This blog hosts pictures of models painted by me (Alan O'Bryan), a four-time U.S. Golden Demon winner (2002-2003) and the 2013 West Coast Store Wars and 2016 Las Vegas Open Warmachine/Hordes Master Craftsman. I hope you enjoy these models and find inspiration here for your own work! PLEASE NOTE: While I still sometimes use this blog to post pictures for linking to on forums, my main page has moved to www.gorillawithabrush.com. See you there!
I follow your work on the pp forum. I love your work. How do you get your colors so pastel looking? The red hair on this guy looks amazing. And the dragons on his axes are crazy mellow. Your trolls are beyond awesome.
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ReplyDeleteThanks, David! My style kind of developed organically and not intentionally, so my answer to your question is only based on comparing what I do to what I see other painters do on videos, online tutorials, sitting next to them at the local game store, etc.
ReplyDeleteI think that my soft, pastel, "cartoonish" finishes come out because I do the following: I always basecoat each area with dark colors and often desaturate them (add black, for example, or sometimes dark brown). Then I work back up to the "normal" base color with a couple of layers of thin paint. From here, I start adding lighter colors to the mix and continue laying on many thin layers of paint working away from the recesses. And whether or not I used white during this process, there is always some white or near-white color added to the last layer or two and definitely to the final highlight color.
To emphasize what this means: there is a single, unifying color in all layers of the paint.
For example, when I paint troll flesh I start with Catachan Green and add Battlefield Brown (a dark, neutral brown) for the base coat. Then I add Catachan Green to the mix for the first layer and then do straight Catachan Green for the second layer. I then start adding more and more Kommando Khaki and Desert Yellow to the Catachan Green to do each subsequent layer, adding a touch of Menoth White Highlight for the final layer and then highlight color. But there is always Catachan Green in every layer I paint.
This is as opposed to someone who switches colors as they layer, shade, highlight, etc. For example, GW has charts that tell you to base with Color A, shade with Color B, layer with Color C, and highlight with Color D - all unique paints with their own hues, color values, etc. While they might have been purposefully created for this task, it simply creates a different kind finish, often translating into more vibrant or rich colors as opposed to my more muted finishes.
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any more questions.
Sorry for the double post. I've noticed you have alot of people asking you how you get your results. I thank you for taking the time to explain it again for me. I never get to paint but when i do i will try to mimic your technique. I think it ads a great deal of character to the models. Thanks again for the reply and i look forward to seeing more of your awesome minis
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