54mm Harlequin Solitaire - From Sketch to Miniature

[MortiS-the-Lost]

looking good!

[MarkRG]

Damn cool mate i'm well impressed

Game on.

[precinctomega]

That's the final picture before I start painting. The sculpt is done (although I've noticed a couple of little touching up areas - minor work, though) and I've undercoated her.

In case you're wondering, that's a black undercoat, oversprayed with white: a technique I got from hortwerth on the Warseer forums, as if gives good, deep shading but a pale base to start painting on the bright colours (but not too bright, as I want the final result to be somewhat... muted).

R.

[BobbieTheDamned]

She's looking a lot better now she's had some undercoat. The shaping on the fold of the hood where it rests on the body is really nice, looks just right. The anklet is nice, don't think I've noticed that before.

I think this is a miniature that will really come out in the painting stage, the mini is flat an a little barren but you wouldn't want to much detail for a harlie otherwise once you start getting the patterns on its just going to look messy. I think you've struck the ballance just right.

[precinctomega]

The anklet was a last-minute addition, coming from a suggestion that the client liked that there should be an outward symbol of the solitaire's technical servitude to She Who Thirsts.

You're right about the painting.  I really had to restrain myself from adding too much detail, because I felt very firmly that the model needed to look as light and unhampered as possible.  Once I've started painting her, I'll post some more pics and you'll see the difference it makes.

R.

[MortiS-the-Lost]

interesting technique with the undercoat with the undercoat, dose it work well? are there any drawbacks to it?
-it strikes me as looking kinda speckle-y which I imagine would be quite hard to paint over with smoothly shaded colours without using quite a few coats (which in turn would cause you to lose the initial contrast) – looks like this technique is best suited to large smooth miniatures. (I guess dry brushing white over black would work for smaller more finely detailed miniatures though)

just some random thoughts - personally I undercoat in black and build up the colour though several stages allowing a little or each colour to show through in the layer above giving me as much or as little contrast as I need.

[precinctomega]

I've only just started to use the overspraying technique, so I can't give a detailed assessment of its value, but I recently recommended it to a friend needing to speedpaint a Blood Angels army and he found it really useful.  In this case, he was using the new Citadel spray gun and undercoated the models in Chaos Black and then oversprayed using Mechrite Red (in a 60/40 water/paint mix) before touching up with Blood Red.  I've not seen the results yet, as we're all playing Inquisitor at the moment, but he tells me it worked really nicely (given that he's not the world's deftest of painters to start with).

The few models on which I've oversprayed a white coat, I've chosen to do so because I wanted to paint the model with bright colours but to give them a distinctly muted tone.  This really works on 40k models, because the muted, slightly grubby finish its gives the models fits with the background, without giving them the slightly hurried look that the new Ink Washes betray somewhat (when used as a speed-painting technique, anyway).

The client hasn't paid me yet, but I couldn't resist getting started on the painting.  I'll post some pics of the WIP later.

R.

[MortiS-the-Lost]

I'll keep an eye on this thread, it'll intresting to see how it turns out

[precinctomega]

Despite the fact that I haven't been paid by my client for the sculpting work yet, I couldn't resist getting on and painting her, once I'd got this far. Lots still to do, but you can see how it's coming along.

R.

[precinctomega]

Vote here!

R.

[MortiS-the-Lost]

awsome stuff!

anymore articals like this planned?

[precinctomega]

Sort of.

I'm sculpting a 54mm model as my entry for the Conclave's Painting and Modelling Competition 2009.  But I'm not allowed to post any pictures or WIPs until the judging's complete.  This is my first proper "from scratch" sculpt, as opposed to one using another model as an armature.

R.

[Scumdog47]

Mind is blown.
:)

[General Biakal]

does she have a sister? maybe me and her could maybe goto a motel room? she could show me the secrets of the universe and i could stcik my thump up her bum. we all win then!

i was reading the fluff GW book xenology. it was mostly rubbish beardy fluff but it did have an autopsy of an eldar in it with sketches of musculature which might come in handy for you. however it also said eldar only excrete small crystal odourless poo's which is no fun in a cleveland steamer scenario.

how ever- this project is just awesome. i dont think its 'barren' either- shes just wearing and carrying the bare (ahem) minimum. outstanding. graceful, silky, erotic. nice.

[MortiS-the-Lost]

The Eldar shit crystals? No wonder they're such a stuck up race.
And people wonder why I have trouble taking the 40k universe seriously ...

[General Biakal]

yep, the eldar shit only crystals- odourless and dry/solid.

[precinctomega]

Well, she is supposed to be the embodiment of She Who Thirsts, so I was going out of my way to make her and erotically-charged character.

Funnily enough, I should be seeing her again soon.  The client failed to sign for the package (through forgetfulness) and because I forgot to put a return address on her, she ended up in the central depot.  She's finally being sent back to me and I'll be handing her over to the client (if she arrives on time) this weekend.

R.

[Billiam Babble]

Stirling and stunning work!
Most impressive. :)

[Umboman]

I found this expose(start to finish) absolutely facsinating.Having sculpted full size masks in clay I know how rewarding it is to make something from scratch & appreciate how much harder it must be to work in 54mm...............Astounding & encouraging at the same time.Totally 100% creative content:concept,creation & painting.I have a book on making scratch built models but your illustration & photo's was easier to understand.Inspiring to see the stages unfold,like a 3D painting but I could I get passed my blank sheet of paper?One day I  would like to try,but until then I have loads of kits to make.Thank you for sharing the birth of your figure,you make it look easy but I know it is not.Good luck with the competitions.

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