This evening I finished painting the base for my massive dragon model. The base features a rocky archway and stairs to a summit, an idol, that I can't determine is supposed to be carved wood or stone, and a bunch of crystals growing around the edge. I really don't like the crystals - they don't appear natural like that (mind you, neither do dragons, so I'm not really winning the logical argument here). However I decided to make the best of then by painting them in blues, reds and purples, as they sometimes appear in geodes and precious stones in nature.
The paint job is a base of grey, with a series of washes and inks of umbers, siennas, and white and burnt ochre pigments. Followed up with a linen white dry brushing to bring out the highlights. I like the natural colours of that palette, and the pigments give the base a more realistic texture.
I am letting the base dry overnight, then I will spray it with a matte clear coat. I will follow that up with a high gloss clear coat on the crystals to give them a shiny effect.
After that I am moving on to paint the dragon itself. However the Maple Leafs play the Bruins tomorrow night, so starting on the dragon may be delayed until Thursday. Go Leafs!
