Okay, so I blatantly pinched the idea for the conversion from someone else because the original model's seriously crud* from the waist down. Don't get me wrong now, the lower half's great in a mad psycho standing still and shooting everything they've got forwards sort of way. Unfortunately, she's supposed to be a very balletic swift moving stalking creature who doesn't really stand still that much so the lower half's rubbish.
I seem to be the only person who likes her head. Lots of people say she's got a huge head, she hasn't. It's a little on the large side but the hair stopping above the collar makes it look bigger than it actualy is. Also anyone who's seen the original Ashlynn artwork knows it's a blatant Christina Ricci rip off so the face is about right. I don't know why they went and redid a load of the unit art for Superiority in a crud*py "watercoloured pencils trying to be cartoony" sort of way :(.
So anyway, I'm posting this here because I'm not happy with it.
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Balgin/Miniatures/Warmachine/Ash1.jpg)
The angle of the join at the waist doesn't quite look right. I've already torn off the upper body and carves the waist down once to make it look more anatomicaly correct but it still looks too high.
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Balgin/Miniatures/Warmachine/Ash2.jpg)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Balgin/Miniatures/Warmachine/Ash3.jpg)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Balgin/Miniatures/Warmachine/Ash4.jpg)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Balgin/Miniatures/Warmachine/Ash5.jpg)
Should I carve it down again? I think I might need to lower the right hip once more.
On the angle: the torso twist I've put in is intentional (walking forwards but focussing on someone). She's going to have her sword arm pointing down, blade almost tapping the earth in a "you, here - now" challenge so it looks like she's just turned, jabbed the sword at a distant foe and then tapped the earth, daring them to come and get some.
I'd like to twist her body a little bit more but then the "flat" of the small of her back wouldn't align with the "flat" of her bum. In fact I've twisted it a little bit far for that already but with luck nobody'll notice (if I aligned them perfectly she'd be facing along the line of the front leg and that wouldn't look as good). Ideally the front leg should be crossing her path as if she's just taken a step and decided to change direction (issuing a new challenge as she does so). Now, awkwardly, her chest is twisting in the opposite direction (look at the boobs compared to the waist) but I'm going to explain that by angling her pistol arm back (not the horizontal official paintjob pose back, just holding it behind her hip for balance) so she can present her upper body side on as she challenges (minimising targetable surface area - very fencing/dueling - which is supposed to be her thing afterall).
Should I carve off the pistol and leave the holster? She's holding a pistol in her left hand and isn't mean't to have a second one but carving it off would be a pain (as I'd need to resculpt the part of her belt that the handle covers).
I'm mostly asking for advice on if I should touch the waist again before getting out the green stuff. I know the pointy little bit sticks out too far (mostly 'cause of me carving off the original legs) but I can't push it back in so I'll probably bring the cloth up to it when I apply the putty since it looks nice.
And here's something I am proud of. I managed to drill through both shoulders with a pin vice from each side and they lined up perfectly (no awkward wobbly bits in the middle). Those skinny arms of hers are going to need pinning.
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Balgin/Miniatures/Warmachine/Ash6.jpg)
This should probably be moved to the painting, converting & sculpting board.
if the upper body were lowered by the thickness of the green stuff I think it would be OK.
the point of the basque/bustier come in just above the pubic region and the sides sit well down on the hips. so it needs dropping by 1mm or so.
(http://corset-angel.com/shop/images/bustier.jpg)
I can't see a scabbard. so why bother cutting the pistol out... it could just be another pistol in her hand after her favourite is out of ammo.
Quote from: Bungle on April 26, 2007, 01:13:10 PM
if the upper body were lowered by the thickness of the green stuff I think it would be OK.
What green stuff? That's just superglue separating them at the moment (and I'll sculpt the cloth up to the edges to fill the gap).
Each time I've glued the two halves together the glue seems to swell up and push the body updards (yes, there's a pin too but I can always trim that down then - can't get it out of the bottom half 'though so filing and carving around it's a little awkward but doable).
Oh, and another reason for not lowering the right hip is that, if I do, the tip of her ugly giant plank sword cricket bat thing goes through the floor (well, below the "floor" level defined by the base). Yeah, that sword's such a rapier as you'd expect a finesse duelist like her to wield! I just haven' worked out anything approaching a decent yet structuraly sound replacement yet so I'll probably use it as is.
Sorry I thought I notice a hint of GS on the rear shot and thought you had used GS/BS in the join.
it appears to me to be that little bit too high... and I think you seem to think so too. But thats all.
@ Bungle - good demonstration. More please. :icon_razz:
I would have posted one of my mrs who has a bustier in the same style with a V at the bottom.... but she would then be wearing a new pair of earings :icon_eek:
Remove the glue and just a spot in each hole the pin is in is all you need as the green stuff will give the joint extra strength.
If you feel you can then cut the head off and reattach it, then you can have the back and butt flat bit's alined and turn the head to face the direction you want.
@ Balgy, it's looking great so far
@ Bungle, you're a sensible and lucky man.
Quote from: Wristaction on April 26, 2007, 05:06:20 PM
Remove the glue and just a spot in each hole the pin is in is all you need as the green stuff will give the joint extra strength.
