Ranger's Skyrim Stahlrim Build

[RandomRanger]

PaiganBoi those are some solid suggestions. I'll try them out, thanks!

 

[RandomRanger]

This was my best attempt at creating sharper peaks and I used transparent mediums which I had hoped would give a more translucent look (it didn't), though I forgot to draw in white lines.
I'm still not quite happy with it, but I'm starting to get kinda bored of building tests over and over.

 

[PaiganBoi]

The carving and shaping looks really good. Huge improvement compared to test #2.

 

[xXDashIVXx]

Maybe a dremel isnt the best way to go. Still looks too rocky. Maybe a scalpel or a curved knife. You need to treat it like a wood carving and cut into the other shapes so you get the sharp points instead of the rounded tops and divots that look like holes. Also I think it would look better in a lighter paint with a white dry brush on all the tops and edges?

 

[RandomRanger]

Maybe a dremel isnt the best way to go. Still looks too rocky. Maybe a scalpel or a curved knife. You need to treat it like a wood carving and cut into the other shapes so you get the sharp points instead of the rounded tops and divots that look like holes. Also I think it would look better in a lighter paint with a white dry brush on all the tops and edges?

I tried it with a blade too, it was kinda difficult to be honest. White drybrushing, hmm

 

[xXDashIVXx]

I tried it with a blade too, it was kinda difficult to be honest. White drybrushing, hmm

By a curved blade I mean like something that dips into a u. Maybe like a sharp icecream scooper. You need something large, and in varying sizes, but nothing smaller than a golf ball, and you have to scoop out the top layer.

 

[PaiganBoi]

By a curved blade I mean like something that dips into a u. Maybe like a sharp icecream scooper. You need something large, and in varying sizes, but nothing smaller than a golf ball, and you have to scoop out the top layer.

Would you happen to mean one of these?

Linoleum cutters might do the trick. Sharpening the blades might be tricky though.

 

[RandomRanger]

By a curved blade I mean like something that dips into a u. Maybe like a sharp icecream scooper. You need something large, and in varying sizes, but nothing smaller than a golf ball, and you have to scoop out the top layer.

Would you happen to mean one of these?
View attachment 275616
Linoleum cutters might do the trick. Sharpening the blades might be tricky though.

I don't have anything like those, but I can pick them up. Hmm

 

[Sean Anwalt]

You know, we're getting kinda nit picky over here. This looks really good.

I second the white dry brushing. Put the worlds smallest amount of light blue in it and be gentle about it, but that'll get you from where you are now to where you wanna be.

 

[RandomRanger]

I'll give this dry brushing thing a shot tonight

 

[RandomRanger]

You know, we're getting kinda nit picky over here. This looks really good.

I think that's a side effect of me talking to Excelur8 a bunch xD

 

[RandomRanger]

I'm normally a heavy drybrusher, so I tried to tone it down here. Bottom one is test 3.5, top is 2.5. It definitely served to help bring up the highlights, but something else is still off. I feel like it has something to do with aqua.

 

[RandomRanger]

It would appear the white balance is screwy
[photo deleted, cause it was inaccurate]

 

[Sean Anwalt]

So, you can also get clear resin, apply a tiny tiny bit of light blue dye to it, and apply it over what you have there. That will definitely give you the depth you're looking for. The challenge there will be in getting it to dry the way you want it.

Also, you have a couple test pieces. Grab the chalky white dry brush and go. To. Town. on it. See if it gets you closer.

 

[RandomRanger]

I think I'm gonna try a whole new strat, brb

 

[RandomRanger]

Here's test #4, I didn't want to photoshop it onto the template.
I'm not sure what to think of it yet, but I used a whole different process. I think I've been staring at this too long and can't see it anymore.

I could tweak this more, but I've got work at 7am, so I'm going to bed. I think some aspects of it are an improvement, such as the highlights, but the darks are worse imo, so I'll have to tone them back.

 

[xXDashIVXx]

Would you happen to mean one of these?
View attachment 275616
Linoleum cutters might do the trick. Sharpening the blades might be tricky though.

No... I mean horizontally curved, not vertically. Have you guys ever seen the movie surfs up? Y'know when cody is making his first board with the shell and it looks like garbage, well that board looks kindof like what you are shooting for and I think we need a really sharp shell.

 

[PaiganBoi]

What is your deadline for this build? With you trying to perfect the look and paint technique and going through 4 tests and still feeling unhappy, I can see frustration easily creeping up on you.
Maybe step back for a bit and come back to it with fresh eyes?

 

[TurboCharizard]

If you've got prize money burning a hole in your pocket, an airbrush might make this a bit easier to get the half tones you're looking for. Work your dark blues and purples and then drybrush a white or off white onto the very peaks. Then find an iridescent or colour shift metallic blue and go lightly over everything to get it to read as the right material.

 

[RandomRanger]

No... I mean horizontally curved, not vertically. Have you guys ever seen the movie surfs up? Y'know when cody is making his first board with the shell and it looks like garbage, well that board looks kindof like what you are shooting for and I think we need a really sharp shell.

I both know what you're talking about and don't at the same time. Do you have links or references? This sounds intriguing, I may be running to harbor freight this weekend.

What is your deadline for this build? With you trying to perfect the look and paint technique and going through 4 tests and still feeling unhappy, I can see frustration easily creeping up on you.
Maybe step back for a bit and come back to it with fresh eyes?

There's no real deadline, though there are a couple soft deadlines: done by end of August so I don't have too many builds going on during the school year, done by Halloween, cause Halloween. And yeah, I see it too, so that's one reason I started my Reach thread, so I could work on building something else for a moment. If I don't make those though, the only real downside is having to wait longer for my Reach build.
I stepped back last night, and probably won't be looking at it again until this weekend (Friday's are for video games only).

If you've got prize money burning a hole in your pocket, an airbrush might make this a bit easier to get the half tones you're looking for. Work your dark blues and purples and then drybrush a white or off white onto the very peaks. Then find an iridescent or colour shift metallic blue and go lightly over everything to get it to read as the right material.

I've been thinking about getting an airbrush, but I didn't want to just burn through the prize money cause it was available (I also wanted to get a sewing machine, but I'm trying to hold off w/o rushing things). But I think you might be right, looking at the texture, it looks very airbrushy, and I think that might be part of the problem I'm having, as I'm trying to recreate that effect with translucent layers and it just doesn't go as well. I'll give airbrush kits a second look, I just don't want to buy something that sucks and waste that money, or buy more than I need and waste that money xD.
Does anyone have recommendations? Preferably something I can buy in-person, cause I'd like to pay with cash.