A Rat's eye view

[ratboy]

First off the ranks is Killjoy! Half the reason I started playing Malifaux (infrequently) was because of this figure.

Click to see full-sized image

Comments and crits are appreciated.

[Nameless]

I allowed myself to change tag for your pic, asit was too big for the page

now, on to the mini Paint is where it should be, that's a good start but, if you want to go beyond table-top level there are few things you could do.
first (of course) is increasing the contrast. I can't stress it enough - deeper shadows, lighter highlights. Exaggerate contrast. Go over the to. Don't be afraid.
some darklining to make shadows and separate different elements (like chain from the body, or bandages) would help.
you could play with colours too, introduce some additional shades and tones. such a mini just asks for it - spots on the rotten skin, blood stains, rust on the axe... glazing is your friend here.
zenithal lighting maybe? again, it would pretty well for this sculpt, with lots of hidden and shadowed places.
finally, base is a bit plain. for gaming it sure is fine, but if you want a showcase piece... see above and maybe introduce additional elements to it to make it more interesting.

[mahon]

you got the basics right, just like Nameless said.
what you need to work on now is making your miniature look more interesting.

bolder lighting could be the way to go - just check the (very fast) sketch I prepared.
I know it looks a bit exaggerated but I wanted to make it clearer what can be achieved with more dramatic contrasts.



now your miniature simply has colors applied, but I think you could move on to detailing and some playing with chiaroscuro.

what do you think about the idea?

[ratboy]

Thanks for the help. I totally get it and think that this is the sort of thing that I need to take my painting to the next level.
To start with, I guess I haven't thought of the stuff that I have been doing as more than playing pieces. From reading various tutorials around the place, it looks like glazing etc. may be the trick.
I wouldn't want to test it on Killjoy, but there are more than enough "lesser" miniatures that I can practice on!
Updates soon.

[mahon]

Now you addressed one important point: do you want your miniatures to be anything more than just colored gaming pieces.

The choice is up to you and there are no wrong decisions... Just what you want.