Kafer's WIP: A Beginners Blog, I guess.

Hope I'm doing it right.

Here's my progress so far on my Gandalf the White on foot. I don't know if I'll be able to get back to working on him this month (for the paint off) as my nephews will be visiting for awhile (one 3 years old and the other 4 months).



All I can say is I'm learning alot about mixing and thinning paint. I may end up having to strip it due to too many layers of paint.

Oh, and in the spirit of WIP, here's the mini I started first (still haven't finished, obviously). Uruks are easier to paint than Gandalf.

Hey there, some unsolicited feedback that you can take or leave...

- Good move differentiating the white tones on Gandalf. Looks like for the cape you drybrushed Bleached Bone on top of Grey. If you do decide to strip (and I'm not saying you should) you can take that to the next level by working up to creamy white by starting with Iyanden Dark Sun or Tausept Ochre, then Bleached Bone, then Skull White.

For the other tone, Adepticon Grey/Fortress Grey/White works and an alternative (that could be used on Shadofax for the mounted model) is Shadow Grey, Space Wolves Grey, White.

- The dry brushing looks good on the Uruk but light colors can turn out "chalky". Here are two suggestions for that: 1) Working with what you've done: create a glaze (very thinned down wash of the under color - grey/Tausept) that will dampen the contrast and reduce the chalky effect. Or, 2) if you decide to repaint go with layering, which is key to making whites look good. Use THIN layers using the 3 tone combination above - particularly when you get to the true white. It's okay that the pigment doesn't cover on the first go. Plan to give it 5 coats of thin white. I use that number randomly to encourage you to build it up slowly. It's worth the effort to get a smooth look. White is tough, so be patient with yourself. I'm a decent painter and I don't always get it right. Always because I lacked patience.

Good work and keep at it.

Yeah, I think I have the chaulkiness under control now. Not solved, but better. I'm thinking of doing the Uruks differently as well, that was mainly a test to see how I liked the hobby before I went wild and bought a bunch off ebay. (I have a huge backlog now - mainly Rohan / TT of course)

Thanks for all the advice, it's always welcome. I'll certainly keep it in mind whenever I get a chance to paint again.

BTW, I have been mixing my own colours à la the guide by Temet Nosce. It's not a great guide, but a good place to start. For instance, the Flesh tones are excellent - for painting carrots.