Topic: Looshkin's Everything Thread - Shroud Runners and Autarch

[Looshkin]

Hey guys, I thought I'd finally post some progress on this thread before it ends up on page 2 of the project boards! So many great projects knocking about, with so much progress being made...well frankly, it's all been quite intimidating, which has led to me working very slowly recently.

Oh...and Destiny 2. That's sucked away far too many of my hobby hours recently!

I have, however, made some progress. Mainly on my Death Guard, but I've resurrected a project from earlier in the year and taken on a project that I didn't even know I would be doing until Tuesday this week.

So I'll start with what you guys already know I've been working on. Death Guard.

I won't lie to you, I thought I'd knock these out quite quickly. How hard could it be? Base coat, shade, highlight...right? Oh...but there's another detail there. And what about that doohickey? And you can't forget that thing there. Before you know it, it seemed like I wasn't getting anywhere. I'll admit that I somewhat rushed the last few elements of the last couple of miniatures. I'm happy with them as a squad, but I definitely will go back and re-do or touch up one or two bits on at least 3 of them.

Ok, so photos!

The whole Pustulant gang:



My favourite model in the starter set. Dynamic. Cool. Bells. What's not to like?



I enjoyed this guy because it allowed to work on a couple of different rust effects. Heavy for the blade, light for the chimney vent thing on his back pack.


I like this guy's 'Come at me bro' stance. He was the first guy I started working on. I'm not overly happy with the skin face thing on his shoulder...or with any of them in this first batch, but it's ok and works for me at the moment.


He's got antlers. Who doesn't want antlers?


Very Death Korps vibe to this guy. You really get a sense of the slow, implacable nature of these dudes with this model.


This was my first try in a long time at Plasma effects. I wasn't 100% happy with the result, but it is the right feel. I wanted the centre of the plasma coils to be eye-achingly white. To really stand out...mainly so I won't forget him half way through a game!! But also, it's a different vibe, a different texture, so I wanted it to look and feel different.


Ugh. This guy.

If there is 1 model in the whole starter set that I hate, it's this guy. I just think that the front of the model has too much detail. It's too busy. It's a bit of a mess. And I'm nowhere near happy with how he came out. Although I somewhat like the fly thingy.


From the back though? Woah! That's a great mini! WTF? How is the front messy and the back brilliant? I think it comes down to the fact that there aren't really any dominant colours on the front. There are a riot of colours, but nothing says 'I'm in control here'. From the back though, it's clear that the robe and armour are calling the shots. Green and purple. Everything else is a compliment or a contrast. As it should be.


So there you go. A decent start. Not where I want to be later on in the project, but I've explored some ideas and found several things that work.

I really want to put together a small, flavourful Death Guard force now. I'm thinking of basing it around 3 units of 7 Plague Marines with supporting characters and tanks. It doesn't need to be very good on the tabletop, it just needs to look good.

Well anyway, Tuesday this week, I was getting my car serviced and to kill time, I went into my local GW and did some painting. Turns out that today (Saturday) is the Store's Birthday. As such, there's a load of hoopla, free stuff and some little competitions. One of the competitions was to draw 3 random Plastic Clam Packs out of a big box, pick one and then paint it up. All in a week. I wasn't going to go for it, because I like to take my time over models...but something was itching at me and I really wanted to know whether I could achieve a decent result in just 4 days...especially given that I would be working the next 3 days, looking after my son and generally being busy.

So I put my hand in the Big Box and drew out the following:

Lord-Castellant | Games Workshop Webstore

Not a great start. I'm not a huge fan of Sigmarines to start with and I've painted a fair amount of gold recently by doing Celestine. I knew I could paint it up and it look ok, but the model didn't capture me at all.

Endrinmaster | Games Workshop Webstore

Ugh. Any single other model in the Kharadron range would have been great...but this guy, I feel, is about the only duff model in the range.It was a proper let down to pull this guy out.

