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

[Irisado]

The gold finish on that High Elf Prince is outstanding.  You've got that just right.  The regal blue alongside that looks very impressive as well.  I can see why that's one of your favourite models.

[Cavalier]

Ridiculously awesome paint Loosh. Wow, really, really glorious. This looks like it came right out of the codex! Love all the yellows, golds and browns and the contrast with the blues. I can feel your love for the mini, phenomenal work.

[magenb]

The Elves have some really nice models. The blue just works, a lot of very nice work but those wings are a standout for me.

[Aurics Pride]

Oh wow, that High Elf Prince is stunning!
You've managed to get a really good balance of colour across the model and the finish on the gold is lovely!
You can tell that you enjoyed painting up that model, it really does look beautiful.

[Alienscar]

I'll not lie, I'm particularly fond of the beak and claws of the griffon too.

Let me know what you think (And yes, I know that I really needed to green stuff the griffon's back - that's a side project for the future. When I painted this guy, I only had very limited kit with me.

I agree with you Looshkin the beak and claws that you have painted look absolutely fantastic. I really like the way that you have painted the eyes as well. I don't know if the angle of the photograph is to blame but I think the rib cage of the Griffon could do with a highlight to make it a bit more three dimensional.

[Looshkin]

The gold finish on that High Elf Prince is outstanding.  You've got that just right.  The regal blue alongside that looks very impressive as well.  I can see why that's one of your favourite models.

Thanks Iri. I would love to say that it was all my own work to develop the gold pallet, but I'd be lying. I dug out the 'Eavy Metal Masterclass for painting the version of this mini that was available on foot and followed that to the letter. I'll dig it out again and maybe throw on a step by step.

Ridiculously awesome paint Loosh. Wow, really, really glorious. This looks like it came right out of the codex! Love all the yellows, golds and browns and the contrast with the blues. I can feel your love for the mini, phenomenal work.

As always, thanks Cav. I really tried to stick to the colour scheme used in the photos, as I think that it works so well. The cool blue offsetting the warm gold, yellows and browns - much like your very nice use of a cool blue to contrast with the warm reds on your Eldar.

Oh wow, that High Elf Prince is stunning!
You've managed to get a really good balance of colour across the model and the finish on the gold is lovely!
You can tell that you enjoyed painting up that model, it really does look beautiful.

Making me blush here dude! Thanks ever so much, I really appreciate the kind words.

those wings are a standout for me.

The great thing about those wings is just how easy they were to paint. Seriously, I followed the High Elf Painting Guide, which gives you a finish only a little beyond what a Paint Splatter article can achieve. It was purely a case of base coat, wash and the dry brush. The model does all the work for you because it is so well detailed.

I don't know if the angle of the photograph is to blame but I think the rib cage of the Griffon could do with a highlight to make it a bit more three dimensional.

I think you're right. This was the part of the mini that I struggled the most with. I must have tried to paint it 3 or 4 times before I settled with what is a fairly flat finish. Actually, one of the problems I faced was that there isn't a lot of detail to paint. It's all very subtle.

 I'm a paint by numbers painter. See detail, paint detail. If you give me a raised edge, I can detail it. Give me a blank canvas and I struggle. It's something that I need to work on.

I don't do a lot of detail work with an airbrush (I'm more of a base coat save time kinda guy), but I think that I would have liked to have had access to it when finishing this model. I may well still go back to it because I agree that, whilst I doesn't detract from the model, it could pop a little more.

[Looshkin]

Ok. I need to get painting. I'm starting to run out of backdated updates!

Anyway, I promised my Crimson Fists would get an outing, so I guess I better deliver.

I tried something new with these guys. Zenithal highlighting. Using my airbrush, I went up from a Kantor Blue base, through Calder Sky and up to Lothern for the top most parts of the armour. I then gave it a fairly heavy wash of Nuln Oil to get the crevices shaded and generally tone down the entire mini.

After that, it was simply a matter of picking out the details. I'm fairly happy with the results, seeing as it was a first try at this technique. Also, it's bloody quick! I based, highlighted and washed the minis in one afternoon. I then did the details over the course of about a week, working on them for only an hour or so per day. So to get that result in a week, whereas it would normally take 2 - 3 times that for me to brush paint a similar result, is something that I want to more of going forward.

