Sorastro's The Lord of the Rings Painting Series Ep.8: Gulgotar

[@frankblaker8294]

Love the way you allow us to watch you mix the paint, it makes time to absorb the information we are hearing and to see this crucial step. I think the teaching mantra goes “ Hear and forget,See and remember, Do and understand”. You are a natural teacher as well as a great painter. Thanks!

[@Sorastro]

Thanks so much Frank! Well, in my former life I was actually a classroom teacher so I appreciate the compliment :D

[@ElevatedMinis]

I appreciate the fact that you’re using a limited palette for this series, and demonstrating that you don’t need to have every paint color under the sun to get the colors you’re after... Great video tutorial as always. I always pick up some new technique from your videos with every release. Keep up the great work!

[@Sorastro]

Thanks a lot! I really appreciate that kind feedback :)

[@Christian-qs2ft]

I imagine playing board games with Sorastro is like going to a miniature art exhibit lol

[@imperialadvisoraremheshvau3788]

Psssst. Sorastro cheats in game. He needs help.

[@FiveFourOne87l1]

Imagine playing with him and dropping a mini.... Ugh.

[@13Robzilla]

First, what you said at the beginning about how you paint troops vs. hero/HQ units is spot on. I never thought I would fully understand the how and why of the colors you add to mix, but, luckily I have seen enough of your videos to slightly emulate or extrapolate when needed. I wish I could say I was starting to get it, but in truth, I've just been watching and taking notes from your videos long enough to "sort of" get it. Then you make this video and explain using a color (purple) mixed in to most things to unify the figure as a whole. The light went off, thank you. I can now honestly say I sort of get it.

[@Sorastro]

Thanks Rob! It's tricky because I often do things intuitively, but do my best to try and understand why I've done something and put it into words. :)

[@13Robzilla]

@@Sorastro Kujo's new video I think both explains why I have a problem getting it and how it works. He said using color theory allows you to use more colors which makes it more interesting for the viewer even if they don't notice or understand they still like it better. You guys have completely different approaches but both do masterclass level work. Would love you two to do a collaboration.

[@jewishdictionary1715]

Ah yes, new sorastro's vid after 15 hours of work... love your work, always.

[@Sorastro]

Thanks a lot! Sounds like you've earned it :)

[@ImaginerImagines]

You are such an amazing painter and a wonderful speaker. I really look forward to every one of these.

[@Sorastro]

That's very kind - thank you Michael! :)

[@BradLacke]

It's the British accent, he's cheating

[@imperialadvisoraremheshvau3788]

I tend to watch these vids at dinner time so that I at least find comfort in food as I realize I can’t paint at this level. Or at any level. I really need to Clone this Brit.

[@Sorastro]

Lol mate :)

[@Dmitry_Solid]

Stunning Orc, as if came out of the movie the Lord of the rings. Always liked how you mix colors and get the right shades. I'd love to see you paint Warhammer Warcry✌️

[@Sorastro]

Thanks a lot! I admit the Warcry figures look pretty great (I especially like the ones with the ravens!) but I've already got too many projects on the go I'm afraid :)

[@Hello-1814]

Sorastro's Painting maybe you could do one off projects twice a year. have the patrons or everyone pick a figure based on a limited selection, do a sort of charity bidding and then paint the winner. This way you let some crowd sourcing happen, donate to charities, and add a touch more variety? Just a thought.

[@Big_B3AR]

love your videos, you gave me very good tips on colors and highlights. i learned much from you. thank you so much for your contribution.

[@Sorastro]

Thank you for the kind comment! I really appreciate that :)

[@xXxKendall202xXx]

Love this game when my group encountered gulgotar for the first time he nearly made our legolas player rage quit because he kept jumping back up an legolas was the closest target each time. Looking forward to more of your videos especially wanting to see what you do with general grievous in star wars legion.

[@Sorastro]

Ha ha - thanks! Yep - I remember taking quite a beating from him in my first campaign. I can't wait to show you my Grievous episode 😀

[@daeris_art]

Hi, I'm just starting my adventure with miniature painting, and thanks to your videos I won't make too much mistakes I was worried I'd make. Great tips and techniques! Thanks!

[@Sorastro]

Thank you Daeris! Avoiding mistakes is cool of course, but making them is also a great way to learn. Enjoy the journey! 😀

[@egon446]

Man, this metal looks sooo realistic...as does the rest of things....U R so talented that I cannot believe you ;) Great work.

