Viktoria of Ashes

(A bit blurry, sorry)

Here is my finished Viktoria of Ashes for my Outcast crew. I'm pretty proud of her, mostly because it is the best face I've ever painted. The camera kind of washes it out, but it's a very subtle blend and the first time I've ever attempted painting the stubble of a shaved head. I've also never painted an eyebrow before :)

Originally I had painted the painted with a traditional brush and metallic colors. I hated how it was coming along so I just painted over it. I'm much more satisfied with this iteration of her, what I started with was bush league lol.

Due to it being plastic the sword actually has 4 edges like a square rather than two like a blade. I decided not to edge highlight it due to the odd shape and let the airbrush effect create the illusion of a two sided blade, hopefully it did the trick. I also painted on the grips on the pistols.

It was important to use airbrush on the coat rather than paint on the blending since the shape of it is so subtle. Most of the time cloaks and other similar fabrics are sculpted in a way that creates very dynamic folds, possibly due to the limitations of molds for older models. This creates an easy blocking of color for painting with a brush and it forced deep shadows and bright highlights. With 3D renders now becoming the standard, specifically with Malifaux models, much more subtle shapes can be achieved. This creates quite a challenge in painting, as any less than the best of blends make the model look cartoon-like. Also you can't go too deep in difference between shade and highlight since their values are only slightly different on the model (i.e. where the butt of the jacket is isn't much deeper in from the waist). Although definitely possible with a standard brush, airbrush makes it much easier to create these subtle blends.

Again, I utilized blacklining to create definition and contrast, mostly with thin lines of the basecoat olive on the jacket creases. When I initially came across the technique I thought its use was only in the strictest of circumstances such as armor plating and created a cartoon look. As my style progressed I've recently realized after painting Infinity figures that it has its place in other areas. Although the style is very animated and not at all realistic, I've found that my evolution of painting has gravitated toward making very vibrant and cartoony models. It's not the best, but it certainly pops off the table.

Let me know what you think!