Attempted it a while ago on my Necromancer, but it didn't come out quite how I wanted. Basically I want to achieve a slight glowing effect on spectral miniatures, like the Dead Marsh spectres, shades, Frodo with the ring on or the Necromancer.

I think the effect would look quite cool, but I'm just stuck on achieving the actual effect. I'm just looking for tips, suggestions or techniques on how to do so.

I thought glow paints first of all, but I don't know if they'd go well. Plus, I'd much rather use normal paint. Any suggestions and such are appreciated, thanks (:

_________________
I started to walk around without shoes...

It sort of then became a Hobbit

So are you wanting a ghostly glow? In the sense that the edges of the model agree giving off light? Or more of parts of the model (eyes etc) ate glowing onto the model

_________________
Commission Painting @FB http://www.facebook.com/squyrepainting
Commission Customers include:
GBHL Youtube Channel
MiniWargaming

Ask Dezartfox how he did his balrog, if you're looking for the glow to come from within.

viewtopic.php?f=50&t=18909&start=320

I did some army of the dead a few years ago myself, by basically painting them as being in rags with pale faces then green glows on the tips of things, rather than all greenish.

_________________
Instagram @abbmodels

For ghosts I'd go for light grey base colour, dry brush them white and then use the oxide paint GW released not long ago, gives a cool effect

For other glowing effects there's a lot of info on my site if you look under the tutorials section. I'd write them up here but on my tablet ( and it just deleted my reply I wrote previously bah!)

I use weathering powders to get most of the effects but it can be done with paint if you know how

_________________
++ THE VANUS TEMPLE ++
Contact for commissions!

A ghostly greedy glow is what I'm looking for all over. Not any source of light really. How could I reflect the glow on sand on the base too?

And cheers Dezartfox, took a quick look at your site and it looks good, so I'll be reading more (:

_________________
I started to walk around without shoes...

It sort of then became a Hobbit

Generally speaking, a decent glow effect for an army of the dead can be achieved by simply layering up to pure white. Then just drybrush the base and any areas that might be illuminated by the ghostly glow with the mid-range tone of your miniature, followed by a very faint drybrushing of pure white. Here's how I achieved my glow effect for some enchanted WHFB Wood Elf weaponry, I'm sure you can translate the colours for your own intentions =

Basecoat = Moot Green, and create a minor glow effect on surrounding areas by drybrushing.
Wash = Biel-tan Green.
Layer = Three consecutive layers of Moot Green mixed with Ceramite White, gradually becoming brighter. These will also need to be slightly diluted so as to leave a smooth finish with decent colour gradiation.
Edge-highlights = Slightly diluted Ceramite White, and drybrush the glow effect for increased intensity.

Hope that helps.

_________________
Wise Old Elf

Assuming I am understanding your goal correctly, glow effects are just the result of a high contrast between colours. NMM silver works better when you go to both extremes (black & white), not just grey to white. This makes the brighter parts stand out more and if you blend correctly, the dark/black parts are barely even noticed because the bright parts demand so much visual attention.

So I would just give it a try following what Wise Old Elf has said, and work up to white, knowing that the darker your base, the more it is going to stand out. Pick certain parts to glow and parts not to - highlight with a tiny amount of pure white or even a shade or two lower on the non-glow parts.

As for the glow effect on the base, I think this is very poorly done much of the time, even when the rest of the paint job is 10/10. A light drybrush has just as good of an effect as anything else.
You need to layer the effect on the base with different intensity, just like it is done on the model. I find most people choose a certain distance/radius around the model they want the glow effect on the base, then do it on there. To me it just looks like blue paint on the ground (or whatever colour).
My tip would be to copy a childs picture of the sun (circle with lines coming out). Pretend the mini is the sun, and do outgoing lines from the base, these would be your areas of greatest intensity for highlights, but still break it up and change it, obviously dont just do a streak of white, but dashes, squiggles and swirls, different for each line.
Between the "lines" just a light drybrush will do the job.

I think the reason it is hard to do bases with glow effects is because the sand or whatever is used, is not uniform, so the peaks which we normally highlighted are all over the place, so you cant just use the same approach as you would on a model.

_________________
My trade thread
http://www.one-ring.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=25957&p=325932#p325932