[@Sorastro]

Thanks a lot Egon! The sword was a lot of fun to work on :)

[@imperialadvisoraremheshvau3788]

I was staring at the sword as well.

[@WitchDoctor87]

I'm a new painter however a thing I want to try on my next miniature. Is doing a gloss finish to sharp or wet things. Like sharp or light hit areas, teeth and eye. Then things like the shiny part of the belt. Very awsome job, what I like most about your videos is that you don't use a gun.

[@Sorastro]

Thanks a lot Dan! Much appreciated :)

[@cerethpainting6606]

Love the music in this one. Made me think of Conan in the cave in the first movie.

[@Sorastro]

Thanks mate! :)

[@CorvusMiniatures]

I like the rust effect on the sword a lot. I usually apply Vallejo Skin Wash for this, but your technique also looks very good!

[@Sorastro]

Thank you! :)

[@John-lf3iu]

I really hope you complete a tutorial for the new miniatures in the Shadowed Paths expansion - especially the Balrog!

[@Sorastro]

You're in luck: sorastro.com/2020/07/13/coming-soon-summer-2020/😁

[@RBCally]

Yes! I came here to write this same comment! I am eagerly waiting for my copy. I would love to see how to do the light atop Gandalf's staff, and the lava glowing from the Balrog!

[@RBCally]

My copy just arrived! Looking at you, Sorastro! ;)

[@haukionkannel]

Thanks again! I did paint last time over 35 years ago and desided to relearn the stuff by following your videos. Not quite there yeat, but rust is slowly starting to wear of. Biggest problems Are things that age comes with... Not seing the details and brush tip anymore, getting tired more easily and Somehow hand does not work as presisely as it used to work Einsalo ago. But Beside of those minor things, it is Not too bad ;)

[@Sorastro]

Thank you! Have you tried using some kind of magnification to help see what you're doing a bit better?

[@richardrodriguez9005]

If your favorite painter si sergio, i want to tell you that you are my, favorite miniature painter. 🤙🏼

[@Sorastro]

Thank you Richard! I do love Sergio's work :)

[@rezende.leo.anoder]

This video is going to help me a lot on my next project. Great stuff. Thanks!

[@Sorastro]

Awesome! Thanks Leonardo 😀

[@Mailed-Knight]

Very cool. Thank you for this.

[@Sorastro]

Thanks man! 😁

[@8-bite393]

Here I am again! Nice work again :)

[@Sorastro]

Ha ha, thank you buddy! 😁🤗

[@Bornhusen]

Firstly, thank you for amazing videos. Youre work is just pure class. I wonder if you will also do the new expansion set "Shadowed paths" aswell? Would be amazing to see more of your work. Also "War of the ring" models tutorial is something to dream of.

[@Sorastro]

Thank you! I actually just received my Shadowed Paths expansion today, and I will certainly be continuing the series. 😀

[@kevinstrom9410]

I absolutely love your videos. Do you have an episode that focuses on your brushes and their maintenance? They always look so much sharper and better than mine. What do you use, and how do you care for them to get them that neat? I also think, but am not sure, that you use a different brush to mix your paint, than the ones you use to paint the minis. Just some thoughts on a potentially useful topic. Thanks, and keep up the amazing work.

[@Sorastro]

Thanks a lot Kevin! I'll give some thought to producing a video on how I do (or don't!) look after my brushes :)

[@luisvillalobos8090]

What a good job! I am now starting with Journeys on middle Earth painting and your videos are so helpfull. Do you remember which miniature of this game was the hardest for you?

[@Memmnarch1981]

looking foreward to when you paint the just annonced expansion miniatures.

[@Sorastro]

Thank you! I can't wait either :D

[@SPAMsammiches]

Wonderful stuff, as always!

[@Sorastro]

Thank you buddy! :D

[@SaschaKleiber]

Awesome work. Not yet finished my core box, but almost. Bilbo is still missing. Really struggling with the layering of highlights… how much do you thin down the colors for the highlights? I tried thinning them down quite a bit, but it looks like it just gets absorbed by the underlying layers and is not visible at all. Do you wait after each layer before applying the next, lighter one? How many layers do you usually apply for highlighting? Many, very small increments, or fewer, bigger ones?

