Beerfish
N7
Little Pumpkin
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Mass Effect Andromeda, Anthem, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Origin: Beerfish
XBL Gamertag: Beerfish77
Posts: 15,016 Likes: 35,804
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Little Pumpkin
314
0
35,804
Beerfish
15,016
August 2016
beerfish
https://bsn.boards.net/user/314/personal
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Mass Effect Andromeda, Anthem, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Beerfish
Beerfish77
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Post by Beerfish on Jul 29, 2022 21:08:53 GMT
Finished step one of my latest palette wood art idea. There will be no in between with this project either it will be a great triumph or an epic disaster that was a stupid idea in the first place.
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B. Hieronymus Da
Unapologetic Western Chauvinist. Barefoot. Great Toenails
3,604
August 2016
bevesthda
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights
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Post by B. Hieronymus Da on Aug 30, 2022 23:16:16 GMT
I like the design and colors of this one. And it's an Allosaurus, I agree. I am glad to know you like it. I see you're painting on canvas. I assume you're using Acrylics? Anyway, regardless if you're using Acrylics or Oil paints, you don't need to paint on canvas. If you want to paint more, and would like to do that cheaper, and also have an easier time storing all the paintings, there is a way to do that. You purchase a pad of watercolor paper, in a size that appeals to you. The important thing is that the paper is glued in the pad on all four sides. The sheets must not be loose, but fixed all around. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to buy the expensive cotton or linen paper. For Acrylics or Oil, wood pulp, art/watercolor paper (typically marketed as "100% cellulose", because "wood pulp" has a bad ring and normally isn't durable, but this is highly refined) is just fine. So buy cheap paper. The important thing is that the pad is glued on all sides. Now, 'weight' or thickness. A sturdy sheet is nice so I'd recommend the standard 140lb aka 300g/m^2. But it's not crucial, so if you find an otherwise suitable pad, you can make do with thinner paper quality. Surface: Looking at your paintings, I would suggest the intermediate surface structure suits you best. This is called "CP" or "Cold Pressed", or "NOT" (no idea what it stands for), or "Grain Fine". There are also "Rough" surface (unpressed), and finally "Smooth" (aka "Hot Pressed") surface structures available. Next, you need something called 'Acrylic Gesso'. You should be able to buy it in every Art material store. A cheap brand will be fine. This is a primer to prepare canvas, wood or paper for painting. When you buy a ready canvas, it's already primed with this. You simply paint this onto your paper, thin and smooth. You can thin it slightly with water (NOT in the can/bottle/container) if you feel the need to. The paper will swell and buckle up from the pad. No worries, as it dries it will go flat again, thanks to it being glued to the pad on all sides. Wait until it dries completely, then coat it again at least a second time. Now you can paint. When it's finished and dry, you carefully cut through the glue all around to free the sheet. Then you prime the next sheet. And so on.
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legbamel
N3
Walkin' shoes walkin' back into BSN.
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda, SWTOR, Anthem
Origin: legbamel
XBL Gamertag: Legbamel
Posts: 708 Likes: 1,491
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544
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Apr 10, 2024 18:13:21 GMT
1,491
legbamel
Walkin' shoes walkin' back into BSN.
708
August 2016
legbamel
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda, SWTOR, Anthem
legbamel
Legbamel
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Post by legbamel on Nov 26, 2022 13:09:13 GMT
I'm looking to start making chain and scale maille. Anyone have good resources for tutorials and patterns? I've been spending some quality time on the interwebz and am onto The Ring Lord, Chainmail Joe, and Yvonne Williams (who is a crafting maniac!) Anyone been making chainmail?
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Spirit talker
764
0
16,332
Giant Ambush Beetle
9,261
August 2016
giantambushbeetle
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Post by Giant Ambush Beetle on Nov 27, 2022 1:30:52 GMT
Just finished another primitive knife. Forged it in my improvised coal pit and with hammer & anvil, quenched it in oil, annealed it in my stove and polished and sharpened it with hand tools and a whetstone. After oil quenching. Without annealing its brittle as glass in that state and you have to be careful not to drop and shatter it. Annealed, polished, sharpened and wrapped knife:
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Spirit talker
764
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Giant Ambush Beetle
9,261
August 2016
giantambushbeetle
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Post by Giant Ambush Beetle on Nov 27, 2022 1:40:10 GMT
I'm looking to start making chain and scale maille. Anyone have good resources for tutorials and patterns? I've been spending some quality time on the interwebz and am onto The Ring Lord, Chainmail Joe, and Yvonne Williams (who is a crafting maniac!) Anyone been making chainmail? In any case, use FLAT rings and rivet them. And don't use stainless steel rings, use proper carbon steel. You don't want to end up with one of those fancy looking but to the knowing eye absolutely laughably ineffective chainmails people use for cheap cosplays.
