Glowing Gemstones

[petetsm]

So I am aware of how to paint good looking gemstones on a model. Basically, base coat a dark shade, and then make smaller and smaller half moon shapes using lighter and lighter shades towards the bottom of the gem. Finally add a "glint" of white at the top, to simulate light reflection from the sun.

However, how you you paint a internally glowing gemstone? I am looking at the Ret battle mages and would like to have some glowing gems to do some OSL with.

Do you basically reverse the affect from the non-glowing gemstone? IE start with a brighter base coat and use darker half moon shapes. Should the half moon shapes be at the bottom or the top of the gem? Do you add a "glint" still?

Anyone have any experience with this? Thanks in advance.

[Bert_the_Turtle]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm~

I think I get what you're thinking of. I guess you'd reverse the usual painting steps where you'd start dark and paint lighter, here you'd prime it white and start with the brightest colors and work up to darker colors.



First, assume the the only light on the thing is the light that's coming from somewhere inside of it, we'll say from the dead center. So the dead center of the object is going to be the brightest, maybe only a couple shades off of white itself. (Or maybe it is pure white, at least maybe at the dead center). Then slowly build up the colors around that pure white focus in the middle so they get the tiniest bit darker as you move out from the center. Golly I wish I could draw a diagram on the forums XD


I think the hardest part is wrapping your head around Point of View issues. If you're only looking at it from one angle its easy. But if its like a sphere at the top of a staff it gets a lot harder because you can't really recreate the effect of being able to see something the exact same way from any given direction like what happens in real life.

[petetsm]

Well the model that I am paining ("mittens" is the nickname for him on the forums) has a round ball set in the palm of his hand. That is what I want to glow brightly (with arcane power of course). So you only see top hemisphere of the gemstone. This might make it easier on the POV issues you mention.

I'll try your suggestion, starting nearly white toward the center and build up the darker colors towards the edges of the gem. I'll post the results here if they turn out well.

[Bert_the_Turtle]

Even if it doesn't turn out well post it and maybe we can figure out another plan!

You'll need to do a VERY careful job blending the colors! So I highly reccommend that when you move up to a darker shade, you paint everything that is going to be that shade or darker that color. And the layers need to be thin and very highly gradiated to give a good effect.

[squidstudios]

If it's an internally lit object, the real glow effect will be achieved by adding the ambient glow to the non-gem areas around the gem. It sounds like you've got the right idea so far: white at the central focus of the gem, gradually blending into a darker hue. Just make sure that you add some of the mid hues (as ambient light cast off from the glowing gem) to the areas around the gem. For a brighter/more powerful gem, obviously use a brighter highlight color (white being brightest) and make more of the gem that color--as much as 50% even. Then make your gradient to your darker hue more abrupt. "Simmering" power gems would have a less bright highlight and/or less coverage with the highlight color.

[aai]

what ^^^ said. Also, don't be afraid to look at photographs and try to copy OSL. I'm not being sarcastic, but I think you could surprise yourself through innovating your own way making the lighting.

OSL is really more of a feel thing, just like getting timing and consistency right for wet blending.

[Prismatik]

Not to sounds like a parrot here, but they've nailed it pretty good already. To show light through painting, it's a matter of showing it bouncing off of other surfaces. If you leave all the other surfaces around the lightsource plain, it simply will look like you've painted the item, not that it's actively giving off light.

Here's some googled OSL links for easy-lookin'
http://www.bugmansbrewery.com/topic/...lutionary-osl/

Another:
http://www.coolminiornot.com/go.php/...aid/106/page/2?


Best of luck to you!

[faustmd3]

I think Bert really hit on it.

Tamiya has some tinted clear acrylics that might add a glassy like effect after your done blending, if its not too dark.

[Bert_the_Turtle]

I try my best to be helpful ^^

You can always "water down" a tinted acrylic with clear or even just use a shinier clear finish to make it, you know, shiny, hehehe.

If I were doing a glowing magic staff with a big orb at the top, I'd be tempted to replace the entire thing with an LED and a little glass or plastic globe. The hard part would be the wires and the battery, but anythong can be worked around given enough effort.

[eo151]

Here's a tutorial for glowing green eyes but Im sure the principle still applies for anything glowing.

Glowing Eyes Tutorial

The glowing halo around the "source" is what really defines an object as glowing.