Donnerstag, 31. Mai 2012

Having fun with water colors

Practice, practice, practice, as I am trying to find  my old skills :)




Dienstag, 29. Mai 2012

Painting with red wine

A few days ago I talked to another student of architecture, and she told me she painted her last presentation pictures with red wine...nothing new I thought, I always keep a glass close to  hand when painting.
While she told more and more, I realized she was actually talking about using the wine as PAINT.
I had to try this, so I took some water color paper, a bottle castillo varez, some old brushes and a few water colors.

As always I started with one of my loved test cards :


I tried some different methods to apply the wine, undiluted, diluted, one layer, two and more layers, on wet paper, on dry paper, soft blendings, harsh borders ´between two layers...
I realized how much I had forgotten, my last water color paintings where back in 2010 I think, presentation pictures for studies :)

Then I started to mix the wine with different watercolors, diluted them with wine, with water, some more testing. Nothing special, but lots of fun!




I almost forgot to mention: Brushlicking rocks while using wine instead of color ;)
I think I'll try some more during the next days, water colors are fun.
Have a nice day everyone !

Montag, 28. Mai 2012

Painting class wirh Derwish - my impressions

Good morning everyone!

Today I'll show you some pictures of an epic weekend, that took place in Hamburg. I visited a painting class with Stephan Rath aka Derwish and came back full with inspiration, new skills and happiness...
This won't be a typical review, more a compilation of impressions I had.


Every participant gets a bag full with all the stuff you need for the class., including the miniature, some stuff to prepare the mini, an awesome miniature holder, handmade by Derwish himself, banners...

Stephans way of painting is very clean and connected to many thoughts, like the physical charakteristics of pigments, areas best painted first and so on.
And so the class starts with an introduction to all this things.
First painting is done at the most tricky area, the face.
I arrived tired and powerless in Hamburg, and then painting EYES yeahaa.
BUT I sure had my fun and when he head nice eyes after my fifth attempt I was so flashed I forgot how tired I was :)
Nothing more motivating then success on tasks you never thought you could deal with.

Saturday was the miniature day, we painted all day and went through things like skin, clothing, NMM.
At the end of the day, my Mini looked like this:


Sunday it was freehand and banner time....
We learned how to chose our motive, how to transfer it to our banner and how to color it.




Pictures of the colored version will appear soon :)
To end this post, a few pictures of the most important part of every workshop, the people who share your time and the rooms you paint in :)







Now my tea is ready, my breakfast awaits me and afterwards more work on my Spacewolves!
Have a nice day and read you soon.

Mittwoch, 23. Mai 2012

For mead and ale! ...Aye, and for the Emporer I guess...

It is army time !

What is cool?
To command the emporers best!
What is even cooler?
To command the emporers best...when they drink, howl and know now manners :)

I'll paint 1500 points of Space Wolves during the next months, my army will represent Ragnars Great Company with Assault Pods.

Some teaser pics to get your attention, till I finish the first article about techniques, color and fast ways to throw paint at little toy soldiers...



Mittwoch, 9. Mai 2012

Life gets yellow...

Time to post again, real life kept me busy for some days.
Some people want their birthday presents, some want to be challenged and defeated at little painting competitions :) (Greets Zaphod)

Let's begin with our first load of yellow:


The deadline changed to end of may, the rest remains.
The task is easy, take some space marine, paint him yellow to represent the noble chapter of the Imperial Fists, laugh about Zaphods little accidents (we hang around in the same chatroom from time to time).
Sounds like fun?
Hell, it is!

While checking my old artbooks, I realized that I don't want another clean hero marine.
Back in the old days, you could ask yourself for hours, whether that guy on the picture was "good" or "evil".
The iconography wasn't as clear as today and everything was somehow dirtier, more freakish and very sick.
To safe humankind, everyone seemed to trade their humanity, which was a damn cool paradox and a point to think about again and again.
Where all those soldiers, priests and genetic super warriors still humans, and if not, how could they kill for humanity?
I think this questions were my reason to love the universe of Warhammer 40K.

My aim is a miniature, that looks like a John Blanche Painting ( I love his work) and forces the viewer to ask himself: Is that guy good or evil?
There is little time left, so there will be compromises but that's ok, as the whole thing is some sort of fun project and born from stupid tired chatting.

A few of my inspirations:





And my first steps on a long road of converting....



Second yellow thing at my workbench...
a sunflower, never fading and eternal.
I used XOR-Crystal Polyester Resin, but had a few little accidents that didn:t happen in the past.
The damn stuff started to boil and crack, but no reason to be unhappy, now this thing is really unique.


Still needs some polishing, but I think the new owner will be very happy and the effort worth it.

Read you soon and have a nice day.