Tried something a little different, paint

[Valvaren]

Thank you PythonFriend for the information, I've only started painting, that Jaguar Carpet was only my 5 painting attempt so i'm still learning how to use the paints in general. I'll look into those workshops but I find sometimes its easier for me to learn from piece to piece, i'm bad at learning when its not hands on haha but I appreciate the info There is some amazing talent out there, i don't know if I could ever make something like that and that tiny to boot!

All of the pieces i've posted before this thread weren't painted, all the details on them were done with colored polymer clays, this gaboon for instant was done with 7 layers of different colors clays, it was 6+ hours of work.



I got into the painting because I had thought about using the paint for super tiny details as it would be easier to add really tiny flecks of colors say like on a GTP rather then having to go through and do it all by hand with the clay. I made up the normal as a practice to see how the paint would work so that I wouldn't end up ruining one of my clay pieces and ended up really liking the painting. I still plan on doing both completely clay pieces while offering the painted pieces as well as doing a mix of both mediums. They both have a lot of offer and I plan on sticking with both mediums.

[Valvaren]

Tried an albino Blood, the color was something I could never really get with clay being an orangy/pinky red mix but paint I think got the job done :

[Pythonfriend]

WOW, im speechless, i didnt realize that you did the gaboon with different colors of the polymer clay, that makes it even more awesome!

when you first posted it i misunderstood and believed you used 7 layers of paint. you really have an awesome technique there

one little note: its not a workshop, "games workshop" is the company that produces and sells the miniatures, made from tin or plastic. they produce these tabletop games, like warhammer 40000 and the lord of the rings tabletop game. and they are all sold unpainted, but people want to play with beautifully painted miniatures. there are monthly magazines with painting instructions, there are professionals that auction their painted miniatures online. they even have competitions where every participant gets some new and special figure, and the community then votes on who did the best paintjob. and in the "games workshop" stores, you typically have a few people sitting around painting their minatures, while others play the tabletop games, they also have some nicely painted figures on display in each store. they also sell the paint and the incredibly fine brushes and the tools you need for microsculpting and everything.

its a really big community, and the miniature painting and teaching each other how to do it is a big part of it, you can find video tutorials and books and magazines and online forums. a good friend of mine is quite a fan and has a nice collection of miniatures that he painted himself, i think he does the miniature painting for a few hours each week and has been doing it for over 10 years now, so his skill level is really high.

a quick search revealed this tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGy_QO9K8nw im not suggesting you actually watch it, its 40 minutes, but you can skip to the end and look at the end result, and skip around in the video a bit to see the different brushes and techniques she uses.

often they use paint just like you would expect, you put it on with a brush and where it sticks you get the color. but they also use inks, before they dry they will flow into crevaces and away from smooth surfaces. not any ink will function like this and turn waterproof afterwards, its a very specialized type of inks. so if you have a scaly texture and use a green ink, the crevaces between the scales get a very dark green while the tops of the scales get a very bright green. and the opposite of that is dry brushing, they use the regular paint with a special brush when the paint is almost dried out. it only sticks to the areas that stand out, so with a scaly texture, it would only go on top of the scales and not between them. so when you give one of these experts a scaly surface texture, they would use a foundation color, then an ink, and then dry brush it, and make it look really scaly and 3-dimensional without painting any individual scale. they also have ways to make really metallic and shiny surfaces, not just in silver and gold but in all colors, and they can make it look semi-transparent. basically a real pro could do a brasilian ranbow boa with the iridescence, except that the iridescence wont move.

dont forget that after you are done, you have to give the whole thing a transparent coating, so that the paint doesnt flake off too easily and lasts long, even when you touch it. there is a special product for it, its completely invisible when used correctly, i dont remember what its called, but its quite important to get this right, otherwise your masterpiece might look really scratched up just after a day of wearing it. thats actually a huge benefit of your technique of using different colors of clay, im sure your paintjobs are extremely durable this way.

i like the idea of combining different techniques. for example, you could do a normal BP and use your technique to put in the pattern, then make the surface smooth, then add a scaly structure to the surface, and then bake it to make it hard. and then use a light brown ink over the whole thing, so that the scales really come out and the structure becomes visible. there are no limits, you could really take this all the way to a photorealistic look if you figure out the right techniques.

[xFenrir]

WOW!!! They're gorgeous!!

Any chance you ship to the US?

[Valvaren]

Thank you very much xFenrir I do ship to the states i'll send you a pm.

Another little ball python pendant I made up for a commission, I love how the painting let me get that nice little fade on the sides from grey to white that the real critter has

[Mr Oni]

Damn fine talent. Great looking stuff

Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk

[Valvaren]

Thank you very much Mr Oni I hope to keep pushing my limits and making more awesome stuff

[Valvaren]

Little hypo burmese python pendant and a desert phase cal king

[Valvaren]

Made up a little Desert Pinstripe, I love how clean and bright they are! :

[Valvaren]

Decided to try and painted up a little reticulated python. Ended up picking an Albino Sun Citron Tiger, hope you all like him :