I'm starting to realize the difference between a wash and no wash. This is a really small post, but the picture speaks for itself. this picture of the dark elf was better received then my crappy Dwarfes, which were not washed and used the basic citadel paints.
Stick with cheap paints and invest in those sweet Citadel washes as i said before.
It's with super-excitement that i can report that using a cheap blend of acrylic paints for your base coating and layering, even dry brushing actually works just as well as the Citadel Paint buckets.
Let's pause and think about this. 5 dollars for a case of 12 acrylic paints, or 4 dollars for a paint bucket from citadel. hmmm...tough choice.
Now don't get me wrong there are some great things about the citadel paints. So let me list the pros.
1) color is ready to use, no mixing required.
2) it's doesn't dry quickly.
3) It's got a nice natural varnish as well.
And here are the pros of basic Acrylic Paints from Artist's Loft let's say.
1) Super Cheap
2) More control by mixing. allowing you to blend, layer, highlight to your heart's content.
3) SUPER CHEAP!
The fact that you can create a gradient blend is awesome, and again a money saver. However you will need a retardant which costs 10 bucks. and understand how to blend the colors (video to come). As well as enjoy experimenting.
Here's the best part, you can also purchase acrylic metallic paint for 1.50 again opposed to 4 bucks. This gives you a fabulous metallic shine to your swords, armor, etc...
WASHES. Washes are the only thing that I say you should stick with Citadel with. you can try making it yourself but man does that take some finesse, you can try and buy calligraphy ink but the price is pretty much the same. Washes look fantastic, they give your character a lot of...character.
Dry Coating. sigh...this confused the crap out of me. Just take an old crappy brush with coarse bristles, tap tap tap it in the lighter version of your base color, and flick gently the area you want to highlight. Don't spend money on specialized paint or a special brush.
I will be making videos of this which you can see here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDSIaz20xJgSRLSTuSiAwsg/feed?filter=2
But also check out the final product.
I update this with the sad reality that water based colors on minis stink. Maybe the photo doesn't show the sad dwarf on the right at his worst, but in person the shield is off base. the metallic colors are still in fact Citadel paints, but the rest is basic watercolor paints -the water.
That's what i get from reading how-to online!
All in all acrylic from citadel paints look alot better as you can see from the dwarf on the left, the musician, and keep in mind these are just base coats. the varnish is nicer. Nothing has pooled and nothing looks cracked.
Next i will be trying out Acrylic based paints of a fairly cheap kind, with finisher, washes from Citadel and metalic acrylic from...Folkart. Why not? And I will be applying it to a frightening group of Dark Elf Corsairs!
Yes. I realize that my site is mostly for work, and is fairly career driven. However, like many other people in the modern era i have hobbies, sometimes too many hobbies. The most current one is my obsessionw ith Warhammer. The figurines are fantastic, the game looks complicated and intimidating and the price to play and paint is almost comparable to 1930s coal mine owners charging supplies, food and shelter to workers.
I am not saying they are not incredibly convenient and that the names are not cool or that even the paint is bad. Not at all. It's definitely good. The problem, I am starting to realize, as i begin my first journey of this awesome figurine painting hobby, is that it is not necessary.
I want to run a few posts regarding this new obsession. Comparing standard acrylics (mixing, blending, shading, drying), and water paints to the Citadel Paints® range of products. Hopefully I will have more to report. Either way it will be fun. I will also post pictures of my current finished figurine.
There is nothing more limiting than choosing a great font to work with for the net. While web designers are incorporating far more interesting fonts into webpages the fact is that using a script style font on a web ad the size of your three fingers is going to be an eyesore. period.
Yes, you might in fact see people attempt this, or they might make all the copy ALL CAPS. But ask yourself outside from a design perspective, can you actually read what the product is?
So with that I believe that you should more often than not stick to a sans serif font, fairly bold, not to condensed and upper lower case. I love Trade Gothic, Helvetica, Futura for my sans serif fonts. And if i want to add a bit of spice i will add at times a serif font that can be as simple as Electra, Times, and even Carre Noir. I am a firm believer that incorporating two different fonts into an ad gives it a whole lot of SPICE without using an image as a crutch. Try it out, it can be as simple as making some important words a slight italic, or bold.
More importantly stay away from UPPER CASING your entire copy. We can't control the copy we receive from clients, but we can manage the way it looks on screen. UPPERCASE words should apply to the CTA, a few selected words, maybe the product name, but definitely not the entire body.
With that being said a far more simpler discussion is color. For this you will need to do just a bit of research on where your ad will be seen. The major reason is because you do not want a white background ad, on a white webpage (which is usually the case). Same thing for black background ads on black websites. The ad should blend incredibly well with the page it is on so that the reader never feels like they are being attacked, or worse that the ad disappears into the page. It's never clear cut and dry, but I will say this a thin rule around the ad can never hurt. I would encourage it on most web ads.
As designers we always want our work to shine and be original. Web ads however come with a few set of rules that at times are almost contrary to what we know and feel.
Nothing highlights this more than the call to action button. I have seen awesome looking treatments that definitely gave the CTA dimension however it took away from both legibility and access. A 30 degree rotation looks cool but a person glimpsing at an Ad for maybe less than 2 seconds will not mentally recognize the button.
In their mind what are they seeing? Do they click everything? What is the product? What about the wording on the Button?
CTAs are like logos meaning you don't need to add the Nike logo on top of an athletes head to get the point across. Let the product and the button stand out from each other. Let the button be a button, as recognizable and easy to see and Use as possible.
We might hate the lack of originality, the rigidness of this bygone era button but the user will get it. And if that means that many more clicks, well that's the point. Just in keep in mind the basic idea of 70% content, 30% CTA, and that can help you along the way.
Check out these links below for awesome explanations and advice on CTAs, web ad design and more.
http://webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/best-practices-for-designing-effective-banner-ads--webdesign-15766
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/call-to-action-buttons-guidelines-best-practices-and-examples/
Here is a way i like to set up a CTA. If you notice the button is simple and instantly draws your attention. Good. to the left of SHOP NOW, is the title of the book, product has now been identified. and hey before clicking take a second or two to see what it's all about.
I will be following this up with part 2 which will go into content and how to best utilize space, fonts.,and colors. Stay turned.
Over the last 5 years web ads ranging from fully animated, to static banners have been my bread and butter. At first glance web ads appear to be a pretty quick turnaround project but the truth is they tend to be the hardest to pitch.
I want to create a few posts outlining, or highlighting the most essential things that you as the artist can bring to the digital ad. As well as venture into territory that might get you into arguments, or let's say debates regarding copy, appropriate images and colors, length and size of CTA (CALL TO ACTION, Click Me!!!)....oh the list continues.
Stay tuned!
What?
I already tried writing a few blog posts?
Alright well here is my laundry list to myself and potential viewers of what I want this blog to achieve, and my expectations of self.
1. Post a new thought Design or non-design once a week, twice the latest, or take the whole damn thing down.
2. Talk about my years as a designer all I have learned and the many things I have not.
3. Try to abstain from writing poetry, and short stories about Conan the Barbarian
4. Sketch, paint, and photograph as much as possible, then discuss
5. Last but not least. Highlight designers, artists, writers, and photographers I have stumbled
upon.