ILM workshop painting style. Discussion and tips

[NAZGÛL]

Id like to hear what you learned about the ILM painting techniques. How did they make that special ILM vibe? Did they have time for preshading, washes, drybrushing and what not we all do during our unrushed paintjobs.

Weathering washes. When looking at reference Ive got a feeling they didnt use them at all or very little on some studio models. TIEs is an example. When looking at the AT-ST (as Im painting at the moment) It feels like its the same there, only some blobs here and there.

Drybrushing. Once again, its hard to see this being used at all.

So please give your best tips to paint ILM style! :thumbsup

 

[NAZGÛL]

Re: ILM workshop painting style. TIPS

Hmm, on some models,like the slave and x-wings, they use paint smoke (I have no idea whats it called in english) but it gives simple small spots of paints, like on the Slave 1 here:

They often use a flaking paint effect. Can also be seen on the above pic.

Rust. Orange rust spots are very comon on their models.

 

[ralphee]

Re: ILM workshop painting style. TIPS

Its very tricky, and a good friend has told me time after time, be as sloppy as you can.
ILM minis are in scale terms, really simple on paint tech, its how its all applied in sort of a hurry, that makes it hard to replicate.

Best guy to explain this, would be Guy Cowen, and im sure he will when he gets chance.
For me, nobody seems to get that true, rough, gritty and sloppy feel that adorns the props......i look at many paintjobs, and, there overdone, or cartoony.......Guy does style so well, and not many can, kinda why if eFX did a Slave, id champion Guy everytime.

Most paintwork is applied over a black basecoat, this seems the norm for a lot of weather techs, as they scuff back to that very basecoat.

Washes, lots of them, not sure what ILM used, but water acrylics do a great job of replicating them, think more oranges than rusts too, its almost like ILM had a big bucket of orange for the rust washes lol.

Drybrushing, little if at all from memory, but a few do show elements of preshade, but that also maybe down to the black basecoats, so not sure if they are intentional preshades.

Scuffing with scalpels and buffing with sandpapers, seems to be used a lot, on one build im working on now, you can see, where the whole model has been rubbed down with various grades of flatting paper.

Muting, misting the model, once all markings are applied, to tone down any stark contrasts.....this works wonders, as ive been taught :lol.

Im rambling like hell, but thats some of what rattle in my brain......im slowly learning to let go, and not be so OCD.....just go with it kinda.....and, for a change, its all gone my way (Snowspeeder).....so dont overthink......just go at it and have fun......dont be afraid to do a do over in some areas your not happy with.

lee

 

[MonsieurTox]

Re: ILM workshop painting style. TIPS

Washes ! An ilmer said they had readily available wash prepared in huge quantity. Cant think of a model without wash, maybe the TIE fighters but they seem to have a very light one.

The rotj at-st's had several washes built in layer.*

Stains were made with the airbrush or with dots of paint and thinner. Most of the time both techniques were combined.

They also used pencil (like the makeup ones girls use for their eyes, works pretty well on grainy paint like the ILM ones and can be removed with a rubber, probably what they did on the tesb atst) for blast and scorch marks. Can be seen on the B-wing associated with airbrush.

They didnt used preshading because the basecoat was most of the time black or dark gray. But it can result of a kind of preshading (isd undercuts). They used post shading a lot though, for example on the edges of the side armor panels of the rotj atst.

Besides the washes that cover the whole models, they tend to use local washes with a different color (rust, black etc).

Then there was the light standing with steel whool or fine sandpaper.

They used a lot of*spray cans for the base color.

Hope that helps !

 

[NAZGÛL]

Re: ILM workshop painting style. TIPS

I can see them using black as base on some models, but I cant really see it on others. The ST for example have paint chipping (looks to be unintntentional) and it looks like they may have not used any primer at all? AT least its hard to see anything saying its black prime under the basecote.

If I would guess how they did this paintjob.
Its a simple spraycan basecote (maybe even without any primer) as it looks orange peeles in some pics.
Spots with grey acrylics, probably brushed on.
Smudging a lot of areas with dark grey and black, and others with sand/dirt brown.
No reg washes. If looking into groves, dents and other deeper areas they are not darker, but brighter, meaning they darkened the areas (smudging it) but they cant have used reg washes, as it would end up in the grooves.

Pencil marks are here and there.

They probably airbrushed some areas with black or dark gray, as can be seen on the pic above.

The feet are more complex.

 

[NAZGÛL]

Re: ILM workshop painting style. TIPS

Washes ! An ilmer said they had readily available wash prepared in huge quantity. Cant think of a model without wash, maybe the TIE fighters but they seem to have a very light one.

The rotj at-st's had several washes built in layer.*

Stains were made with the airbrush or with dots of paint and thinner. Most of the time both techniques were combined.

They also used pencil (like the makeup ones girls use for their eyes, works pretty well on grainy paint like the ILM ones and can be removed with a rubber, probably what they did on the tesb atst) for blast and scorch marks. Can be seen on the B-wing associated with airbrush.

They didnt used preshading because the basecoat was most of the time black or dark gray. But it can result of a kind of preshading (isd undercuts). They used post shading a lot though, for example on the edges of the side armor panels of the rotj atst.

Besides the washes that cover the whole models, they tend to use local washes with a different color (rust, black etc).

Then there was the light standing with steel whool or fine sandpaper.

They used a lot of*spray cans for the base color.

Hope that helps !

Thanks Julien! Ill go through reference and try to spot what kind of washes they used then. How did you do the darker areas on the ST legs when you painted yours? Airbrushed?

