Object Source Lighting, or OSL, is a great way to add neat effects to any miniature and helps take your painting game up to the next level.
This tutorial will focus on using three colors to create the OSL effect: Mephiston Red, Wild Rider Red, and Flash Gitz Yellow by Games Workshop. For the entire tutorial, be sure to scroll down and press play in the video below!
Starting on the palette, Mephiston Red is thinned down and glazed onto the spot where the OSL shall be. Let the first coat dry completely before applying the second coat to build up the reddish tint. Next, Wild Rider Red is thinned the same way and applied to the model with a focus on the source of the light itself. Build up several layers to create that orange glow, getting closer to that center as you go. Finally, with the yellow, dot the source of the light to bring out that brightest point. If you need a longer glow, glaze this on and build it up to that highest point, where it should be brightest on the model itself. To enhance it, even more, add a final speck of white to the very tip. Add a few dots of thin yellow to the orange to get some highlights and enhance all parts of the model.
Finally, add a little of the darker red back into the fold of skin to bring out the shadows. You can add more detail in and definition with black and other colors to create a higher contrast. Overall, the process will take a bit of time with waiting for each level to dry, but the end effect is absolutely worth it. The same type of process can be used on larger areas with lots of glazing thin layers of paint.
To see the entire process, be sure to press play on the video below!
