Saturday 19 July 2014

The autosavant/lexmechanic WIP #4 (almost finished!)

"I'm completely operational, and all my circuits are functioning perfectly."



The lexmechanic is painted, but it is not finished yet. I've applied way too much gloss to the robe via inks, acrylic mediums and varnishes and now I'm struggling to make the surface a bit more matte. This is not the first time I have this problem, so it's about time to find some solution. Usually pigments mixed with matte varnish give a very matte finish (in fact, it gives a very rough, dirty finish, which is also not very good). A few layers of (pigment+varnish)-based wash seem to kill the gloss a bit, but it's not enough and of course it change the colours. Perhaps adding a bit of talc to the mixture would do the trick?







Anyway, please let me know what you think ! Thanks!

12 comments :

  1. Wooaahh. My jaw just dropped.
    That is just stunning, and the little cherubs are so very creepy.
    The only thing I can say is that he might need one other spot colour(red) somewhere, then he would be totally perfect.

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    1. Hey, thanks!
      I'm considering adding another colour - one idea would be to paint the robe with red/orange. I've already tested it with Photoshop and it looks pretty well. On the other hand, I really like the dark brown...
      Anyway, if some part of the miniature looks bad, " it can only be attributable to human error. "

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  2. "Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye." ;p

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  3. Absolutely creepy. Beautifully modeled and painted too!

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  4. Awesome looking model! He has come out really nicely, capturing a really esoteric and creepy vibe. The placement of the cherubs is perfect.

    I too have had some trouble in the past with inks, making things look too shiny. I feel just trying to add some additional thin highlights on some of the folds of his robe could help a lot. You could even try and add a hint of red to the highlights (I do really like the brown though, it makes him look even stranger!).

    Also, I received the Femme Militant cast you sent me! Thanks for sending it. I am busy planning out what I want to do with the model. I am currently however deep into finishing writing my thesis and interviewing for future postdoctoral work. So it will be a little while before I can focus heavily on the conversion.... :(

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    1. Hey, thanks!

      There is always a trade-off when dealing with inks - you can't have a very deep, dark colours without a bit of gloss. There is probably no good solution to that. ;-)

      Don't worry about the FM, there is no need to rush. Take your time, wait for inspiration etc. By the way, what is your thesis about?

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    2. Yeah, inks are a tricky thing! I have had some success watering them down before applying them.

      My thesis work is in an X-ray crystallography lab, studying the structure and function of several proteins involved in gene expression. All good fun! :)

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  5. What a cool, imaginative style you have. Loving all your work! They really do look like they walked out from a painting. Would you mind if I share some of it on my blog if I accredit and post links back here?

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    1. Hey, not at all. I would be honoured! Thank you for all the kind words!

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  6. I am absolutely, 100% stealing that staff idea! I've had that skull bit for ages, knowing it would be good for something, this is it :)

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    1. Ha, that's great! It could probably be used to make a nice AM power axe too.

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