I got back into miniature painting after a very long hiatus (12 years?) and started watching videos to help me re-learn what I had forgotten. I can honestly say the most important miniature painting video was by Miniac, when he mentioned you and your channel Vince. At the time I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of videos and topics so I didn't watch a lot at first. But as I painted I found myself using your channel as a wiki - any time I stumbled on particular colour blend or technique I would watch your video on the topic. You are the most important mini painting resource in my opinion. Keep it up!
I was sitting here trying to figure out how in the world to paint drow skin, messing around with different colors, and you're right... there is something missing if you just use like a grey and a purple.. it's so boring and lifeless. thankfully I haven't gotten very far and I found this video... Vince always the one to have what we need! Appreciate the video bro!
This gave a few "a-ha!" moments for issues I've had painting muscular skin. Specifically, keeping groups of muscles connected until getting to higher highlights. Great tip! As always, thanks Vince!
I just want to say that I admire you as an artist, and as a human being for sharing your knowledge. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are truly a river to your people.
Magnificent glazing. Muscles are so natural and with great volume and depth, that after this video the only thing you want - to go and immediately try this technique in practice! Thank you, Vince!
Thank you for such a fantastic explanation. I must admit at about 2:50 I thought it looked pretty good and would be tempted to call that 'done' but very appreciative that you took the time to show in detail how to push it further. Over-highlighting and then softening is such a great tip. Thanks again!
Youre living up to your resolution because your video/audio quality is amazing here. Content is always stellar. I think ill eventually try this for some wulfen, under moonlight sort of vibe :)
So Futzing Makes you a Futzuer, ! Best darn Futzuer I have ever seen!! Loved this video and as usual. Realized certain paints colors no matter the quality don’t blend well. Didn’t understand that until now! Thanks, I guess I just have to become a Futzuer with glazes and take many, many, many more passes!!!
Thanks for this. I haven’t had a chance to paint a Drow since they turned purple. I’m going to try this out on the same model when I get my copy. Also love the texture you put on those leathers around his waist.
I've loved your content, and diving into these specific areas of skin, leathers, metals. It's incredibly helpful! I've recently gotten into Gloomhaven with some friends, and it's got me thinking - your videos deal with things like GW models (which are, of course, the gold standard), but I'd be interested to see your tips and tricks on dealing with lower quality sculpts. Some of the Reaper or Wizkids figures just don't have the level of detail you get from the latest GW release... and the Gloomhaven figures are a challenge with mould issues and some blurred details. I've found the challenge to be really rewarding, and would love to see how you approach a similar topic!
Great work as always and super educational. I have a video topic idea, eyebrows and in particular on smaller scale miniatures. On most smaller scale minis they are not sculpted on and leaving them out can look really weird.
Hey Vince, thanks a lot. Kind of feeds my need right now ;-) Also I love the interpretation so much - I struggled with Miniacs wood elf theme. But Drow just fits perfectly!!
Good content, talking face interlude is working well I think. Hardest challenge for me remains when to stop blending and airbrush glazing. It seems really hard for me to consider it done, so I can move one. Maybe a good session for the future?
Hi. In a few of your skin videos over that last few months you have referenced using an interference colour. By that do you mean a filter with a adjacent colour (i.e. red over purple, Green over blue)? Either way thank you for the phenomenal content.
Sure, really it just means an adjacent tone applied last that isn't within the color spectrum of what you've already painted. You can use them for many reasons, but it's often about capturing environmental light or colors. Really it's just about some slight glazes of some adjacent tones, there is no perfect choice, but with skin, something like a red or magenta is often a good choice, because it brings the life into the skin.
@@VinceVenturella thank you for the detailed reply. I tried looking into the concept, assuming it was a fine art technique, and unfortunately all that would come up was interference paints. So again, thank you so much for the response.
Maybe an odd question, but do you clean the brush between each color when you're working these transitions? Or do you let the colours mix in the brush?
