Considering Light and Location

So I thought I was done with my Bloodmasks. I applied the finishing touches, gave them a spray of dullcoat, and I was pretty happy with how they looked. Then took them to the game store for the first week of our slow grow for WoK.

Houston we have a problem!

See I forgot a very important thing about miniature painting. Consider where you are and the light that is at that place. The miniatures I had finished painted at home were painted OK and the highlights and shadows, while not especially well defined, looked good. At the store they were flat lifeless pieces of excrement. Ok maybe that was a bit harsh but the flat lifeless part is accurate.



See what I failed to think about was the lighting at the store, or the lighting at anyplace other than my paint table for that matter. I guess to explain it I need to start with my paint station.

See how dark the area around my station looks? Well it is dark around the station but not that drastic. That is a trick played by the camera, but it is indicative of the problem. Those lights are bright. It's how I prefer it. When I was painting a lot it helped me find flaws real time as they cast some harsh light at times. It also helps me see the detail better. The problem is that amount of light exaggerates the shadows and highlights. So when you get into a bit softer light, the model looks flat.

Here are a couple of examples. I added additional highlights to the skin before I thought about this article, but you should still be able to get the idea.

On this model I went back in and added some additional highlights on the leather. While it looks bright and causes some harsh shadows on the model. The transitions look much better when viewed under a softer light like my dining room.

So to make a long story even longer, the six minis I thought were done now need additional highlights on almost the entire model. I thought I was done and could move on to the leader and special model but they are going to have to wait. Every major area will need at least one additional highlight. Once I am done I will try to get you some pics that give you an idea how the truly look.