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Karpav's Painting Blog (renamed) - Printable Version

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RE: Karpav's Painting Blog (renamed) - Smurf - 08-08-2018

Another touch I did with clear bases was to number them in white (usually dots) and then paint over it in black (the inside of the base). It looked quite nice. I got a couple of some cheap Y wings I wanted to use as Transports.

RE: Karpav's Painting Blog (renamed) - Karpav1 - 08-13-2018

(08-08-2018, 06:58 AM)Karelian Suomi Wrote: WELCOME BACK!!!  Smile

 Thank you, good to (almost) be back. Let's see how long of a burn I can get out of this phase.

(08-08-2018, 06:58 AM)Smurf Wrote: Another touch I did with clear bases was to number them in white (usually dots) and then paint over it in black (the inside of the base). It looked quite nice. I got a couple of some cheap Y wings I wanted to use as Transports.

Ah yeah, a cool trick that hides brush stroke build-up and avoids the paint getting chipped (with the inner surface being concave) resulting in a professional looking result rivaling stencil/airbrush -and the latter is still prone to nicks/chips/dust.

[Image: SN852f4.jpg]

Around the time I made the brood ink templates, I reverse painted a clear round flight base in an attempt to make a stargate. The only pic I could find has it blurred in the background on a can lid while I was working on it. The rim was blended from white to blue with the blue being a translucent paint. The idea was to leave it clear, but IMO it just wasn't 'selling it', so I added white stars/black over top. I had issues at the time with how to build around this 'field lens' with bits to form the gate itself, so it's landed in my scraps bin.

But that reverse painting is something I've considered doing for a batch of clear flight stands for some time (since I don't glue ships to stands I'll probably end up with a few variants). I can't vouch for my ability to nicely reverse paint ID's though, so your dot solution is excellent and something I'd not even considered! Reverse decals/transfers would be ace, but I still haven't procured a good scale dry transfer set yet for the topside. Sad

Anybody notice the 3D # id appliance glued on Gimgamgoo's fleet? They look about 1/16 thick in profile pictures. Nice base swag. Where do they come from? (looking at you Gim if you're around)

I'ma gonna steal it if I finds out! "Ain't no shame"

RE: Karpav's Painting Blog (renamed) - Karelian Suomi - 08-15-2018

(08-13-2018, 10:50 PM)Karpav1 Wrote:  Thank you, good to (almost) be back. Let's see how long of a burn I can get out of this phase.

 

[Image: SN852f4.jpg]

I'ma gonna steal it if I finds out! "Ain't no shame"

Glad you're back, and if you're going to go bingo on the fuel, feel free to PM me and keep me in the loop. I'm currently working on building up a reserve of everything from content to images (yes, we have a decent photobox including a built-in LED light at last!), which I hope to start unloading on everyone's head starting this Friday latest...

And your Night Brood are looking drool-worthy to say the very least! And as for 3-G's technique, I don't think he posted it here exclusively for those present with security clearances...  Big Grin


"Talent create, but geniuses steal!" - Oscar Wilde

RE: Karpav's Painting Blog (renamed) - Karelian Suomi - 08-15-2018

(08-08-2018, 08:32 AM)Smurf Wrote: Another touch I did with clear bases was to number them in white (usually dots) and then paint over it in black (the inside of the base).  It looked quite nice.  I got a couple of some cheap Y wings I wanted to use as Transports.

Smart. Any chance you can send me a pic of your base(s)? I'm compiling a "bag of tricks" doc for newbies to benefit from (along with us old timers who can always stand to learn something new).

RE: Karpav's Painting Blog (renamed) - Karpav1 - 08-07-2020

Initializing reboot...




...and so with the repair on the House Colos Draculas, let's get to painting. Here's a review of my starting color scheme plan (Ju 87 greens with vampire brooch influences):
[Image: TaPgsBQ.png]

A quick progression shot combined for brevity:
[Image: fCbEjT0.jpg]
A final shot on the table (tad blurry) getting ready for a game of Dracula x2 vs Storm x2:
[Image: dWDS2II.jpg]
and post finally a solo beauty shot for the store if you'd be so inclined to use it. (I should have satellite pics promised long ago up when I take pics of the storm paint-ups.)
[Image: 99yodUz.jpg]



Strella & Storm halfway done for next time.

