Very excited about this, my first Moonstone painting article!
I’m starting off with Bobby’s cloak. It is based with Skrag Brown shaded with Kantor Blue and Rhinox hide.
Next I begin using the Skrag Brown to highlight all those folds.
Kislev Flesh, and then a little Flayed One Flesh are used to really bring out those highlights.
Next I proceeded to the potions. Zooming in on the largest bottle you can see I’ve started with a darker green (Caliban Green) on top and a lighter green (Moot Green)on the bottom.
The greens are blended into each other and a white ring is painted around the middle of the whole bottle. This white is then blended up into almost a pure black at the top of the round bottle creating a nice gradual gradient of white to gray to black. Some thin strokes of Moot Green are used in the green “liquid” in the bottle so it appears as if something is swirling around.
Then a sharp highlight of white is added to around the upper corners of the bottle to represent a reflection of light. A simple spot will work well but I find the effect is even more convincing if you can manage to fade it into the surrounding area. This can be a little difficult to pull off since you’re painting it over an area that already has a gradient going on. I usually apply an extremely thin layer of water over the area to help blend the “reflection” into the surrounding “glass.”
The other potions in the cloak are all painted in a similar way. The test tube-shaped vials get a thin reflective line rather than a spot to enhance their cylindrical shape.
Next it’s time for that beautiful goblin skin. I start with a base coat of Moot Green and add some shading with Rhinox Hide and a few highlights with Flayed One Flesh while the gren is still wet. I smooth it out with a few subsequent layers, adding some Menoth White Highlight (formula P3) to make it really pop. Finally I add some Screamer Pink (which is actually a deep red rather than a pink) to the ears and knees. The “pink” is highlighted with Kislev Flesh and Menoth White Highlight which are also blended into the surrounding green.
Now I’m doing the checkerboard pattern on the eponymous beak. I start with a grid of lines in Screamer Pink. Then I fill in alternating lines with a mix of Screamer Pink and Kislev Flesh. The remaining square are filled with a mix of Russ Gray and Fenrisian Gray.
Finally I move onto the mask. I do a gemstone effect on the goggles with a base coat of Averland Sunset with Skrag Brown at the top and accents of Flash Gitz yellow on the bottom of each lens. I use Celestra Gray highlighted with Menoth White Highlight and shaded with a mix of black and Rhinox Hide for the metal frames for the goggles.
After too much thought I decided to go with some crow feathers for the feathered cloak. I considered vibrant colors; oranges and purple or reds and blues – but crow feathers are dark enough to not draw attention away from the face and have the added bonus of seeming a little sinister. Also they match Beaky’s art.
I tone the black with a little Fuegan Orange shade and Screamer Pink before adding some highlights with P3 Coal Black. I find giving the black a warm tone helps the blues really pop. P3 Frostbite is used to further lighten the feathers. Avoid the temptation of picking out each feather barb with the Frostbite. Restrict it to where the feathers bend or curve and they’ll look more natural. The picture of his back below shows this off pretty well.
I went with a tarnished brass look for the staff. I start with Cryx Bane Base and highlight it with a mix of Averland Sunset and P3 Sulfuric Yellow. Menoth White Highlight (of course!) is used to brighten it up further and add a few sparkling bright spots.
~I had a real blast painting this guy and I have more Moonstone articles coming up soon. Hope you enjoyed this one.
Too Mini 
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