Here’s how I turn the those big patches of orange and yellow into the flame designs on the Salamander Tanks.
So here’s a simple one shot tutorial on how to get those flames. I start with dots like the ones in the middle as a guide. They help me make sure I get the spacing right. Then I begin connecting them and adding the points to the flames as seen on the right-side panel. Finally I fill in the rest of the area with black as seen on the left panel.
As you can see, for this particular freehand it’s all about painting the negative space – the shapes that create the flames rather than the flames themselves.
This wip shot was for the third tank I painted and by this point I had managed to perfect the technique somewhat.
This was the first tank. Notice how the flames look too uniform and have an almost crab claw appearance. I think it feels a little off compared to the final tank. Too bad I didn’t practice first or I could have avoided this. You can’t really touch these up as you lose the gradient from the airbrush. It would never really look right. Not to mention how many coats of orange and yellow it would take to really cover the black. I’d have to start all over again and the claw flames just don’t bother me enough to make it seem worth it.
This Rhino was tank number 2. Improved I think but still not perfect.
Definitely the best of the lot. Except that the door flame looks kind of like it has a butt.
As I work on wave 2 of the Salamanders – which will include a Land Raider Redeemer – I’m hoping I can get even better at it. We’ll have to wait and see.
~Thanks for reading. There will be plenty of Salamanders content in the future but for next week I’m hoping I’ll be able to maybe squeeze in an Arena Rex Tutorial!
Too Mini 
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