NINTPHEGOZ, LORD OF THE UNDEADS – 35MM

Nintphegoz, Lord of the Undeads, a 35 mm figure

A fantasy figure from the AK Interactive brand. The 35 mm describes the size of the figure, not a scale. The figure is unpainted and waiting for a color scheme of your own. With dark subjects people often reach for a black base, which is a legitimate choice, but it is worth knowing how colors behave over it.

How paint behaves over a dark base

A dark base simplifies the work with shadows, because the shadow is already there: you only have to leave it alone. You pay for the rest in saturation. Paint laid over black loses its luminosity and almost every shade looks drab over it until you put a lighter intermediate layer underneath. The practical procedure is therefore in three steps: over the black base lay a medium gray or a muted version of the target color where the light falls, then the target shade on top of that, and the highlights only at the very end. Cool colors, that is blue and green, hold reasonably well over black. Warm colors, above all red and yellow, will never come out saturated over it without a light intermediate layer, simply because their pigment does not cover. Count too on needing more passes over a dark base than over a light one, not because the paint is worse but because the difference between base and paint is greater.

Painting tips

• Apply the primer thin; even a dark base has to let the engraved detail show.
• Lay the light intermediate layer only on the lit surfaces, not over the whole area.
• Always underlay warm shades on black, or they will stay dirty.
• Build the contrast higher on the face than on the rest of the figure.

Who the figure is for

• For collectors of dark fantasy subjects.
• For painters who want to master painting over a dark base.
• For modelers looking for a standalone display piece.

The figure is supplied unpainted. Paints, glue and other accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.