RE: Karpav's Painting Blog (renamed) - Black Guard - 08-07-2020

Wow, those are really good!

RE: Karpav's Painting Blog (renamed) - Karpav1 - 08-15-2020

Black Guard Wrote:08-07-2020, 12:00 PM
Wow, those are really good!


Thanks, Black Guard. I meant to post a follow-up the next day but ended up getting super bogged down. Grr. The good news is, we got a game in. Will post that in the appropriate sub-forum.

So yeah, unexpected problems kept me busy & away from the painting desk for a week! (we moved in March -what a time to move- and still getting things squared away] Here's where I left off getting Storm's & Strella's base coated:
[Image: Lj6OcOr.jpg]
The Death Wind & Glaive out on the left are just reminders to color-match them to the force theme since I've been painting these so few & far between I might not be using the exact same paints as the first models.

And the final look I had in mind when starting:
[Image: jVK31tr.png][Image: 4KU4t0k.png]
...and I update my concept art to match any changes I make on the miniature to bring the two as close together as possible. The Storm section in the middle went to black and I had to color correct it a few times to be more blue than aqua. The forward nacelles on the Strella. originally white, got switched to orange to match the same elements on the Dracula. The Strella is too small for me to freehand crosses on them so I kept with the theme and used the stripe instead. I looked at examples of red WWI Albatross, but at the end of the day, it's the size of a nickel. It's red.

The Storm's metal area was scrubbed with a rotary tool wire brush, then buffed with some compound, then toothpaste, but not nearly long enough, as the surface is still badly pitted under a jewelers loop. I gave up a perfect polish figuring I'd have some nearby details worn down too much by the time I got the flat area abraided smooth (the rotary tool bits are too large for the tight area I'm trying to work in), but due to the toothpaste, they smelled minty good (for Odin!) when I was done at least. I sprayed them with dullcote so I could wash them with very light inks and not have it bead up. That part worked fine, but the overall effect hasn't: they look really dull grey and not metallic. I've had luck with this process before, but the metal has to be near mirror-like polish. I'm thinking of just experimenting with Vallejo Liquid Silver and more inks and forget about the bare metal trick this time and maybe try again on Hammers or an Iceberg.

My goal is to finish these tomorrow and update them by Sunday. Hope I didn't jinx it. I do get more done with setting blog goals though. I've been kicking around the idea of youtube vids since there is so little spaceship painting content at the moment (or battle reports?). I'd rather create in the spaceship niche content space than be just another fantasy painter channel of mediocrity. But that's what I've been doing while on hiatus: Nolzur's Dungeon's & Dragon's fantasy stuff. tearsinpaint on Instagram (I don't know how to link to it properly -I'm getting more out of touch with tech each year). I am looking into the Bladestorm 2nd Ed. rules to maybe try that out with the minis. Is there a forum for Bladestorm anymore?

Oh, an update for anybody that remembers the mini-clothespin missile markers. I got to use them the other day -not a fan, lol. Too fiddly to put on the stand (though it does work as intended). I found myself just setting them next to the ship and carrying it along the way we do with the plastic counter. What I found myself wanting to make were paper templates to show game effects in the pictures, but I'll probably just show a plain picture of the ship positions & then throw up a Vassal illustration for any important details.

RE: Karpav's Painting Blog (renamed) - Karpav1 - 06-29-2021

So I had an epiphany at my paint desk the other day:[Image: wpYAVV2.jpg]

(That time two scorpions, 4 dolphins, a pair of sharks, an eagle, and a spider are on the painting desk and it has nothing to do with Silent Death... thank Lord Alexander Telax Colos IV there aren't any ships tagged "Guillotine" or "Mudcrab" or I'd really be worried! EDIT: OMG THERE IS A GUILLOTINE!! This is Madness...)


It must be a sign from the painting gods that something Silent Death related must be painted. Then this thing arrived in the mail...[Image: lbHWuzP.png]

It came in under the advertised weight, but boy is it a nice clean casting. Props to the master moldsman, spin caster & fast shipment. It's beautiful.

Here is my account of what happened next...