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legbamel
N3
Walkin' shoes walkin' back into BSN.
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda, SWTOR, Anthem
Origin: legbamel
XBL Gamertag: Legbamel
Posts: 708 Likes: 1,491
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544
0
Apr 10, 2024 18:13:21 GMT
1,491
legbamel
Walkin' shoes walkin' back into BSN.
708
August 2016
legbamel
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda, SWTOR, Anthem
legbamel
Legbamel
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Post by legbamel on Nov 27, 2022 13:50:02 GMT
Since I'm just starting, I was looking at learning the weaves with saw cut aluminum rings, as they're easier to manipulate. This isn't for actual, protective use, just a hobby. If I really get into it I'll look at making a real maille piece but I think jumping into riveting from the beginning may put me off it entirely!
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B. Hieronymus Da
Unapologetic Western Chauvinist. Barefoot. Great Toenails
3,604
August 2016
bevesthda
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights
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Post by B. Hieronymus Da on Nov 27, 2022 23:02:41 GMT
After oil quenching. Without annealing its brittle as glass in that state and you have to be careful not to drop and shatter it. Some modern specialty steels you shouldn't quench much cooler than 200 deg C. That's probably not what you're using though, since you're quenching in oil. If you can quench it in oil (instead of air or molten salt) it's probably fairly primitive alloy. Also, those steels need hours of heating. Simple carbon steels with moderate C content, you might want to quench in water, to get hard. A safe trick is to not quench it much beyond 100 deg C. That's easy to judge with a bit of spit. When it doesn't boil off, but rather just steam a little, you're just below 100C. (or quench in hot water). Anneal immediately. What's your source for steel? Old ball bearing housings are supposed to be very good steel for knives, but takes a lot of hammering to get into a new shape.
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Spirit talker
764
0
16,332
Giant Ambush Beetle
9,261
August 2016
giantambushbeetle
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Post by Giant Ambush Beetle on Nov 28, 2022 10:22:00 GMT
After oil quenching. Without annealing its brittle as glass in that state and you have to be careful not to drop and shatter it. Some modern specialty steels you shouldn't quench much cooler than 200 deg C. That's probably not what you're using though, since you're quenching in oil. If you can quench it in oil (instead of air or molten salt) it's probably fairly primitive alloy. Also, those steels need hours of heating. Simple carbon steels with moderate C content, you might want to quench in water, to get hard. A safe trick is to not quench it much beyond 100 deg C. That's easy to judge with a bit of spit. When it doesn't boil off, but rather just steam a little, you're just below 100C. (or quench in hot water). Anneal immediately. What's your source for steel? Old ball bearing housings are supposed to be very good steel for knives, but takes a lot of hammering to get into a new shape. I don't want to quench it in water because it cools so violently and quickly it might warp and twist the fairly thin pieces of steel that are knives - I'm not entirely sure what kind of steel it is beyond some sort of tool steel from a laser cutting factory. It does seem to have a high carbon and low chromium content because it reacts VERY well to rust bluing and it was hard to hammer even when it was orange. I think I got the steel right though, when I was finished the knife fell out of my hand and landed on the concrete right on the tip - there was very little damage and it only needed a couple strokes with the hand file. It neither bent nor broke, it just blunted a little bit from the pretty harsh impact. I know from experience that most commercially available knives would suffer as much if not more damage from a fall like that.
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Beerfish
N7
Little Pumpkin
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Mass Effect Andromeda, Anthem, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Origin: Beerfish
XBL Gamertag: Beerfish77
Posts: 15,016 Likes: 35,804
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Little Pumpkin
314
0
35,804
Beerfish
15,016
August 2016
beerfish
https://bsn.boards.net/user/314/personal
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Mass Effect Andromeda, Anthem, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Beerfish
Beerfish77
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Post by Beerfish on Nov 28, 2022 16:45:21 GMT
Since I'm just starting, I was looking at learning the weaves with saw cut aluminum rings, as they're easier to manipulate. This isn't for actual, protective use, just a hobby. If I really get into it I'll look at making a real maille piece but I think jumping into riveting from the beginning may put me off it entirely! Well this should follow the usual fantasy game setting / trope so all you need to use for a pattern to work with is a bikini right? Think of all the work you will save by not making one of them there clumsy full sets of chain mail!
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Beerfish
N7
Little Pumpkin
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Mass Effect Andromeda, Anthem, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Origin: Beerfish
XBL Gamertag: Beerfish77
Posts: 15,016 Likes: 35,804
inherit
Little Pumpkin
314
0
35,804
Beerfish
15,016
August 2016
beerfish
https://bsn.boards.net/user/314/personal
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Mass Effect Andromeda, Anthem, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Beerfish
Beerfish77
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Post by Beerfish on Nov 28, 2022 16:47:29 GMT
I bought two lamp kits on Amazon. I have some really nice wood I pruned from my pear tree and some trees in the back yard. A few pieces will be big enough to do something with so I have decide to make them into lamps. This will be a project for next spring but at least I have all the lamp parts ready to go.
