Greetings to one and all !
I have been going over these forums the last week or so and i finally thought that i should post my new project i have just recently commenced. Constructive criticism is more than welcome as i am always looking to improve my techniques.
History:I have recently just gotten back into the hobby after a 4 year absence where i went to work and live in China. A lot has changed during my time away and i recently picked up an Eldar army from the local GWS here at Chermside ( as well as some bargain E-Bay auctions ).
I decided that i would start up a thread about the construction and the painting steps i take to:
a) Derive a colour scheme
b) Experiment with the new paint range( to me at least ) including the foundations, washes and quite a few new paints
c) Convert models
d) Help out beginner painters with my average skill and hopefully shake off all the rust before i reach my character models so i can do a decent job !
Hopefully this project will inspire others to do so, as well.
Wow! - New paint range! Back in the day we had the glossy inks of doom that no one really used and if you wanted to use them you had to mix them with paint for a matte finish and about half the colours that are currently in the new range.
So here it is:
Ulfhedinn's Eldar Painting ProjectAim:1) To paint an army to play with that hasn't been painted with a tank brush ( read : local store kiddies )
2) To do so in a reasonable time frame
3) To have a competitive army list to enter into local tournaments that also looks good on the table
4) To give a step by step account for what i do when i paint and assemble an army
5) To have fun ! Painting should be an exciting and enjoyable aspect of the hobby – not a menial task.
Weapons of Choice:Citadel Mega Paint Kit - Includes: All of the Citadel Colour and Foundation paints and every Wash as well as PVA Glue, sand, three types of static grass and seven paintbrushes
2 pots of Tentacle Pink i managed to track down at another GWS
Citadel Spray Gun
Citadel Black Primer
Hobby knives
Files
Digital Camera - For all those updates
Last but not least my
'Palette o' Doom' This is just a normal plastic palette with a twist. I use absorbant towel in the bottom, fill it with some water so it gets sucked up into the towel. Then i layer a piece of baking paper over the top. This allows the paint that i mix to remain wet for as long as i need. The water underneath ( in the wet paper towel ) is drawn up through the baking paper when needed.
I have have paints here in Brisbane ( 30+ degrees + room full of blasting fans ) remain wet for a decent amount of time. At my girlfriends house i left it overnight in her aircon and the paint was still wet the following morning.
I highly suggest this method of keeping you paints wet as nothing sucks more then having your mixed palette of colours drying out before you come back for more.
The List:( note: the models in this are the base for an army i hope to play with/have – i will more then likely add more models as i come across things i want to include in my army list and or to paint. )
HQ:Avatar of Khaine x1Eldrad Ulthran x1Prince Yriel of Iyanden x1Farseer x6 ( 2 SS, 1 dual WB, 3 Staff *new models* )
Warlock x6 ( 1 SS, 2 WB )
Autarch ( WSG, Mandiblasters, fusion pistol model )
Autarch on JetbikeJetbike Seer Council ( 9 Warlocks 1 Farseer )Elites:Fire Dragons x 6Harelquin Troupe ( Shadowseer, Death Jester, Troupe Master, 8x harlies )
Howling Banshees x 6Troops:Wraithguard x 10Dire Avengers x 30Rangers x 5Guardians x 10Storm Guardians x 10Fast AttackWarp Spiders x 5Swooping Hawks x 6Heavy SupportWraithlord x 3Falcon x 1 Fire Prism x 2Transports:Wave Serpent x 3See list above for assembly updates/ colour scheme patterns/ test model colours ect.
The SagaChapter 1: Mold lines are the bane of my existance *sadface*
When you need to pretty much assemble and carve out/ file down all the mold lines on the models over a few days it pretty much will do your head in. So I'm a firm believer in doing it in small amounts and before you actually assemble the models. This way it will not put so much strain on the plastic/metal surfaces that are thin and or fragile.
