Post by seahawk on Jan 7, 2012 18:01:20 GMT
I voted for Obsidian XIII because I liked his painting the best. It really fits the scheme of the Tyranids well and additionally it's well-executed. The drybrushing was done right (heavy at some spots, lighter at others for contrast/texture changes), highlights work well and are noticeable, and finally the bases are interesting to look at (city rubble/streets, which works with their color scheme). It could use some spot colors to break up the large sections but at the moment it's pretty pimp.
The main reason I didn't vote for the others: MOLD LINES!!! Arg!!! All but Obsidian had some and it gave me a sad
But aside from that, I'll go into each and hopefully offer some constructive criticisms. Feel free to completely ignore what I'm saying next, as it's what I as an artist (and too often, paint judge) think would make them more appealing:
Jivetyrant
The skin came out great, but the carapace is so flat. With no shading or highlighting, it looks like the red was rushed out to finish them for the competition. If you did these steps, then the daylight ruined the photo, but if you didn't I'd suggest finishing it that way. Shade with either Badab Black or Devlan Mud (washed just into the recesses), and highlight with Blood Red, or a red that's one step darker.
Sloth
As said previously, sunlight is not your friend . Still, just like jivetyrant's models, your skin is great and your red (and green) seems rushed. Since you did attempt some sort of highlighting, all that needs be done to make them great looking is some appropriate washes, and I would suggest Green and Devlan Mud for the green sections. The carapace is a good start, but those highlights seem more like blops of paint than otherwise. To make them much thinner/realistic, I wet-drybrush those parts. Basically like drybrushing, but with a little more paint for the "wet" part, this makes really thin lines, like what you're trying to do, with minimal effort. Lastly, the bases. Good, but the warriors is all messy on the rim. If you prefer it then great, if not then just paint the rim black and it'll clean up the appearance quite nicely.
Vecuu
They look fruitastic! I've seen some amazing(ly) bright schemes like this and they always impress me. I like your choice of colors (especially the blending on the carnifex's head spines), but they could use some work. The green recesses definitely need shading of some sort, whether it's green or brown (or even blue/purple) washes, they look fake without it. Think of a plastic kids toy and that's what it looks like currently; think of a gross organic thing, and that's how it should look. The carapace would be enhanced by repeating whatever you did on the club tail of the first pictured carnifex. Follow that up with a final highlight of the current color and it'd pop nicely. Like the others, your skin is the best part of what you did, but still it could use a final yellow highlight, as it kinda looks like a blob because of the wash; details got lost, unfortunately. That super tongue on the fex could be a different color too. A red ink would probably finish it perfectly.
The main reason I didn't vote for the others: MOLD LINES!!! Arg!!! All but Obsidian had some and it gave me a sad
But aside from that, I'll go into each and hopefully offer some constructive criticisms. Feel free to completely ignore what I'm saying next, as it's what I as an artist (and too often, paint judge) think would make them more appealing:
Jivetyrant
The skin came out great, but the carapace is so flat. With no shading or highlighting, it looks like the red was rushed out to finish them for the competition. If you did these steps, then the daylight ruined the photo, but if you didn't I'd suggest finishing it that way. Shade with either Badab Black or Devlan Mud (washed just into the recesses), and highlight with Blood Red, or a red that's one step darker.
Sloth
As said previously, sunlight is not your friend . Still, just like jivetyrant's models, your skin is great and your red (and green) seems rushed. Since you did attempt some sort of highlighting, all that needs be done to make them great looking is some appropriate washes, and I would suggest Green and Devlan Mud for the green sections. The carapace is a good start, but those highlights seem more like blops of paint than otherwise. To make them much thinner/realistic, I wet-drybrush those parts. Basically like drybrushing, but with a little more paint for the "wet" part, this makes really thin lines, like what you're trying to do, with minimal effort. Lastly, the bases. Good, but the warriors is all messy on the rim. If you prefer it then great, if not then just paint the rim black and it'll clean up the appearance quite nicely.
Vecuu
They look fruitastic! I've seen some amazing(ly) bright schemes like this and they always impress me. I like your choice of colors (especially the blending on the carnifex's head spines), but they could use some work. The green recesses definitely need shading of some sort, whether it's green or brown (or even blue/purple) washes, they look fake without it. Think of a plastic kids toy and that's what it looks like currently; think of a gross organic thing, and that's how it should look. The carapace would be enhanced by repeating whatever you did on the club tail of the first pictured carnifex. Follow that up with a final highlight of the current color and it'd pop nicely. Like the others, your skin is the best part of what you did, but still it could use a final yellow highlight, as it kinda looks like a blob because of the wash; details got lost, unfortunately. That super tongue on the fex could be a different color too. A red ink would probably finish it perfectly.