One of the difficulties I face as a painter is an overabundance of potential projects. With a never-ending stream of miniatures for Descent 2E, HeroQuest, and Super Fantasy Brawl, I have shelves and shelves of other games that will likely follow me to my grave. This makes it extremely difficult for me to find the time to undertake display pieces, although I definitely enjoy painting larger models that allow me to practice different techniques and develop my own color schemes. But when I heard about Artisan Guild’s September Painting Contest, the first prize for which is a Elegoo Mars 2 resin printer, I somehow convinced myself that this was a distraction worth the effort.
Similar to the previous Artisan Guild competition, the only requirement was painting at least one model from the September Patreon release – The Requiem Demon Hunters! Most of the characters are humans wearing trench coats and hats, some of whom have lycanthropic doppelgangers. This seemed like a great feature to exploit, allowing me to display both the human and wolf form of a single character, suggesting the transformation that must take place in between “scenes”. The gothic nature of the set also suggested a much darker tone that could be accentuated with a more dynamic lighting scheme than I normally attempt. I immediately seized upon the female hunter wielding a crossbow and torch, as this would allow me to incorporate some object source lighting into the piece, a technique with which I have very limited experience. From a strategic perspective, I thought that most other painters would choose one of the more distinguished characters to paint, such as the looming wolf boss, or the scantily clad pinup. Rather than be one of a group of similar miniatures, my choice of an “unassuming” figure may set my piece apart. (Unfortunately, shortly after starting my project, this exact Hunter was generously released as a free download, ensuring that it would receive more attention from other painters than I had anticipated…)
The miniatures printed nicely on the first try, although my printer tends to leave more layer lines than others due to a limited x/y resolution (all the more reason to win a new printer, eh?). Clean up was straightforward, followed by priming, and the first applications of paint. Instead of painting both miniatures at once, I chose to work with the human figure to completion, ensuring a cohesive color palette before starting the second model.
(Above) The Human Form, (Below) The Wulfheart Form
In order to suggest a night-time setting, I tried to keep the tones more muted and desaturated than I normally would. This was in stark contrast to the colors and levels applied to the torch’s flame, which was left as bright as possible to create the illusion of being a source of light within the “scene”. Once the torch was completed, I began to work the flame tones onto the areas that would catch the most direct light. This worked reasonably well, especially when viewed against a black backdrop, so I repeated the process on the wolf form.
(Above) The Human Form, (Below) The Wulfheart Form
The last thing to do was create a base to showcase the two figures. The concept was to have two portions of a single base divided by a central wall. The miniatures would face in opposite directions, back-to-back, with the wall acting as a backdrop when viewed from either side. Both sides would be identical with the exception that the moon would be in a different phase, being full for the wolf form and a clear sky for the human form.
Being a novice when it comes to 3-D sculpting, I “borrowed” some of the cobblestone texture from the Demon Hunter bases to extend a simple pattern across the surface of the new base. I created a simple silhouette of a gothic cityscape to sit in front of a printed backdrop and added a road sign so the Hunter could find her way back to the Requiem Stronghold.
Although the final result looks decent in person, I struggled to capture the effect through the camera. Due to the distance between the miniature and the backdrop, keeping them both in focus was very difficult. This resulted in blurring and distortion of the images, despite their being printed at 600 dpi. Even more troubling was the brightness of the moon, which interfered with the camera’s ability to balance the values. It would appear that my photography skills are rather lacking.
Despite some minor setbacks, I still think this turned out reasonably well. I’m a bit dissatisfied with the quality of my prints (boy, I could really use that new printer), and the purposefully dark palette was less interesting than I normally prefer, but I’m happy with the OSL effect I was able to capture with the torch. Looking at the quality of the competition, I don’t expect to win, but I’m happy with what I was able to produce in a relatively tight deadline. Time to get back to the regular fare!
Cloak:
The blue fabric of the cloak and hat was base coated with VMC Dark Sea Blue (70.898). This was darkened with VMA Armor Brown (71.041) for use as a shade tone on the underside of the cloak and hat. Layers were then applied with a 2:2:1 mix of Dark Sea Blue, VMC Field Blue (70.964), and VMC Turoqouise (70.966), followed by the inclusion of additional Field Blue, and finally highlighted with pure Field Blue.
Pants:
The pants were initially blocked in with VMC German Camo Black Brown (70.822), which was left around the edges for darklining as well as in the seams. The major forms were then base coated with a 1:1 mix of German Camo Black Brown and VGC Sombre Grey (72.048), followed by a 1:2 mix of the same colors. Highlights were then applied with pure Sombre Grey.
Steel:
The steel greaves, cuirass, and buckles were all painted using a standard non-metallic metal approach using VMC Black (70.950) and VMC Pale Grey Blue (70.907).
Leather:
The belts, bags, and straps were all blocked in with VMC German Camo Black Brown (70.822). The major forms were then base coated with a 1:1 mix of German Camo Black Brown and VMC Mahogany Brown (70.846), then lightened with an equal measure of VGC Heavy Skintone (72.140). Highlights were applied with nearly pure Heavy Skintone.
Wood:
The wooden stakes and crossbow were blocked in with VMC German Camo Black Brown (70.822), which was left as darklining and in the sculpted woodgrain. The entire area was then base coated with VMC Flat Earth (70.983), lightened with a 1:1 mix of Flat Earth and VMC Dark Sand (70.847), and then highlighted (sparingly) with pure Dark Sand.
Skin/Fur:
The skin of the human version was blocked in with VMC German Camo Black Brown (70.822). The major forms were then base coated with VMC Chocolate Brown (70.984), lightened with VGC Heavy Skintone (72.140), then highlighted with pure Heavy Skintone.
The fur for the wolf version was painted with similar mixes, only substituting VMC Dark Sand (70.847) for the Heavy Skintone.
Fire/Object Source Lighting:
The flame for the torch was undercoated with Schmincke Titanium White. This was then completely covered with a base coat of VMC Flat Yellow (70.953). Individual tongues of flame were then picked out with a 1:1 mix of Flat Yellow and VGC Orange Fire (72.008) and darkened toward the tip, first with pure Orange Fire followed by a 1:1 mix of Orange Fire and VMC Smoke (70.939).
In order to suggest firelight being cast onto nearby objects (the left hand, sleeve, cuirass, and hat), glazes were applied with mixes of Orange Fire mixed with the corresponding base tone (Dark Sea Blue for the areas of cloth, and German Camo Black Brown for the leather and flesh). Pure Orange Fire was applied for the sharpest reflections, with an occasional dash of the Orange Fire/Flat Yellow mix for the brightest spots.
Base:
Stones:
The cobblestone floor was base coated with VMC Black (70.950). Each stone was then blocked in with a 1:1 mix of Black and VMC Neutral Grey (70.992). A 1:2 mix of the same colors was the applied around surface features, such as prominent pits, cracks, and the rim of each stone. These same areas were then highlighted with more limited application of pure Neutral Grey.
Skull:
The skull was blocked in with VMC German Camo Black Brown (70.822) which was left in the eye sockets. The major forms were then base coated with VMC Khaki (70.988), lightened with a 1:1 mix of Khaki and VGC Bonewhite (72.034), and highlighted with pure Bonewhite.
Candles:
The wax candles were basecoated with a 1:1 mix of VGC Heavy Skintone (72.140) and VGC Bonewhite (72.034). The major forms were then layered with additional Bonewhite, followed by pure Bonewhite, and finally highlighted with a 1:1 mix of Bonewhite and VMC Ivory (70.918).
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