Infinity Combined Army Rasyat

Hello all,

This post is about the Combined Army Rasyat Figure. This is the first mini that I painted from this particular faction. To be honest I was a little intimidated. It is larger and more complex than the other minis I've previously done from Infinity.

I guess that it took me about 15 hours over a 15 day period to paint it. I did decide to change the paint scheme in the middle so that definitely added a little more time.

I really like the pose of this mini. It is very dynamic and fluid and it gives a good sense of the mini in motion. I also really like the sculpt - it is very well done even though it was made about four years back in the mid-release date of this range. However, I think it stands up to newer sculpts very well.

I have to admit I did have some issues with the color scheme. I was originally going for the studio color scheme and I was almost finished but the colors did not sit with me very well. I decided to change the overall scheme a little. In the studio colors the mini's pants were green and the chest armor was brown. I don't know what it was but I just did not like that color combo. So I changed the chest armor to blue and the pants to brown and I think it works quite well.

Again I used Vallejo Model Colors.

Here are some of the examples of the colors that I used:

Some of the metal armor and knife I used this formula:

Base: Prussian Blue + Field Blue + Hull Red
Highlight 1: Field Blue
Highlight 2: Dark Sand
Highlight 3 White
Shadow: Prussian Blue + Black

For the hair I used:

Base: Prussian Blue + Violet
Highlight 1: Royal Purple
Highlight 2: White
Shadow: Dark Prussian Blue

Again, the biggest issue I had with this mini was the intimidation factor. When looking at the Combined Army as a whole it is very complex, detailed, and very, very different from all the other Infinity factions. So sometimes it's easy to feel a little overwhelmed by it all. I would have to say the same about this mini as well. But by just sticking to it and following through, once finished the results can be pretty fantastic and quite stunning.

So here are some pics of the process and the finished mini. I hope you like:

WIP 1

WIP 2

Thanks for looking.


If you have any questions about my painting technique, or colors that I use let me know and I will be more then happy to answer them.

I also do commissions so if you are interested drop me an email at

 darklyteproductions@gmail.com


  

Infinity Swiss Guard

Hello all,

This post is about the PanOceania Swiss Guard miniature from the Infinity line. She is one of my favorites of the whole range. She has a very dynamic pose and there is a good sense of motion to the overall mini. Sometimes you do not see this in miniatures as a lot of minis come in very flat, static poses, but with this mini the sculptor did a fine job conveying a sense of motion.

When I paint I use Vallejo Model Color. I've used a lot of different paints through the years and at the moment I really like the Vallejo paint line. It does a nice job doing what I want it to do regarding control, coverage, and thickness. It is a thinner consistency and doesn't bulk up the way other paint lines have in the past. They have a great selection of different shades and colors and they mix really well with each other as well as other paint lines. I encourage everybody - if you haven't tried Vallejo paint, you should. The paint pigment tends to settle in the bottle though, so be sure to mix well before starting.

So here is a quick explanation of the color choices I used:
(If you need anymore info on the other colors please feel free to ask.) 

The main colors I used on the armor are:

Base - Prussian Blue + Field Blue + Hull Red 

First Highlight -  Field blue
Second Highlight  - Dark Sand
Third Highlight - White
Shadow - Dark Prussian Blue +Black

The main colors I used on the Cable Suit are:

Base - Prussian Blue
First Highlight - Turquoise
Second Highlight - Light Turquoise
Third Highlight - Blue Green
Fourth Highlight - White
Shadow - Dark Prussian Blue

I didn't vary too much from the Studio Colors. The one thing I did do - the metal on the the gun drum as the studio color had it all orange. I felt the orange seemed a bit much and was taking away from the rest on the mini so I changed it.

This particular mini took me about 10 hours spread over a two week period.

Luckily I did not have any issues through out the process of assembling and painting this particular mini, which was nice. I did have a few problems with the base and making it look weathered. I had to redo it a few times.

Overall this mini was a real joy to paint and I look forward to more PanOceana minis in the future.

So here are a few work in progress pics and the finished mini.

As always, hope you like :

First WIP

Second WIP

Thanks for looking!

If you are interested in a commission, please feel free to email at cullen dot knappen at gmail dot com

Until next time,

Cullen

Margot of Equipe Mirage 5 from Infinity

Hello all, I hope all is well.

So this update is about Margot. She is one of my favorite Minis in the Infinity range. I really like her style and look of her. I think that she really captures what the Merovingian Army of Ariadna is. She is the also the first mini I painted for the the Ariadna faction.

A lot of people really liked the character that I put into the face. I must say that it's extremely hard to be able to do this. These minis are very small and no bigger than a quarter. It really takes a steady hand. I guess that I got lucky because I have one. But what I'm really trying to say is that if you practice and have a lot of patience you can make such a little thing come alive. For me that is what really captures my imagination and keeps me painting.

I have decided to take the plunge and do commissions. I still have to work all that out but more info will be posted in the near future. If you have any questions or are interested please leave a comment or email me at

cullen.knappen@gmail.com

So here are the pics of the Margot mini. I hope you like...

This is the First Work in Progress 

This is the second Work in Progress 

Thanks for looking and be well,

Cullen 

Infinity Hellcat

Hello all. Well, moving right along... I have been painting miniatures for about 12 years now, and it's funny but this is the most inspired I have been about painting for quite some time. Maybe it's the miniatures I'm painting because I find Infinity Miniatures very cool. Maybe what it is, is that I want to do something more fun with my life other than the normal daily grind. At any rate, I have finished seven Infinity miniatures in the last four months. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but for me that's pretty good.

I think what slows me down is that I hold myself to such a high standard that I get very frustrated, very quickly. If the miniature is not looking the way I want it to, I put it aside and go on to something else. So at the moment I have a lot minis that are half finished on my desk and some of them have been there for a very long time. That is not what I would call very motivating. So a few months ago I finally got my work area together. I got a new desk, some shelves, the Vallejo paint line, and new lighting. Man, what a difference.

I guess the moral of the story is if you want to more get motivated have a dedicated space for what you want to do. It helped me out a lot.

So the next set of pics are a work in progress series and the finished mini that I did about three months ago. It is an Infinity Nomad Hellcat. The mini is cool but feels a little dated for the range. It is one of those minis that I bought about three years ago and just got to now.

Well at any rate, I hope you like...

Infinity Nomad Hellcat 

1st WIP

2nd WIP

Again, thanks for looking!

Introductions All Around

Hello All! Welcome to Darklyte Productions

My name is Cullen Knappen and this is the first post of my blog. This blog is going to be about my adventures in miniature painting, art, and things in general that interest me.

The Darklyte Production part is an idea that has not taken form yet. I hope maybe that it might here on this blog. But we shall see...

At the moment I'm working on the Infinity range of miniatures because it is one of my favorites. I will be posting works in progress as well as finished paint jobs and also give a quick summary of my thoughts and feelings on the process from start to finish. I would also like to talk about the miniature painting hobby as well. I welcome any constructive comments or advice on what I am working on at any given time.

Just to let everyone know - I really do not play the games that the miniatures come from. I live in the country and there is not much gaming going on around here. I have to drive 40 miles to the nearest  game store.

At any rate, these are my first pics of the Infinity range that I started painting a few months ago.

This is the Haqqislam Lasiqs with a viral rifle.

This is one of the first minis I painted in 2012. Before this it had been a few years since the last time I painted at this level. So some of the blending needed a little work and I hate how the base turned out. I am not really happy with results but, hey it's a start. Also, this is before I got a Lighting Set-up so the Pics aren't as strong as I'd like.

Thanks for looking!