Here we go:






Now, I should add that I need to Lamina Medium the transfers before adding a layer of purity seal. So the transfers may look a tiny bit rough and ready. That'll not take long (although work is a bugger at the moment, so my hobby goings on have been terribly limited over the past couple of months), so as soon as it's done, I'll pop a picky up.

I also started working on some of the older, finecast, Sternguard. Unfortunately, something broke in the airbrush, or jammed, and I've been waiting for a while for a maintenance kit to turn up. Soon as it does, hopefully I'll get the conveyor belt of minis going again.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these guys. I enjoyed painting them. Moreover, I'm pleased to get back to what was the first army I ever tried to paint. The results were shocking, just shocking. But I've always had a very special place in my heart for Crimson Fists, so look forward to putting to gather a small, fluffy force over the next few months.

[Cavalier]

Absolutely brilliant Loosh. Really love the way they came out. The Zenithal looks really nice... the dark shaded areas look very strong too. Great contrast and overall just stellar paint jobs. BTW what color are the eyes? Orange or yellow? They look fantastic...

Transfers look real good in the photos so I imagine they'll only look better after you touch them up.

Anyway great stuff Loosh I love em. Doesnt get more classic the Crimson Fists

[Looshkin]

BTW what color are the eyes? Orange or yellow? They look fantastic...

Cheers Cav, much appreciated. As for the eyes, they are a paint splatter staple; a white base coat with a layer or 2 of glaze over the top. In this case, the Bloodletter Glaze. As it pools towards the bottom, as with and wash type paint, it adds a fairly natural highlight. I never tend to paint the entire lens either - I leave the Nuln Oil shaded recess and just try to pick out the middle of the lens, that way they are able to pop just a tiny bit more. Hope that helps!

[Looshkin]

Time for another update. On to a guy that is 90% complete. I just need to find time to put his base together.

I was absolutely stoked when GW decided to release the Renegade box set. I've long been a fan of the knight models and saw this as a perfect excuse to add a couple to my collection. I decided that, as I don't really have any Imperial armies with which to include him, that I would do a dual project between the knight and the Crimson Fists in my last update.

After fighting back from the brink against Waaaagh Snagrod, the Crimson Fists looked to take back their own system from the Arch Arsonist. Among those worlds might have been a world which was home to a Knightly Order. In fighting against Snagrod, they had their numbers whittled until only 1 remained, providing what support he could to the local PDF. When their hour seemed darkest, the Crimson Fists fell from the heavens to liberate the besieged armies and claim back another planet from Snagrod. His house destroyed, the Knight pledged allegiance to the Crimson Fists in their ongoing fight against the Ork hordes, changing his colours in respect to his saviours. Over the years of campaigning that followed a mutual respect grew, until the Crimson Fists bestowed the honour of wearing the Chapter Insignia upon the Knight.

So there you go. Some back story.

As to the painting of the knight, I wanted him to have a darker overall look to the Crimson Fists, so that any spot colours would pop even more. Also, I decided that this would be the model on which I would try sponge weathering. Some bits I am happy with - such as the Gold plating on the top carapace. Some I'm really ecstatic about, such as the shield. Other bits less so, such as the knees, where I just got too much paint on the sponge and didn't notice until it was too late.

Anyway, onto the pictures:



Helm detail shot. There is a little heat weathering on the metal gun. Probably the most time that I spent on this mini was getting the gold right. I followed the same recipe as for the High Elf, but with a lot more blending. I also finished with Liberator Gold, so that the edges are far closer to Silver than Gold.




Shield Details. First time that I've weathered a piece after the addition of a transfer. I'm going to be doing this an awful lot in the future I feel, because I am really happy with the effect.






Rear shot. I wanted to leave this as a fairly simple finish for 2 reasons. 1. I wanted the model to look full of pomp from the front, but when you get to the back, you realise it's all about function over form. Forget the bells and whistles at the back. 2. I felt that the mini needed a large area devoid of colour, otherwise it would look a bit garish.

Also, so many details, so little time - I did want to get stuck in a never ending loop of find detail, paint detail, weather detail, look for more detail. As such, a few Black and Yellow cables is about all the flourish that I went for.


