Notes from Jeremie Bonamant Teboul Seminar

Getting the chance to listen to Jeremie talk for 2+ hours about his amazing painting was a privilege, and was the highlight of Games Day for me (yes, even above getting honorable mention. Did I mention I got honorable mention? I'm pretty sure I did.) What follows are the notes I took during the seminar. Some of it is well known technique, but when he mentioned it I decided to write it down for re-emphasis. During the seminar, Jeremie repeatedly stressed that his methods were not "universal truths" for painting, but were only his personal techniques.

• After white primer coat, apply 4-5 base coats for color consistency. Paint should be about 6-7:1 diluted.
• Applying paint to change color of the paint underneath is a glaze; to change lighting is a wash.
• Alternate brush stroke direction between coats to minimize brush marks.
• Paint transitions in color by applying less pressure with the brush during the stroke. (Practice for consistency)
• The same brush can be used for the entire model, with different pressure used to create different line thicknesses. He typically uses a 1 or 0 brush, Rafael or W&N Series 7.
• Paint can be pushed as well as pulled; use decreasing pressure as you move away from the paint source.
• Remember: complex processes can always be broken down in to a series of small, simple processes. Don't be intimidated.
• When sculpting, use aluminum foil as filler over your armature. It's cheaper than putty.
• For a sculpting tool, use a "color shaper" (basically a brush with a rubber tip.)
• Take a picture of a live model in the same pose you want to sculpt, for reference and correct anatomy.
• woods chips, cut and connected with milliput, make great basing.
• for dirt on basing, create a layer of milliput, then press a textured object into the milliput and let harden. (alternative to flocking.)
• For moss, glue the protective foam from blister packs to model, then rip away. A small amount of foam will remain stuck to the glue.
• For water effects, use a 2-part epoxy. The label of the product will have instructions on how to color.
• For glossy objects, mix gloss varnish right into the paint. It adds depth and volume.
• Owl pellets are a good source for small bones for basing (yuck!?!?!!?!?)
• Style item: repeat color between the base and the model, for overall theming.
  
• For title plaques, print a negative on transparency and then paint the backside with gold paint.
• Do not just highlight edges. For true zenithal lighting, always highlight surfaces perpendicular to the light source. Surfaces parallel to the light source should receive no blending at all.
• Zenithal lighting splits planes of light and shadow.
• Focus more highlighting on the parts of the model that you are attempting to accentuate.
• For edge lining, highlighting a portion of the edge more than the rest works more dramatically.
• since metallics reflect things around them, highlights should appear all around them.
• effective metal can be produced with simply "boltgun" and selectively applied black washes
• Do not use metallics in shadowed areas. The metal flakes will reflect light and ruin the shadow effect.
• For scratches, prime white, dab with masking fluid, spray white again, wash brown, then remove masking fluid with cloth. (I think I left out a step in my notes... maybe putting the scratch color on before the masking fluid?)
• For dust, dab model with foam from blister pack (just a tiny amount of paint, like dry brushing)
• On gems, do not make a strong line on the bottom of the gem. Small effects help, like tiny white specks on the top.
• Contrast warm to cold - put some yellow in the highlights and blue/purple in the shadows

And then some things I didn't write down at the time, but can remember.\

• To "box in" water effects, use masking tape. Once the water effect (epoxy) has cured, the masking tape pulls away easily.
• Freehand work is seldom precise enough to start. Draw the initial lines, then edge them with background color to make them thin and sharp.
• Seed pods from tree (silver birch?) make great basing leaves.

I was talking to Marc at the GW store about all this, and mentioned how inspired I was. He said, "Yeah, I was too the first time." Apparently his inability to apply techniques he had witnessed from better painters was frustrating for him. I will not be discouraged!