Of all the models that I have ever painted, the one that
gets mentioned to me the most is the Sheikh on flying carpet from 1998. I have no idea why!
I don’t recall which came first, the desire to paint a model on a flying
carpet, or the desire to paint a tiny version of the rug in my parent’s living
room. Nonetheless the outcome is a
version of the Dogs of War Money Lender on a tiny version of my folks’ rug!
The build was not too complex – the carpet was tin foil sandwiched between 2
pieces of paper. The foil gave strength,
shape and the little tassly bits at each end, while the paper provided a better
surface to paint on.
The wizard is named Sheikh Khaleg, the Sheikh Yadosh model with a couple of
little changes. The giant ruby provides
some focus for the belly which is otherwise quite plain and there is a little
brooch on the chest from Milliput. A
subtle but important change was the hand – It was rotated so that instead of
opening a treasure chest he is now controlling the carpet. It is the little differences like that which
make a model seem more natural.
Subtle details are so important to the model. When planning, building and painting a model you are giving it character, bringing it to life. A miniature is a snapshot in time of a bigger story, so think of the story as you work – give it a name, imagine what is happening around the character. You don’t have to tell anyone else, but the details will show in your finished project and turn it into something far greater.
Sadly the carpet is not really floating, it’s metal rod hidden among the long grass that goes up through the carpet into the Sheik’s leg. He can’t shake that leg!! <sigh>
The paint job was relatively simple, except for replicating a rug which took longer than the wizard! This was painted before Newton had figured out the colour spectrum; I had no idea of colour wheels and contrast and the colours are a fluke. I liked painting purple, the rug was copied, the coat matched the rug (ooh matron!) and rubies are red. The make up on the Daemonette was easy as I was a bit of a Goth at the time.
The colours are a bit flat – this was before I had ‘the chat that changed everything’ and I had yet to figure out diluting my colours and blending. My method of highlighting was to add layers upon layers, each slightly lighter than the last. If you looked through a microscope you could probably see them all in tiny lines that the naked eye could not make out, but overall led to a highlight. It took ages to do it that way… so thin your paints kids!
The base was a simple texture, add rock, paint, add flock. It lets the model down I think, but I had yet to learn that lesson too (even after the ‘Orion’s flat base’ episode, that’s for another day). It could be a bit more interesting and natural and the green sides don’t frame the model at all well. At the time all my models were intended for an army, hence the green. On the plus side I managed to get the long grass to hide the support, and they all bend in the correct direction under the carpet!
Tip for the grass – get an old toothbrush and paint the bristles in browns and
greens and bone colours to look like grass, and snip some off whenever you need
it. I still have this one
somewhere. Use a different one to brush
your teeth though.
To my surprise in the end this one got me a Bronze Demon. Jacob Nielsen took Gold with a lovely Dark Elf and Ned Gladis Silver with a very crisp, neat Bretonnian Knight – both well deserved, and I can’t grumble at all.
You can see their entries here:
http://demonwinner.free.fr/uk/1998/golden_demon_winner.php?categorie=8
Thanks for reading... thoughts, tips, questions and comments are welcomed :)
This is great - such a subtle conversion and a beautiful final result where everything works without being over the top.
ReplyDeleteThanks again! I know a lot of my subsequent models have been 'over the top' ;)
ReplyDelete