flamers &

Explosions
A Step -by-Step tutorial

Art-W STUDIO X DeadlyPrint

Art-W Studio
Carrer Ros de Olano, 10, Local 2

08012 Barcelona

Phone number: +34 722 30 60 02

© 2023 www.artwstudio.com All rights reserved 2023.

Any form of reproduction, distribution, public communication, or distribution of this work can only be made with
the authorization of its owner, except for the exceptions foreseen by the Law.

If you want to contact Art-W Studio, you can do it through WhatsApp at +34 722 30 60 60 02 or through the web at
www.artwstudio.com

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INDEX
1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 3
2. Project Gallery ..................................................................................................................... 4
3. TUTORIALS ........................................................................................................................... 13
3.1. Flamer......................................................................................................................................................... 13
3.2. GHAGHKULL THRAKA SHOT .................................................................................................................................... 16
3.3. Explosion ..................................................................................................................................................... 18
3.4. SMOKE .......................................................................................................................................................... 20
4. Where can I get these effects? ................................................................................................ 22
5. SECRET GIFT ......................................................................................................................... 23

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1. Introduction

¿WHO ARE WE?

Welcome to Art-W Studio, where professional miniature painting on commission is our specialty. Our job
is to provide a complete assembly and painting service, but the most important thing is that we
understand this fantastic world because.... we are also passionate about the hobby!

We are so passionate about this world that we decided to take the leap, without a parachute, to
professionalise the sector and give painters and modellers the opportunity to make a living from the
hobby. Grimdark aesthetics and post-apocalyptic fantasy inspire us a lot, but we want to fly higher and
create, through Art-W Studio, an unprecedented community for all hobby lovers.

If you want to know more about what we do, take a look at the Trustpilot reviews, where we have a solid
5-star rating. Read the comments and find out what our customers have to say about us.

Why this DOCUMENT

You know that fresh-as-daisy army we just whipped up at PlayOnTabletop? Thought we'd show it off a bit
and give you a peek into the painting quality. No, seriously, we've got a whole gallery lined up to make
your eyes pop!

And that's not all, folks! We didn't stop at just making 'em pretty. Our buddies at Deadly Print lent us a
hand (or two, or three), and we've gone all out and whipped up some insanely detailed tutorials to show
you just how we pulled off these wickedly wonderful effects.

Oh, and just when you thought we're done, there's more! The legends at Deadly Print have gone and left
you a little surprise at the end. Yup, something for all you junkies who can't get enough of their mind-
blowing effects. Can't wait for you to see it!

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2. Project Gallery

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3. TUTORIALS
Okay, buckle up, folks, 'cause we're about to dive deep into the world of battle effects. Picture this: we're
breaking 'em down into two categories.

1. Smoke-heavy effects
2. Effects where fire or light is the main star

So, let's say we're trying to cook up an explosion. We're gonna be pulling in bits and bobs from both
groups, same goes for stuff like smoke-heavy combustions. We're talking non-luminous smoke colors
hogging the top spot, while fire, all vibrant and glowy, steals the show at the bottom.

In a nutshell, we're going to pretend we're sculptors and look at these effects as geometric shapes, but at
different levels. You know, your standard spheres, cylinders, and funky-shaped micro-volumes.

Let's get started with our first battle effect to give you a better picture of what we're on about.

3.1. Flamer

Alright, folks, let's paint a mental picture here. Picture a sphere. From this sphere's center, we're blasting
out the flare of our flamethrower.

This sphere, it's our first volume. Think of it as the light starting from a source and spreading out in every
direction. So, the center of the sphere is the Vegas Strip of brightness, and the outskirts are more like a
dark alley. This creates a gradient which we'll use to whip up some juicy contrast.

So, our flame's birthplace in the sphere's center will be as bright as a supernova, while the flare's end at
the sphere's edge will be darker than your ex's heart.

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Let's kick off the painting shenanigans now:

1. Start off by priming the miniature in white. When the primer's done playing dry, slather a couple
of layers of AK white (A). This ensures a rock-solid white base for those juicy, super bright colors.

Heads up! Light effects DEMAND a pure white base! If not, your colors are going to come out as dull as a
rainy Monday and lose a lot of their kick. This is all 'cause we're working with transparent and semi-
transparent paints. So, base color is kinda a big deal.

2. Up next, we mix Liquitex cadmium yellow and AK fluorescent yellow (B) in a 1/2 ratio. Then, we
airbrush it evenly over the whole white surface.
3. Again, mix Liquitex ink fluo orange and AK fluorescent orange (C) in a 1/2 ratio. Apply this bad boy
in the opposite direction of the light source and on the outer part of the miniature. This is to beef
up that spherical volume we were talking about.
4. Now, paint on some Liquitex Cadmium red ink (C) opposite to the light's origin. But be a
gentleman and leave the orange alone from the previous step. So, the red stays on the outskirts,
subtly highlighting the micro-volumes of these rad models.

