Artisan Guild – Veiled Sisterhood – Rogue A

Overall approach and discussion

This is an experiment/exploration of the grisaille technique of painting applied to miniature painting.

The grisaille technique is about the underpainting of a picture where the composition is first painted as a monochrome image with tones of grey or brown (or both) to first map out the shapes and volumes of a composition without worrying about colour. This approach makes the artist consider the affect of light on the overall composition and how the light affects the shapes and tone of the image.

Once the tones and volumes are established, colour is gradually introduced as glazes and filters over the background tones. Examples of the technique are often quite realistic and have subtle dimensionality. Glazing colours over the monochrome map allows greater subtlety and variation. For example, a purple filter under the skin tone where the skin is naturally quite thin or delicate (eye lids, ears, etc.).

Once the monochromatic tones are set, I will attempt to introduce texture through stippling, edge highlighting and hatching where the model would benefit from those textures. I want to introduce texture initially, and then reinforce those textures after the colourisation step.

Other techniques that are currently popular in miniature painting that follow a similar principal are:

Zenithal Highlight – applying a white highlight from an airbrush or using a paint brush to highlight only the uppermost parts of the model. When done using an airbrush, the airbrush is pointed down at the model and the paint hits the raised and uppermost parts of the model, using the shape of the model to prevent paint from hitting the lower parts. Applied with a paintbrush, the artist manually follows the uppermost contours of the model to achieve the same effect.

Slap-Chop – is a dry-brushing application of a white or light tone paint to the uppermost/exposed contours of the model. The artist uses a downward stroke of the drybrush to simulate the effect of zenithal highlighting. The effect can be enhanced on larger shapes by using a circular motion with the drybrush to deliver a smoother gradient.

The benefit to the artist with both Zenithal Highlighting and Slap-Chop methods is the speed of application and will, at least, guide the artist with a texture and lighting direction “map”, albeit without and subtlety and limited control. Nevertheless, these methods can be used as part of the grisaille approach, with refinement.

Overall Composition Steps.

Model printed and cleaned

Model primed with desert brown and black (5:1)

Model shadows enhanced with grey brush pen. This step didn’t really work as the brush pen ink reactivates when acrylic paint is applied over the top of it. I will not be repeating this step.

Reestablished the grey tones with Vallejo Neutral Grey

Next, I need to add darker and lighter tones on the model. The leather top will be much darker and I will give it some grey and white highlights. The pauldron, hair band, head band and belt will also be painted much darker (dark grey) and the studs will be painted neutral grey with pale grey and white highlights. The stones in the head band will be painted as gemstones, so they will be painted very dark around the bottom semi-circle, midtone across the rest of the stone and then a small white circle showing the light reflection

The arm-band, earrings and ear clip are all going to be painted NMM gold, so the shadows and highlights will be more abrupt and show secondary reflected light.

The model now has the dark tones established with a dark charcoal tone added around the top, hair band, head band, pauldron, belt and straps.

White is blended in over the high points and texture is added with stippling, hatching and edge highlighting. Reflections are added on the metal elements such as the studs, earrings, gems and buckle ring. The sclera is painted white to provide a base tone for the eyes.

I’m pretty happy with the belt around the rogue’s waist. The scratchy highlights and the edge highlights look pretty good, to my eyes. I’m also happy with the belt ring highlights, this should make creating a gold effect a bit easier.

I’ve started glazing and layering the flesh-tone with a 10:1 mix of glaze medium with a rosy flesh tone. I think that the ratio is wrong as building up the flesh tone has taken 8 layers so far. I will add some more of the acrylic paint into the mix to get to more of an 8:1 ratio. At this stage, the grey undertone is too strong in the shadows and needs to be dialed back. I am now applying more skin glaze over the shadowed areas to do so.

The skin was layered with a glaze of Rosy Flesh, Pale Flesh and Off White with the highest points that would receive the most light receiving highlight glazing of the Off-White colour to give the brightest points. The face has a lot of shapes that are in and out of the light to varying degrees.

Focus on Details

Belt Detail

The belt has been painted with grey primer and has been overpainted with a black glaze. The white highlight has been applied to the metal studs and an edge highlight added around the belt. Where the light falls, I have placed white highlights in a scratchy pattern to add texture and highlights.

Belt Ring Detail

The Belt Ring has been primed and has had a rubbed back black oil wash to emphasize the change in material (skin to metal, leather to metal). Scratchy white highlights have been added to the light facing surfaces.

Added a slight sunset orange into the gradient and finished off with an off white highlight on the areas that are most raised.

Arm Band Detail

The arm band has only had a grey prime and black oil wash pin-lining applied.

All of the NMM Gold at this stage needs more refinement and lacks the final off-white highlight. It may be necessary to come back in with sunset orange.

I think that I need to start this again. I’ll repaint the arm band with beasty brown and then use a burnt umber oil wash to enhance the engraved areas and then build up the Sunset Orange, Moon Yellow, Off White highlights.

Added some sunset orange in the gradient and finished off with an off white highlight. Pretty happy with the outcome.

Hair Detail

The hair has been primed, black oil washed and then highlighted with a white edge highlight. The head band and hair band have both been given a black glaze followed by progressive highlights of neutral grey and white. Both have had an edge highlight applied. A white highlight has also been used to add texture to the leather.

I decided that it would be interesting if the hair received a similar NMM Gold treatment. Over the monotone preshading, I painted Beasty Brown. The idea here is to use the same style of gradient that is used in NMM, but without (or with subtle) secondary reflection. The typical “Halo” approach often seen on models doesn’t really give a sense of volume … just the reflectivity of hair.

The paint was applied with a heavy glaze consistency to maintain the tonal values of the preshading and highlighting steps.

Colours for glazing

Hair

Skin

Undertone Colours for Skin

Lips

Leather Armour

 Gold (armband, earrings, ear clip, belt ring)

Gemstones

 The completed bust: