wow, they already look great. ppls$

thank you ! thmbsp$

Today after work I went to a shop similar to your wall mart, and bought a high resolution (2megapixels) webcam, wich includes also white led lighting. I paid about 30USD for it thmbsp$

I made a few testing with it, the quality is really impressive for this price. Of course it's not HD or as good as DV video, but really cool.

THe light works great, with linux I can make real time effects too.

SO stay tuned for future first french miniature football television :D

Here's a picture of the camera, and a screenshot of the current video I can obtain out of box (just rough shot, no special settings or nothing else...Very promising). I can almost do macro shooting :eek:

creating details where's no details
 

I could not resist and created detailed muscles and face. All without any sculpting, only painting and inking effects. I'm having a lot of fun detailing those little things. It's slightly diferent than painting very detailed figures with sculpted details. You have to "cheat" and make your brain believe there is some edges and hollows, or diferent parts on the figure, where it's just flat.

Now I'm working on black lining (I already started on the Spartans players, you can see it on the jersey bottoms and colars) and then I'll add the eyes.

I made the light brown skin tones, I also have to make the dark tones and white tones.

Last pics for today !

Sorry, night dark and satured pics only...I'll do better ones tommorow.

Tommorow I'll finisht the spartans painting for sure, maybe the gators also.

I also have to do the decals sheets, and install my video system and permanent wired internet access in the gameroom.

Dimitri

spartans completed
 

Hi,

I just finished the spartans. Now I have to make the decal sheet for it, but the painting process is finished (even if I'll certainly add painted chinstraps after the decals pose).

On special effects, you can see painted chinstrap first part, fake painted faces to simulate sculpting and volume, eyes, fake gloves on skill players, shadings on pants (can't see them on bright pics, but the weather is ugly today, I'll not be able to make better pics for now),fake helmet fixations (you know the white stuff on front and rear side of the helmet), and fake detailed muscles. No sculpting on these figs (except the towel on the multi purpose QB/MLB/NT figure), just a cut of the stock factory plastic face mask molding (on several photos you can see the light revealing the flat faces).

Here's some pics. I'm happy with the funny faces they have :D on the first two individuals, they seem to say "oh my god what I'm doing here?" :rtfl:

thanks thmbsp$

I finalized then printed my decal sheet. With an open source legal and free vector software, a personal 50USD printer + a 2usd decal sheet, you can obtain really cools results.

Plain bright colors (even if the pic is not good), sharp details. "michigan state" words are about 1 or maybe 2mm high. :eek:

HEY FRENCH
 

FRENCH,

Your a genius ! Your teams a turning out great. I have 1 question. How the heck do you paint the HELMET STRIPES so they look so clean and straight ?

Thanx
mantaraydre

15years painting figures :D I'm not saying I'm a great painter (believe me, there is a lot of miniatures painters -historic, fantasy- way better than me), I'm just saying that with the experience, I learned some "gesture" helping to do those painting jobs. No magic trick or tips on that particular technic.

One important thing in miniature painting is to never be satisfied by your technic level. Always try to do better, learn, read books and tutorials. If you keep that in mind, you will progress regularly. If you think your painting level is OK, and always do the same way, you'll not progress. Simply as that ;)

The only thing I can say, is that you first need very good brushes, and paint wich is diluted just the right way. Too diluted, it will loose the opacity, too thick you will never be able to make a straight line. I use a brush just the right size I want to make the stripe. Then, with a 45°angle I paint my strip in 2 or 3 moves maximum. Trying to apply the same pressure on brush and apply the same amount of paint. If it's not perfect, I take a 3/0 brush (or even a 5/0) and re-do the outlines from the inside to the outside of the stripe. Once again, think about the brush pressure and paint amount.

You also have to think about your breath. Apnea during precise painting helps, it's the same tips sharp shooters use with...guns :D

Last thing, be stable on your table. the hand holding the fig should not move, and the painting hand either. you can pose your arms on the table, for example.

Looking great! Why MSU?