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Spirit talker
764
0
16,332
Giant Ambush Beetle
9,261
August 2016
giantambushbeetle
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Post by Giant Ambush Beetle on Nov 28, 2022 17:35:05 GMT
Since I'm just starting, I was looking at learning the weaves with saw cut aluminum rings, as they're easier to manipulate. This isn't for actual, protective use, just a hobby. If I really get into it I'll look at making a real maille piece but I think jumping into riveting from the beginning may put me off it entirely! Well this should follow the usual fantasy game setting / trope so all you need to use for a pattern to work with is a bikini right? Think of all the work you will save by not making one of them there clumsy full sets of chain mail! Just put a +2 enchantment spell on the rings and its better than an ordinary full set!
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5,242
B. Hieronymus Da
Unapologetic Western Chauvinist. Barefoot. Great Toenails
3,604
August 2016
bevesthda
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights
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Post by B. Hieronymus Da on Nov 28, 2022 22:06:08 GMT
Some modern specialty steels you shouldn't quench much cooler than 200 deg C. That's probably not what you're using though, since you're quenching in oil. If you can quench it in oil (instead of air or molten salt) it's probably fairly primitive alloy. Also, those steels need hours of heating. Simple carbon steels with moderate C content, you might want to quench in water, to get hard. A safe trick is to not quench it much beyond 100 deg C. That's easy to judge with a bit of spit. When it doesn't boil off, but rather just steam a little, you're just below 100C. (or quench in hot water). Anneal immediately. What's your source for steel? Old ball bearing housings are supposed to be very good steel for knives, but takes a lot of hammering to get into a new shape. I don't want to quench it in water because it cools so violently and quickly it might warp and twist the fairly thin pieces of steel that are knives - I'm not entirely sure what kind of steel it is beyond some sort of tool steel from a laser cutting factory. It does seem to have a high carbon and low chromium content because it reacts VERY well to rust bluing and it was hard to hammer even when it was orange. I think I got the steel right though, when I was finished the knife fell out of my hand and landed on the concrete right on the tip - there was very little damage and it only needed a couple strokes with the hand file. It neither bent nor broke, it just blunted a little bit from the pretty harsh impact. I know from experience that most commercially available knives would suffer as much if not more damage from a fall like that. Well. That laser cutting factory you mention, would that be the kind of company that cuts details and parts for customers out of sheet steel? And you use scrap from that? That sheet steel can be a few things, but since it's not stainless (which otherwise could be fairly common) it's probably some kind of construction steel. It's not hard before you harden it right? Test with a file. And it's really hard after quenching but before you anneal it? Right? You mentioned it was brittle. That's good. You need to be completely clear about those things. Test around a bit if you're not. And watch out with the scrap pieces, because they probably cut parts out of different steels for different customers and purposes. If you find a steel you like, try to pick up a batch of scrap, because next time it might not be the same steel. There are four main groups of steel that I think could be laser cut for parts this way. Most common, at least until some years ago, would be standard, common construction steel. This does not harden. The reason is that it must be safely weldable, with 100% safe and strong welds. This is what is also typically used for beams and boxes. If you put a file to this steel, you would notice it's softer and easier to cut than other steels. You can't use it for knives because it doesn't become hard. If you have a piece of this steel, and some other steel feels harder to your file, that harder steel might work for you. That is, other three groups should probably work out for you. For you, it's important that the steel becomes really hard after quenching. Test this, with file. Don't assume it's worthless steel, if it doesn't at first. Experiment with heating it for longer and quenching in water. Simple steels which need to be quenched in water or brine, need to be annealed lighter, not more than 150-170C, or shorter time, or they'll become a bit too soft. Generally, one decides the hardness of the steel with the temperature during tempering/annealing. Not with the quenching. If the steel is fully hardened - something that will happen if it's held at sufficiently high temperature for sufficiently long time (This is in tables, you obviously need to play it by feel and experiments), and then quenched rapidly enough, - then it need to be tempered/annealed 2 times for 1 hour, with natural cooling to room temperature between. The annealing temperature decides the hardness. Higher temperature - softer steel. I would guess though, that you will typically get partially hardened steel (this is also normal in mass production, and steels for mass production - like knives - are made for partial hardening and short duration annealing), Then it should be enough to anneal it one time and the duration don't need to be long. P.S. I have hardly any experience with forging, just some time for fun. But I do have knowledge of steels and heat treating.
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A Crazy Treehugger
11038
0
Apr 12, 2024 19:17:21 GMT
2,827
vella
My weapons of choice? Humor, sarcasm and ironing.