Blood Angels Chaplain With Jump Pack | Games Workshop Webstore

Well. I've not painted a Blood Angel since Space Hulk...and I really enjoyed that. Also, black armour...I have all the Deathwatch to paint from the boxed set, so it couldn't hurt to get some practice in. Finally, that pose is mint.

I had a winner.

I also failed to do anything but build it on Tuesday. Wednesday came and went and it was only undercoated. However, 2 hours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning, and the story was quite different.



I didn't realise it at the time, but the Plasma gun on the Death Guard was a test-piece for this guy! Far happier with how this one came out.






Unfortunately, the black highlights are largely lost in these photos. All, the wings are far less striking than IRL. I was really happy with the wing...especially as I think it took about 6 or 7 thin layers to get the result where I wanted it to be.

There are a couple of things that I wanted to do, but ran out of time on. 1, clean up the bone on the helmet. 2, give him some eyes...It I tried to, but just beslubbered up the job, so I repainted them as black sockets and put in a gloss varnish. 3, 2nd and 3rd layers of highlighting on some of the black armour.

As it was, I got stuck in terrible traffic so I missed the deadline for entry...in fact, everyone had pretty much finished voting by this stage! I get on well with the Store Manager though, so he told me to enter it and let everyone know that they could take a look and if they wanted to change their votes they could...well a few people changed their votes straight away and a couple who hadn't voted threw votes my way, but most of the store carried on with whatever games they were playing and didn't even check out the mini...which was disappointing.

So, in short, I didn't win 



I did come 2nd though! Do I think I would have won if everyone took a look at my model? Yes. Am I disappointed? Not really. The guy that won put stacks of effort into his piece and it really was nice. The best that he's ever painted for a competition. So I'm happy for him. More importantly, it gives me something to aim for next year!!

So what else is new on my Paint Station? Well, new and old first:

Celestine's Girly Gang:



These have literally been the only constant on my paint station since I first built them. I just fell out of love with them after struggling with Celestine...but I'm trying to finally finish them off now. A little progress on them has been made. Should be able to finish them sometime soon.

Finally, I'm trying to continue working through my Death Guard:

Great model. Also, Celestra Grey is the king of paints. Sorry Mithril Silver, you had your day. Celestra is just so easy to work with. Totally forgiving on you too. It's the bomb.





I should enjoy painting this guy a lot more than I am. Ugh.


Right! That's it!

Thank you for sticking with me. Sorry it's a wall of text and photos. I really appreciate you stopping by to take a look though. Hopefully you see something you like. Hopefully, if you don't see something you like, you'll let me know why!*



*And no, Cav, 'I want Eldar' is not a valid argument!

[Saim-Dann]

Niiiiice!
What a visual feast, Looshkin. Have the same colors and technique on my Swooping Hawk wings, so can visualize just how the Chaplin's look IRL. The black on the armor allows the dark red and highlights to really shine. Magic job on the DG as well, mate. loving the different rust effects.

From the time consuming to the rushed comp job, very neat/ smooth and thought out. Thanks for sharing, Looshkin... Pointy ears forever!!

[Irisado]

You've certainly been busy.  That was a very wide selection of painting updates to go through.  They were all excellent, but my favourite was the Plague Marine squad.  They look superb, even the one with excessively detailed front which gave you some problems.  They look suitably diseased, yet still with that sleek Chaos Space Marine feel to certain pieces of their armour.

The only thing that I'm not completely sure about is the plasma core on the plasma gun.  I cannot think of a way to improve it, but it just doesn't look quite right in terms of the colour to me.  It seems a bit too ice white, but that may be the lighting.   A more of an off white may achieve the desired effect a bit more.  Whether that's achievable though, I'm not sure, and it's such a small point, I'd say that it's best to leave it as it is.

I feel your pain regarding some the models that you pulled out of the sack too.  The Chaplain is impressive and you've done very good work with painting him, but the others were a let down, especially that Age of Sigmar model.  Steam punk pseudo Dwarf things are awful in my opinion.

I'm looking forward to see how the work in progress Death Guard turn out .

[Cavalier]

I'm not happy with this post at all.