So there you are. I hope you like the model. If you have any questions about it, fire away. I'll make sure that as soon as he is based, I get a completed photo up.

Thanks for reading.

[Cavalier]

Hey Loosh, phenomenal work here. LOVE the sponge work. I have to try that out! I don't know what the heck I'm waiting for! I think you nailed it. The transfer work, the paint scheme, the color choices and of course the actual paint job is just sick! Love the background story too. Perfect amount of motivation and detail for the alliance. I love it! Phenomenal stuff man. Keep up the great work, this stuff is coming out fantastic!

[Aurics Pride]

Wow, that looks awesome!
Love the weathering on it, really well done 

[Dread]

The banner! The freakin' banner! It's so fantastic, I don't know why that detail grabbed me so hard but it makes a great center point and everythig around it is just awe inspiring awe to look at. Nice work and technique, color choices and just the gravity of him on a battle field must be something to behold.

[Looshkin]

Thanks for the kind words guys!

LOVE the sponge work. I have to try that out! I don't know what the heck I'm waiting for!

Seriously, don't wait Cav. I know that most of your work is super clean, but it could really speed up any Necron weathering you do in the future! The only tip that I can give is to really work most of the paint off the sponge. A little really does go a very long way with sponging.

The banner! The freakin' banner!

Haha! I definitely have GW to thank for the awesome banner transfers. They really have a lot of detail that I would never be able to replicate. I knew that the banner would have to pop a little or it would get lost as an afterthought. I'm really pleased that you like it!


So. A change of speed.

In this case, from slow to cripplingly sloth like!

I decided it was high time that I started working on the Space Wolves from the Stormclaw boxed set. Again, I lead off with some Zenithal highlights. In contrast to the Crimson Fists that I posted though, I did add a tiny edge highlight to the front, sharp edges that the mini has. Just for a tiny, tiny amount of extra zing.

So I have been working on 4 so far. Left most is obviously WiP.


The Chain Fist Wolf. I had a lot of fun working in the hazard lines and knee dags. I just wanted an excuse to add a little more yellow to the unit. It works so well with the Blue/Grey and as such, helps the unit pop a little more.


Assault Cannon Wolf. I beslubbered up a bit with this guy, managing to put him together in practically the same pose as the Chain Fist Guy. Hopefully it won't be so noticeable when I do the 5th guy in the unit (Not pictured).


Thunder Hammer McBadass. I really wanted to work on this guy's face, and am really happy with the results. I have been painting these at the same time as some Mantic Minis, and frankly the detail difference is shocking. GW really hit it out of the park while Mantic has a lot of flat, featureless stuff going on.



The Wolf Lord, or Sgt, or whatever he is. I'm painting these for fun, not gaming ;P

Pre-shading on the back for when I break out the Air Brush for the cloak work.


So there you go.

As I said, No.5 isn't pictured. I tried to be too clever with him, by spraying on the Agrax Earthshade recess wash. Needless to say, it wiped out the quality of the Blue/Grey that I had produced. I undercoated him again, but unfortunately the Air Brush broke, so I had to put him on hold. Hopefully I'll get back to him shortly, but I'm not holding out much hope...it's cold as balls out in the garage where most of my hobby stuff lives, and my wife would go harpic if I try spraying indoors!

Anyway, that's it for now. Hopefully be back with a big update soon, I have 1 more mini to complete a massive wadge of minis. Of course, I also have work to do, a kitchen wall to paint and a son to look after. So that 1 mini may take until February!!

Thanks for reading!

[Cavalier]

Wow such great work here Loosh. Totally, totally love the yellow! Such a great shade and so smooth. Super nice work on all the browns too. The Wolverine face on thunderhammer-man looks fantastic too. All around excellent work. These look like legit GW studio level paint jobs. Such nice painting here bud.

Thanks also for the advice on the sponge work I am totally gonna employ it.

Hope job and work around the house doesn't keep you away too long bud... I need moar!

Anyway great stuff my friend, keep it up and hope to see more minis soon!

[Dread]

So smooth, that in itself is a great thing. The work is stupendous with the "I'm a WOLF" vibrato in full swing. 2 thumbs up.

[Looshkin]

Thanks guys for the feedback. I'm afraid that I put down the Space Wolves to work on a couple of other projects that had been bubbling away in the background for a long while. I also started 1 new project that I have been looking forward to since I was a kid. I just didn't know it at the time.