After being covered in shard of plastic and metal for the last 3 days and swearing that if i see another mold line today i will kill its entire family and its pet Goldfish... ( and I'm not even half way through the assembling
) I have decided that enough is enough and its time to assemble, base and try test colour schemes on the ones i have done.
Chapter 2: Assembling the models and basing!Easy enough. Glue meet plastic, plastic meet glue.
Basing: Everyone seems to have their own way for basing. I use the traditional method of undiluted PVA glue -> Sand -> Allowing to dry for a few hours -> Watered down layer of PVA (70%water : Glue)
Allowed to dry overnight.
Chapter 3: Creating a colour scheme. Ahh probably the hardest thing for me is to choose a colour scheme. Its definitely up there on the list with choosing a name for a character on an Online RPG.
I like to have a darker feel to my colour schemes. Eldar are pretty models by nature, they are even painted happy and bright colours in the Codex and the White Dwarf. To me, this seems somewhat out of place personally in the 41st millennium. I love the dark and gritty nature of the lore surrounding it. That's my reasoning and I'm sticking to it hahaha.
I always like to start with a 'test model'
This is where i paint him with a very very vague colour scheme in mind, from there i pretty much go with inspiration of models i have seen and colours that i like. I like to see what colours go together as i paint and to see if they will work together.
Most of the time it works for me as i have basic idea of what colours complement others and what clashes horribly to look like M&M vomit of a small child who has recently taken LSD, thinks he is a squirrel-turkey monster and is currently trying to eat your shoelace.
So what i will be doing is the main infantry squads up one at a time.
Starting with the Fire Dragon.
Why the Fire Dragon?
Cause he needed the least touch up after undercoating.*giggle*
Below is a picture of the Fire Dragon i have done up as a test model.
( As with all models - Piccys can't do justice
)
Fire Dragon Rundown:Step 1: Mechrite Red – Colour that is new to me as is the whole foundation range, seeing it come up as it did over the black gave me hope that this would not take as many coats to get to what i had in mind.
Mechrite Red was thinned down with water for the second coat to make a nice smooth finish. I touched up areas that needed it. I did the whole Fire Dragon armour ( save for the head ) a smooth colour.
Step 2: Baal Red – Another new wash – tried to water it down at first ( as was the custom with the old inks ) seeing that it made little difference i bit the bullet and used it straight from the pot. Happy with the result i continued on with the armour and left it to dry.
Step 3: Scab Red - After letting the model dry i noticed that it was very similar to a colour that i actually have experience with in the range – Scab Red. After hunting through my paint kit for it i applied a 80:20 paint to water ration to go over the raised armour plating ( i like smooth watered down paint – makes the detail stand out and makes blending easier even if it takes more coats ).
I continued this pattern leaving the Mechrite Red and Baal Red washed armour in the recesses.
Step 4: Painting up to Blood Red – This is the paint ratio and water % that i did to reach Blood Red ( Streak free goodness )
1. Scab Red & Blood Red 3:1 80%
2. Scab Red & Blood Red 2:1 50%
3. Scab Red & Blood Red 1:1 50%
4. Blood Red 60%
5. Blood Red 30%
I did 2 lots of Blood red as i found out it came out smoother and a cleaner colour with a more watered down solution. The Mechrite Red as a base really helped in this process as i didn't need as many coats going from Chaos Black as i would have in the past.
Step 5: Highlights – A mixture of Blood Red + Blazing Orange was mixed to create the first stage of highlights that i would use. I used a similar ratio as done on the Blood Red with Blood as the Primary and Blazing as the Secondary.
*Helpful tip* - Never mix white with your Blood Red colour to make highlights. It will make the Blood Red go a nasty pink colour that won't blend in as a highlight.Step 6: Gems – Traditional gem painting method was used it is as follows:
1: Paint the Gems in a colour of choice. Do not paint them too bright initially otherwise the highlights will be almost impossible and the gem not looking like it should.
2: Add a dark shade to the top, maybe a bit to the left or right side. The 'dark side' wherever you face it will be the direction of the light source refracting inside the gem. Keep that in mind when you decide where the light source should be.
