ILLUMINATION GALLERY

This gallery is dedicated to models that I have applied the object source lighting technique on. The premise behind this technique is that you imagine an item on the model is radiating light. You then paint the model as if the light from the object is actually acting on the surface of the model. This is done by layering paint in lighter and lighter shades with emphasis in the direction of the light source. Any colour can be used for the light, use whatever works best for the model. Earlier on I used harsh contrast between areas of light and those areas that the light did not reach. Now, I try to blend the areas of light into the areas where the light is not actively reaching. This makes the technique much more time consuming but the increased reality of the effect makes it worth it.

I have further classified the technique into three sections, those being: object source lighting, base source lighting and environmental source lighting.

Object source lighting: This is where some part of the model is the source of the light. This can be a weapon, torch, artifact or some other sculpted detail.
Base source lighting: This is where some part of the base is causing the light. This can be a fire, lava, or some additional base detail. For the most part this technique sees a dramatic sense of under lighting on the model that is standing on the base.
Environmental source lighting: This technique utilizes the natural sense of highlighting that an artist uses but to an exaggerated degree. Most of the time when a model is highlighted a source of light is chosen, this 'day light' is where you highlight from. In some cases this lighting is done as if the source of light is washing out the natural colours vs giving them natural depth.

INQUISITOR UTHOR, The JUDGE
This model from Andrea is a '07 release and is a fantastic example of what the company is capable of. Andrea is one of the best known historical model companies in the world and this fantasy model really caught my eye. I instantly thought to use the model as an Inquisitor but since different companies sculpt 54mm to slightly different scales I was not sure if it would work. When I received the model I was very happy to see that it is very close if not exactly the same as GWs 54mm models. I used one of the Bulldog keychains as the Icon of Judgment and the forearm from the chaos magus. Due to the pose of the model I felt that the sword would make a great source of lighting. So his force weapon has a bright moody glow projecting onto the model. More pictures can be found here.

BRETONNIAN LORD OF THE LADIES TEAR
This very subtle conversion was done to fit into a winged motif. I absolutely love painting Bretonnians, the potential for pattern work on the caparison is just amazing. I decided early on to paint the sword as a source of lighting. This always requires a bit of extra planning but in the end it was well worth it for this model. More pictures can be found here.

GORMAN Di WOLFE
This model was an interesting application of harsh object source lighting. His dark paint scheme really frames the lighting well, causing it to glow even more than normal. I chose red since it is on of the most dramatic lighting colours and would work well on the black model. More pictures can be found here.

PSIONIC MONK
This model was painted to fit a very specific character concept. He is a monk that uses the power of his mind to focus into being an axe of psionic force. I wanted to really emphasize the nature of the axe and I felt that object source lighting was the way to go. He is a good monk and hence the bright blue axe as this seemed to be the best translation of his alignment. More pictures can be found here.

EJHIN de VANTH
This very interesting model has been a figure that I have wanted to paint for a couple of years. From the pose of the arms with the staff to the amazing head piece this model is unique. I decided to paint her with object source lighting since I felt it was the best way to capture the various cloth folds and to emphasize the staff head. More pictures can be found here.

GRIFFON HIGH GUARD
This unit of models is simply stunning and a real treat to paint. The flowing cloth and the sense of menace either real or implied is what makes these models so cool. I have been wanting to do a paint scheme like Eldrad for quite some time and thought that these would work nicely for that. With the swords being the light source I was very happy with the way the light plays on the model. It was also an interesting point that saw one of the models without lighting since his sword is sheathed. This allows the viewer to actually see the non-lighted look which is unusual since lighting is usually an all or nothing effect. Pictures of the back of the models show the rich red of the cloth, pattern work and NMM gold.

SISTER of BATTLE CANONESSE
The entire line of new SoB models from GW are fantastic. This model has so many weapon and wargear options that I was torn as to which way to go for at least an hour. The dramatic pose works well with all possible options and really makes this model stand out. She also follows in line with St Celestine in overall detail. GW has really upped the ante with the level of detail they are including in their models. Not too much as to be over the top but just enough IMHO to accentuate the character. More pictures can be found here.

EXORCIST
This model carries on with the dark religious nature of the Griffons. The armour on the model has to be some of the best yet from Rackham and it holds the lighting effect very well. I did a lighting effect from the blade in a greenish grey and then did the secondary effect in a washed out jade tone. The base sees another rendition of marble stone work. More pictures can be found here.

TECLIS
This model has got to be one of the most complex and detailed models done by GW. It seems no matter how well you organize yourself for this model little bits keep cropping up. The complexity of the sculpt combined with the cool 'power pose' is likely one of the main reasons why I like this model so much. I decided to try to illuminate the top of his staff and I am happy with the way it turned out. More pictures can be found here.

FEMALE SPASM WARRIOR
This model is part of a group of spasm warriors that can be found in Gallery VI. As you can see this is a more subtle use of base source lighting. It is very obvious that the lava is casting a red light but the light is not the dominate light source. Since she is standing outside, the sun under a cloudy sky, would be the most prominent source of light. If she were standing in a dark cave or outside at night then I would have done a more dramatic lighting effect. More pictures can be found here.