So first off, I had mentioned that I picked up Dungeon Saga, a game released by Mantic in the mould of Advanced Heroquest or Dungeon Saga.

Let me say here, that if you ever see me complain about a GW or FW miniature in the future, give me a massive slap. GW plastics are a dream to work with, while FW resins pack in so much detail that I'm always amazed.

On the other hand, Mantic, on this occasion, have made some fairly meh minis. They have detail, but a lot of it is hard to define, even after a wash. Also, by using a soft 'hard' plastic, you get a certain amount of bending and warping throughout the minis. I will say that this adds to the amount of differentiation within similar model types though, as they all come out of the mould differently. Ah, who am I kidding, they're a bit crappy.

Anyway, I painted up most of the rank and file way back in about March or April, but it took a while longer to do all the characters, and I only finished them a couple of weeks back. Am I totally happy with them? No. But they look fine from a couple of feet away and I was never planning on entering them into a painting competition, so they're fine. They'll be good to game with, which is all I was really interested in.

Zombie troll. Obviously. Because I guess that's a thing!

Oh yeah, and apparently a zombie troll shaman is a thing too...

Wraith type banshee spirits.

Some of the shuffling Skeleton/zombie horde:



A couple of the Evil characters. A necromancer and the dead dwarf king. I used a little Nihilakh Oxide to show the mystical energies or some such.

Dead dwarves:


I spent a little more attention on the Heroes...I guess they'll generally be alive a lot longer than any of the undead throng.

First up, the obligatory Barbarian character:

Obligatory Dwarf:

Wow, an Elven Ranger. How very daring of you:

And finally the Mage.


Yeah. Boy am I glad that painting those guys is over with. Not enjoyable at all really. When none of your painting techniques particularly work, it just gets frustrating in a hurry.

So I moved onto GW figures again!

First up, I finished off my Ork Warboss from the Stormclaw set. I had painted the actual boss a little while back, so just had to do the backpack and the Squig.

I love this guy. The amount of character in this mini is just brilliant. Orks really do have some of the best minis ever created.





I've now taken up enough of your time. I'll upload the next few pictures later...and these guys I'm super excited about. This is the project that I would have wanted to do when I was 11.

Bloodbowl.

[Irisado]

I think that the non-GW figures turned out well, but I do see what you mean about some of them not looking that great.  The Ork Warboss is a standout from this group of figures.  He looks suitably ferocious.

[Looshkin]

I think that the non-GW figures turned out well, but I do see what you mean about some of them not looking that great.  The Ork Warboss is a standout from this group of figures.  He looks suitably ferocious.

To be fair, the Mantic minis don't look terrible in the flesh, especially the characters. The lighting really washes out a lot of the highlights. I would love to go for natural lighting for my photos, but it is Winter and there was fog when I taking the shots, so the overly sterile glare of the bathroom is all I could muster. Thing is, some of the work, like the skin on the Barbarian, is some of the better work that I've done. It's lost in the photo and on top of that, the head is just a crappy mould. As are the legs. Frustrating!

The annoying thing about the Mantic minis is that it is totally up to you to work some 3D painting to the model. there aren't obvious foods and flaps in a lot of the clothing. Just a lot of flat areas. If you do a wash, there is nowhere for the paint to settle. As such, it takes a lot of work to achieve very little.

What I'm saying is, even if you're not a fan of skulls, GW produces fantastic miniatures that are invariably a pleasure to work with.

[Cavalier]

Hey Loosh great work as always. Yeah I feel you on the non-GW models. Doing comission work whenever I work on non-GW stuff I'm blown away by just how different it is... and different in a bad way. Not the hugest fan of the models pictured above, but I'd love them for D&D did you get them for a good price? I'd love to have something similar for my battle-mat, but I may just use ye-old Hero Quest instead... lol. At least the paint jobs look excellent if the mini's are a bit lackluster.

The Grukk Facerippa came out fantastic though! What a model, I love how huge his freaking mouth is. His Squigg is legendary too. He plays like a boss on the tabletop too if you can get him into combat. Fantastic work on him... been a fan of him since Scorpion82 took him on a million-game journey last year.

Great stuff as always bud keep it up!!!