Jakob Rune Nielson

Setting the mood of a miniature
Posted in MasterclassMiniaturePainters egroup,
Sun, 13 Jan 2002 

Subject: [painting tip] Purple ink ...as usual, in an unusual way.

As many of my critiques in the mini-painter group have included
suggestions on the use of inks - purple especially - I thought I
would take up the topic here in the "MasterClass-room". ;)

The actual painting tip is quite simple and straightforward:
"Try adding a tiny drop of the same colour to all the different
colours you use on a model."
-explanation will follow.

I used the tecnique thoroughly on my Prince Tyrion model, which took
the Slayer Sword in the UK Golden Demon 1999, using purple on every
area except the base.

Here is a link to the model. (note from Craig, check out the rest of Jakob's site!)

The idea is to create a suiting mood for the figure - an overall glow
in the depts of the shadows, which ties together all the different
colours on the model forming a strong, singular, and "whole"
expression.

On the above mentioned Tyrion miniature I added purple to the light
shade for the white steed; I shaded the gold with purple, the dark
blue cloak as well. Even the steed's mane and tail had purple added
in the colour mixed for shading. In fact the only areas without
purple are eyes, the feathers on the helmet, and the base. For
drybrushing the grass on the base I added some blue to Rotting flesh
to create a cold and frosty look, and for the final drybrush I added
white to this mix.

This is the only model on which I have used the technique allover.
Other models which have met the technique are my Lord of Change and
my Chaos Lord both placing in UK GD 1998. (no pics. unfortunately).

So far I have only tried the technique using my all time favourite:
purple ink, but I would love to see other "moods" expressed in paint
on models. That's about it. I look forward to hearing from anyone who
tries out or already uses this "mood-making" technique.
Good luck.

Best Regards,
Jakob Rune Nielsen