One of my favorite ways to add visual interest to miniatures is through object source lighting. Object source lighting is when a light source which has a visual effect on the lighting or color of your model is an actual object on the figure or its base; for example, a torch, magical effect or flaming sword.

For the Sci-Fi Flower Knight, I wanted to create an other-worldly garden for him to inhabit. To heighten the sci-fi feel, I also chose to paint a blue backlight on the model. I wanted the miniature to feel creepy and alone, under the light of some unknown spotlight.

Working with two separate colored sources of light left me a bit concerned; I knew I could imagine a single source, but would the two lights interact with each other? And if so, how? This is why I decided to do a little test run before I began painting.

Planning

While still in the planning stages, I consider where the sources of light would be originating and how they would hit the model. The sci-fi knight was going to be located in a bioluminescent garden, with an additional blue light coming from above and to the side of the miniature. When I do my digital painting of my models, I like to add in arrows to remind myself of the direction of light and paint where I imagine the light would hit the model. Nothing is worse than realizing you painted an area incorrectly because of the angle of the light.

Lighting Studio

My lighting studio was nothing fancy, but it worked well enough to give me a concrete idea of light and shadow. For the setup, I used a desk light and normal end table light. Each light source was covered with the appropriate “colored gel,” which were just colored binder dividers hung with clothespins. Green is a weak color, so I needed to use 2 green dividers while only using 1 blue.

I placed the blue light from above and to the side, and the green light below on the floor to achieve a look similar to my idea for the model.

These photographs only served as a very rough draft for this miniature. If I had another set of hands, I would have used a flag/barn doors to give better directionality to my light (a flag is a piece of cardboard that is used to help direct the light by blocking certain areas from being hit by the light). For example, the green went up the model higher than I would have liked (problems of working with tiny subjects).

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A Better Lighting Setup That Requires 2 People

When I was working on the sci-fi knight, I was home alone. I could have waited until I had an assistant, but as a photographer, imagining light is pretty easy for me. For someone who doesn’t have photography experience and wants a more accurate representation of their OSL, you can use this technique:

A very easy way to direct light into the shape you want is by cutting a small circle into a piece of cardboard. You could then tape it to a flashlight, but I had my assistant just hold it flat against the light. Next, take your colored gel (in this example, a Tupperware lid) and place it against the flashlight. Then point your flashlight accordingly.

You’re going to want to use a hole smaller than you expect. Play around with it until you find the right size for your project.

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Primarily, this exercise helped me better see the blue light. For example, the blue wrapping around the back of the miniature to light up part of the chest, or the blue on the hip armor/cuisse, as well as the shadowed area in the knees where the green light from below is not as bright. (I lessened the intensity of the green light in photoshop as I did not imagine the bioluminescent plants would cast light beyond the miniatures knees.)

Painting

The overall color of the model was done with wet blending. I created the blue and green, as well as the color of the armor on my wet palette. As I wanted the OBSL to heighten the model (versus being the main visual interest), I decided there was ambient light in the scene as well which would illuminate and show the actual color of the armor as well.

Once my three colors were mixed, I wet blended them all together. The photo references were very helpful at this point, as they helped me place my colors more confidently while blending. Otherwise, I may have had to unnecessarily waste time by having to repaint sections I painted incorrectly the first time.

While you are painting, be sure to consider the intensity of the light. As an object pulls further away from the light, the colors fade gradually. Unless your light is very harsh, there will be no strict lines of where the light starts and stops, but instead a gradation from the color of the light to the color of the object. This is one of the reasons I like wet blending for OBL, it requires that blended gradation.

After I had completed a majority of the model, I went over the OSL with correlating glazes from Citadel Paints. This helped intensify the color as well as smooth the color transition.

Last minute tips and tricks:

When photographing the other sides of your miniature, remember to move your light in relation to your mini

Remember to keep your reference photos nearby while painting

Mix all the colors you will need at one time. Wet blending needs to go quickly, and you don’t want to be mixing paints once you have started

When you’re glazing, it is better to create glazes from darker colors than lighter colors, as lighter colors tend to separate

If you are panting armor and want to get even more realistic photographs; wet the armor with water to photograph the bright, reflective highlights

I hope that this post will be helpful in setting up your next miniature which utilizes object source lighting. Remember you can always support me on patreon, as well as gain access to more blog posts, behind the scenes videos and more!