Geat video as always! I have a question, would you paint frozen skin in a similar way but with a blue-ish palette? I have problems balancing the flesh tones in the highlights, they don't really give the impression of very cold skin. Maybe could be an interesting topic for a future video! Also showing how to paint frostbite effects
So if you mean frozen from cold, it would actually be quite pink with areas of deep blue/black for frostbite. If you mean something like a frost giant, then yep, you can do that.
I’m trying a very alien style to my dark elder and have been experimenting with bone, grey and purples. It has an undead sort of impact. The problem I’m having is highlights. Adding more white, even something like ivory, into the mix takes too much warmth/life out of colors. Do you have any recommendations to add more contrast?
@@VinceVenturella I’m using violet purple (Vallejo) undertones with vampiric shadow (Reaper) for the mid tone and I struggle getting the pigments to blend reaper seems to thin out very easily but are too thick if not thinner and I can’t get it just right. And then I’m not sure what to use as highlights, maybe a bluish grey? If so I’d have to mix paints I have
I am about to start painting a beholder and I thought he would look cool if his skin went from purple to green, but I'm not sure how to paint that. would the purple be my shadow, green my mid, and then highlight from the green? or make green the highlight? or would it not work at all?
Heh, a Drow with a Misfits style devillock, how strangely appropriate! Looks really good, Vince! I have a terrible time with convincing skin tones, and this is telling me I'm not doing nearly enough push/pull with contrast with them...?
Beautiful work! I've definitely struggled with chromataic skin tones, but I think this kind of technique will help. Any chance of a review on the Golden So-Flat paint? I spotted it the last time I was at a proper art store, and I think I caught in the video that you were using some of it.
Sure, really it just means an adjacent tone applied last that isn't within the color spectrum of what you've already painted. You can use them for many reasons, but it's often about capturing environmental light or colors. Really it's just about some slight glazes of some adjacent tones, there is no perfect choice, but with skin, something like a red or magenta is often a good choice, because it brings the life into the skin.
Paintings or attempts to create a drow video game characters is a challenge. Really good artist can get the skintone dark enough and still make it good. Most illustrations are way too light skinned in order to not just create a blackish mess.
Vince, great video! So I’ve learned over the years watching you that a change in contrast helps to sell reflectivity of a material (metal, cloth, skin, leather,etc). How is my eye still reading this drow skin as skin instead of NMM? You have a huge shift (deep purple to near white). Is it a function of making many transitions over a short area that sells the reflectivity? Bottom line here, how did you keep the drow from looking like NMM? I generally keep from extremes in my color palate to avoid this.
SO two items are in play here. THe width of the highlight volumes and the flatness of them. NMM has shorter volumes and bounce lights on the lower sides, this doesn't have that in the same way, so you won't see metal. (There is also the fact that our brains look at the surface and know where skin is supposed to be, so we tend to frame like that)
I'd like to see the 30mins of futzing maybe as uncut edition? Maybe a Vince Uncut, channel. So you can keep your uncut video away and free still, but not bother your normal analytics. Great video though, as always.
I hope that you do not mind but a small correction on your voice over commentary about the final airbrush work. When you are doing that work you're holding and spraying the airbrush almost Parallel to the figure, not Perpendicular. The closer the angle of attack/spraying is to 0° the closer it is to Parallel. The closer the angle of attack/ spraying is to 90° the closer it is to Perpendicular. Thank you as always for the great video.
Can anyone direct me to where and why Drow skin tone became purple? They were noted as having “darker than pitch” black skin when I was a lad (many years ago).
Does this mean I don't need to pay $60 for the Master Class on purple skin from Ninjon? 🤔 I just wonder how he highlighted it with purple and warm tones as highlights.
I got back into miniature painting after a very long hiatus (12 years?) and started watching videos to help me re-learn what I had forgotten. I can honestly say the most important miniature painting video was by Miniac, when he mentioned you and your channel Vince. At the time I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of videos and topics so I didn't watch a lot at first. But as I painted I found myself using your channel as a wiki - any time I stumbled on particular colour blend or technique I would watch your video on the topic. You are the most important mini painting resource in my opinion. Keep it up!
Thank you, that's wonderful to hear!
