It's a new year and time to write some new articles so I'm kicking things off with a how to paint for one of the most iconic characters from IDW TMNT adventures line, Pigeon Pete. In this case Pete has become somewhat of a mascot for the game acting as an alter ego for designers and developer Pete Walsh. Here's how I got started.
Recipe
Here's a quick run down of the paints I used, obviously you can substitute in alternate colours from your own collections.
Formula P3 Underbelly Blue
Formula P3 Khador Red Highlight
Formula P3 Inferno Orange
Formula P3 Sulfuric Yellow
Formula P3 Cygnus Yellow
Formula P3 Beaten Purple
Formula P3 Arcane Blue
Formula P3 Morrow White
Formula P3 Coal Black
Formula P3 Tharmar Black
Formula P3 Khardic Flesh
Formula P3 Midlund Flesh
Citadel Contrast Templar Black
Citadel Contrast Space Wolves Grey
Citadel Contrast Nazdreg Yellow
Citadel Contrast Medium
Method
I started out with a base coat of P3 Underbelly Blue, washed with Space Wolves Grey Contrast. A light undercoat and a dark wash picks out all the details and make it easier to see and paint.
I started with the eyes because they are a really prominent feature of the character. They were done first with a coat of Khador Red Highlight, ensuring at this stage to define the shape and edge.
Without allowing that to dry I added some Inferno Orange to lighten the centre of each eye.
Next I picked out the hands, feet and tongue in Khardic Flesh. I also added in the teeth at this point with Morrow White.
Going back to the eyes I added some Sulfuric Yellow. Here I just want to create a roughly circular shape in the centre of the eye.
To complete the eyes I got out my pointed clay shaper and added a single dot of black to the centre. I also washed the beak with Black Templar Contrast.
Next I mixed some Ironhull Grey and Underbelly blue and base coated the majority of the feathers.
Adding in some more Underbelly Blue to the mix I began to highlight. I'm using the points on the feathers as a guide and adding stokes in those directions. I want to keep the flat comic book feel so I'm not aiming for super detailed feathers, just a hint of their presence. I also added in the pants using Beaten Purple and the belt with Cygnus Yellow.
Adding more Underbelly Blue we do another pass on the highlights, this time really beginning to define my texture.
At this point the highlights start to feel a little disjointed from the base colour and I want a closer match. This is an easy fix. I take the last highlight colour and apply it to my small dry brush and hit the mini all over with a coat of drybrushing. This has the effect of blending these highlights while lightening the overall colour.
Next I added some white to my mix and started to add some drybrushing to the edges of the wings to really lighten those.
Adding more white to my mix I dove into the final highlight stage, this time we're edge highlighting to create the final look, paying close attention to the face and feathers.
Next is the flesh tones. I added a rough mid tone to the hands and feet using Midlund Flesh.
Before adding a highlight layer with Midlund Flesh and White to really define the hands and feet. I also picked out the claws in white at this point,
Next I worked on the beak. Here I used Coal Black, adding white as I worked up layers, wanting to create definition around the edge and bridge of the beak.
To finish the beak I added a thin white highlight just off centre. I also added some small light reflections to the eyes and some white highlights to the feathers below his arts, and underneath his tail.
To finish the pants I added some white to Beaten Purple and highlighted the shorts. With the belt I washed it with Nazdreg Yellow Contrast before rehighlighting with Cygnus Yellow.
Lastly I thinned Beaten Purple and Arcane Blue with Contrast Medium and wash his front feathers. I then added some white to those mixes and added a little more edge highlighting to the feathers.
And that's how I painted Pigeon Pete. If you'd like to see more painting guides for TMNT or other games in the future, drop me a line down in the comments and I'll see what I can do!
Until next time, have fun painting
The Duke
