Reaper Townsfolk Bar Maid
Step-by-step
PART ONE
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As promised here is a step-by-step on how I approach painting. Even after all of these years I'm still learning, but maybe you can pick up something you want to try.
I selected this miniature because it is something I have been meaning to paint for some time. Also, as many of you have picked up the Reaper Bones Kickstarter - it is one of the townsfolk sculpts included in your package.
Prior to painting I decide what level of paint job I am going to give a figure. For this figure, I am going for high tabletop standard. Far superior to any pre-paint you could purchase, but easily accomplished in an evening's work. It will take me longer because I am going step-by-step. Remember, those show quality miniatures take hours and hours - for example Alexi Z. takes around 30 hours per miniature. We don't want to put in that kind of time - we want to play with our minis!
I will cover some speed painting techniques later this year and some other short-cuts, but this figure's step-by-step will give you a base sense of how I paint.
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PREPARATION
This is a metal miniature, so keep in mind your bones will be slightly different.
I quickly scrape and file down mold lines, etc. I cut away the broccoli base and remount the figure. For this model I created
some boards out of greenstuff that will represent the floor of a tavern when I'm done. If you were working for showpiece quality you would take much longer with this process - including using some miliputty paste to fill in flaws on the figure.
I wash the figure with an old toothbrush and a bit of soap.
I prime it black with dupli-color sandable primer. You can pick it up at any auto parts store.
I mount the figure on a large cork using double sided poster mount tape. This is the last time my hands will touch the actual miniature until I am done painting. Your hands and skin oil can do a lot of damage to your paint. That's why you should consider mounting your figures. Plus, it's a heck of a lot easier to paint.
I dry brush the figure with a bit of white primer to help the details stand out.
I use a wet palette when I paint. I use a small Sta-Wet Handy Palette. You can buy the palette and refill sheets at Michael's or Hobby Lobby and any number of art stores. Make sure you a grab a 40-50% off coupon before you buy one - both of these stores regularly offer these coupons.
Here is what my palette looks like after a bit of painting the last couple of days:
The advantage of a wet palette is it is so easy to mix and keep your paint wet while you are painting. I can often come back to a paint after a couple of days and with a touch of water, re-use any mixes I have made.
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FLESH
I paint inside - out on almost all of my figures. I nearly complete an area, but save the last highlights for near the end of the project. I like starting with flesh and I spend a bit of time on faces.
For this lass I am going to use Reaper Master Series (RMS) Burnt Orange, RMS Palomino Gold, RMS Mahogany, Vallejo Game Color (VGC) Charred Brown, and RMS Pure White.
You can see I use a very wet palette - here are the colors on a fresh palette sheet:
RMS Palomino Gold is my base. I added a bit of Mahogany and a bit of RMS Pure White. I measure in brush strokes on my palette so I can keep mixing until I like it. I lay down the base fairly heavy always using a lightly different mix for different areas. I'm doing a little mixing of various shades with almost every brushstroke. I really like the variations in skin tones this gives. It's a real mess when I start:
I keep working the base and start using thinner paint to work up some high lights. I also threw some red down on the palette to work into the flesh color for the cheeks and lips.
I blacked in the eyes and I will come back to finish those up when I do final highlights. For my purposes, the face is largely done except for some highlights.
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NEXT TIME
Part Two will start with the hair and start with the clothes.
If you have any questions or suggestions as I go along please fire away!