The most important by far..we’ll said
I was sitting here trying to figure out how in the world to paint drow skin, messing around with different colors, and you're right... there is something missing if you just use like a grey and a purple.. it's so boring and lifeless. thankfully I haven't gotten very far and I found this video... Vince always the one to have what we need! Appreciate the video bro!
This model is amazing.
You absolutely killed the paint job, making every little detail pop.
Don't even get me started on how perfect that leather is.
Thank you, that means a great deal. :)
This gave a few "a-ha!" moments for issues I've had painting muscular skin. Specifically, keeping groups of muscles connected until getting to higher highlights. Great tip!
As always, thanks Vince!
Awesome, thanks and always happy to help. :)
No question, just a massive thank you for how informative and motivating your videos are, as always ! Hello from France
Glad you like them!
This is truly gorgeous. The face has so much visual interest. Thanks for sharing your work on it!
Glad you like it!
I just want to say that I admire you as an artist, and as a human being for sharing your knowledge. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are truly a river to your people.
Thanks!
Magnificent glazing. Muscles are so natural and with great volume and depth, that after this video the only thing you want - to go and immediately try this technique in practice! Thank you, Vince!
Glad you like it!
Fantastic! I find the leather apron of all things is so well done!
Thank you! Cheers!
Thank you, Vince, for making me realize that i can get to any level of painting that I want to.
Absolutely!
This is the most timely video as I'm trying to work out how to paint one of the Deorgard elves as a drow - excellent stuff as always Vince!
Excellent, always happy to help.
Starting some Slaanesh soon, think I found my skin inspiration!
Like always, love your videos, even 2+ years later!!
Great to hear!
Thank you for such a fantastic explanation. I must admit at about 2:50 I thought it looked pretty good and would be tempted to call that 'done' but very appreciative that you took the time to show in detail how to push it further. Over-highlighting and then softening is such a great tip. Thanks again!
Glad it was helpful!
Youre living up to your resolution because your video/audio quality is amazing here. Content is always stellar. I think ill eventually try this for some wulfen, under moonlight sort of vibe :)
Thank you and sounds like an awesome project.
Okay, this will be perfect for my drow-vampire-pirate themed IDK army. Thank you!
Awesome!
excellent instructional vid Vince, thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
Miniacs model looks great and fantastic painting
Thank you! Cheers!
Thanks for all your videos, for the love of painting
Thank you. :)
You said I wouldn't have to wait long for this. Thank you for the tutorial!
Always happy to help. :)
thx Vince, as always, another well deserved like!
Glad you liked it!
This is the video I’ve been waiting for all my life…thank you sir
Hope you enjoyed it!
@@VinceVenturella was perfect
So Futzing Makes you a Futzuer, ! Best darn Futzuer I have ever seen!! Loved this video and as usual. Realized certain paints colors no matter the quality don’t blend well. Didn’t understand that until now! Thanks, I guess I just have to become a Futzuer with glazes and take many, many, many more passes!!!
There you go!
Great video. When you said 30min of work in 50 seconds, my first thought was to do it with oils.
Indeed, That can be another great way, especially on these larger surfaces.
Amazing as always! Great appreciation for all I learn from you.
My pleasure!
Thanks for this. I haven’t had a chance to paint a Drow since they turned purple. I’m going to try this out on the same model when I get my copy. Also love the texture you put on those leathers around his waist.
You can do it! It's really great fun.
Nice that was a good piece to paint and you did a great job. 🙂Thomas over at The Model Hobbyist
I've loved your content, and diving into these specific areas of skin, leathers, metals. It's incredibly helpful!
I've recently gotten into Gloomhaven with some friends, and it's got me thinking - your videos deal with things like GW models (which are, of course, the gold standard), but I'd be interested to see your tips and tricks on dealing with lower quality sculpts. Some of the Reaper or Wizkids figures just don't have the level of detail you get from the latest GW release... and the Gloomhaven figures are a challenge with mould issues and some blurred details.
I've found the challenge to be really rewarding, and would love to see how you approach a similar topic!
