintwork is very clean, but the depth could be a bit stronger in areas. Painting miniatures to a very high standard is a mix between fine detail and theater makeup. You want a smooth texture and blended shades so that the model looks good when viewed up close. At the same time you want to have sufficient contrast and depth so that when viewed from afar the details of the model are still perceptible - ie: similar to the way actors on stage wear heavy makeup so their facial expressions can be seen by the crowd. This is why it is important to have a pleasing pallet of colors that match yet also are significantly distinguishable (which you achieved through the use of earth tones), and yet why it is also important to have a strong dark shade for the recesses and a much lighter highlight for the visible details. If you do these, and have a good transitional blend from the dark shade to the highlight the model will look better up close and far away.

Third - Related to the second point, you might try black-lining some of the recessed areas or between two different color sections. For instance on the scope to the gun, you could use a thin black line to give greater definition to the different sized cylinders that create the shape of the scope. As mentioned before, a thin black line around the eye will make it stand out more from the rest of the face. There is not a huge difference between the skin color and the eye color when viewed from afar - the black line will create a distinct line of separation.

Hope these help.

[TKLH27]

Thank you every one! I was very pleased to hear all these helpful feed backs.

As many people mentioned, I'll try to make the black and white equal (I agree with the crazy eye thing). But I have trouble with controlling amounts of paint going on the eye (the last black dot is very troublesome). Is there anyway to make this task easier?

The need for different contrast again with another layer of highlight was good, but when I do it I feel that I might make it too "exaggerated" (too much of a contrast making it "cartoony".) I want to learn blending or highlight in steps, however how is that possible in a small area?

Also I used Testor's dullcoat the other day and... well it the effect looked shiny (does someone have a similar experience?).

Thank you again.

[Vash1313]

Eyes take some practice. The best way I have found when starting out is to paint the eye before painting any other part of the face. Black out the entire area of the eye and then paint a white sliver. Then you can pretty much get away with painting a line from the top to the bottom for the pupil. It is generally easier to paint a thin line than to place a small dot. Now when painting the rest of the face, just try to leave a small thin black line around the eye. paint the face as normal and you are done. Just be careful when applying any washes or thinned paints that they do not run into the eye and discolor it. If you do, use a brush to soak it out and then use a small wet brush (just a little bit of water) to try and remove any of the color off the eye. You want to act fast though before it has a chance to dry. Overtime, with practice, you will learn how the different paints respond when thinned and develop better brush control where you can paint the skin first and then paint the eyes, which I find to be faster since I don't have to be as careful when I'm painting the face.

Learning to paint the face and eyes is probably the most crucial part of painting a miniature. The eye is automatically drawn to the face, especially the eyes. Sometimes if you paint the face really well, you can get away with not being as meticulous with the rest of the model.

Good gradual highlighting and blending just takes time and patience. Your first models may look a bit cartoony to you at first, but just keep working at it. Half the fun of painting is trying to create a new effect you have never done before. Eventually you get to the point where some things just become natural and you really don't have to think about them. I don't know how long you have been painting, but if you were to look at the first models I ever painted, I was lucky just to keep inside the lines.

I generally like to seal with two or three light coats of a high gloss sealer and then one or two light coats of testers dull coat. It protects the models very well and the gloss coat seems to help keep the colors from losing their luster because of the dull coat.