 

[moffeaton]

Re: ILM workshop painting style. TIPS

Grant McCune apparently would spritz the whole model with an alcohol-based watered down paint in a spray bottle, which would pool and float around? I think Gene described it once, and if I recall correctly, the Japanese footage floating around of him working on models shows this.

 

[NAZGÛL]

Re: ILM workshop painting style. TIPS

Ok, so I might had a drink to much tonight, but what did he do? Like a wash? Sorry for missing the point. :$

 

[moffeaton]

Re: ILM workshop painting style. TIPS

It looked like he just sprayed the model down nonchalantly, with a spray pump bottle, like the shut-in Harold Smith did with his orchids on Twin Peaks. LOL.

 

[NAZGÛL]

Re: ILM workshop painting style. TIPS

LOL, adding washes with a spray pump is a pretty good ideaactually.

 

[moffeaton]

This is the footage I was thinking of, but yeah, someone did say it was spray pump bottles. Maybe it was a Lorne Peterson anecdotal detail from when we basked in his presence for four days at Wonderfest? LOL. Poor guy.

Apogee Productions - archive footage - part 1 - YouTube

 

[PHArchivist]

This is the footage I was thinking of, but yeah, someone did say it was spray pump bottles. Maybe it was a Lorne Peterson anecdotal detail from when we basked in his presence for four days at Wonderfest? LOL. Poor guy.

Apogee Productions - archive footage - part 1 - YouTube

I've heard this spracy bottle technique too. Was it mentioned in the write-up of Bill George's Maxi-Brute X-Wing build-up?

 

[NAZGÛL]

Thanks for posting that link!

I wonder if they did washes on smaller areas, as the rivet holes and scribelines look bright not dark on this paintjob:

On this model I can see the washes making the panel lines dark and the details "pops". (And the vibrant basecote looks to be gray just barely covering black primer, such a cool effect!)

 

[MonsieurTox]

They misted a dark gray what you see lighter is the base coat but dont be fooled by this pic and the flash, the basecoat is much more darker and bluish in real life !

 

[ralphee]

Dont forget Matti, playing with your airbrush PSI can bring out some really cool effects too, you can almost get to the point you have your brush nozzle against the model surface.

lee

 

[NAZGÛL]

Thanks guys!
Went ahead and messed with the airbrush. First dark gray, and then a gentle layer with the basecote again, trying to get this look.

Then started to add washes in different shades, black dark brown and grey, trying not to overdo them. It blends the effects together.

 

[christrom]

For a test I would get a model and set yourself a VERY strict deadline of 3 hours. At the end of the three hours you need to take a photo of the finished thing. I think that way you would work more intuitively, rather than worrying about techniques. It would be very interesting to then compare the model with one you have laboured over. I reckon there would be a sense of vibrancy and life in the 'fast' model. The AT-ST is starting to show this more loose approach and I think it looks great for it.

When I get bogged down in techniques I try to think about what you are trying to achieve with weathering. If it needs grime, then cover the damn thing in grime, wash it off and keep all the fiddling with a brush to the minimum. That way you will be replicating real processes and not trying to imitate them. It is the same with scratches. Instead of being careful, paint a basecoat, a top coat and then catch the model on a brick wall. It wil chip randomly, and uncover the basecoat just like REAL LIFE!!!!

Now, this is all very well, but ILM had to go over the top for it to show up on camera. I still think this element of play and freedom is very important to generate a model that is not too contrived and stylised.

Just my humble opinion

 

[Treadwell]

The footage of someone (Lorne?) spritzing a SD with a spray bottle and streaking it with a big paint brush (for painting walls or houses), is in one of the making-of specials, although I can't find it from scanning through parts of them on YouTube at the moment. If it's in the Japanese doc, it isn't exclusively, because I recall seeing that shot many years prior to being aware of the Japanese footage.

 

[qcfoundry]

Re: ILM workshop painting style. TIPS

Grant McCune apparently would spritz the whole model with an alcohol-based watered down paint in a spray bottle, which would pool and float around? I think Gene described it once, and if I recall correctly, the Japanese footage floating around of him working on models shows this.

yeah, if you're speaking of the look I'm thinking, it seemed to look as if one took a thinner and just flicked it onto an acryl paint job. much like what it looks like when water droplets land on a water color painting. the spots have rings of where the inner is totally cleared of color, then rings of gathering of intense color, a ring of wash out then another ring of color.

in a way, and i'm not an artist of any true regard, but would reckon forging the random work of ILM would be more difficult than the "purposeful" strokes of a master artist -- who plans where and why each stroke is placed.

 

[NAZGÛL]

For a test I would get a model and set yourself a VERY strict deadline of 3 hours. At the end of the three hours you need to take a photo of the finished thing. I think that way you would work more intuitively, rather than worrying about techniques. It would be very interesting to then compare the model with one you have laboured over. I reckon there would be a sense of vibrancy and life in the 'fast' model. The AT-ST is starting to show this more loose approach and I think it looks great for it.

When I get bogged down in techniques I try to think about what you are trying to achieve with weathering. If it needs grime, then cover the damn thing in grime, wash it off and keep all the fiddling with a brush to the minimum. That way you will be replicating real processes and not trying to imitate them. It is the same with scratches. Instead of being careful, paint a basecoat, a top coat and then catch the model on a brick wall. It wil chip randomly, and uncover the basecoat just like REAL LIFE!!!!

Now, this is all very well, but ILM had to go over the top for it to show up on camera. I still think this element of play and freedom is very important to generate a model that is not too contrived and stylised.

Just my humble opinion

I think the same way like you. The problem is that the style, technique and skills of the painter will be huge factors. My 3 hours would end up looking very different from anyone elses.

I cant do it when trying to replicate ILMs work. When doing more "free" stuff, I like that approach though. But I try to relax and try different stuff still.