First off- fearing for my safety were I to defy the paint gods, I brainstormed/researched a bit, picked this image of a WWI naval admiral -Colos OG- to define my color scheme-[Image: VUYkbpF.jpg]

-but wanted the overall look to be pushed further in-your-face screaming skull feel of the faction book cover, so I read some of that book for inspiration, and after a major distracting segway on a Firestorm Armada 3rd edition tangent (more on that later), hatched a plan to make the design a flashy statement much in the spirit of a matchbox car. Colos is all about the intimidation factor after all. the first faction that listed a Totenkoph in the sample fleet section was an old Colos squadron by the name of Satan's Fulcrum-
                                                      [Image: hUWXmxf.png]

the 139th Colosian Carrier Wing goes back to the 1st edition Overkill booklet and those colored unit badges in the inside cover spurred my imagination as a young pew-pew enthusiast. After throwing a few coats of digital paint under the line art layer in a pixel editor just like I had done with the Dracula last year, I finally settled on a hellfire concept:
                     [Image: 2KEaIQu.png]
The black/red/silver colors are represented, and it should still look like it fits in with the rest of the fleet I hope. Two opportunities present themselves with this design: A chance to try the bare metal trick on the hull, and the opportunity to use an airbrush gradient for the flames. Inkjet decal paper that's on the way in the post is a distant third technique I want to play with, but it might be tough working a decal in on this one: the concept images I did with mock decals look too small, contain white, etc. so I will revisit the idea once the model is mostly done in hand & after I test how small I can get with printed designs. I'm especially hopeful I can replicate some ASP/QVP/Sigurd/Kashmere iconography, but a proper Totenkopf or Maltese cross emblems would be icing on the cake. Fingers crossed, but not very optimistic. (edit: Just sourced some decals on eBay if my homemade attempt fails)

So 20+ years ago I had this Ral Partha Fire Giant-[Image: kS0VcHS.jpg]
the back and shoulder plates are just the bare metal lead -scratch-burnished (with an Exacto blade) brushed with a heavy, wet Tamiya topcoat to seal it from oxidation. For being so simple, it looked really smooth compared to most paint mica metallics back then- the airbrush alclad lacquers and similar weren't available at the time to my knowledge. The picture barely captures the look. So I thought I'd try that again- having attempted it on the Sigurd Storm models to mixed results. This time I tried the felt polisher tip in the rotary box with the red buffing compound again. It did the same as before: spread burnt compound all over the piece. I haven't mastered polishing yet. I've heard Flitz polish paste works, but I didn't want to wait for it. After scrubbing the mini clean with a toothbrush & some toothpaste I was back to a minty fresh start. This time I found burnishing it with the end of my wooden sanding stick and later a toothpick started to show results. Next, I had the idea to burnish it with an old lead miniature thinking the lead might fill a portion of the pits and shine up more as lead does. Bingo.
[Image: 7q19zUa.jpg]
Again, the picture undersells the effect, and the pits don't seem to be as noticeable to my naked eye but look at the mirror-like reflection in the beholder's -that's what made me want to try this again as I was scrubbing an ancient paint job off of a classic mini.

Moving along to the next steps, I inked the panel lines and used Tamiya X19-Smoke to tint & seal the metal, then a liquid latex canopy masking to mask it off for priming [Image: v9qimnJ.jpg]In retrospect, I should've saved the inking & sealing step for later and just masked it off. Fun fact: that smoke bottle is older than 80% of the patrons at the game club. I love a lucky paint pot. The crust I had to break through to get her open probably kept her alive this long. Next came the fun part -blending...
[Image: WZXbB1z.jpg]I tested it on my palette spoons and figured I could practice with the flames later on those. Unfortunately right about now all I could hear in my head was "Tequilla Sunrise"
[Image: 2ETIMjd.jpg]
I know Dude, I know.  It gets worse:


RE: Karpav's Painting Blog (renamed) - Karpav1 - 06-29-2021

I stupidly put some blue painter's tape over my freshly sprayed, virgin dry coat to spray some black. Instantly started to second guess the decision. Carefully peeled to check. Damn. I have lower tack Tamiya tape I could have used. I could have waited a day for a harder cure as well. Dumb.[Image: SQCs5np.jpg]

I got the yellow back out and fixed it, plus the specific area will likely be black anyway, but it's just a learning lesson. I removed my latex glove and just pulled that taught over the area I wanted to spray and sprayed a black coat on. (inset)[Image: HslI342.jpg]