Easier said than done (I've carved off some glue already, down to the metal I reckon). I don't reckon the glue's pushing them apart. Since I ahd to carve both surfaces the edges are lower than the centres, sort of a convex curve. You know how you carve it down at the edges and then try to get the middle down now it's a smaller obstacle. I think I've almost got the edges down to where I want/need them to be but now the middles are proving annoying.
QuoteIf you feel you can then cut the head off and reattach it
Woah, deathwish two thousadn and seven! If I did that I'd have to resculpt her china nd all sorts (plus with clippers you never get a clean cut as you always destroy one part since they join in a V shape so I'd have huge gouges on her head, face and hair, or gourget).
What I'd really need to do is turn her upper bosy so that it's not twisted in the opposite direction to her hips. I also think the point eneds lowering 'till it almost touches the belt. If I leave the pistol on then she's not tournament legal (doesn't bother me now but it might later) since you're "not allowed to change the weaponry the model has" and leaving it on would count as "adding" an extra weapon (not allowed). I just really don't think I could be arsed to try and carve it off 'though (but deciding wether or not to do it has been a great exuse to avoid the greenstuff filling around the main joint so she's been in this state for two or three months now).
Quote from: Balgin Stondraeg on April 26, 2007, 05:28:18 PM
If I leave the pistol on then she's not tournament legal (doesn't bother me now but it might later) since you're "not allowed to change the weaponry the model has" and leaving it on would count as "adding" an extra weapon (not allowed). I just really don't think I could be arsed to try and carve it off 'though (but deciding wether or not to do it has been a great exuse to avoid the greenstuff filling around the main joint so she's been in this state for two or three months now).
???
Only a problem in WYSIWYG games....
Sad to spoil a beautiful figure for the sake of an uncooperative opponent. Do you play in many tournaments?
Quote from: Bungle on April 26, 2007, 05:35:54 PM
Do you play in many tournaments?
Nope :). And I have the badly painted default "stunt double" version in case anyone gets stroppy and would they really play against a crud* paintjob that, compared to the rest of my force is clearly an insult to them, or against a beautifuly painted figure? :icon_w00t:
I've repositioned her waist a few weeks ago and even took some photo's back then but haven't summoned up the energy to post them yet. With the recent swathe of photo's I'm feeling more inspired and so might put up the updated pictures (no putty yet).
Looking foward to seeing how it has developed.
Any updated pics Balgin?
Yeah but I'm a bit sleepy so I haven't trimmed off the edges much. No putty yet, the focus is on the realignment of the waist. I might reposition the left arm further back a bit too.
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Balgin/Miniatures/Warmachine/Ash7.jpg)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Balgin/Miniatures/Warmachine/Ash8.jpg)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Balgin/Miniatures/Warmachine/Ash9.jpg)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Balgin/Miniatures/Warmachine/Ash10.jpg)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Balgin/Miniatures/Warmachine/Ash11.jpg)
It looks great!!!
I might be tempted to get this girl too!!!
Andres
You'd need the alternate Haley too for the legs.
It is coming along well so far. Finsih with all the putty so we can see her painted up.
Pictures of her & The Autumnblade coming soon (can't find her thread). I got bored of waiting to touch them up a bit and sprayed them black. Now I've done the eyes and skin too.
Well, I've painted the face and it came out nice. She's got a nice round face. Unfortunately some of the contours are so extreme (like her projectile cheekbones, and yes, I do know that projectile means they could shoot out at you) that it can prove difficult to paint.
So anyway the face is nice, I painted the face. Then I tried to paint the hair. What a nightmare. Okay, so the hair's nice, it suits the face, suits the character concept. However, it's just really badly sculpted. I should know this because it's the third time I've painted the hair (I even had to paint it twice on her stunt double to get it looking barely acceptable). Here's the deal: it's bad hair. With good hair, you can drybrush it, ink it, highlight it, anything. With bad hair you have to either ink it or drybrush it because the grain of the hair is too fine for decent highlights. To make things worse, not only is the grain too fine for a decent paintjob but also it's too shallow so drybrushing kills details and inking gets ink onto the sides of her face (and due to the shape of the hair you have to paint the face first).
So you paint the face. Then you paint the hair. Then you get hair paint on the face. Then you look at it. Then you re-undercoat the hair. Then you touch up the face. Then you try to paint the hair again.
So currently it's black but I was aiming for a mid to light brown and it really wasn't working (highlights got too bright so I inked it down, the contrast shot up and it looked hideously bad). I think I'll either start with a bestial brown base or a bestial brown & scorched brown mix (a lovely colour) and then try really carefuly painted highlights. I know the sculpt really discourages it but hopefuly I can hide the shallowness of the sculpting with shading.
