Confrontation Kelts Continues...

A challenge to make three identical models look different from each other.

Three Rackham Confrontation Kelts.

Here you'll see stages from blocking out the values using underpainting,all the way to the finished product.

This underpainting establishes where the shadows and highlights are; the darkest and lightest values, and middle tones.

I've added some basic color. Browns for leathers, and pink, peach, reddish yellow tones for skin.

My goal here was to experiment in trying to emulate Frank Frazetta's Conan flesh tones.

I've added highlights to the skin. I've made it slightly different for each figure. One is more ruddy, one is more yellow, one more brown. Thin glazes of the lighter colors make them less abrupt, and you can always go back and glaze your original base colors back over any area that got too light or chalky.

I've added middle tones to the leather kilts. I then used washes to darken down some areas. Then I added highlights.

Here I've done the same thing as above with the leather sleeve, belt, and boot wraps.

Using yellows and purples for the bronzes. Celts, after all, lived mostly in the Bronze Age. Purples are a great way to shade and tone down yellows.

I've mixed a grey with a greenish/bluish tint for the sword blades. Painted the bones, and started the hair.

Decided to add a white highlight to the sword blades. You can see the subtle difference from the above pic. I also added some highlights to the hair.

Final highlights to the hair. Almost forgot to highlight the leather wraps on the sword hilts.
Woad designs on the skin to finish them off, and final pictures taken using a light box.

Filled in the reservoir on the right hand base with Secret Weapon Miniatures Realistic Water.

Most of the paints used were the Reaper Miniatures Master Series Clear Paints, Secret Weapon Miniatures Acrylic Weathering Paints, Vallejo Washes, and Privateer Press 3 Acrylics.

The resin bases were provided by the customer.

Firbolg Musician - Finished pics

Final images of the Firbolg Musician

This miniature was an experiment using Reaper Miniatures' Clear paints 

from their Master Series Paints line.

The clear paints are, as described in the title, very translucent.

In my work in progress posts you can see how I started building up 

the values in my underpainting, from dark to light,

so the shading was mostly in place before applying the color.

I couldn't get my lightest highlights using only the Clears though,

so I used a favorite light color,
the Weathered Wood paint from Secret Weapon Miniatures.

I feel like I could have pushed the darks to be darker,

but at some point, you have to call the model done.

Fir Bolg Musician - Work In Progress - Stage 2

Finding the values from lightest light to darkest dark with underpainting

Fir Bolg Musician - Work In Progress - Stage 1

Stage 1

Work In Progress

Celtos

Fir Bolg Musician

Sculpted by Kev White for i-KORE Games

I love the old Rackham figures! Here's Drac Mac Syro from the Confrontation Kelts...

I've been posting updates of this on my Facebook profile as I've been working, and
this is the blog post that brings all that Work In Progress information together.
And please forgive me for my many fonts and font sizes.

I thought it would be fun to see what he looks like next to the

original Confrontation card, so...

In the beginning...

And then there was skin...

And Non-metallic Metals...

And gems...

And now he's done!!

The next four Confrontation Kelts are finished!

My next 4 Kelts are finished.

The project moves along.

There are 18 more to paint.

Confrontation Kelts - The first three of two dozen are finished

I realized a few days ago that I had never posted the finished photos of my Confrontation Kelts.

Here they are...

Confrontation Celts, part deux...

This experiment with the value sketches continues.
You saw the darks added. Now I've added the lights. We are ready for more color.

Confrontation... remember those awesome minis from Rackham?

My latest major project is painting about two dozen Celts from the Confrontation line.
I've always loved the entire range of models from Rackham, so I said "Yes way!!" when I
was asked to paint them.

This post is about laying the groundwork. Not the bases. They came to me assembled, based and primed, which is a little weird for me, but whatevs.
Anyways, laying the groundwork for painting. Finding the lights and darks before applying all those colors. I will steal Matt DiPietro's word for it, and call it a value sketch.
I did add a bit of color to mine. A little pinkish tone, as they're supposed to be ruddy-skinned Northern-Europeans, and a bluish hue to my darks.