1,562
February 2019
noitakka
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect Andromeda
Noitakka
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Post by vella on Nov 29, 2022 8:33:56 GMT
Just finished another primitive knife. Forged it in my improvised coal pit and with hammer & anvil, quenched it in oil, annealed it in my stove and polished and sharpened it with hand tools and a whetstone. After oil quenching. Without annealing its brittle as glass in that state and you have to be careful not to drop and shatter it. Annealed, polished, sharpened and wrapped knife: Remaking the Dragon Age murder knife, I see. dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Murder_knife
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Spirit talker
764
0
16,332
Giant Ambush Beetle
9,261
August 2016
giantambushbeetle
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Post by Giant Ambush Beetle on Nov 29, 2022 16:19:47 GMT
Oh that thought crossed my mind when I shaped the blade and I was immediately reminded of the funny scene where the Dragon Age protagonist threw the murder knife into the back of brother Genetivi's head.
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802
0
5,242
B. Hieronymus Da
Unapologetic Western Chauvinist. Barefoot. Great Toenails
3,604
August 2016
bevesthda
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights
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Post by B. Hieronymus Da on Jan 6, 2023 1:03:35 GMT
Volegov has made a video again. As far as I know, the world champion of ala prima oil painting technique. I've never seen anyone better.
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B. Hieronymus Da
Unapologetic Western Chauvinist. Barefoot. Great Toenails
3,604
August 2016
bevesthda
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights
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Post by B. Hieronymus Da on Jan 6, 2023 23:32:39 GMT
This is kinda painful for me to watch. Not because I don't like Oil Pastels (I don't like Oil Pastels) but because of the sheer pedantry. But some might find it interesting in all its detail.
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B. Hieronymus Da
Unapologetic Western Chauvinist. Barefoot. Great Toenails
3,604
August 2016
bevesthda
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights
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Post by B. Hieronymus Da on Jan 31, 2023 23:47:29 GMT
This video shows a very traditional way of using watercolors. It's also very easy because the ink drawing is so much guidance and also provides so much of the definition (details), which you then don't have to provide by painting. Maybe because of that it's often called "Pen and Wash".
The method easily translates to planned and elaborate watercolor painting, that can cover many styles, all the way to almost photorealism. The difference between such paintings and this, is mainly the ink lines. A normal watercolor is only first suggested with few and weak pencil lines, which won't be visible in the final image. But that then require much more 'painting' to define the subject.
Consequentially, he also uses very traditional tools. Sable brushes (costs a fortune as they get bigger, but are fortunately pretty unnecessary). He also uses a palette box with half pans. Half pans are pretty ideal for this kind of slow, weak painting and illustration. ...But you don't need it. You can use a different kind of palette.
He also uses the same brand as I currently uses, Cotman. Though I have a large tray-palette where I have squeezed out big blobs of tube paints which I have then let dry out hard and completely, before using them. The idea with that is to be able to pick up any amount of paint, little or much, quickly, and also with large brushes, and mix paints freely without causing permanent contamination of the colors (Cotman tube colors dry up so hard that they immediately clean up, with a swipe of a wet brush. Other colors don't penetrate into them.)
You'll notice he uses the same colors that I recommended on page 8 in this thread. ...And a few others which are typical and very traditional for this type of watercolor painters, but which I don't recommend: Payne's Grey, Sap green (He didn't use Alizarin Crimson but that's also very common).
My recommendations (page 8) also goes for other media, like oil and acrylic. I'll write more on color choices, but will leave it for later.
His choice of pen is more dubious. I strongly suspect that pen contains dye based ink. (I have such pens myself) But while they claim to be lightfast, they're not as lightfast as those watercolors. Traditional ink & wash would use Indian ink and a dip pen. Or you could use modern nano-carbon ink, which is also 100% permanent.
P.S. You might want to fast forward through his ink pen drawing. He goes on forever.
