Metal and leather are two textures that have always scared me. Knowing where to paint highlights, weather to let the shadow of the model do the work, painting reflected light or warping a reflected image. It's scary how much you need to know to get a grip on these things. So I decided to cheat to make it easier for me. :D
The highlights on the blade in the image above are all painted (please ignore the scratches, I got ideas that didn't pan out)
Accuracy in this is pretty easy actually! I just made sure
I held the miniature at the same angle under the light while I painted them. Using dots of chrome paint where the light fell, followed by a very thin glaze of blue to set.
This way you know your getting highlights right because your just following the physics of what light is falling on the mini! Maybe I'm rehashing old news but this has been quite a revelation to me.
Finally, leather. Not much to say really. It's all about looking at reference. If something looks red in your reference, paint it red. Try not to use too much care when painting the base of it. Make sure you keep your first couple of layers rough. the more texture you have in the build up the better it will look in the end.
I still feel I have a long way to go with leather, especially when looking at people like Marta Slusarska
(
http://twistedbrushes.blogspot.co.uk)
Who, in my mind, is one of the masters of all things cloth. She has better tutorials on that than anyone else.
thanks for reading guys!
Henry