Because I want ELDAR
And it is a valid argument

lol... WOW. MEGAPOST! I love it! This is what I'm talking about. Seriously... the project logs on this forum are freaking legendary. We need to change the title of this section to the Holy Hobby Crusade...

Such nice work Loosh. Not only am I psyched about the models you were working on but the paint jobs as well. The Deathguard look super awesome. Like right out of a White Dwarf and I really mean it. I love, love, love the rust effects on the blades and the detail work on all the little bits and bobs (shoulder pads and bells in particular). The highlighting and shading on the little chips, dings and pits on the armor are also standout. I'm super impressed with how you managed to highlight them so well, with all the trim. Thats usually a BIG stumbling block for me as I make my bones with my edge highlighting skills. But you managed to pick out just the right spots to highlight and shade with total skill my man. Its that kind of stuff that really makes me admire your work. I can always see that you've got the killer plan and attack it with a great balance of subtlety and visual punch when and where its needed. Also the glowing little wings on the bugs are SO sick. I absolutely love them.

Also I'm so freaking jealous of the grab bag! Damn I was just looking at the White Dwarf with that Blood Angels Chaplain this morning with my coffee. One of my fave Blood Angels models... perhaps my all time fave. So lucky.

My only two criticisms/suggestions would be to add just a touch of weathering to the feet of the Deathguard guys. Maybe just a bit of scuffing with a little metal showing and just a little film of dirt on there. Just because you did great weathering on all the other bits, I think it'd just add a bit of balance to the models.

My only other suggestion would be perhaps to hit red fleshy ribbing on the Blood Angels Chaplain with a dark little wash just to deepen the shading a bit. It may be the photos but that'd be my only suggestion. You killed everything else on that model with extreme prejudice. The wings and plasma pistol in particular are absolutley stunning.

Seriously fantastic work my friend. Always so stoked to see your updates. This one didn't disappoint. Would love to know your thoughts on my suggestions. Do let me know.

Alright bud keep rocking and next time... ELDAR

[Orange]

Wow, really beautiful work. The highlighting and shading on everything is outstanding.

[dog_of_war]

Awesome work Loosh. I'm with Cab though in the Death Guard. A tad more weathering may be in order, as those paint jobs are just to clean. Don't get me wrong, they are superbly executed. They just need a touch more disease and decay. A simple thing you could try is just add some staining to some of the larger patches of armour and coming from some of the holes. The rust effects a very well executed and you've done a great job not over doing it. I think what else is throwing me off is the bases. Green (alive) static grass and nurgle just doesn't scream pestilence. Besides that, I think you've chosen a great colour palette and I'm really enjoying the purple cloaks contrasting with the green power armour.

[Dread]

Nice, crisp clean work. I always love your style. Agree with the others on their points but in the end, you're the only one that has to be happy.

[Looshkin]

I'm not happy with this post at all.

Because I want ELDAR
And it is a valid argument

Lolz!

My only two criticisms/suggestions would be to add just a touch of weathering to the feet of the Deathguard guys. Maybe just a bit of scuffing with a little metal showing and just a little film of dirt on there. Just because you did great weathering on all the other bits, I think it'd just add a bit of balance to the models.

What?

What??

What. The. Actual. beslubber??!!!

What?

Criticism? Cav. Cav Cav Cav.

You are dead to me.

Awesome work Loosh. I'm with Cab though in the Death Guard. A tad more weathering may be in order, as those paint jobs are just to clean. Don't get me wrong, they are superbly executed. They just need a touch more disease and decay.

Agree with the others on their points but in the end, you're the only one that has to be happy.

It's a beslubbering revolt is what it is!

@ Cavalier, Dread and DoW

Yhwh-condemned it if you aren't all right.

I painted these guys doing super clean GW style paint jobs and just weathered some of the Brass/Copper/Steel elements to hint at the corrosion and corruption of Papa Nurgle. You're all right though...because it wouldn't stop there. These guys aren't maintaining their kit like a Space Marine would. Hell, some have completely rotted/rusted armour.