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5,242
B. Hieronymus Da
Unapologetic Western Chauvinist. Barefoot. Great Toenails
3,604
August 2016
bevesthda
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights
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Post by B. Hieronymus Da on Feb 1, 2023 23:57:09 GMT
Techniques and materials: Techniques.Oil:Oil is paradoxical, in that it requires the most of fundamental education, into the hows and whys, but, the craft learned, yet is the medium with which it's 'the easiest' to accomplish the results you want. Oil painting requires a lot of space, and also comes with considerable health hazards, which absolutely should not be taken lightly. You should not try conventional oil painting, unless you have a dedicated, ventilated studio, or do it outdoors. Colors don't shift in oil as it “dries”, and the ranges of values and colors are the greatest of all mediums. Oil paints “dry” really slow, taking many days, even weeks. They actually don't dry. What happens is that they take up oxygen from the air and polymerize. The oxygen is the 'hardener'. Water mixable Oil colors:This is a new medium that is very similar to conventional oil painting. The differences are that they thin with water, extend with an also water mixable medium, and clean up with water. There is a color shift as the water evaporates though. But in the right direction, they deepen. This is really the solution to painting with oil colors indoors. They still 'dry' very slowly, like common oils, even after the water has evaporated. Watercolor:Watercolor is in many ways the opposite to oil. It doesn't require any education, but is the hardest and most difficult medium with which to accomplish what you want. Because of that, there's an entire artist culture where they pretend the accidental ways the watercolor flows and dries up, is “artistic expression”, and represents a real & proper way to paint watercolors. Watercolors are very transparent and, unlike oil, acrylic and gouache cannot be used for covering any previous image elements. It's also a very compact medium to work with and doesn't require much space. Colors shift more than any other medium, but, actually, the ranges of achievable values and colors aren't bad at all. This is often attributed to their transparent nature. (My primary medium , though for practical reasons, as I set out on Oil as young.) Acrylic:Lots of people think acrylics are perfect (I don't like acrylics ). They dry fast and there are no rules of how to apply them, or on what. Whatever you do it'll be fine. That doesn't quite mean that they are idiot proof. “They dry fast”, and in your expensive brushes and on your palette too. So there are a bunch of tricks which need to be adhered to, “Wet Palette”, soaked canvas, and keeping your brushes always either wet or clean. Chemically, acrylics are vastly safer than oils. In fact, as long as you don't assume they are entirely harmless and behave stupidly, they are pretty harmless. While acrylics “dry” fast, they, like oils, don't really dry. What happens is that when the water based vehicle, that the monomer is emulsified in, evaporates, the inhibitor also disappears and the acrylic monomer polymerizes spontaneously. While they become hard immediately, they haven't really fully polymerized until after a couple of weeks. The change is subtle and normally not noticeable, but the paint film does become harder, slightly thinner and adhere harder to the surface. Gouache:Gouache is a sort of opaque watercolor that has covering power, like a fancy sort of Poster Paint. It can also be used thick enough to stay in place where the brush leaves it. You can also have very even color areas, suitable for reproduction and scanning. It used to be a favorite medium for functional art like illustration, design originals etc. Just like airbrushing, it has lost that niche to digital art these days. But it has gained popularity as a medium in itself, also much in mixed media, with watercolors, colored pencils. Pastel:Dry Pastel, just don't! Don't fill your home and lungs with color dust. And besides, a useful set of artist pastels costs a fortune. Oil Pastel, much nicer for your environment and health. But unfortunately, while dry pastels are nice and a joy to work with, oil pastels are a pain and a lot of work. So, just don't. Color Pencils:Normally tools for functional art, illustration etc, the introduction of some highly permanent (and very expensive) color pencil brands, Caran D'Ache Luminance, Faber Castell Polychromos, and Derwent Lightfast, has made this a medium also for fine art. Use as normal color pencils. Watercolor Pencils:The coward's “watercolor”. The introduction of some highly permanent (and very expensive) watercolor pencil brands, Caran D'Ache Museum and Faber Castell Albrecht Durer, has made this into a medium also for fine art. Use as normal watercolor pencils.
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802
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5,242
B. Hieronymus Da
Unapologetic Western Chauvinist. Barefoot. Great Toenails
3,604
August 2016
bevesthda
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights
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Post by B. Hieronymus Da on Feb 2, 2023 13:50:08 GMT
Techniques and materials: Materials.
What to paint on?
Traditional, historic surfaces to use for oil and acrylic (and other historic mediums, like tempera) have typically been wooden boards, wood canvas and, most popular in modern times, textile canvas from Linen, Cotton or Jute, stretched on a wooden frame.
Regardless, these materials do not become a “canvas”, and cannot be painted on until they have received a ground. Traditionally, such grounds, “Gesso”, were made from animal glue, chalk and gypsum, and maybe some lead white. These days, you need only to consider acrylic gesso, which you buy in art shops.
And no matter what surface you paint oil, water mixable oil or acrylic on, that should have been primed with several coats of acrylic ground or gesso. Even if you buy a ready canvas, already primed, you should still add another coat of primer.
- But should you even paint on a textile or wooden canvas? In my opinion: - No!
Canvases are expensive and bulky to keep and store. The plan here should be to paint often and a lot. Practice is the only way to learn something. You're not going to get much worthwhile experience while being intimidated by having to produce “something special and perfect already” on an expensive canvas. And then what do you do with it?
Until the galleries line up for you, there is a better solution. Acrylic primed watercolor paper. I'll copy and patch something I already wrote as advice to lordmoral:
Anyway, regardless if you're using Acrylics or Oil paints, you don't need to paint on canvas. If you want to paint more, and would like to do that cheaper, and also have an easier time storing all the paintings, there is a way to do that.