Spent the rest of the week cleaning the airbrush. I removed the mask at this point to see what I was in for. It wasn't all that bad despite the looks of it. This is about what I expected. The masking wasn't up on the black areas, I was just aggressive with the toothpick to make sure I got all the rubber off. It did what I needed it to do in keeping the primer off it, but it's far from: "Just peel and a crisp masked edge awaits!". It has its uses, but I wonder how an Exacto-trimmed tape mask would have worked. I did go back with the India ink and touch up the panel lines, then went in with a brush & black paint and cleaned up the edges on everything.[Image: MKObAyC.jpg]

And that's where I left off. Next installment we'll tackle the flame effect, weapon pods, and panel edge lining. I'm liking it so far. Amazed at how dirty I get a model in 30 minutes -the camera makes it look like I passed it through a rock tumbler. Thanks for taking another painting journey with me.
           

I thought I only needed one but will put an order in for 2-3 more, but one thing remains on my mind: Some time ago around here (not sure which thread) I saved the image on the left. The one on the right I found either here, or browsing online.[Image: ETooyPo.jpg] Now that the Totenkoph has been produced in all her glory, what was the ship labeled "B"? An alternate Totenkopf ship design? I seem to vaguely remember you saying they were to be released with a supplement book against another faction (QVP?) Any details of what ship "A" is? a slightly smaller colosian corvette/frigate? (I'm assuming ship "C" belongs to the other faction in the unreleased book). Any chance the book and/or models will see production in the future? (Edit I found the answers while working on decals by stumbling into the gallery here -A: it's a "Guillotine" QVP? B: Alternate Totenkoph, C: Still not sure).

RE: Karpav's Painting Blog (renamed) - Karpav1 - 07-02-2021

The experiment continues...    the initial plan from the get-go was to hand paint abstracted flame shapes in India ink and leave the color gradient in the negative spaces. I wasn't all pleased with the results. it was passable but didn't match the initial concept too well. So I cut micro stencils from a few different materials sort of in the way airbrush flame templates are used. The post-it book tab sheets worked perfectly. I also re-masked the hull with the proper low-tack tape this time. The Tamiya tape worked much better without disturbing the painted surfaces.

[Image: D9LyKes.jpg]

Doubting I could miniaturize the airbrush flame technique, I spent the morning watching every youtube flame video I could find with a cup of coffee. Channel muraljoe had a couple that was the most helpful because of the way he carefully explained his approach to painting flame. So with some inspiration, I tried the stencils out on the back of my remaining spoon with a dark red hue. I could tell right off it would probably work and started work on the Totenkopf.[Image: Jd8Iiwd.png]

This was my Iwata Neo's maiden voyage and I was impressed with its performance over the cheap $25 one I'd been using -it just feels "tighter". Hard to put to words.

In the next step, I used a brush to add some dark tones with diluted black ink. I couldn't have sprayed this watery mix through a stencil. It would have caterpillar-streaked. Back to the airbrush to layer some moon yellow through some stencils.[Image: GpP90AU.jpg]

I started to get concerned that I would overwork it here, but the process calls for multiple layers so I stuck it out and moved on to a brighter red to knock down the yellows and add more layers, then sprayed most of the area with yellow ink to tint the whole thing and tie the layers together.[Image: hVkjnDh.jpg]

At this stage, I breathed a sigh of relief - satisfied that I managed to pull it off and it looked better than the black ink tests. Back at the paint desk I peeled the mask and cleaned up the front end area where it blends to black and started to edge highlight with a warm grey.[Image: p8hgcHr.jpg]

Hot dang! The concept has been realized. She reeks of Colosian Kitsch/Matchbox car mash-up. After cleaning up the edge highlighting and painting the weapon pods I'm currently at the stage in the top half of the photo:
[Image: VHNdKjL.png]

The bottom half has digitally added decals that represent an ideal finishing touch IF I can achieve it...[Image: bRaHDnM.png]
Let's do this.

The Borax Freighter Stand-ins creeping onto the upper left of the scene were purchased here if anyone's interested. They are just the right kind of spacefaring box I was looking for. Will probably get some more ships from that shop once some more of my fleets are painted. I'll be painting them nasty rusty soon.

 I feel a bit like Nux after Imorten Joe promised a place in Valhalla if he could follow through with the task about this final decal hurdle:[Image: dp1kCRw.jpg]

and we know how that turned out...
[Image: EQjbcGM.jpg]

Wish me luck! Perfection is the enemy of the good. [Edit: And tabletop Minions published these words of wisdom as I was finishing this]: