Showcase: The Artist

It's a little shocking, I admit, but this is already the second model I've finished this year! Recently Wamp ran their annual painting contest, Wamped, of which this year was number 6. You can enter multiple times and there are categories for both general miniatures from any supplier, and models produced by Wamp. Having already entered Bonnie, Father Griffmas and St Peter thanks to the rules stating that any model can be entered as long as it isn't shown online in a completed condition prior to the contest starting, I felt I should have a go at entering something into the Wamp category.

Enter, The Artist.

The Artist was the mini that Wamp got commissioned for the Wamp Select Series Kickstarter, depicting a painter off on his travels somewhere.

I started off with XV-88 for the coat, as I did with the GCPD Detective from the Batman Miniature Game and ended up with even more brown, ranging from the boots to the bag to his beard and his hat. Lots of brown.

One thing the pictures show off quite well is the layer of shadowy protection given by his nice, wide brimmed hat. This does a great job of giving his face natural shadow. However, I tried to depict that shadow with actual paint and after some advice, layered up some purples, reds and blues.

Unfortunately, when you take a picture under the same lighting as the previous ones where the hat gives you shade, and just tilt the miniature, it also washes out some of the colour, which was admittedly also washed away by the re-addition of more flesh tone after he looked like he'd picked a fight with a biker gang.

I continued the shadow theme to his base. As usual, it was made using a Wargames Bakery Basius tile, this time Imperial. I usually have my miniatures standing dead center of their bases so for this one aimed to have him standing a little off centre, which was helped by having the step down to his right.

I started off wanting a pale marble effect and quickly ruined it with the addition of a yellow/chestnut mix ink wash. What that did however, was give a nice tint of Sandstone, which I ran with. I then worked out where he would be standing, and added some light shading to that area, to continue the suggestion of light directly above.

The coat ended up giving me quite a lot of trouble as I told myself that I wouldn't use inks or washes on it for depth as I did with the detective, but to try layering and glazing. This sort of worked, as there is depth through shadow and highlight, but it also didn't work, because in several places where such change should be smooth and gradual, it just isn't. 

That said, having been involved in the Wamp Kickstarter and seeing the initial concept art get transformed from that to an actual miniature to hold in my hand, I'm quite happy to have finally painted one. I got two at the time, as there are two hand options (paintbrush, as here, or a paint gun) so now I've learnt the pit falls on this run through I can use my learning on the next version of him.

On a closing note - by the time this article goes live, I should be well on my way over to York for the weekend, where I'll be attending Vapnartak for the first time. Should everything go to plan, I'll have pictures from that for everyone next week. :)