About Me

My photo
United States
My name is Jessie Carlile and I paint miniatures and love to roll dice. I began painting miniatures in 1999 and have never looked back. Painting is very relaxing and rewarding for me and I hope you enjoy the works I share on this website. I have won many awards for my work including the Silver in 2008 and 2009 Privateer Press Masters Painting Competition as well as a Gold in 2010. Enjoy your stay and if you have any questions feel free to contact me!
Showing posts with label painting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label painting. Show all posts

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Cygnar blue mix

So I've had a few people email me about my process for painting the blue on my Cygnar, so I thought I would just go ahead and post my formula to help those out who may be curious. In every step except the glazing I use the two brush blending method.

Here it is,

I use a formula very similar to what is presented in the Cygnar forcebook with a little variation. I start off by laying down a good layer of Cygnar blue base. I then shade this with Exile blue and then add a little Battlefield brown to that for the deep areas.

To begin the highlights I start with straight Cygnar blue highlight. Now, I know that may seem like a stark jump but the two brush blending method really helps here. Lay the color down where you want the highlights then feather the edges out with your other brush. This will allow for the transition between your CBB and your CBH. From there I add Frostbite to the CBH and use the same technique to blend. I usually do this twice before adding Morrow white for the final razor edge highlight. I use the edge of my brush to get straight lines on the hard edges I wish to highlight.

You could leave it at this stage but I highly recommend the application of a glaze. It will make your blues look more intense and hide any flaws you may have made in your blending.

I prepare a blue glaze with the P3 blue ink. I have no exact formula for this since I add water until it feels right for me. Aim for a consistency similar to milk. One way to test is to paint it on a piece of plasticard to see if it beads up, thats usually where you want it. Just make sure it's very thin and watered down. I then paint multiple, thin layers over all the blue areas. The glaze should be drying very shortly after leaving your brush. After this stage you will have to go back and repaint your razor highlights to make them "pop" once more. Lastly, I make another glaze with the blue ink plus some brown or purple ink and apply this glaze only in the shaded areas. This gives your shading a little more depth as well as making the shading richer.

I hope this helps in the way you paint your blues and if you have any questions feel free to ask!