You purchase a pad of watercolor paper, in a size that appeals to you. The important thing is that the paper is glued in the pad on all four sides. The sheets must not be loose, but fixed all around. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to buy the expensive cotton or linen paper. For Acrylics or Oil, wood pulp, art/watercolor paper (typically marketed as "100% cellulose", because "wood pulp" has a bad ring and normally isn't durable, but this is highly refined) is just fine. So buy cheap paper. The important thing is that the pad is glued on all sides.
Now, 'weight' or thickness. A sturdy sheet is nice so I'd recommend the standard 140lb aka 300g/m^2. But it's not crucial, so if you find an otherwise suitable pad, you can make do with thinner paper quality.
Surface: Looking at your paintings, I would suggest the intermediate surface structure suits you best. This is called "CP" or "Cold Pressed", or "NOT" (no idea what it stands for), or "Grain Fine". There are also "Rough" surface (unpressed), and finally "Smooth" (aka "Hot Pressed") surface structures available.
Next, you need something called 'Acrylic Gesso'. You should be able to buy it in every Art material store. A cheap brand will be fine. This is a primer to prepare canvas, wood or paper for painting. When you buy a ready canvas, it's already primed with this. You simply paint this onto your paper, thin and smooth. You can thin it slightly with water (NOT in the can/bottle/container) if you feel the need to. The paper will swell and buckle up from the pad. No worries, as it dries it will go flat again, thanks to it being glued to the pad on all sides. Wait until it dries completely, then coat it again at least a second time.
Now you can paint. When it's finished and dry, you carefully cut through the glue all around to free the sheet.
Then you prime the next sheet. And so on.
And, of course, for water colors you also want to use water color paper. ...And you don't prime that!
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802
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5,242
B. Hieronymus Da
Unapologetic Western Chauvinist. Barefoot. Great Toenails
3,604
August 2016
bevesthda
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights
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Post by B. Hieronymus Da on Feb 5, 2023 15:37:55 GMT
Techniques and materials: Brushes.
Brushes, general:
Brushes with long handles are meant for oil or acrylic (if you wonder why the long handle, watch Volegov paint). Brushes with short handles are for watercolor & gouache (soft), or are general purpose or hobby brushes (stiffer).
There are brushes sold as for oil, and as for acrylic, and as for oil & acrylic, and as for watercolor, and as for gouache, and as “hobby brushes”.
While the success in trying to do some things will vary, you can use any synthetic brush for anything, don't be scared of rules...
Oil and Acrylic:
...as long as you don't use soft brushes with natural hair, or containing natural hair, for oil or acrylic. Don't do that. They'll not be good for anything and they will be destroyed.
Since a soft brush is only useful if the paint is thinned to watery consistence, it is of extremely limited use for acrylics and oil anyway. Still, if you insist on that, there are soft synthetic brushes.
And frankly, while the traditional oil painting brush was made from hog bristle, there's really not much point in using natural hair brushes for oil today, and you should never do it with acrylics.
Otherwise it works to use oil brushes for acrylics and acrylic brushes for oil. They may sometimes use somewhat different materials for the hair (?), supposedly better adapted. But if it works, it works.
Watercolor and Gouache:
Things are a bit different for watercolor and gouache. Various natural animal hairs have very distinct and advantageous properties over synthetic. However, since the synthetic surrogates have continuously improved, and a Sable brush can cost $100-$200, most of your “normal”, general purpose watercolor brushes are likely to be synthetic anyway. But you may want to have at least one sable brush, as your main detail painting brush. Depending upon the size of your paintings, what you paint and how you paint, the size should be 4 to 6. ...Maybe even 7.
It can last you a very long time, maybe for life. I still have almost all brushes I have ever owned. Only a few of them have fallen off, over many decades. In general, both pure synthetic and pure natural hair brushes hold up very well, if you take good care of them. They get worn, but that only makes them “different”. You can still use them. A worn, but well treated, Sable watercolor brush is actually still a very good brush. It has lost its long point but sometimes the long point would be in the way.
Hybrid, mixed brushes, otoh, containing both synthetic and natural hair, act up after some time and start to spread out natural hairs that stick out in a very annoying way. I don't like them. They're popular with many YouTubers, but I don't seem to agree with much of what some of them spew out anyway.
Relatively speaking, synthetic watercolor brushes releases most of their paint very rapidly. Sometimes you want that, but when you don't (most of the time), you combat it by loading the brush less.
For your biggest watercolor brushes, you definitely want natural hair. But not Sable. The cost would be prohibitive anyway, but you actually don't want the big brush to hold its form. And springing back to its shape is what a Sable brush does, but not a goat hair or cow hair brush. It doesn't matter what they're sold as, for Chinese calligraphy painting with Sumi and rice paper or whatever, flat or round, they're great for bigger work in watercolor. Unless you do exclusively Pen & Wash, color drawings or do adult coloring books, you probably want some of those bigger natural hair brushes.