3: Add some light shade of your base colour to the opposite end on the gem this shows the light refacting inside the gem.
4: Add a dab of white paint in the middle of the dark area to show the light source and to give the gem that important refractive/reflective feel.
( images stolen from a web site for convenience )
The Colours i used are Dark Angels Green, Snot Green, Scorpion Green and Skull White.
I also used the same gem technique for the eyes.
Step 7: The head – Ahh the tricky part. Let's start with the White.
To achieve a nice, smooth, unstreaked surface i used Fenris Grey Basecoat over the black Primer. I did a 80:20 paint ratio for the first coat followed by a 20:80 second coat to make it smooth.
The following table is the paint ratio i used to complete the white:
1. Fenris Grey Space Wolves Grey 5:1 80%
2. Fenris Grey Space Wolves Grey 3:1 50%
3. Fenris Grey Space Wolves Grey 2:1 50%
4. Fenris Grey Space Wolves Grey 1:1 50%
5. Space Wolves Grey 50%
6. Space Wolves Grey Skull White 5:1 30%
7. Space Wolves Grey Skull White 4:1 30%
8. Space Wolves Grey Skull White 3:1 30%
9. Space Wolves Grey Skull White 2:1 30%
The reason i like to use Space Wolves Grey is that i like the gap i leave around the very edges to have a bluish tinge to the white. It creates a shadow that is more subtle then say Codex Grey.10.Then.... Skull White at a 20% paint to water ratio with LOTS of water in the mix to prevent streaking of the brush. You will notice it has a layer of water on the surface, so when it evaporates the remaining Skull White paint will have a smooth finish and dry evenly.
Do this as many times as it takes to get a nice smooth white finish ( or till you are happy with the result )
Step 8: Colour Blending for the helm – Okay, what i did here was use the same colour palette i had with the armour of the Dragon. I used a very thinned down mix from Scab Red onwards ( Mechrite Red would be too strong for what i wanted to achieve ). I used my lovely Wet Palette and kept adding water and paint to the mix while it was still wet on the model and on the palette. I smoothed out the transitions the best i could ( I'm rusty ) and went all the way up to pure Blazing Orange for the tip of his Helmet.
With this stage Practice makes perfect. I'm sure the other Fire Dragons will come along nicely once i get the technique back in the saddle. I will also be using similar blending techniques for my Grav Tanks.
Step 9: The weapon and Melta Bomb – For this Eldar Army i am staying away from 'metallic' weapons. Metal to me does not belong in an eldar army if i can help it. Therefore only Jewel mountings, and ornaments are to be metal ( gold or something along those lines). The rest will be painted as NMM ( Nonmetallic Metal )or as Crystalline structures.
I thought that the best way to go about this is the simple route. Something that doesn't distract the attention from the Fire Dragons armour and sort of centres the model.
I decided I'd start with a base coat of Adeptus Battlegrey. Turns out i liked it so much i inked it with Badab Black highlighted it with Astronomican Grey. Haha – not much to tell there I'm afraid.
Step 10: Details – Small items were picked out such as the Fire Dragon symbol and the sash.
The symbol : I did a Dwarf Bronze, and inked it with Badab Black.
The sash:
1. Liche Purple 80%
2. Liche Purple Warlock Purple 2:1 80%
3. Liche Purple (H) Warlock Purple 1:1 60%
4. Warlock Purple (H) 60%
5. Tentacle Pink (H) 60%
** (H) – Denotes Highlight. It was used accordingly.
I decided that with my 2 pots of tentacle pink i managed to acquire that i would have a purple colour featured on all of my units, whether it be a sash, weapon ( crystalline) or otherwise. This give it somewhat of a unifying mark without being all painted the same colour. I find this is especially effective on aspect warrior units.
Well, that's all for now. I have almost finished my Dire Avenger Exarch. I will post in a similar fashion as above when i get a chance.
May your mold lines be nonexistent,
-Ulfhedinn-
**Edit** - Making it pretty