[@SevoSebastian]

nice work as always. I've just gotten into MddleEarth SBG and would love if you could paint some of those in the future

[@Sorastro]

Thanks! I think one LOTR series at a time is enough for me, but you could easily apply the techniques and colour ideas to ME SBG :)

[@emperordemetrius3832]

Wonderfull! I am curently in a dillema between this game and the Imperial Assault. May I ask, do you have a website, pdf or something where you have a genral guide about painting miniatures from start to finish (Priming to varnishes)?

[@Sorastro]

Thank you! I tend to cover basics like that in the first episode of a new series - the first of this LOTR series is perhaps the one I'd recommend for an absolute beginner. :)

[@emperordemetrius3832]

@@Sorastro Thanks! I am not a begginer, but i want to re-paint some old minis i had painted back when i was 13 and i try to find the best way (youtube, reddit etc) :)

[@jrsimpkin]

Thanks for these videos! Any chance you may be releasing Atarin and Coalfang soon?

[@Sorastro]

You're welcome! Yes, I'll be covering them as PDF guides pretty soon... 😃

[@julienchafraix1475]

Hey ! Btw, you forgot the Druiichi Violet Shade in the description ;)

[@Sorastro]

Thanks Julien! 🙂

[@stompingfreak8980]

My local game store has stopped stocking LOTR an wont be bothering with Marvel Crisis. As according to them, they just don’t sell. So it’s warlords Judge Dredd for me. But I do love these miniatures.,

[@Sorastro]

Hey mate! It's a shame they're not stocking Marvel: Crisis Protocol because I think it has the potential to do really well (and the minis are gorgeous) :)

[@3lcost3]

Hi Sorastro, how are you able to cover it all with just one pass when dilute paint on water? I tried and I always have to give it at least a couple of passes more.

[@joseantoniocanas855]

Hello, I have seen that you use vallejo paints for minis. Instead, for those of imperial assault you use citadel. Would it be possible to paint the imperial assault with vallejo paints? To not buy two sets, one from Vallejo and the other from Citadel. Sorry for my English, thank you very much!

[@Sorastro]

Hi Jose! Yes - you can absolutely use any of those paints to paint both the LOTR and the Imperial Assault minis :)

[@joseantoniocanas855]

@@Sorastro Okay, thank you very much. Is there any table of equivalences between the Vallejo and citadel paintings? to have some reference in the colors that I should use. Thanks!

[@BradLacke]

So you're digging the contrast colors? Would you say that they mostly have replaced shades for you, since they provide more contrast?

[@Sorastro]

Hey mate! Hmm I think there may still be situations where I prefer to use a Shade - where I might want more control for example - like when I used the Druchii Violet on the skin. I'm very much still in the process of exploring when and how I might like to use the Contrast Colours tbh :)

[@BradLacke]

@@Sorastro Right on! Yeah it seems like no one's quite sure how best to make use of them yet, but I defer to your judgement in all things miniature painting related :D

[@jaroslavvlcek4368]

please do rest minis :) want see elena beravor atarin etc thx for this awsome paiting series

[@Sorastro]

Hi Jaroslav! I've actually produced PDF guides for the rest of the minis, which you can find on my website: sorastro.com/2020/03/23/atarin-pdf-painting-guide/ 😀

[@jaroslavvlcek4368]

@@Sorastro thx for answer :) btw 1 more question in episode 1 you say only 1 base color layer its rly enough ? shades rly do that much great cover ? im new in hobby and i usualy do 2 - 3 layer (until i get full cover ) then shades but it looks im wasting time with that if only 1 layer is enough ... sry for my english :( and thx for answer

[@renatoe3417]

Could you recommend a similar base color to use from Citadel ?

[@markgregory983]

Is that a mike mcvey sculpt? Because it looks like no effort was put into it at all. Your painting is amazing as usual though, and you did a great job getting as much interest in it as you did, especially the sword :)

[@Sorastro]

Thanks a lot Mark! I actually like the figure quite a lot, but to each their own :)

[@quentincrespeau2414]

Hi ! Great painting ! Do you use water in the mixture of your paint on the wet palette ?

[@Sorastro]

Thanks Quentin! Yes I thin the paints with a little water :)

[@RBCally]

Hey Sorastro! I am eager to start my LOTR minis, but am hesitant at the moment. I started with a practice run on my Flash Point minis, but after finishing them with a coat of Vallejo gloss varnish and a coat of Vallejo matte varnish (both brushed on) my minis are tacky. I left them for about a week and they were still tacky. I decided to put them away in the box anyway. After checking them a week later they were still tacky and were sticking together in the game box. They pulled apart easily and no paint chipped off, but I'm concerned that I've done something wrong. Any tips?

