How To Do Freehand Pattern Miniature Painting

Hi everyone,

Today I would like to share a step by step on creating an piece of cake freehand pattern. I painted this pattern on the backside of a banner. As there is enough of space, I used more transition colours in the golden than I would on smaller areas.

The colours I used for the gilt NMM were, from dark to light:

– VMC High german Camo Black Brown (150)
– VMC Leather Dark-brown (147)
– GW Bestial Chocolate-brown*
– GW Snakebite Leather*
– GW Bubonic Brown*
– GW Flash Gitz Yellow
– VMC White (001)

For impact-ups I used GW chaos black and GW Regal bluish (main color of backside)

* These Games Workshop paints are from the erstwhile range.

Before starting the freehand blueprint, the blue groundwork of the banner is already painted and completely blended to satisfaction. I detect information technology easier to work like that when I am making freehand lines.

There are some ugly spots on the banner, I am aware of that, I have cleaned this afterwards :). Please excuse the not-so-great pictures, I simply had my cellphone at hand.

Stride one
I started by drawing the freehand pattern I wanted to use on a piece of paper, and I fabricated sure the scale is correct so I could easily transfer the pattern to the banner. In this case, I was lucky, as the imprint is and so large, I could easily draw on true scale 🙂

Afterward completing the drawing, I used the left side to mark some recognizable spots (with a little dot), so the transfer would be easier. I simply did this on the left side, because the pattern was supposed to be symmetrical in the end.

Step 2
I started by measuring the position of the dots in the newspaper drawing, and copy the dots on the banner. I use a regular pencil for this. After copying the dots, I used the alltime favorite "connect-the-dots" game and created the blueprint on the banner with the pencil. I decided to not draw the spikes in the bottom, as that area on the imprint is ugly and will need to exist solved another time.

Here y'all also see a size reference 😛

Step 3

Finally time for some paint. I filled in the pattern with VMC German Camo Black Brow, making sure to encompass all the pencil stripes. I used a brush from Rosemary& Co for this: a 2/0 size Kolinsky Sable Lookout brush from the 323 Series. These brushes have a very remember belly, with short hairs and a very precipitous point. I find them really great to use for painting freehands.I besides apply a lilliputian bit of flow improver (Winsor & Newton), because it will sure that the paint transfers easier from castor to the painted surface. It also extends the drying fourth dimension a bit, and every bit there is so little paint on the brush that helps a lot.

Step 4

After that I covered most of the black dark-brown with VMC leather brown. These first steps created the general outline, and they also form a solid basecolour for the side by side steps.

Footstep 5

Every bit everything looked dull still, it was time to add some brighter colours. I started by covering a slightly smaller expanse with Bestial Brown. You can come across the most difference in the lowest part of the banner.

Step 6

In this pace I painted Snakebite Leather on smaller areas. These areas volition define the get-go of the highlights.

Step vii

I used a mix of Snakebite Leather and Bubonic dark-brown in 1:i ratio to smaller areas of the highlights created in the previous pace. The brush I was using was too large to use comfortably, so I changed to using my ten/0 Kolinsky castor from series 33 of Rosemary & Co.

Step 8

I connected the previous steps, painting smaller and smaller areas of highlights. Start using a 1:ane ratio mix of Bubonic Brown and Flash Gitz yellow, so using pure Wink Gitz yellowish, side by side using Flash Gitz yellow and white in a i:1 mix, and finally using pure white.

Step 9

At present that the design was finished, I used my tiniest brush: a ten/0 ruby sable brush from the series 92 of Rosemary & Co to paint a thin line of black around the freehand. I did this to tidy things up a flake, and to brand the design stand up out more. Afterwards that I went back in with the blue background colour to polish out the black line.

Then information technology was time to finish the imprint.

I hope you enjoyed this step by stride. The front side of the banner is quite different, and I besides made some footstep by step pictures, if I manage I volition post that likewise 🙂

For now, have a prissy weekend everyone!!!

Step past step: Freehand banner backside (Gold NMM) was concluding modified: augustus 1st, 2016 by MaGie