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At this point, we've laid down "the foundation of the light source". From here on, we can switch things up
depending on the effect we want.

If the aerosol residue from the airbrush has smeared your light source, we're gonna fix that right up:

1. Brush on AK white (A) on the flame's source and diffuse it with the same color using an airbrush.
2. Give the white a subtle AK fluorescent yellow dye job.
3. For some extra contrast, apply Liquitex deep violet ink on the end furthest from the light source
(but don't mess with the red). If you want, deepen the violet with a smidge of Liquitex
pthalocyanine blue (C).
4. If needed, we can add a sprinkle of "grime" to our flame with a light dry brush of AK tenebrous grey
at the effect's end.

To finish things off, slap on some ultra-matt varnish to erase any random shine from the process. This is
especially for the inks, which not only sparkle but also don't stick too well. The varnish wipes these
problems away in one clean sweep.

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3.2. GHAGHKULL THRAKA SHOT

Alright, buckle up 'cause we've got a slightly trickier effect on our hands. But don't sweat it, we're gonna
chop it up into bite-sized pieces.

Just like the flamethrower, we're setting up a main light sphere. But plot twist: we've gotta account for it
expanding into 4 frontal and 4 lateral beams, which we're gonna imagine as cylinders.

So, we'll begin by applying the same base scheme as the flamethrower, but we'll cater it to our new
geometry.

We'll kick things off with priming the miniature in white. Once that's dry, we'll slather on a couple coats
of AK white (A). This is to make sure our base is white as a polar bear in a snowstorm, guaranteeing
saturated and really poppin' colors.

Heads up! When it comes to light effects, a pure white base is more necessary than coffee on a Monday
morning! If not, your colors will end up faded and weak. That's because we're using transparent and semi-
transparent paints. So, base color is the VIP in this party.

1. Next up, we're mixing Liquitex cadmium yellow and AK fluorescent yellow (B) in a 1/2 ratio and
airbrushing it evenly over the whole white surface.

2. We're going to stir up Liquitex ink fluo orange and AK fluorescent orange (C) in a 1/2 ratio. Apply it
in the opposite direction to the light source and on the outermost part of the miniature to
emphasize the sphere's volume that we've been yakking about.

3. Now, we'll dab on some Liquitex Cadmium red ink opposite to the light's origin, making sure not
to tread on the orange from the previous step. The red is like a wallflower at the party - it's gonna
stick to the outskirts but will subtly help spotlight the micro-volumes of these stunning models.

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If we respect the geometry of the effect, we can just follow the same steps as with the previous effect.

1. We're brushing on AK white (A) at the flame's origin and diffusing it with the same color using the
airbrush.

2. We're giving the white a subtle AK fluorescent yellow (B) dye job.

3. To boost the contrast, we're applying Liquitex deep violet ink at the end furthest from the light
source (but be respectful of the red). If you want, deepen the violet with a smidgen of Liquitex
pthalocyanine blue (C).

4. Finally, if needed, we can sprinkle a bit of "grime" onto our flame with a light dry brush of AK
tenebrous grey (D) at the effect's end.

To finish it all off, we're applying an ultra-matt varnish to erase any random shine that may have been
caused during the process. This is especially handy for the inks, which, besides causing unwanted sparkle,
don't have the best adherence. With the varnish, we're showing these problems the exit door.

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3.3. Explosion

Alrighty, this effect might look like a bull in a china shop at first glance, but we're gonna break it down
into 3 bite-sized geometric volumes:

1. The 'Boss Sphere': It's the light's origin at the explosion zone (think, ground zero) which will be
brighter than a diamond in a spotlight and the edges will be more toned down.
2. The 'Smoke Arms', which we'll look at as cylinders, are gonna be the 'cool kids', getting darker as
they stroll away from the sphere's centre.
3. The 'Micro Muscle' of the arms: these are bits of material and smoke being flung around by the
explosion.

As we said earlier, the last two volumes can be seen as either a smoke effect or a light effect, but in this
case, we're treating them as a light effect from the second group. We're gonna lay the same base as in
the first two effects.

1. Start with priming the miniature in white and once that's dry, we're giving it a couple of layers of
AK white (A). This is to ensure our base is white as a polar bear, guaranteeing some really saturated
and bright colors.

A word of warning! In light effects, having a white base is as crucial as oxygen! Without it, your colors will
end up as flat as a pancake. This is because we're using transparent and semi-transparent paints, so the
base color is VIP here.

2. Next, we're creating a cocktail of Liquitex cadmium yellow and AK fluorescent yellow (B) in a 1/2
ratio and airbrushing it all over the white surface.
3. Then, we're blending Liquitex ink fluo orange and AK fluorescent orange (C) in a 1/2 ratio. We're
applying this in the opposite direction to the light source and also on the outermost part of the
miniature to make that sphere volume really pop.
4. Now, we're brushing on some Liquitex Cadmium red ink (D) opposite to the light's origin, but don't
cross over the orange territory from the previous step. The red is gonna stick to the outskirts, but
in a subtle way, it's gonna help accentuate the micro-volumes of these bad boy models.

