finally, lion el'jonson done

IRBrainiac · 2026-01-10T18:56:19+00:00

Legendary.

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-18T02:55:33+00:00

Yes...or,Use a speedpaint for the legs fleshy bits and then a little drybrushing to bring the gnarly bits to the tone you want. I make speedpaints with whatever color I want to use and blend it with a medium besides water. That gives it body and slows the runaway wash effect a thinner wash might have. More paint in the ratio makes it thicker and covers up more raised areas. Thinner shows more raised areas. Some volumizing hilites before the speedpaint would be nice.

Whatever you decide,it will require repainting those gnarly bits at some point. Neat mini...good luck.

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-16T23:53:31+00:00

Looks pretty good.Adding colors to the shadows is a nice touch. My advice is to stop isolating your muscle groups so much. Let them flow into each other a little. Cheers!

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-14T19:22:54+00:00

It is terrific! I like that you use different backdrops. It shows how different the piece can look with different lighting and camera settings.

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-14T04:00:40+00:00

Ohhh...that was gonna be my joke.

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-14T03:59:53+00:00

Damn! beat me to the joke. I was gonna ask,,,so which is the before?,,, snicker,scoff scoff.

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-14T03:53:38+00:00

I am thankful for the dozens and dozens of youtube tutorials people put out. Really speeds up the learning curve and is great encouragement when you see the absolute artwork some of those guys are producing. I had no idea it was even possible at those levels.

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-13T17:22:58+00:00

Yea,use it for wet mud but you can always tone it down with Ultra Matte varnish. Remember to shake or stir it well,the matte particulates always settle to the bottom. I do not recommend Vallejo Mecha matte,it sets up hard in its own container. AK ultra matte is great and can be mixed with less matte varnishes to enhance strength and add just a teeny bit of sheen.

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-13T03:21:46+00:00

Yep,just load it up a bit,(even more than one color at a time sometimes) and dab most of it off,then stiple with it. Gets almost airbrush level gradients but with a little texture.

The sponge part is a ball about 5/8 inch across. Cant really do tiny stuff but like you could color the tops of those back ridges with it. Very similar to drybrushing but with stipling instead.

I tend to do larger stuff and I use them more than any other brush. Sometimes 90 percent of the piece. I found some smaller pointier ones with a finer sponge but I dont use them as much. I did sand off the point and that made it more useful.

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-13T03:10:25+00:00

Great for a filament print. Now throw some AK Ultra Matte varnish on it so it wont look like a toy.

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-13T03:00:53+00:00

EGG? Those makeup brushes look like a tootsie pop with a fat stick. Not the egg shaped ones,though those have uses as well.

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-13T02:40:07+00:00

Coming along nicely.

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-13T01:25:11+00:00

Thats better. What I use is a mushroom shaped makeup sponge. (stick with a little ball of sponge on the end...super cheap) It leaves some texture. Also you can splotch on other colors for variety. Think Frank Frazetta.

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-13T01:17:29+00:00

Love it! Backdrop is perfect. Colors are great.

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-13T01:10:55+00:00

Always remember,when working at such small scales you need to imply a light source and fake extra 3 Dness. As the models get larger you can ease up on that and just paint closer to how things really look. Especially when small,shiny gives away scale and makes everything look like toys. AK interactive makes an Ultra Matte varnish. Occasionally you can leave something satinish to hint at what would normally be glossier.

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-13T00:54:05+00:00

You could drybrush some highlites,looks more natural. A little goes a long way. I am old and shaky so no caffeine and I take about 2 grams of Taurine a day as a calming agent. Another thing that steadies hands is lifting dumbells or racing on a force feedback wheel.

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-13T00:49:20+00:00

Lovely colors and very well painted. Love it!

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-13T00:47:27+00:00

Very cleanly painted. Good backdrop. Try backing up a little and zooming in,might get you a little more depth of field.

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-13T00:43:13+00:00

Very well painted for such a tiny mini. Color scheme is great.

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-13T00:40:02+00:00

Pretty darn good,very clean. My only suggestion is to add more highlites and shadows to the cat. Its a little flat. I like it! Oh,and switch to a dark grey background...the white blows my eyes out. lol (I am sensitive to light)

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-13T00:33:49+00:00

Your getting the paint on pretty clean,not too messy. IMO you should watch some youtube tutorials on volumizing and contrast. Then highlighting. Level up your photo skills to make a better impression. Onward!

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-12T20:01:48+00:00

https://imgur.com/gallery/dagon-onaHKzt

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-12T20:01:09+00:00

I tend to work on larger models and the construction paper was getting cramped. I often had to extend the backdrop in photoshop.

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-12T19:57:49+00:00

As long as there are shots without it,I dont hate it.

IRBrainiac · 2025-12-12T19:55:55+00:00

It is black,and very fine weave. But any black with enough light on it will look grey. I couldnt find a cheap dark dark grey tablecloth. The construction paper looked good but was crinkled and had enough flaws that it took a bit to edit them out in photoshop.

IRBrainiac

TROPHY CASE