CYGNAR HEAVY WARJACK 'DEFENDER'
This model is pretty crazy. A huge HtH weapon and a massive gun, I was liking it before I even started to paint it. The tiny legs took a bit of getting used to but in the end I really like this model. I did the model in the characteristic paint scheme but with NMM instead of metallic paints. I wanted to do a lighting effect and instead of doing an effect from the gun I opted for the shock hammer. More pictures can be found here.

ALDERAN CRANE WARRIOR
It seems that no matter how the Rackham sculptors pose their models they look good. This hand on the pommel pose is very effective at getting across the sense of relaxed prowess. This undead warrior looks very capable of taking down anyone that gets in his way. Since I have not done a lighting effect piece in some time I decided to make his sword glow with an evil red light. I then decided to do a secondary colour to the outside of the red effect not unlike the effect used in comic books. The blue works so well at accentuating the red and allows a good fade into the real colours of the model. More pictures can be found here.

LORD of CHANGE, GREATER DEMON of TZEENCH
This model was a serious undertaking from a design point of view. I had decided early on in the sculpting and build of this model that he would feature a lighting effect. I had wanted to do two effect originally but in the end I decided that it would have looked too cluttered. So, I kept the spell effect [object source lighting], washing the right side of his body in eerie blue green light and dropped the lava lighting effect. The hint at the hot colours in the lava cracks balances the cool colours used on the model very well. The horrors were a treat to paint since I have, for some reason, never painted them before. More pictures can be found here.

MASTER of CARNAGE
Another brilliant model from Rackham. The style that has been stressed in the relatively simple sculpt is fantastic. He looks like he is stalking his opponent without any thought as to his own safety. This sense of confidence is what drew me to the model in the first place. I painted him standing atop two rocks that are amid a glowing green liquid. I used the liquid as a source of light for the model giving him a strong under glow. Due to the pose I was able to justify leaving his outer arms un-illuminated. This allowed me to emphasize the nature of the source of light. This More pictures of the model can be found here.

This model is another example of object source lighting. The head of the necromancers axe is glowing with the sickly power of death. I based him on a pile of skulls [from GW] to further emphasize his affinity for the dead. The skulls of the base were painted in a monotone grey to prevent the base from becoming a focal point. I chose to do this model in earth tones but with a tricolour highlight/shadow on the robe and cloak. The shadow work with purple turned out very well, providing a sense of decay to the figure. While the glow of the axe will obviously attract your eye the little familiars were done to be stabs of brightness in an otherwise dark model. More pictures can be found here.

This eerie model deserved to be painted under the light of the moon. I can just imagine him jumping from tomb stone to stone seeking the evil that roams graveyards. Rather than paint the light in only greys I added yellow to the mix and really like the effect. This model is quite evil looking for a good model and that is what I tried to accentuate with the paint work. His face is only highlighted with grey paint to make it look very dark under the rim of the hat. Of course I did the glasses he wears so that they leer out of the darkness of his face. More pics can be found here.

This model represents my character, Eldrad. He is a paladin of Helm [Forgotten Realms god] and has undergone a number of changes since he was last painted by Darcy Schiller [see Guest Gallery]. This model was a total experiment in colour and lighting. He turned out very well and is bright, even for me. His sword glows with the holy light of a holy avenger and his shield glows with the divine protection of his god. The model is Confrontation with Glade Rider wings [from GW] and a sculpted cloak to tie it together. More pics can be found here.

This model is very thin. It was fun to paint the sword flame effect but I might have liked the model to be larger so I could have done larger glow areas. Those familiar with the model will notice that I painted the entire model in armour vs. the open areas left for skin. This is because the character is in dragon full plate and there are just no gaps in full plate. The shield does not match since it was acquired separately from the armour and is made from completely different material. The long sword is painted with flame since the sword the character wields is flaming. More pics can be found here.

GRANDMASTER OCTAVIUS
2ND PLACE 40K SINGLE FIGURE 2003

This model was one of those figures that comes together very quickly and yet is very frustrating to finish. What I mean by this is that the 'glow' I tried to achieve turned out well but took a lot of work to make it even half way believable. The swirls on the armour were achieved using lighter shades of the base armour colour in 10+ layers. This layering makes the swirls really come to life. The idea for the base and pose came to me as I read the Inquisitor game book to get ideas. I imagine that Octavius has returned to the Fortress of the Inquisition and has brought the head of a demon prince for complete and utter annihilation. The Grandmaster would stand before a holy choir of mindless automatons as they chanted the rites of purification. Then as the ritual ends he drops the head into the holy fire of the Emperor. More pictures can be found here.

This was a labour of love. I took my time on this amazing model, lavishing it with all kinds of details and subtle tones. It was a real learning experience. My idea behind the rocky outcropping over the lava was one of testing. The rocks are covered with Barbarian runes and this is the place where potential chiefs must go to prove their worth. More pics can be found here.

This model is just out of control. First off I must say that it is not a very good build since I don't have a bit small enough to drill into her arms. This lack of drilling makes for a less sturdy model than I like. The pose is very unique, implying a smooth easy running motion. The fact that she is double handing the sword in a kind of prayer grip is unique [I think]. I went with a total theme on this model, moon light. More pics and rambling can be found here.

I have had this model for about two years and finally decided to put some paint on it. Just like the new Emperor's Champion this model has the feeling of confidence and power. More pics and a painting description can be found here.

My local RTT store brought in some Reaper models to see how they will sell and I must say that I am very impressed! This model while a bit 2D for my taste has all the style I require in a model. For more pics and a description of the painting go here.