By Callum France, Lead Studio Painter
Photography by Callum France & Amy Leech

 

 

Hello all! I’m Callum, Lead Studio Painter here at Modiphius. Available for preorder today is something entirely new and special, and I’m particularly excited to see it out in the wild. 

 

We’re releasing two Painters’ Busts for Fallout, featuring the iconic T-60 Power Armour and the ever-popular NCR Ranger. I was lucky enough to paint them both, and wanted to give some insight into my process, especially on how to paint metallics (there’s a lot on these two!).

 

Painting a bust may seem daunting. They are a fair bit bigger than our usual 32mm miniatures.

 

However, they are a fantastic painting experience. You’ll learn a ton about light and volumes, and, at the end of the process, have an eye-catching display piece, perfect for sitting proudly on your shelf or entering into your local painting competition! 

 

I found that preparation was the key to achieving the best result. I began by cleaning the busts just as I would with any resin set. I washed them in soapy water (not strictly necessary, though it helps to remove any residue from unboxing and production), then I cleaned up and primed the bust using a mid-grey.

 

At this point, I took several ‘light reference’ images from key angles where I wanted the light to hit the model; one light source from the front and slightly to the left, and another from almost directly above. Your angles may differ, but I would recommend this selection, as it’s simple enough. I combined these with the finished images so you can see how I adapted the light reference when painting my highlights.

 

Painting metallic surfaces with traditional non-metallic paints puts the fear into a lot of hobbyists (myself included at one time!), but breaking down how light interacts with the volumes of the model makes the process a lot simpler. You can see that, for certain areas, I added a darker section in the middle of where the light should be, illuminating the metal. It’s easiest to see on the broad, flat sections of the shoulders. Doing this adds some more visual interest and actually makes the material look more ‘shiny’.

 

With my light references, I started on the metal sections on both pieces. I used Two Thin Coats (2TC) Eidolon Grey, which is a warm, muddy grey, and applied it everywhere.

 

Next, I ‘blocked in’ where I wanted the first stage of highlight to sit with the more neutral grey of 2TC Wizard Grey. I did this messily, by brush, knowing that I could smooth it out afterwards. It’s good to do this stage without worrying about how clean it will look in the end, because we may want to cut back into it, or even change the light reflection’s location entirely! 

 

Once happy, I blended between the two with thin glazes, using both my regular brushes and my airbrush for speed. I repeated the previous two steps with an even lighter and cooler grey of 2TC Carcharodon Grey, focusing on a smaller area in the centre of the previous highlight. I wanted a tonal shift from warm to cool, so working from warmer greys to colder ones as I highlighted added a little extra sizzle. I didn’t have to worry about whether it would still read as metal.

 

The final steps are to apply scratches, chips, and edge highlights with both of the previous highlight colours, adding in a small amount of 2TC Altar Ivory for the brightest spots and highlights. To enhance the shadows, I added a small amount of black to the basecoat and glazed that into the shadowed areas. 

 

You can see the same reference with the NCR Ranger, using the same warm-cool greys listed above.

 

And that is how I tackled the bulk of the metallics on these two wonderful pieces! You can get your own Fallout: Painter’s Busts HERE (if you’re in the US) and HERE (if you live anywhere else). If you snag one, be sure to share your work in the Discord; we’d love to see it.

 

Until next time, see you out in the wasteland!