Why Your Models Look "Off"
This post is part of the Notts Hobbies 30 Day Army Painting Accelerator, Click here to get your free copy.
When painting an army, it's essential to understand the focal points of the model, which tend to be the face and the weapon of a mini.
The painter can draw the eye to these points by using contrast and colour saturation. We try to use the brightest and most saturated highlights on the focal points of a model, which draws attention to them.
The inverse of this is to use desaturated colours, which don’t contrast with areas of the model you don’t want people to look at. Typically, we use this technique on small, insignificant details, such as boots, pouches, and belts.
When painting an army, we put more effort into the focal points of the model and less effort into less noticeable areas. This tricks the eye into thinking the model is better painted than it is, as people will look at the focal points and then assume the rest of the model is painted to a similar standard.
Below are two Cadian Shock Troopers, painted in similar paint schemes, but the second model has been painted with the focal points of the model in mind.
The bottom model has been painted with a bright skin tone and olive green, which draws the eye to the head and weapon of the model. The first model has brighter fatigues and darker armour and skin tone. This draws the eye to the fatigues, which should not be the focal point of the model.
This post is part of the Notts Hobbies 30 Day Army Painting Accelerator, Click here to get your free copy.
Glossary
Contrast – Highlights differences in colour, value, texture and shape to create visual interest and guide the viewer’s attention
Desaturated – a colour that is muted or greyish because other colours have been mixed into it.
Focal Point – is the area designed to draw the viewer’s attention first
Highlight - painting the bright colours on raised parts of a model so they stand out.
Highly Saturated – a bright colour that doesn’t have other colours mixed into it.