Red Capes - velvet like material on your miniatures

Hi all! 

In today's tutorial we take a look at paining red capes and achieving the much sought after velvet like effect on your miniatures. 

In order to achieve a very soft, gentle look, you will need to be patient but it will pay off! This cape took me around 40 minutes to complete from step 1 to 9. If you won't have to document every step like I did, I recon you can do it much quicker! Let's start! 

1) Basecoat the entire cape with Rhinox Hide. Make sure to add 2-3 thin coats of the basecoat, as it will be a crucial, fundamental part of the future steps.

2) Start layering with Evil Sunz Scarlet. If you are struggling to understand, where to place the highlights, follow the lines, sculpted on the miniature and have a look at the light bouncing off the basecoat on the previous picture. If the light is coming from the top, you want to place the highlights on the places where the material bends and in the deepest parts of the material, as the light has to land somewhere in the end. I know that this (the below) does not look good, but you have to trust the process and remember that in the end, it will al be worth it! 

3) Layer with Wild Rider Red. Add this color in the same places as before but covering less space - leave some of that Evil Sunz Scarlet showing. 

4) Glaze the entire surface with Evil Sunz Scarlet. This will start tying all all of the colors. 

5) Reinstate that Wild Rider Red but in a 1:1 mix with Evil Sunz Scarlet - add  a new coat of it all over the previously followed lines.

6) Again, add a coat of Wild Rider Red, this time on its own.

7) Start adding tiny, horizontal lines with Evil Sunz Scarlet in glaze consistency, applying the paint next to the most visible, thickest lines. This will add texture and get you closer to the natural look. Be very careful with this step, as it is easy to add too much. Always add everything at slow pace. When you feel more comfortable with a certain technique - start being more confident. It is similar to driving a car. 

8) Add a layer of Wild Rider Red mixed 1:1 with Yriel Yellow. Cover even less space than before.

9) Using a very thick (almost from the pot) mix of Wild Rider Red 1:1:1 with Ushabti Bone and Yriel Yellow, start adding micro weathering to the cape. Add some paint to your paint brush, make sure that you have a sharp top of the brush and start applying the tiny dots and scratches all over the surface. I would strongly recommend first trying this out on something you are not afraid to ruin. Learn how to apply it gently and then get on adding it to your cape. Also add this color mix to the points where the cape has sharp edges. On this picture you can clearly see it on the right shoulder and below. I have also decided to add this mix to the top of the hood, as this would be the brightest point of the entire cape. 

And this is it! It did not look that good in the beginning but in the end it was worth it, wasn't it? :) 

Here is the cape on some white background and with less light.

I really hope you like it and can use it soon!  Please share your work with me using the #MamikonsWizards hashtag on social media. You can also tag me so I can have a look 😉

Keep the magic coming!🧙‍♀️

Cheers,

Mamikon