Talkin' Twitch

Until now, Twitch was just another app in my XBOX Live TV section. When I tried it out, I was unimpressed. For those that may not be as familiar with Twitch, it's a video platform that features live streams of people playing video games. I've watched Let's Plays for years on YouTube. I didn't understand the appeal of something that was just an unedited, chaotic version of a Let's Play that you couldn't rewatch at your convenience. I'm a busy person (aren't we all?) and just couldn't appreciate scrambling to a computer if & when I see a random "We're streaming in 5!" tweet. If you're available, you watch the live stream. If you're not available, you miss out. LAME. However...

Yesterday I decided to give it another try when I saw a Lead Concept Artist from Privateer Press tweet, "Hold onto your butts, it's time to stream!". I had no idea that non-gaming live streams existed. I signed up (officially, so I was no longer a lurker) and logged in to see Nicholas Kay (@nicholasmkay) rendering a digital painting of a futuristic landscape. His work is amazing! While he painted, he actively answered questions from a chat room full of people from several different countries. Now, keep in mind, the last time I've been a part of chat rooms was back in the 90's where people had about 65 different conversations over each other and emoticons were limited to the text symbols on your keyboard. Chat rooms were all the same-- and my overly-polite nature was evidently a flaming beacon for trolls. Despite not knowing the community on Twitch, I decided to jump in and ask a few questions like:

"What keeps you inspired when you find yourself in a creative rut?"

"Tell us about that 'light bulb' moment that changed the way you thought about painting when you were studying art"

"What's the biggest mistake you made starting out as a freelancer and what did you learn from it?"

Nicholas answered those questions along with several others from the viewers. I immediately understood the appeal of Twitch. I feel like Twitch and Twitter go hand-in-hand. Twitch appeals to people because of its possibility for immediate engagement, feedback, and open conversation you can't have on other social media platforms. One can leave comments on YouTube or Facebook, but the broadcaster and the audience lose something in between that time & space. Twitch is fleeting-- its appeal is based on the sense of urgency and excitement that comes with, say, flash sales or flash mobs. It only happens once so be there.

How does this relate to miniature painting you may ask? Well, for me, it's a form of inspiration. Inspiration can be found in many places, and for me, watching someone paint is absolutely fascinating. You get to see their creative process, their approach, their mistakes and how they fix them, and be present for their "happy little accidents" that occur in almost every artistic effort, whether big or small. The community seemed genuinely appreciative and interested in what Nicholas was painting and just about him in general. "What's your favorite movie genre?" one person asked. Another requested, 'Please say 'boobs'!" He did. Twitch is fun, casual, and totally accessible. I researched a bit more into Twitch and found others who stream interesting creative content. At this point, I'm still fond of the edited Let's Plays when watching others play video games, but I'm no longer opposed to the idea of live-streams. Since I'm still discovering to the less-familiar side of Twitch, I'll be keeping an eye out for Allison (@allisonr_91) where she streams DnD 3.5 with her group Monday nights. Sounds like fun! I'll be tuning in next time. 

Now that I've started to understand the Twitch appeal & community, I'll be making myself available during scheduled live streams. And hey, if I see the occasional "We're streaming in 5!" from my favorite broadcasters, best believe I'm going to scramble to a computer. 

Contrast & Fabric

Morning! A bit of a shorter blog post today since I'm feeling like the White Rabbit from "Alice in Wonderland".

Lately I've been thinking about the ever-prevalent idea of "more contrast!". While it can apply to almost anything, I'm currently testing that concept with painting fabric, where I'm attempting to mimic a silky fabric by pushing the highlights up to Linen White. I'm just about done with the back and a little over halfway through the front. I'm really liking the effect so far. Another happy accident!

The most important thing I'm learning? Mixing your paint super-thin to get those blends right or making sure to get the exact right shade to make those transitions quickly and smoothly:

I know this practice will come in handy, since painting NMM (Non Metallic Metal) seems similar to this concept. I notice that metals transition very quickly from light to dark with both smooth and hard lines in between. I'd happy paint faces, eyes & skin all day, but metal-- I find it frustrating. Just when I think I'm onto something, I step back and think "No, that doesn't look right at all!". My NMM in the past has often ended up looking like leather, with smooth, matte transitions looking like it was in soft, diffused light. No good. But no worries, it just meant more research and more practice! I think this contrast fabric idea is my missing link. Once I feel comfortable with this, I think I'll apply it to metal and see if I can get more accurate results!

Alien Hunter: Complete!

This past week I completed my study in non-human skin tones. I was a little intimidated at first to paint such an "exposed" mini, but I knew it would be great practice in painting the female figure and a large-scale modern weapon. I wanted to give her a tribal, futuristic feel while making her weapon & leather bags a bit more "Old West". I made a few time-costly mistakes along the way. Here's what I learned:

• Test out your paint color on a section of the mini first

I went through about 4 different colors trying to find a good pink/purple. My first try was way too hot pink. My next color mix turned out like Pepto Bismol. Once I scrapped the pink idea and used purples as a base, I found a color mix I liked. 

• Start with a muted tone and build up your color from there (personal preference)

Since Pepto Bismol pink wasn't what I was going for, I started with a muted lavender (Reaper's "Dark Elf Highlight") and mixed up some pink tones up from there. I also added in some darker purple pigments (Reaper's "Clear Purple") for the shadows.

• Don't "reset" your palette halfway through

In the future, I will mix & apply skin tones all in one sitting. Maybe I just apply the base coat and initial shadows or maybe it's the base coat, shadows and highlights-- either way, I didn't keep it consistent. When I left my palette out too long, it dried up and the paints became unworkable. When I went back to mix them, they were just a bit off and I basically had to rework each section I'd already done. Which brings me to my next point...

• Keep that paint color journal and write the mixes down immediately

If you're anything like me, you get excited about painting and think, "Oh I can recreate that spontaneous, complicated mix of color proportions". Then a few hours goes by, you change your mind, you re-work it... and, in my case, if I've waited until the next paint session to record it, there's just no way I can remember it all. I'd rather have it on paper rather than floating around in my brain-- here's what my journal looks like:

• Go in with a plan

It was difficult for me to visualize where exactly the highlights would go, especially on her backside, and I think I could have gone both lighter & darker in the end for more overall contrast. I wasted much of my time trying to make shadows fall in consistent places and reworking the blends over and over again until I'd realized I'd been painting a butt for an hour. 

Without further ado, here she is!

What am I most proud of? The blending on her face and her eyes: