4lex 0z: Tuto Métro - brown & urban camouflage

For the purpose of my recap, I'm indexing this tuto made by 4lex 0z. His article still exists but his image links have been lost. This article is in Spanish, I made a quick translation to English.
Archive pdf: https://cjoint.com/c/LLzsl4JcC1j


Blog 1: http://automatasdejan.blogspot.com
Blog 2: http://jancasagris.blogspot.com/




Copy of article: http://automatasdejan.blogspot.com/2012/08/metro-infinity-28mm-pap.html


Métro, Infinity 28mm (PaP)



By 4lex 0z Miniatures

Thank you very much for your comments!
For the next Mètro I have decided to make a step by step in case it can help you. The pictures are bad but I think they are useful to understand the process:


PART 1: CAMOUFLAGE PANTS, BOOTS AND HOLSTER

1/ First apply a thin undercoat of Vallejo black.




2/ I start to make a base layer for the pants of reddish gray color, made with white, black and Red Brown Model Color, in several layers to make it homogeneous.

3/ Once dry, I make a very diluted wash of black to shade in the creases; This is not a very technical approach, but I found that the surfaces that will carry the lights and shadows of the camouflage, should not be very pronounced.



4/ The next step is to give some light on the cloth, by adding white to the basic mixture.

5/ The lights and shadows at this level of contrast are sufficient, we can start with the camouflage spots; Start with small and random touches of the same color as the last light made, but adding white; it is important to control the amount of water used for this mixture, not very pasty and not too diluted, otherwise it does not cover well, making jerking gestures with the brush.





6/ Now I add smaller spots with grey almost black; to keep the camo more or less believable, the cloth pieces should not be highlighted differently from the miniature like pockets or seams, because the camo has to break these lines and it's over.

7/ Now the "metal" part of the knee. By a black base with a touch of blue gray Model Color; lightened in two steps adding a little white at each step, ending with very diluted white edges.



8/ Finally, the leather parts of the legs; I use brown leather for all the parts. Then shading with a wash of very diluted black; when it is dry, start lighting; the first lighting is made from brown leather with a touch of yellow and then a little white, very little. little. In order to expose certain areas of the holster and boots I use very very diluted white.

 

PART 2: WEAPONS AND SKIN

9/ First of all, the base color for the HMG and the gun. With black and a touch of blue MC gray, like the paint on the knee.



10/ Now, lightening in several steps, two or three, adding a little white to each one. Always with a very diluted paint.
We will refine the edges of the weapon and the creation of small reflections.



11/ For the final light I use very diluted pure white to enhance certain highlights.



12/ Then add details in other colors, like the magazine, with the same process, but with a grey greenish color instead of blue.



13/ Next, the wooden plate on each side of the weapon; the base color is brown leather with some orange brown. For the light, I add a little more orange and white in the first step and white on the back. In the last step, with an almost white highlight, I make the edges and touch up some stripes. In this step, the paint is even more diluted.



14/ Once the wood is finished, I add small red lights lights (here is an improved picture).



15/ Skin. First, the base color is leather brown with cork brown; then a very thin wash with black and leather brown; when it's dry, highlight with the base mixture again, then add a little cork brown and go up another level. Then highlight under the eyes, nose and forehead, and fingers and top of hands, with very diluted cork brown, last highlight, add a little white to the mix. Finally I add the eyes and eyebrows. The eyes of my minis are usually not very thin, I try to stay believable from a distance.

 

PART 3: JACKET AND BACKPACK

16/
- In step 1: The base color of the entire jacket, including the cowl, is leather brown with a bit of orange and black. Wait for it to dry and apply a very diluted black wash (step 2).

- In step 3, I light almost everything, leather brown jacket and a little orange, not covering the deepest cracks and hollows.

- In steps 4 and 5, I lighten again, adding a little brown and cork and then orange each time.

- In steps 6 and 7 only lightened with cork brown added to the mix.

- In step 8, I apply an orange glaze over the entire jacket, very strongly diluted color, in practice, it's just water ...; it is important to watch the agglomeration of pigments in the gaps, so as not to lose the shadows. So, use a soft brush and repeat several times to blend all the colors.

- In step 9, I enhance some of the highlights in the edges with cork brown with a touch of brown leather (very little) and orange (too little).



17/ In the last step of the jacket, I add the orange details on the hood and handles and the stripes.



18/ For the back and shoulder pieces. The base is a mixture with yellow and brown leather about 75% -25% (step 1). In steps 2 and 3 highlighting adding a little yellow and white to blend in each step. In 4, I apply a wash with leather brown and black 50%, very diluted, to penetrate into the hollows and get depth and contrast. In steps 5 and 6, I highlight, adding a little white in each step for the mixture we had in step 3. In step 7, I highlight some edges by adding a little white and add damage to some edges. Finally, in step 8 the zippers are in dark gray and lightened with lighter gray.



19/ Now I paint the flag on the right shoulder pad; with Bleu Mat and red and white. I dotted it with white to simulate the weathering of a half-faded flag, and I overlaid it with a brown leather wash, a very diluted wash to keep the contrasts :

 

20/ Well, this is what we get.



21/ Adding small details, like a stain or grease on the gun, a very diluted black shadow on the front of the face and on the sides of the magazine, and resuming some edges with very diluted white.

 

PART 4 : BASE AND FINAL PHOTOS

22/ The base and the same black color as the undercoat of the miniature.
Drying overall, with more paint on the stone and earth, with a dark gray red base color; the mixture is 85% MC black and 10% red brown, with a touch of white (step 1).
In step 2, I brushed thoroughly with the same color, but with a little more white. I let it dry well and in step 3 I wash it with very diluted black.
In the photo it is barely visible, but is essential because it makes a blend.
In steps 4,5 and 6 I brush to obtain a stronger light.
In step 6 the color is almost white. Of course, with each shade I cover less space in order to keep the highlights, in the 6th step I make the edges sharp.



23/ Then I paint the weapon; I do not put the process because it is the same as the one followed for the HMG, but with a little less detail (step 1).
In step 2, I paint the earthy ground, making a layer of diluted brown leather.
Step 3, wash with the brown of the last step and make dirt stains on the base, such as holes, gun, stones ...
In step 4, add a little olive green to the brown to make some weeds.
Finally, in Step 5 I apply some stronger shadows between the earth, at the junction of the weapon and the ground, etc., with a wash of diluted black.



24/ Here is the rendering at this step.



25/ Lastly, add snow; I do this with soapstone and gloss varnish. It's supposed to be half melted and frozen, so once the water dries slightly, stain it with brown leather. In these images the difference is barely noticeable, it comes from the white balance of the camera. I also paint the edge of the base in black.

 

I added a pdf archive https://cjoint.com/c/LLzsl4JcC1j
And yesterday I created a copy of the tuto on the French forum with the pictures in large:
http://www.bureau-aegis.org/forum/index.php?topic=16991.msg212585;topicseen#new