Post a pic
Front on:
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Balgin/Miniatures/Warmachine/Ash12.jpg)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Balgin/Miniatures/Warmachine/Ash13.jpg)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Balgin/Miniatures/Warmachine/Ash14.jpg)
From the side:
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Balgin/Miniatures/Warmachine/Ash15.jpg)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Balgin/Miniatures/Warmachine/Ash16.jpg)
And look, she's even got a neck. It was fun painting the neck and practicing not getting any on the hair (and tidying up the bottom of the hair a little bit afterwards but alot less than I'd expected to :)):
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Balgin/Miniatures/Warmachine/Ash17.jpg)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Balgin/Miniatures/Warmachine/Ash18.jpg)
There's a picture. I've been trying to get a hair colour similar to that (but less green and more light brown) and can't get it right. If anyone's got any suggestions then let me know.
I'd say basecoat a very dark brown, highlight with desert yellow, brown ink over it all, extreme highlight with a mix of 2:1 or possibly 3:1 of desert yellow:burnished gold, very thin brown ink if necessary to tone down highlights.
Well I'm thinking of a bestial brown/scorched brown mix for the basecoat but I'm not sure where to go from there. The sculpting on the hair is pretty shallow and yet it's too fine for graded highlights (so it's almost drybrushing & inks only but with no recesses to hold the inks). Maybe I should just paint her boots of something to see if that inspires anything.
yeah the hair on that fig doesnt look too easy to get right. It may be easiest just carefully drybrushing it all the way thru. basecoat brown, heavy drybrush bubonic brown, meduim drybrush desert yellow, lightly drybrush a mix of desert yellow and burnished gold. You could add a thin brown ink after drybrushing the bubonic to try and get a bit more depth in the colour but inking after that stage may throw the whole thing out....
Burnished gold is metallic!
That aside, I'm not aiming for yellow, I'm aiming for a light yellowy brown.
So today I had a third attempt and realised it was the exact same way I'd tried it the first time (the second had come ou a lot worse).
Basecoat: scorched brown & bestial brown (a lovely colour, they really should sell that mix separately).
Next layer: bestial brown
next layer: snakebite leather
next layer: vomit brown
I realised the vomit brown looks too chunky and stopped halfway through. It's too drastic a step up and inking it down with brown ink (the first time) looked hideous. If I could get a light brown ink or something. So I did half the hair vomit and left the rest 'till tomorrow. Once I've finished that layer I might take some more photo's. It's almost, but not quite, what I'm after. Bubonic brown would've been too greenish but vomit brown's got a lot of orange in it :(.
Quote from: Balgin Stondraeg on November 02, 2007, 12:08:31 PM
Burnished gold is metallic!
Yep. So it will give it a slight metallic shine, like real hair has.
judging by the picture you posted, the final highlight would have to be metallicy to emphasise the light effect. I dont know NMM but I would expect it to be impossible to do on hair or very very hard at least. Maybe post a picture closer to what you actually want? its hard to guess what shade you are going for mate.
"Yep. So it will give it a slight metallic shine, like real hair has." My thoughts exactly :icon_wink:
Just had a thought, couldnt you add Vallejo Metallic Medium into your final highlight shade and use that as an extreme highlight to emphasise the light? it may be the ideal way to get a closer final highlight shade as the Burnished gold may throw the colour out slightly too much
With the posing of the right arm, I recon it should be a bit higher, pointing more to body height, the pointing down doesn't look realistic in my eyes
Well as I continued with the hair my brushstrokes seem to have got heavier and thicker so I'll have to touch up the right hand side a bit (her right, near the front) to make it match. What I'm aiming for is something a little bit less yellowy than this with slightly less exctreme contrasts (she's supposed to be quite tarty so I want it to look like a bad dye job - just not that bad!).
Here's some photo's in the bright sunlight:
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Balgin/Miniatures/Warmachine/Ash19.jpg)
And here's some in the dark (where you can see where a few of the highlights got a bit chunky and I'll paint a few shadows in where the brush has slipped off the edges of strands and into the recesses).
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Balgin/Miniatures/Warmachine/Ash20.jpg)
I know brown ink will ruin it (did that before) and yellow ink would just make it look yellower (and I'm not even going to risk chestnut ink). What I might try and do is very cuningly paint the edges of the highlights snakebite leather. I did it where two highlights merged on the front two strands on the left (her left) and it looks almost okay. That way I could tone down the bright highlights by sort of fake shading them in again. That'd also allow me to touch up the roots a bit so they're not quite so dark all over.
I dont think it looks too bad, theres only 2 strands I consider chunky. The only way I can think of getting it less yellow would be to start with a black base instead of a dark brown. This would add to the dyed effect and u could get away with using a darker brown on more raised areas instead of in the recesses only. Not much good to you with it almost finished though, sorry.
Given that the camera is so close and you'd be further away if looking with the eye, I think it'd look pretty good as it is. The pics without the bright light show theres a good bit of shading
Well, it's less bad dye job and more good dye job growing out after a few weeks (or months) on the trail. It does look better at a distance (and I count 3 blobby bits that need tidying up from those photo's alone). I think I'll paint the edges of some of the highlights darker again and see how it goes because currently she's nearly there (and then I can start putting her ugly awful arms on with her planksword rapier - yeah, that's supposed to be a rapier but it's about 4-5" wide).
Do the edges darker or a thin dark line thru the middle of them to seperate into 2 strands would do it. Keep us posted with the pics :icon_wink: