My Experience Painting OSL – PRELUDE Object-Source Lighting (OSL), is probably one of the most intimidating techniques in miniature painting. I’m intentionally not calling this article “How to Paint OSL” because I feel like I have a long way to go before I come close to mastering the technique. That being said, I think I’ve had success at applying it… so hopefully that is enough to justify me wanting to share my thoughts. GENERAL SKILLS TO HELP WITH OSL This is something I don’t often see discussed in other OSL articles, but I feel this technique really builds off of some specific miniature painting skills. So if you don’t feel like you’re ready to take on the scary OSL, what can you work on instead to help prepare yourself? Zenithal Lighting: Before taking on OSL, it’s really helpful to have a solid handle on regular (zenithal) lighting. Most people probably feel like they generally understand zenithal lighting, but you should ask yourself if you really have a strong understanding of how it works. The key here (and why it’s so useful for OSL) is that you are painting the illusion that light is coming from a specific direction. In zenithal lighting the light is above the figure… but if you can do that accurately, it’s not that big a jump to start painting as if the light is coming from the side or below or anywhere else. A helpful version of zenithal lighting is the “stop sign rule.” This really helps to illustrate that how light or dark a surface should be is dependent on the angle that is made with respect to the light. Take a look at the attached image to see what I mean. Next time you’re painting a figure with a lot of cloth and folds, try using the idea of the stop sign rule to help you place those lights and shadows (and vary their intensity). You will be doing the exact same thing when you try OSL, but just imagining the light is somewhere other than above the mini! High Contrast Painting: This is something that many people struggle with. Probably the most common critique people hear about their painting is “could use more contrast.” You don’t necessarily need to be going from black to white, but having a large range between your highlights and shadows generally makes more compelling figures. Now, if you want to make it look like some object is providing lighting to the figure, then having a high contrast is even more critical. You won’t have the room lighting to help you out, you need to actually paint on the effect. So, if on a regular mini, you can already go from near black shadows to near white highlights, then you’re going to be in great shape to paint OSL. NMM (Non-Metallic Metals): Oh no, I’ve got to master another difficult technique before trying OSL? Well, not exactly… but if your OSL piece is going to require you to paint metal, there’s a good chance you’ll want to use NMM instead of TMM. It depends a bit on how much metal you’ve got and how significant the OSL will be (is it a little glow or the primary light source?). The room lighting will react with metallic paint and you won’t have complete control over where the highlights are. If you want to use the metal portions of the figure to help sell the illusion that there’s a separate light source on the figure, then NMM is going to help you do that more effectively. The Good News: You don’t have to master all of that to paint OSL. But it’s helpful if you feel at least somewhat comfortable with them. These are just things you can practice with and build those painting muscles to help you be successful when you do decide to try your hand at OSL. TIPS FOR OSL Now that you (hopefully) feel ready to give OSL a try, what are some tips that might help? Look at the figure from the point of view of the light: When I painted my hobbit piece, I kept holding the figure so I could see the different parts from the point of view of the lantern. The surfaces I could see were the same surfaces that would be hit by the light. The surfaces that were blocked were obviously the ones that wouldn’t get the light. This can really help you visualize where the light should be. If you’re stuck on zenithal lighting, try rotating the figure so that wherever the light source is coming from is now ‘up’ and then start painting. This only works if you combine it with high contrast. When you put the figure back down the right way, the room lights will no longer be helping you with the effect. Without high contrast it’s not going to show nearly as well. Light makes things brighter: Okay, you can file this tip under ‘duh,’ but it’s still worth keeping in mind. The lit area should always be brighter than it otherwise would have been. So, if you’re painting a green light hitting a near white surface, then the green you use has to be even lighter than the surface! Maybe, instead of trying to paint OSL on a near white surface you start out with a medium grey one or some other darker colour. That can make the difference between something looking like it has got green paint spilled on it and looking like it’s actually got a green glow. Materials react differently to light: How much light an object reflects is dependent on the material that the object is made up of. Perhaps an easier way to think about this is the ‘finish’ of the object. Everything reflects light, but something with a satin finish should reflect more than a matte finish. Meanwhile a glossy or metallic finish should reflect more than a matte or satin finish. That doesn’t mean that the satin object
Knitty is the longest-running free knitting magazine on the web. Enjoy our huge selection of free, quality knitting patterns and articles!
Link in bio 📍
If we have a girl I can recycle all of kings old overalls!! He's got a pair in every size
Alembics - Copper Still Steam Distillation of Essential oils, natural aromatic Hydrosols and floral waters and Spirits
Home interior ideas
An idea for a page I got from my son. http://midwestscrapgarden.blogspot.com/
Gypsy Rose is your one-stop Hippie Shop providing quality goods to the kind community with an emphasis on eco-friendly fashions and gifts.
While kitchen and baths are our main specialty, we can make a ton of other cool stuff in metal. If you can imagine it, we can build it. Check out our...
Only Cool Stuff — Ralph Lauren Indigo Fleece Western Shirt
Lasergesneden cool stuff, zoals een houten stropdas, 3d geprint hart en een zwart schaap. Alle producten zijn gemaakt met een lasersnijder en handgemaakt.
Slider
Cool abandoned house! #abandoned #graffiti #abandonedbuilding #nature #adventure #cool
Collection of cool stuff for your home including unique decor, kitchen gadgets, storage and even smart home gadgets!
Transform your living space with Atomic Ranch's curated home decor ideas. Explore the latest trends and inspiration for a modern and stylish home.
Oh well, this is my first post here, I don't know what to post, so i was thinking to share my desktop screenshot. Here it is: If you like desktop customisation, you musn't miss this application : Rainmeter Download and install it, Then you can try the default skin of rainmeter, which is the Enigma.…
durham vintage collective
