Friday, December 27, 2013

From AnneO'L: 28mm Cowboys & Thief (17 points)


Anne submits her fist non-thematic entry with this brilliant cowboy vignette and an elf thief.

From Anne:
I began painting miniatures a little over a year and a half ago and for me, the greatest part of the Challenge is not the acquisition of points, rather it is to push myself as a painter by doing things I have never done before. 
These are 25mm figures from Knuckleduster and I had a grand time painting them.  They are smaller than the 28mm heroic figures I generally paint and have less detail. Therefor I had to adjust my technique somewhat to accommodate that. They required more contrast than I am used to using and they required the use of washes which is something I never use.  The main shortcoming on these figures is that I did not push the highlights high enough in several places. Hopefully, I will do a better job on the next batch of Knuckleduster figures I submit.
This is a 28mm heroic figure from Reaper Miniatures. It is a metal miniature and was sculpted by Bobby Jackson.  You may notice that the face is a different colour than the hands.  This is an elf thief and Bobby sculpted a highly stylized mask on the face. I chose to paint it in a dark greyscale to emphasize those pronounced features.  I painted the dagger a glowing green as I wanted to try doing Object Source Lighting. You can see this as the green glow that is transmitted from the dagger onto the side of the cloak. I was a bit heavy handed with the technique, which should be more subtle.  On the back of the cloak, I painted some freehand blue flames. While this looks fine on a table top, it is too sloppy for photography. I failed to highlight within the flames and I did not have enough distinction between layers. However, this was a first attempt and I learned something from it.

Wonderful stuff Anne! I always enjoy seeing your work as you have a very vibrant, high-contrast style. Your first attempt at source lighting is quite good, especially as it can be a tricky effect to pull off. As a suggestion, I find 'source lighting' usually works best when the figure is painted in muted 'shadow' tones in order to set up a better context for the chosen light source. I also really like the blue flames on the back of the thief's cloak. I find it reminiscent of  some of the psychedelic album covers of the 70s (as you can tell, I spent way too much time in my parents' basement listening to the hi-fi) - very cool.

These three figures will give Anne as base of 15 points but I'm adding a couple more for the vignette and paint effects. Great stuff Anne and I look forward to your coming entries!

18 comments:

  1. Great work Anne and bravo to you for pushing yourself to try new things I have long wanted to have a go at OSL but never built up the nerve. I am really looking forward to seeing what you offer us next
    Peace James

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  2. Anne these figures are superb the colours are fantastic , a really wonderful job

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  3. Beautiful work as always, Anne. Great entry to the comp.

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  4. Awesome work Anne - beautiful stuff

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  5. Thanks guys!

    Curt, I think we must be of the same age. Reminds me a bit of the cover of Disraeli Gears :0)

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    1. Haha, yes, we may be of a similar vintage indeed. Great album by the way!

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  6. The elf thief is just lovely ( he says checking his wallet). And Cowboys well you know I like Cowboy figures. As every a vibrant palette and great brush work.

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  7. Wonderful work Anne. I do agree that the Challenge is personal to each entrant - for some people it is about seeing how much they can paint, for others it is about getting projects done that have been sitting around, for you (and a few others) it is about pushing your limits and developing as a painter.

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  8. I always enjoy your stuff Anne regardless of subject. I think that's partly because it is so different to how many of us paint i.e. the gamer fraternity. There's a lot to be said for being new to something and without preconceptions.

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  9. Awesome painting Anne!! love the vibrant colours!!

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  10. As always, your work is fantastic and as usual you wish you could do better.

    I think a few more paint brushes have been snapped in two by old hands as they read "I have been painting a little over a year and a half"

    Keep them coming and I love that cloak
    Ian

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  11. Truly inspiring! Love the colour palette you used.

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  12. You have a wonderful style of painting, Anne. Your use of the colours is FANTASTIC!
    Really nice figures.

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Thanks for your comment! As long as you're not a spam droid I'll have it up on the blog soon. :)