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Now, let's dive into the unique bits of this effect:

1. We're starting by adding some drama to the smoke columns' ends with Liquitex deep violet and
Phtalocyanine blue (A).
2. We're giving the ground surrounding the explosion a makeover with AK burnt red (B).
3. We're freshening up the explosion's origin with white and giving it a tint of AK fluorescent
yellow(C).
4. Apply a dry brush of AK tenebrous grey followed by AK turquoise (D) to the ground, moving further
and further away from the source of the explosion.

Finally, we're wrapping it up with a layer of AK ultra-matt varnish to keep the model looking its best.

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3.4. SMOKE

Alright, this effect is the black sheep of the family. The spotlight's no longer on the light, but on the smoke.
Nevertheless, it's still grooving to the same geometric patterns. So, we pinpoint the origin of the effect
and set up our light sphere just as before.

1. Kick off with priming the miniature in white and laying down a layer of white AK.
2. Next up is a base coat of AK burnt red (B).
3. Now we're gonna bring in a semi-zenithal light of AK grey Brown (C). This bad boy, contrasting
with the red base, will give us a dusty smoke effect that spreads out as it climbs up.
4. To this grey base, we'll add a touch of light using a mix of AK grey brown and AK pastel yellow, split
down the middle, 50/50 (D). Here, we're going to aim to define the tiny micro-volumes of the
smoke.

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Alright, we've got our smoke base all set up. Next, we'll sprinkle some light on the smoke to make it pop.

1. We're starting with painting the light source with AK White (A) and giving it a good blur with an
airbrush.
2. Then we're tinting the white with a blend of Liquitex fluo Orange and AK fluorescent Orange (B).
It's a good idea to extend this step beyond the white base in the same direction as the light source,
so that the smoke mass gets lit up from below.

Beware! The base of this light is orange, not yellow, since it's a residual light from inside a chimney.
However, we can sprinkle some yellow at the end to crank up the effect.

3. We're gonna dial down the orange area farthest from the effect source with Liquitex cadmium red
(C) in a sub-zenithal manner.
4. We're gonna give a little light to the smoke source with pure AK fluorescent yellow (D).

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To wrap up the miniature, we apply ultra-matt varnish to erase any random shine that the process might
have created. Especially the inks, which apart from generating glitter, don't stick on too well. With the
varnish, we banish all these problems.

Keep in mind, these processes are like a mixing deck – you can mix and match to swing between more
smoke or light in any of our effects. Moreover, if we slice our miniature into different geometric volumes,
no matter how complicated they are, we can still apply the same method.

4. Where can I get these effects?

Alrighty, so for this beast of an army we got down and dirty with some rad effects from our buddies over
at Deadly Print. They've whipped up a sweet list of all the goodies we used to jazz up our tin soldiers and
battlegrounds. Just follow the crumbs, and you can do it too!

https://deadlyprintstudio.com/produ
Smoke Exhaust
cto/smoke-exhaust-physical/

Ork XXL Muzzle

Flash

https://deadlyprintstudio.com/produ
cto/ork-xxl-muzzle-flash-physical/

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 https://deadlyprintstudio.com/produ
Flamer – 1 cto/flamer-1-physical/

https://deadlyprintstudio.com/produ
cto/missile-launcher-vertical-
h i l/

Missile launcher

Ground Explosions

https://deadlyprintstudio.com/producto/ground-explosions-bundle-physical/

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 5. SECRET GIFT

Alrighty, brace yourselves! The awesome folks over

at Deadly Print are throwing a killer sale. From now
'til the end of August, you can grab these effects
and a whole lot more for a whopping 30% off on
their site.

But here's the catch, their stockpile ain't infinite!

So, chop-chop, my friends. The early bird gets the
worm...or in this case, some wicked cool effects…

Just punch in the code:

Alrighty, brace yourselves! The awesome folks over at Deadly Print are throwing a killer sale. From Alrighty, brace yourse

#artwstudioorks
The awesome folks over at Deadly Print are throwing a killer sale. From now 'til the end of August, you can grab these effe
a whole lot more for a whopping 30% off on their site.

But here's the catch, their stockpile ain't infinite! So, chop-chop, my friends. The early bird gets the worm...or in this case,
wicked cool effects. Just punch in the code 'art_w_studio_orcs' at checkout and watch those prices plummet. Boom! Super
discount unlocked. Don't say I didn't warn ya!

now 'til the end of August, you can grab these effects and a whole lot more for a whopping 30% off on their site.

But here's the catch, their stockpile ain't infinite! So, chop-chop, my friends. The early bird gets the worm...or in this case,
wicked cool effects. Just punch in the code 'art_w_studio_orcs' at checkout and watch those prices plummet. Boom! Super
discount unlocked. Don't say I didn't warn ya!

Go the checkout and watch those prices plummet.

Boom! Super discount unlocked. Don't say I didn't
warn ya!
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