There are sometimes uses for stiffer brushes with watercolor, so a few “hobby brushes”, particularly flat, are also good to have around.
Color Pencils and Watercolor Pencils:
To activate watercolor pencils, use watercolor brushes and water.
To smooth and blend color pencils with petroleum, use “hobby brushes”. They're pretty ideal.
Natural Hair Brushes:
- Watch out for bugs eating your brushes! Moths will certainly do it, but there are others that will also do it. Like Silverfish. Storing your brushes, points up, in gloss (glass) jars with overhangs on both the outside and inside, is the least you can do. - Don't keep them lying down or in a drawer, box or brush roll! Camphor and Cedar also helps somewhat.
I once lost 4 big Kolinsky Sable watercolor brushes worth ~$500-600 (current money, but relatively speaking it was even more for me at the time, representing almost all my disposable money), that got destroyed by bugs. To add injury they were almost new, I had hardly had the chance to use them. To this date I have not entirely replaced them. I don't need to, because I paint in a different way now, and as big brushes I prefer Chinese calligraphy brushes and flat goat hair brushes anyway. ...But still...
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802
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5,242
B. Hieronymus Da
Unapologetic Western Chauvinist. Barefoot. Great Toenails
3,604
August 2016
bevesthda
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights
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Post by B. Hieronymus Da on Feb 5, 2023 16:15:45 GMT
Techniques and materials: Palettes.
Throughout my life as a hobby- (mostly) -painter, the struggle and combat against the palette stands out as the biggest obstacle, discomfort and problem, when painting. And it has been so, in every medium. Luckily, over the years, other painters have come up with solutions to most things. My general advice: Don't stick to the old, traditional palette ideas, just because centuries of old masters did.
Oil:
When I was young and painted oil, I used the (then) traditional, semi-round, wooden palette with thumb hole and cut-out for the body. I still have a rectangular'ed off (intended to fit in a carrying case) such, somewhere. The idea is that you rest it on your other arm. When it was new, I was annoyed by how much oil and turpentine it absorbed (and yes, of course I did oil it when new). That got better though with time. Then I was also annoyed by the wood grain. But again, with time, as I had to clean it a couple of times by sanding, that got pretty okay too. Then I got annoyed by the wood fibers that sometimes got scraped up by a too sharp palette knife. That didn't really happen (to a noticeable extent) until I tried water-mixable oil colors though. The water probably had something to do with it. And on top of all this, the palette always presented a blotched, many colored surface that made it difficult to judge your color (or even find it).
Today, the popular, smart option is glass palette resting on a horizontal surface, table. Under the glass there is either a grey paper or the glass is painted with a grey paint on the underside.
The reasons and benefits are obvious. Not only is it very easy to clean, but it also doesn't interact with the paints, mediums or solvents in any way, and a palette knife slides smoothly and cleanly. And the background is always a clean, neutral grey. The only con is that you can't hold it as you paint. Doesn't seem many modern artists care about that. What's so hard about having a table beside you?
Acrylic:
Acrylics dry fast and don't dissolve again, and then you're f***ed. When I was young the proposed solution was to use a tear-off palette of stacked, waxed papers. And then regularly spray water over. A much bigger mess than it sounds like. I also wanted to use rather flowy paints, so it worked extra poorly for me.
But at some point in time, someone invented the wet palette (or moist palette). (It may actually have been a modeler who did it, instead of than an artist, I don't know). Rather than describing this complicated thing, I'll let a YouTuber do it, and show it. It's the last of his 5 tips, at 8:55, about. Basically, tracing paper/baking paper on top of soaked kitchen wipes, in a tray.
Watercolors:
Ouch! Now we move into country of many solutions. We have the old, traditional box of half-pan (usually) and full-pan solid watercolors. This works brilliantly if you do small, careful work, like the ink and wash featured in a YT video I linked to above, or any kind of colored drawing or illustration, or even adult coloring books (if the paper is thick, it's possible to use watercolor – the trick is to use small brushes and very dry paint, minimally loaded brushes, work small areas).
For bigger paintings or faster and more expressive painting, they don't work well. They become a pain. Too little paint too slowly, too much color contamination.
Much the same can be said about the newer palettes, that feature blending areas and a row of small pockets intended for a smear of tube color. They're the same thing, they just allow you to use tube paints instead, for the same procedure.
Then we have the old traditional, large palettes, that feature big blending areas and shallows to contain ready-mixed wet paint, meant both for gouache and tube watercolor. Meant for fresh and wet paint. Until recently, that's what I have used , though not quite as it's intended.