So I made some changes. Minor changes, but important nevertheless. I added some sponge weathering wherever I could fit my sponge. Only little bits, but enough to hint at an overall corrosive feel.

Knee and helm:

Rear view of the same guy. Lower leg weathering:

Penis Guard (In other words, I have no idea what this is called. Armoured loin cloth? Girdle? No idea...)"

And lower leg of the same guy:

A little on the chest:

And lower leg again on the rear view:

I like how this one came out, with shin guard damage. Because we all know how much bashing your shins hurts, amirite?

Rear view, lower leg damage mainly:

This guy, I went a little further. More blood effects on the power fist, with a little Tooth Brush-Flicking spatter.

I actually think the blood helps with the balance of this guy too, as the warm red is a brilliant counterpoint to the very cool fly wings.

The only thing that I'm not completely sure about is the plasma core on the plasma gun.  I cannot think of a way to improve it, but it just doesn't look quite right in terms of the colour to me.  It seems a bit too ice white, but that may be the lighting.   A more of an off white may achieve the desired effect a bit more.  Whether that's achievable though, I'm not sure, and it's such a small point, I'd say that it's best to leave it as it is.

Et tu Brute?

When you're right, you're right though. Again Iri, you absolutely nailed something that I hadn't considered. Why does the plasma have to be blue? Is it because everyone just paints it blue? Well that's daft. This is a made up world and we can populate it how we want. And it's something that I hadn't given due consideration to until you raised the issue.

So I made another change. I decided to go with a purple plasma, because one of the spot colours for the squad is purple, so it could definitely fit. Much more than the blue which wasn't the same tone as anything else in the squad.

I really hope you like this, because I think it's a softer finish and the tone just works so well:

The back of the same guy, with a little weathering on the legs and cloak:

I think what else is throwing me off is the bases. Green (alive) static grass and nurgle just doesn't scream pestilence.

I get you, and I think you're right to an extent. However, Nurgle is also about bounteous growth. So a base with wild, unkempt growth would probably suit the theme too. In this case, though, I wanted the bases to fit with all my other models. I toned down the greenery on the Death Guard, but I still wanted some. My board and scenery are all themed about a (Very unlucky) Eldar Maiden world that is being protected by Alaitoc and her Rangers. I figure that if anything might be able to resist the pestilent charms of Papa Nurgle, it'd be the untapped purity of an Elder Maiden world. So not all death in this case!

@Everyone Wow. Thank you all for stopping by and commenting. Moreover, thank you all for being totally honest with me! I'm never going to get any better or grow as a painter unless I get told what I'm doing wrong and you guys have totally hit the nail on the head with several key points.

Thank you all so much, I really hope you like the adjustments that I've made.

[Ynneadwraith]

Dude! You certainly won't be getting any criticisms from me after this latest batch of weathering they're perfect

Also, I'm with the static grass on this. I've got a bit of headcanon that underneath all of the rot, before all of the fethed up stuff that screwed up the galaxy, Nurgle was a fertility god. Wherever he goes, life blooms. Just not necessarily yours...

Good to have you back and posting anyway dude especially with an update as good as this

[Dread]

Definitely love the plasma. I applaud the changes, looking really good.

[Saim-Dann]

G'day Looshkin!
Nice comeback, mate. Recall you saying you did the plasma the way you did so as to remind you to shoot them. Hope painting them the same color as the capes doesn't take away from that... Pointy ears forever!!

[Aurics Pride]

Wow Loosh,
You've done some serious work! The weathering on those Death Guard is spot on, not too dirty to detract from the model but they don't look unnaturally clean! Love the Purple plasma too, as you say it fits with the model much better.

[Cavalier]

Lol... its an UPRISING! 

Aw man fantastic touch ups Loosh. Just what the doctor ordered. If you pushed it any farther it would mess up the overall paint job. Killer work... some of that sponging couldn't be more perfect. Also the blood effect on that power fist is soooo killer. I wish my World Eaters weren't red so I could go crazy with that stuff. Now these models just have a huge amount of texture and so many little areas of interest to draw in the eye.

