The Archduke of Mousin- Part 1

Hi Folks,

In this month's episode, it gets hairy!

We are not painting the usual grim space marine, we are painting a fearless mouse adventurer from the "Tale of Archduke Mousin "

I discovered the fantastic line of the "Tale of Archduke Mousin " a while ago.

Matt and I got a few of them, and our friend Francois Lozach from Chestnut Ink printed them for us.

https://chestnutink.blogspot.com/

If you really want to enjoy models that are small and delicate you need a very good 3d or a good service that prints them for you.

Details like the tiny feet or the claws are so small that cleaning them from stepping or supports would be hardly possible!

So thanks again Francois for our perfect prints!

I totally fell in love with the mouse rider on the frog! I love this semi-realistic look and the fantastic fineness of the botanical elements.

The main topic of this video is Fur.

Fur is a super typical topic that we see over and over again in miniature.

Whether it is the fur of our mouse hero here, the silky short fur of a horse, the long mane of a wolf, or a worn fur coat or trim... fur is all over the world of miniature painting.

There are a few things to keep in mind when you want to paint realistic fur.

• Color Variation:

Fur, hide, hair, all natural materials usually have natural

color variation and areas of different colors.

Next to the natural color variation, we also have a whole universe

of patterns and spots at hand to give the fur and also our character

a unique look.

• Direction of Fur:

The direction and length of the fur need to fit the model, if it is

not sculpted on it´s up to you to define it.

Start to paint the fur from top to bottom, this way the brush strokes

overlap more naturally.

If you paint a pattern or a different colored area of fur it is crucial to

work with a bit of overlapping hairs, especially around the borders

of the spots.

This really allows us to read the direction and the flow of the fur.

• Shape:

It is easy to forget about the shape of your highlights and

shadows because you totally focus on the texture of the fur itself.

Remember yourself that the shape of the highlights and

shadows always interact with the shape of the object itself.

If you pay attention to those little pointers, it is actually quite easy to paint beautiful realistic fur, even on a smooth surface like our mouse here.

As we have such a minimalistic sculpt we need to pay attention to the smallest thing, like the separation of the hood and the ears of the mouse, or the eyelids and the tiny eyes.

As the eye of our mouse is just black and has no visible iris, we are adding a sky reflection along the white highlight/reflection of the sun to keep it interesting, sharp, and defined.

I love looking at photos of reflective things! Have you noticed the silhouette of the photographer in the eye of the mouse above?

Anyway I hope you enjoy this video! Thanks for your support!