Blue Flames

[DamonRafael]

Hello TGA!

Here I am asking for suggestions, trying to learn from giants

I'm working on my hexwraiths now, and some of the riders have this brazier on the head, plus they're bringing tons of burning stuff.. now I don't want to use the spirit green to paint them, but I want the flame to be blue, like if they were burning methane.

Generally speaking, I know a flame starts from white and ends in a dark blue, almost black, but I'm struggling to find a way to paint it. Also, I'm not familiar at all with blending (or layering, not sure what's the right word with miniatures), but I'm trying to learn it.

Any suggestion?

Pretty please?

 

[cb_rex]

So I'd undercoat white then blend light blue to dark blue at the tips of the flames, trying to leave the deepest recesses white.  I'd add some specks of black to the tips as well.  Lastly I'd mix up a white wash with water and a brush tip of dish soap, I'd carefully apply little blobs of this to the recesses and grooves where I wanted more white.  I might use a little bit of either green or purple glaze with the blue to get the colour to look nice with the rest of your colour scheme.

Only other thing to mention is when you're blending the colours they don't need to produce a perfect gradient every time but you do want to try and paint with the lines of colours following the flames.

This is the technique I use, I hope it helps, although I'm sure there are better/more tips out there.

[Shane]

Blending is (blending) mixing thinned colours whilst wet on the model. It requires work but can create great effects.

I use this with a wet palette:

 

I have also used the above to add thinned layers on dried paint for a more subtle blend.

Lots of practice!

[Soulsmith]

Agreed, blending becomes so much easier when you use a wet palette. If you don't already theyre super easy to make. Mine was just a clam pack, fold up some kitchen paper towel to fit the bottom, make that soaked but not dripping. Then cut some baking paper (non greased) to fit the bottom, press it on the towel, flip it over and press it down again. then paint. Simples. Dries out, and just needs water adding again to get going. Means you can mix and blend in the palette easy.

[Grimnaud]

Then there's the lazy way of getting a decent result.

1. Paint the flames a solid white. Thin your paints and use two or three layers.

2. Drybrush with grey, going heavier towards the top. If you really want a seemless blend, use a couple of different greys.

3. Very lightly drubrush the top and edges black.

4. Get your hands on some thinner and medium. Pick your favorite blue, and make a REALLY thin glaze. Test it over some white on your finger first. You want it to barely tint the white. If in doubt, thin more. You can always add more. Getting it off is a lot worse. Now glaze the entire flame. Repeat until you're happy with the result.

 

I use this technique a lot (only in reverse order with black to white). I'll try to add a good picture to show you the result later. 

[DamonRafael]

Wow, lot of nice and useful tips here!

@cb_rex That's something like the tutorial I've found on the web, but he was not explaining how to blend properly.. now when you say from light blue to dark blue, how would you proceed in practice? My first thought would have been "add some black", but I know it would bring to a weird result, therefore I guess - and I hope, otherwise I understood really nothing and have to start from scratch - that I have to put on the palette a light blue, which is the start, and close to it a really dark blue, which is the last to be used. From this, start to mix the two colors adding more and more dark blue to the light one. Maybe I wrote a mess, but I hope you get the point..

Am I right?

@Soulsmith yes I'm using a wet palette since a month or so, but apparently the guide I followed was missing the part to reverse the baking paper, which is way easier than vaporizing it!

@Shane Has the Vallejo Medium the same use of the Lahmian Medium?

@Grimnaud in the first step, do you mean to use 2/3 layers of white? Is it to be sure that the white is really "bright" 

 

Thank you all in the meanwhile

[Shane]

@DamonRafael I believe so from the GW videos I've seen (though I haven't used it myself).

And reversing the paper also stops it curling on the edges.

[Grimnaud]

2 hours ago, DamonRafael said:

 

@Grimnaud in the first step, do you mean to use 2/3 layers of white? Is it to be sure that the white is really "bright" 

Yeah. Always thin your paint, first off. With this technique the colour underneath will shine through, so you want the white to be really bright. On the Carneosaur below everything but the metal is painted with glazes over black primer, drybrushed with grey primer, and a final drybrush of white primer on the highest parts and the most important part. I'm not sure how good the resolution will be, but look at the hand holding the spear. That's more or less what you're aiming for, only in reverse, so that the inner parts are the brightest.

[Soulsmith]

I find one benefit of reversing the paper is also that sometimes you get the odd droplet of water, which if youre putting down a basecoat and have a decent amount of paint on the palette, means you can brush that water in for quick thinning. I only jsut started using one too, and it's already made my skin and bone come on leaps and bounds!

[cb_rex]

4 hours ago, DamonRafael said:

@cb_rex That's something like the tutorial I've found on the web, but he was not explaining how to blend properly.. now when you say from light blue to dark blue, how would you proceed in practice? My first thought would have been "add some black", but I know it would bring to a weird result, therefore I guess - and I hope, otherwise I understood really nothing and have to start from scratch - that I have to put on the palette a light blue, which is the start, and close to it a really dark blue, which is the last to be used. From this, start to mix the two colors adding more and more dark blue to the light one. Maybe I wrote a mess, but I hope you get the point..

Am I right?

So just adding black to a lighter blue is no good really as it effectively desaturates the blue making it more. I'd say you want 3 different blues, if you're using GW colours then something like Baharroth Blue (edge) which is a really light bright blue, then maybe Teclis Blue (layer) then a dark blue like Kantor Blue (base).  So after the white undercoat paint the whole thing with Barroth Blue, leaving a little white in the recesses as mentioned before, then up the flames thinly layer on the Teclis Blue to the tips, then thinly layer on the Kantor Blue towards the tips.  

It actually works better and is easier with red and yellow fire as our eyes are trained to see and understand normal looking fire.

[DamonRafael]

Thank you all again, sorry to be late with reply

I had a busy weekend, but I'll try all your suggestions tomorrow evening and will post the results!

[DamonRafael]

Now even if it's a WIP I'll post it here, will switch on my "folder" starting the next picture

I tried with almost all of your tips (not all toghether ) and I ended up with something like this.

Just don't look at all the model, focus on flames, as the robe will change and the model itself is really, really a WIP.

I know I could do better, but I think it's a solid start anyway

[Dez]

I think the flames would pop way more if the robes weren't also blue. 

[DamonRafael]

Indeed the robe will be same colour as the robe of the horses, starting from a nihilakh oxide, then washing it 2 or 3 times with 1 drop of drakenhof blue and 3 drop of lahmian medium  

 

[Soulsmith]

Looking good! A really unnatural, gothic blue.

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