Some time ago, I posted a quick WIP shot of this model/mini-diorama in it's primed state. But the months passed by and nothing ever came of it as it began collecting dust on my shelves. Well thanks to my need to paint different things from time to time, I pulled it down from the shelf and plopped it down on my hobby table and put in a little time on the piece.
First thing you might notice is that I'm really paying a lot of attention to lighting with this one. The second would be the style I'm painting it in. I've decided to use heavy washes and cross hatching as my main method for creating color and building highlights. The stone work is the most completed section of the model so far and it's the best place to see what I'm talking about in terms of the cross hatched finish.
I use cross hatching a lot in my drawings and it's seeped through that wall in my brain and made its way into this project as I was looking to give the entire piece a different feel than what I've gone with for nearly all of my wargaming models. The result is a moody, dark and highly contrasted environment that helps to set the tone for the models presented.
The crow also has lighting in mind with his left side being lighter than the right. The feathers were highlighted to fortress grey and washed down then touched up once more with fortress on the left side. I added a texture effect to the feathers by adding selective touches of the grey instead of following the modeled detail.
In the shot above you can really see the shadowing and lighting, which was all hand painted. Again this uses the same cross hatching approach that allows the edges to feel soft while having a touch of mass. I'm sure I still have some more work to do on the base, but for now, I'm rather happy with it and think it's nearly 100%. It's on to the Little Princess next as I make time for the piece!
If you are in the mood to paint something different, be sure you head over to my friend Jakob Rune Nielsen's webstore Rune Miniatures, where this little princess hails from. While you're clicking links, you should check out his personal site JRN-Works for some really inspiring work from his painting table!