[@Sorastro]

Hey Randy! Hmm.. did you use any additives - like the flow enhancer or anything?

[@RBCally]

@@Sorastro I did add a couple of drops of Timiya Color thinner to the paints when doing touch-ups toward the end, as I didn't do them all in one sitting. I don't believe I added anything to the varnish, but if anything it would have been a couple of drops of distilled water.

[@cerethpainting6606]

I find I paint better when one of your videos play. Doesn’t matter what I’m painting or what you are.

[@Sorastro]

That's awesome! Thanks :)

[@cazer3937]

How long does a character usually take you to paint compared to the regular evil mobs? :)

[@Sorastro]

Hi! I don't know exactly, but a LOT! :)

[@cazer3937]

@@Sorastro fair enough😂

[@rodboudreau3982]

Once again amazing. How long have you been painting

[@Sorastro]

Thanks a lot Rod! Hmm. on and off since I was a kid (so.. 35 years or so!), however I did have a long break in the middle of that whilst I focused more on the music. :)

[@AlfonsoFigueroa]

Don’t you varnish the minis? How does the paint resist handling during play?

[@Sorastro]

Hi Alfonso! Yes, I usually apply some AK Interactive Ultra Matte Varnish 🙂

[@AlfonsoFigueroa]

@@Sorastro Thats the same I use! Do you cover the metallic parts or varnish all over? BTW, Thanks for your great videos.

[@Sorastro]

Thank you sir! Yes I just apply the varnish all over 🙂

[@dirkschafer7961]

Are you going to paint the other villains too?

[@Sorastro]

Hi Dirk! Yes, I’ll probably cover them as PDF guides. 😀

[@GomJabbar9]

Subscribed!

[@Sorastro]

Thank you David 🙂

[@dark0ronin]

I’ve noticed lately that you haven’t been putting any kind of varnish on your mini figures, is there a reason?

[@Sorastro]

Hi! I tend to mention in the first video or two of a series, but not the later ones. I do still protect them though :)

[@guillaumebellanger9716]

Is it a secret to know what will be the next game you will paint ? I like this one but i don t have it . and i m still waiting your next musical fantasy cd

[@Sorastro]

Hi Guillaume! It’s no secret; I’m currently working on a new series for Marvel: Crisis Protocol, and have more Legion and Kingdom Death Monster also coming soon. For future reference, I post regular “Coming Soon” articles on my website: sorastro.com/2019/10/05/coming-soon-autumn-2019/ 😀

[@guillaumebellanger9716]

@@Sorastro thanks.

[@jamieh4148]

So the paint goes on the brush, then on the miniature? :-)

[@Sorastro]

Ha ha - damn, why didn't I think to put it so succinctly !? :)

[@rafaolek158]

Are You planning on painting Atarin?

[@Sorastro]

Hi! Yes, I'll be covering him as a PDF 🙂

[@biovoro]

great video friend. What is the name of the song of the minute 25:26

[@Sorastro]

Thank you very much! I've not yet given names to the different music tracks, but will do when I eventually release them.. 😀

[@robbiereed4462]

What are you using as a pallet?

[@Sorastro]

Hi Robbie! That's the Redgrass Games wet palette - there's a link in the video description :)

[@DieSammelstelle]

Great as ever, but shit i thought General Grievous would be the next Video :D

[@Sorastro]

Thanks man! I actually finished Grievous several weeks ago, but the Legion videos have to go through a licensing approval process with LFL which can take some time - hence the delay. But I'll release it as soon as I can :)

[@TiredSalamander]

Ou ies, porn for my eyes. I dont have minis from The Lord of The Ring, but ill try some tips from this video. Naaaaaiiiiiisssss (Nice)

[@Sorastro]

Ha ha - thanks a lot! :)

[@MiNDmaZing]

Nice video. But too much color mixing is going on i the last bunch of videos, i liked the easier tutorials more... and sadly only vallejo colors. I am a citadel fan

[@Sorastro]

Thanks Philipp! There is more mixing in this series than usual because I'm limiting the number of paints I use so that new painters don't feel they have to go out and buy hundreds of paints. I also want to show that mixing isn't hard to do, so hopefully people loose the fear of doing it themselves. Regarding paint brands, I'd guard against being a fan of any one brand personally, as each has their own strengths and weaknesses, but that's your call of course :)