Looks so good man.

Also... that plasma... THAT PLASMA. SO SICK! Just killed it my man.

Yeah I always do my plasma and energy weird colors. I think I've done it all orange for my guys.

Just brilliant work man. They were phenomenal before and even better now. Love the little bit about why you based them that way... but you just had to tease some Eldar stuff. Now get cracking!!! lol Great stuff bud can't wait to see more. I love it.

[dog_of_war]

That purple plasma is spot on and the weathering definitely brought the minis to that next plateau. I'm totally on board with keeping your collection consistent with your bases. It was probably just the combination of ultra clean paint job and base that just seemed off. Now with the chips and scratches in the power armour, combined with the rust effects, I'm sold on the fact that these guys are supposed to be centuries or millennia old. Their bolters still look like they've just come off the assembly line and not seem centuries of war, but now I'm being critic for the sake of pointing out a flaw in perfection 

[Irisado]

The plasma effect is a great improvement now.  It looks much more ancient and flickering than it did previously.  Leave that clean blue finish for Eldar and Space Marines, Deathguard would have something less clear and clean, such as the look that the weapon has now.

[Orange]

Really liking that plasma. It's funny how we get in a bit of a rut with colours, just because we see certain things painted a certain way all the time. Good to see the mold being broken!

I didn't mind the clean Nurgle before

I think the little touches are good, you don't want to obscure such a sharp paint job under too much grime, even if they're supposed to be dirty.

[Looshkin]

Their bolters still look like they've just come off the assembly line and not seem centuries of war, but now I'm being critic for the sake of pointing out a flaw in perfection 

There's a reason for that! I'm in the military and as a part of that, I'm required to learn every year about the Law of Armed Conflict. What you can and can't do in combat. One of those things that you can't do is modify your weapons so as to cause more suffering to your enemy. Smearing blades in excrement and the like is a big no no. Which is exactly why all of the Death Guard blades look as though they are smeared with filth. Rusty. Manky. Depraved. In order to cause as much suffering and spread of contagion as is possible.

But they still need to be able to shoot their guns, right? This is where I think that any Space Marine, whether loyalist or traitor, would fall into line. They would still care for and maintain their weapon. Now the bullets inside that weapon may have been tampered with in order to cause more suffering/spread disease etc...but the weapon itself? That would still be stripped and cleaned in order to be the weapon of death that it was built to be...not a filthy, temperamental instrument of bludgeoning.

@ Everyone Thanks you so much for taking an interest in these latest little projects! The feedback has been astounding and I can only thank you all for giving me guidance where necessary. I'm really pleased that you like the touch ups that I've done. Hopefully I'll have more for you sometime soon. Maybe even Eldar one day Cav....maybe...

[Ynneadwraith]

Very interesting it's always interesting seeing how people real-life perspectives reflect in the models they make.

I quite like the idea of Death Guard with meticulously maintained weapons. Yes they're nurgly and mutated and rank, but they're still elite soldiers. The rabble and poxwalkers might neglect such things, but no Astartes would be caught dead with an ill-maintained weapon

[vonny]

That is indeed an interesting take on things. Something to keep in mind!

[Looshkin]

Hey guys, small update time (I thought it was better to have a small update than keep you waiting for 6 weeks again...).

I've slowed work on my Death Guard because I have a few other projects on the go as well. I'm whipping to make big progress this week as I have a quiet work week and my wife and son are off visiting her parents, leaving me with significantly more free time than I normally have!

Whilst Ive started work on a few things, I have still pottered away on the Death Guard characters and I managed to finish the Lord of Contagion:






I'm aware that he looks a little clean in these pictures. I've added weathering to a few of the armour panels and to the cloak too. Unfortunately, my light box has broken and it's night sooooo....as soon as I fix the light box or replace it, I'll get some more pictures up.

I'll also start revealing the other projects that I'm working on as the week goes on.

Thanks for popping by!