Sounds like a great idea
Great work as always and super educational. I have a video topic idea, eyebrows and in particular on smaller scale miniatures. On most smaller scale minis they are not sculpted on and leaving them out can look really weird.
Cool idea!
Really good explanation. Thank you.
Thanks!
I Love your skin tutorials, i Always catch some new information! 👍
Awesome.
Hey Vince, thanks a lot. Kind of feeds my need right now ;-) Also I love the interpretation so much - I struggled with Miniacs wood elf theme. But Drow just fits perfectly!!
Thanks!
Great stuff friend 👏 👍
Thanks!
Great color combinations & techniques for really cool (no pun) skin tones!
Thanks!
Doing my daughter's of khaine like this! Looks so good
This is the vid I was waiting for! Thanks
Awesome!
Pretty sure I just became a better painter just by watching this video, thanks Vince!
That's awesome, thank you. :)
Good content, talking face interlude is working well I think.
Hardest challenge for me remains when to stop blending and airbrush glazing. It seems really hard for me to consider it done, so I can move one. Maybe a good session for the future?
SOunds like a great topic.
Hi. In a few of your skin videos over that last few months you have referenced using an interference colour. By that do you mean a filter with a adjacent colour (i.e. red over purple, Green over blue)? Either way thank you for the phenomenal content.
Yah Brendan, good question there. I have wondered that same thing concerning interference color
Sure, really it just means an adjacent tone applied last that isn't within the color spectrum of what you've already painted. You can use them for many reasons, but it's often about capturing environmental light or colors. Really it's just about some slight glazes of some adjacent tones, there is no perfect choice, but with skin, something like a red or magenta is often a good choice, because it brings the life into the skin.
@@VinceVenturella thank you for the detailed reply. I tried looking into the concept, assuming it was a fine art technique, and unfortunately all that would come up was interference paints. So again, thank you so much for the response.
Great video thanks
Thank you!
Maybe an odd question, but do you clean the brush between each color when you're working these transitions? Or do you let the colours mix in the brush?
Depends if I'm actively wet blending. The answer is really yes (i.e. sometimes). ;)
Fantastic video! Would the nocturna malefic flesh set work for drow skin for army painting? I have a har kuron army i plan to paint as drow.
Sure, that set has some good tones for this sort of thing for sure.
Vince your nmm has always been amazing but it is so good now, I can definitely see how much you learned doing your ratcast army.
It's an obvious thing I suppose, but the more you do something, the more you learn. :)
Any reason you selected the SoFlat (during the glazing) over a more transparent paint? Wonderful color by the way.
Just had the right tone for what I wanted and it's what was on my table at that moment.
Geat video as always! I have a question, would you paint frozen skin in a similar way but with a blue-ish palette? I have problems balancing the flesh tones in the highlights, they don't really give the impression of very cold skin. Maybe could be an interesting topic for a future video! Also showing how to paint frostbite effects
So if you mean frozen from cold, it would actually be quite pink with areas of deep blue/black for frostbite. If you mean something like a frost giant, then yep, you can do that.
I’m trying a very alien style to my dark elder and have been experimenting with bone, grey and purples. It has an undead sort of impact.
The problem I’m having is highlights. Adding more white, even something like ivory, into the mix takes too much warmth/life out of colors. Do you have any recommendations to add more contrast?
A good sunny skin tone can work.
I’m painting a dryder and I’m finding it hard on this skin tone not making it look cartoony
Dryders are always going to look a little cartoony, but I’d need to see more and exactly you’re running into.
@@VinceVenturella I’m using violet purple (Vallejo) undertones with vampiric shadow (Reaper) for the mid tone and I struggle getting the pigments to blend reaper seems to thin out very easily but are too thick if not thinner and I can’t get it just right. And then I’m not sure what to use as highlights, maybe a bluish grey? If so I’d have to mix paints I have
I am about to start painting a beholder and I thought he would look cool if his skin went from purple to green, but I'm not sure how to paint that. would the purple be my shadow, green my mid, and then highlight from the green? or make green the highlight? or would it not work at all?