Instead, I've used it “dry”, just in the same way as my current and – for me -, ideal alternative. Just a big, flat tray. I found a palette-tray that was intended for printing, and I was migrating to that (as colors are used up on the old palette) when I discovered something even better, a sturdy, flat plastic box that used to contain luxury chocolate pieces. It's better because it's bigger. It's still just a tray.
Rather than working with wet paint, like the traditional big palettes are intended for, this is a “dry” palette. And therein lies the revolution. I rough up the plastic along the edges with 400 grit paper (to make the paint stick), and then squeeze out fairly large blobs of expensive watercolors, which I'm then careful to let dry out completely, for weeks, before use. I would never have gotten to this point, without switching to Cotman paints. I would never have been able to disrespect the expensive premium paints so much, for what was just an experiment at the beginning. (And they might not work so well this way either, don't know yet).
Anyway, working on this “dry” palette, paradoxically allows me to do anything I want, quickly and efficiently. Weak paint, strong paint. Little paint, much paint. Small brush, large brush. Fast and exact mixing of exactly as much paint I want, and no paint-color contamination. - Wonderful! I'm so happy with this system.
Keep the palette tray relatively dry, using up the wet paint as you mix it. You never pick up too much paint, because the paint cakes are hard. It's easy to control strength with touch and scrubbing time. You easily and quickly pick up lots of paint because the paint 'cakes' are big and you can work them directly with big brushes. Just blend directly, with the same brush, dragging the paintwash out on the tray. The paints doesn't really become contaminated, because they're so hard. The “dirty” paint doesn't sink into them, because they're hard and you constantly sweep the paint off them, not digging holes in them. (W&N tube paints, both Cotman and Professional/Artist, dry up harder than other brands, probably more gum and less sugar, and they are not the same formulation as their pan paints. But it should work okay with many brands.)
It really is the best system, IMO, for painting larger watercolor paintings directly. I currently mostly do 12” X 16”. I used to do bigger, but 12 X 16 is convenient and you can finish them before you get bored.
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802
0
5,242
B. Hieronymus Da
Unapologetic Western Chauvinist. Barefoot. Great Toenails
3,604
August 2016
bevesthda
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights
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Post by B. Hieronymus Da on Feb 6, 2023 23:09:50 GMT
This is a cool demonstration video, that connects, I think, with the 'ink & wash' video above. This is a formal, classic watercolor painting, carefully planned and prepared, supported by pencil lines. Or, perhaps, mainly watercolor but some mixed media. He uses a bit of gouache, pastel pencil and colored pencil too, but only for a few details. Note how the pencil lines disappear and are not visible in the finished painting.
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inherit
802
0
5,242
B. Hieronymus Da
Unapologetic Western Chauvinist. Barefoot. Great Toenails
3,604
August 2016
bevesthda
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights
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Post by B. Hieronymus Da on Apr 6, 2023 20:57:36 GMT
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inherit
802
0
5,242
B. Hieronymus Da
Unapologetic Western Chauvinist. Barefoot. Great Toenails
3,604
August 2016
bevesthda
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights
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Post by B. Hieronymus Da on Apr 7, 2023 23:04:46 GMT
Palettes: Color Pencils and Watercolor pencils.
I think I can give a couple of good advice regarding color pencils as well, even if this is not a medium I have much experience in. They are different from the mediums I discussed above, because you can only do limited mixing, which requires you to have more ready colors to work with. And in this regard they are the same as Soft Pastels and Oil Pastels.
The "Palette-problem" then becomes finding the right pen quickly and conveniently, and having an organization that doesn't completely fall apart every time.
This is how you do it: Don't bother so much with the individual spectral order of the colors. Instead create around ten to dozen smaller groups consolidated by value + basic hue. Like this: Pale Yellows (from pale lime to pale salmon). Strong Yellows. Pale Reds. Strong Reds. Dark Reds. Pale Blues, Blues, Dark Blues, Pale Greens, Strong Greens, Dark Greens. Depending on how many pens and what, you can decide if you want to sort in violet, brown, beige and grey pens with their closest color, or form other groups.
For every color demand, you can now quickly go to the correct group and easily find the desired pen, without the smaller group needing to be organized.
Sharpen: My advice is to use a suitable knife, scalpel or box cutter, to remove the wood but keep the lead blunt and thick. A pen sharpener wastes 80-90% of the expensive color lead. You only occasionally need a sharp point, and then there is usually an edge or corner on the point that will do.
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Warning Points: 1
460
0
23,979
Patricia
I never knew that love had a sound until i heard you laugh.
2,992
August 2016
patricia
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Post by Patricia on Apr 8, 2023 12:20:28 GMT
One word to describe this piece of art is WOW!! But jeez that guy works fast it almost looks like it is fast forward. I do wonder if i can buy such a piece like this Dragon.
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