Archived from groups: rec.games.miniatures.warhammer (
More info?)
> What is the groups thought
Well, I'm not the group, I'm just a lurker, so I hope my answer's still
okay.
> on painting eyes on humanoid models? I have some
> nice shading/highlighting done on my marines sans helmet, but no
matter what
> technique I try, I can't get the eyes to not look cartoonish. How
much does
> not having eyes painted in diminish an otherwise nicely painted
model, or isn't
> it an issue? And does anyone have any easy technique that will
actually look
> good, or is it something that you have to mess up 1000 times before
they look
> good?
Reaper's got a good article on eye painting:
http://www.reapermini.com/?nav=The%20Craft&sub=Paint&article=12 --
although I found their technique is "easier said than done" (but same
can be said for painting eyes in general).
Fairly simple stuff I've discovered on my own:
One thing--paint the eyes fortress grey (or some other light grey), not
white. Pure white eyes are one of those things that makes models look
cartoonish--look at yourself in a mirror, and you might see light
glinting off your eyes in little white spots--you'll notice those
little white spots are actually much brighter than the "whites" of your
eyes. Pure white eyes don't look natural; especially when they're often
shadowed by eyelids, brows, hair, etc.
If you have a very fine permanent black pen, sometimes it's easier to
put in the iris/pupil with that than trying to paint it in.
Don't bother with painting in colored irises unless the model's eyes
are very distinct and easy to see--otherwise no one is going to notice
such a tiny detail on a tiny part of the body anyway.
On models where the eyes are very small or the eyes are narrowed, I
usually don't bother painting in a pupil; it's just too small a space
to get that kind of detail in without splatting paint all over the rest
of the model's face. Sometimes instead I will outline the inside of the
eyelid with diluted black ink to make the eyes stand out. Since the
eyes are small/narrow, when you put them on the table you don't really
notice they don't have a pupil, but you can still see the detail on the
face due to the outlining.
Finally, go to a hobby or craft store and buy an "eye brush"--one
that's even smaller than Citadel's fine detail brush. Reserve it for
painting eyes and other tiny details so it doesn't lose its shape too
quickly--the small brush will help you put in eye details more easily
than even the fine detail brush (which often have lousy shape anyway,
or so I've experienced).
Hope that helps.
Death Quaker
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