You could always do the bright green from above and the purple from below, just use those to zenithal and it would look pretty cool.
Heh, a Drow with a Misfits style devillock, how strangely appropriate! Looks really good, Vince! I have a terrible time with convincing skin tones, and this is telling me I'm not doing nearly enough push/pull with contrast with them...?
Yep, tonal variation is the name of the game with skin, variation of value and hue.
Beautiful work! I've definitely struggled with chromataic skin tones, but I think this kind of technique will help. Any chance of a review on the Golden So-Flat paint? I spotted it the last time I was at a proper art store, and I think I caught in the video that you were using some of it.
Ninjon has a review about them.
Yep, a full review will be coming. :)
Drizzit Dudden!
;)
Are the Muscle Islands a tourist destination in the Pacific Swolecean?
Absolutely
Could you explain “interference color” a bit more? (What it is, what it does, how you pick the right one) Thanks!
Sure, really it just means an adjacent tone applied last that isn't within the color spectrum of what you've already painted. You can use them for many reasons, but it's often about capturing environmental light or colors. Really it's just about some slight glazes of some adjacent tones, there is no perfect choice, but with skin, something like a red or magenta is often a good choice, because it brings the life into the skin.
would a blue/green work as an interference color?
Absolutely!
Paintings or attempts to create a drow video game characters is a challenge. Really good artist can get the skintone dark enough and still make it good. Most illustrations are way too light skinned in order to not just create a blackish mess.
Vince, great video! So I’ve learned over the years watching you that a change in contrast helps to sell reflectivity of a material (metal, cloth, skin, leather,etc). How is my eye still reading this drow skin as skin instead of NMM? You have a huge shift (deep purple to near white).
Is it a function of making many transitions over a short area that sells the reflectivity?
Bottom line here, how did you keep the drow from looking like NMM? I generally keep from extremes in my color palate to avoid this.
SO two items are in play here. THe width of the highlight volumes and the flatness of them. NMM has shorter volumes and bounce lights on the lower sides, this doesn't have that in the same way, so you won't see metal. (There is also the fact that our brains look at the surface and know where skin is supposed to be, so we tend to frame like that)
I'd like to see the 30mins of futzing maybe as uncut edition? Maybe a Vince Uncut, channel. So you can keep your uncut video away and free still, but not bother your normal analytics. Great video though, as always.
I will see what I can do. :)
Muscle Island dad jokes… that’s a “Pause-to-Like” moment
and I apprecaite that. :)
I hope that you do not mind but a small correction on your voice over commentary about the final airbrush work. When you are doing that work you're holding and spraying the airbrush almost Parallel to the figure, not Perpendicular.
The closer the angle of attack/spraying is to 0° the closer it is to Parallel. The closer the angle of attack/ spraying is to 90° the closer it is to Perpendicular.
Thank you as always for the great video.
Appreciated.
Can anyone direct me to where and why Drow skin tone became purple? They were noted as having “darker than pitch” black skin when I was a lad (many years ago).
I couldn’t tell you exactly, but much of the art and cover art over the past many years has had them more in the purple and blue tones.
What is the origin or breakdown of that term, "futz"?
No idea, it's a term I've always used - basically just messing with something until it's right. :)
👍👍
:)
Does this mean I don't need to pay $60 for the Master Class on purple skin from Ninjon? 🤔
I just wonder how he highlighted it with purple and warm tones as highlights.
He used a different tone and what's fun is I think he has a different way of going about it completely. :)
you are a beast
Thanks!
Awesome as always Vince! How would your replicate this over an army of drow based Daughters of Khaine?
Basically these steps but it would be less refinement as on the smaller surfaces, you could do more with just layering.
I tried to do this with grey when I was a super noob, and it literally just looks like the grey plastic off the sprue. LUL
Yep, just the grey won't really sell it with a miniature. :) - need those hues.
Some of those artist paints contain carcinogens. Please don't lick your brush.
Oh certainly don't in these cases.
Looks way to bright to me.
Totally fair, you can certainly darken back down.