Ruin 3.0 - The inking continues....


Hey sports fans. This is just a quick update as I have not had much time to work on painting over the last few days (silly school, work, family getting in the way.....)

I was able to get the second layer of ink onto the model. Just to refresh your memory I used a P3 - Red Ink for this layer. It has a bit more of an Orange tinge to it which balances out the pinkish/purple of the FW - Red Ink of the first layer. I find that when using both it gives a very nice rich red color.

As you can see in the pictures below if we have done the job right using the inks and highlight colors underneath we have achieved a really nice contrast between dark and light. For these pictures there is no light directed at the model. You are seeing the highlights that simulate where the light would hit the model.

After the ink was fully dried I coated the model (where the inks were applied only) with a gloss varnish. This step is critical to seal in the freshness, well to keep the ink in place as it will rub off and interact with the paints that will be applied later if its not sealed properly.

Up next I am going to tape off around the buckler on the left hand, the club in the right, and the ruins around the head. I am basically going to repeat the process of what I did with the reds, but will use greens to give it a glowing look. Something like an OSL but without the light source shining onto the model itself. I hope to get an almost ethereal glow if I do it correctly.

Ruin 2.0 - The inks have landed.

First and foremost, this model is just fantastic. I think I have gushed over it a bit to this point, but it does need some more praise, The lines are smooth, the larger open surfaces are curved to capture the light just right. and the detail is fantastic for PVC.

Back to the topic at hand. I gave the primer a full 24 hours to dry. I have found that Vallejo Surface Primer is fantastic stuff but it needs a while to fully cure. I am pretty sure that I would be fine leaving it for 8 hours or so but over night works well so why mess with it? I then gave the model a quick coat of Vallejo Model Color - Grey/Black. The darker undercoat is critical for the highlighting effect I am using, Don't worry about the Grey/Black being a bit too light as the shadows will be darkened later with washes.

I helped the undercoat dry a bit faster using strait air out of the airbrush and then it was time to add the first layer of highlights. For the first highlights I use Vallejo Game Color - Stone Grey. Its a good contrast to the Grey/Black and it can get very "bright" without having to go up through white. 

Next up was the first layer of ink. I used the D&R -FW Red Ink. This stuff is amazing and can be found at Hobby Lobby for about $4 with a coupon. One pot should last you years. To give a bit of perspective I used 5 drops for this layer.

As you can see the first layer of inks leave just a bit of the highlights showing through underneath, It's a good layer to build upon. You may also notice that the ink is a bit on the pinkish/purple side after drying. This is fine and we can use it to our advantage in the next steps. 

For the second highlight layer we want to add a bit of "warmth" to our colors. I used a mix of Vallejo Model Color - Flat Flesh and Vallejo Model Color - Carmine Red at a ratio of 10:1. This is a pretty good mimic of Vallejo Model Color - Bright Flesh (which is about impossible to find for some reason). You want to go a bit bigger on this highlight stage, go really bright on the spots you want to really show though. I would recommend shining your painting light down on the model to really get a feel for where the light hits the model. This will tell you were your highlighting should be focused. 

So here we are at the end of a bunch of pictures.

Next up I will add the second ink layer using P3 - Red ink. I use the P3 for the second coat as it has a bit more of an orange tint and will blend well with the layers underneath to give a vibrant red look to the model.

Stay tuned, This will be a very ambitious paint job as I will be doing a bit of the same technique but in green on the shield, mace and runes around the head. Should be fun.....or maybe just leave me crying in a corner, only time will tell.

Oh and I got the base primed and blacked for the dry brushing to follow.

On to the next model - Ruin!

I have been waiting eagerly for this model to come out for a while now. It was finally released in May and I gotta tell you. I have not been this excited about a model in a long time. Ruin looks to me like everything Warmachine should be. It's big, menacing, has a huge club and is heavy. I am in miniature heaven right now.

I wanted something a bit epic for the base. I feel like putting something like this on a a bit of flock and sand is almost a crime. So off to the internet I went and found what I wanted from Armor Cast. I got the old Roman bridge base. Its almost 2 inches tall and fantastically detailed. Add the fact that it was like $6 and we have a winner.

Shipping from Armor Cast took about a week which is not bad at all.

So I got the model put together over about 2 hours. It was not the simplest thing to get into one piece. With PP penchant for models that have both resin and metal together pinning is a necessity. Then I assembled the bridge to a 50mm round base using the glue and green stuff method. And am using a large piece of cork to hold the model.

Primer has been applied. Now for the long (well overnight) wait for the primer to dry so I can get this one on the painting table.