News: No news is good news...

Login  |  Register

Author Topic: Ulfhedinn's Eldar Army -[Update: Army is assembled! Converted Wraithlords ^.^]  (Read 20397 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline -Φ Ulfhedinn Φ- Servant of the Lord of Dark Delights

  • Junior Member
  • **
  • Posts: 149
  • Juggernaught of Fornication
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 Project

Aim:

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 x1

Eldrad Ulthran x1

Prince Yriel of Iyanden x1

Farseer x6 ( 2 SS, 1 dual WB, 3 Staff *new models* )

Warlock x6 ( 1 SS, 2 WB )

Autarch ( WSG, Mandiblasters, fusion pistol model )

Autarch on Jetbike

Jetbike Seer Council ( 9 Warlocks 1 Farseer )


Elites:

Fire Dragons x 6

Harelquin Troupe ( Shadowseer, Death Jester, Troupe Master, 8x harlies )

Howling Banshees x 6

Troops:

Wraithguard x 10

Dire Avengers x 30

Rangers x 5

Guardians x 10

Storm Guardians x 10


Fast Attack

Warp Spiders x 5

Swooping Hawks x 6


Heavy Support

Wraithlord x 3

Falcon x 1
 
Fire Prism x 2

Transports:

Wave Serpent x 3

See list above for assembly updates/ colour scheme patterns/ test model colours ect.


The Saga

Chapter 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  ;)





« Last Edit: December 15, 2008, 09:37:29 PM by -Ulfhedinn- »
"The very touch of our god's breath overwhelms mortal senses with the scent of delight... the slightest purr of our god's voice is enough to stimulate the senses into eternal and blissful oblivion. To the followers of Slaanesh the mortal world is grey and insipid compared to the sensual paradise that is the master's affection."

Offline Mr.Zombie Pogo Stick

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 401
  • Country: 00
Re: Ulfhedinn's Eldar Army - New Project
« Reply #1 on: November 12, 2008, 12:31:48 PM »
Wow thats an AMAZING first post!
 
 
Welcome back to 40K and Welcome to 40KO.
 
 
I haven't had time to read all of your post but I will do soon, yet what I have read is sounding very nice.
 
P.S is that a Wish List or do you have that stuff?
 if you have it, you have an amazing army!
Can I have sex with it while killing it? - Daniel, Duck Lord of the True Kin
I always thought Autarch's were a bit fruity - Seraph Tenacious
oh holy jumped-up christ on a pogo-stick! - Rasmus
Hey look i can post the word poop fifty times -DestroyerOfWorlds
seven randomly selected Lithuanians get mumps every time someone digs up an old thread - Mr Peanut
Be yourself, don't take anyone's amphetamine parrot, and never let them take you alive." - Gerard Way

Offline -Φ Ulfhedinn Φ- Servant of the Lord of Dark Delights

  • Junior Member
  • **
  • Posts: 149
  • Juggernaught of Fornication
Re: Ulfhedinn's Eldar Army - New Project
« Reply #2 on: November 12, 2008, 12:40:35 PM »
I currently have that in my army - albeit unassembled. I will also look at fleshing out units in the future if needed.  I'm looking to also convert up Wraithguard using the normal models and or the Epic Revenant Titan ones. Also on my list of things to do is make a warlock jetbike squad of doom. Not sure if I'll need to or not. I recently purchased 2x old school Harlequin jetbike face plates. Should be in the mail sometime soon *rubs hands eagerly*  :D
« Last Edit: November 12, 2008, 12:41:53 PM by -Ulfhedinn- »
"The very touch of our god's breath overwhelms mortal senses with the scent of delight... the slightest purr of our god's voice is enough to stimulate the senses into eternal and blissful oblivion. To the followers of Slaanesh the mortal world is grey and insipid compared to the sensual paradise that is the master's affection."

Offline Happy-Cake!

  • Junior Member
  • **
  • Posts: 130
Re: Ulfhedinn's Eldar Army - New Project
« Reply #3 on: November 12, 2008, 02:54:21 PM »
I love the attention to detail, and have such a soft spot for people who reveal their blending recipes. It's really a personal thing.

That fire dragon is better than the stuff 'Eavy Metal has put out! Can't wait for the other models!

Great work!

Offline -Φ Ulfhedinn Φ- Servant of the Lord of Dark Delights

  • Junior Member
  • **
  • Posts: 149
  • Juggernaught of Fornication
Dire Avenger test model complete !
« Reply #4 on: November 12, 2008, 09:30:09 PM »
Thank you for your kind comments  Happy-Cake and Mr. Zombie Pogo-Stick  ;D


Dire Avenger Time !

Today i finished a Dire Avenger. Dire Avengers make up the bulk troops choice for my proposed army. Below is a history( this time with photos ) of what i did to paint the Dire Avenger.

Armour: - Basecoat of Necron Abyss + Asurman Blue wash

Easy enough, Necron Abyss goes on really easily as a basecoat colour. I applied it liberally and rather erratically making sure that i covered the whole models armour ( except the head ).



After letting the model and the ink dry i applied 2 smooth coats of Regal Blue as i wanted a really dark undertone to the model. The rest of the armour would be painted up to a 50:50 mix of Regal and Enchanted Blue.

Q: Why not use Ultramarines and save a step?
A: It's all about the tones, Ultramarines is way off the scale of where i wanted to go with this model.



Following is how i reached my desired armour colour:

Standard paint ratio and %paint to water


1. Regal Blue (2 coats)                             80%
2. Regal Blue & Enchanted Blue      3:1      50%
3. Regal Blue & Enchanted Blue      2:1      50%   
4. Regal Blue & Enchanted Blue      1:1      60%
5. Enchanted Blue (H)                              80%
6. Enchanted Blue & Icy Blue (H)               80%

**(H) Denotes highlight and was used accordingly**


Dire Avenger Helmet:

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%

Then many many coats of watered down white to achieve a flat smooth surface.

For the black face i highlighted the main area with a 50:50 mix of Chaos Black and Adeptus Battlegrey ( my up and coming favourite basecolour ) careful to avoid the edges while leaving them Chaos Black.


The weapon: - Now continuing with my theme of staying away for metallic weapons i have decided to do a wraithbone variant colour scheme. I wanted to keep it dark so the darkest base colour i went was Commando Khaki

1. Khemri Brown  (2 smooth basecoats)             80%
2. Gryphonne Sepia (wash)                               100%
3. Commando Khaki & Khemri Brown       2:1      80%
4. Commando Khaki & Khemri Brown       1:1      50%
5. Commando Khaki                                          80%
6. Commando Khaki                                          50%
7. Commando Khaki                                          30%
8. Commando Khaki & Bleached Bone (H)            60%
9. Bleached Bone (H)                                         80%

**(H) Denotes highlight and was used accordingly**


I was quite happy with the way it turned out. I carefull avoided the recesses and moved the gradual highlights/blending outwards.


Small details: - Gems, Eyes and shiny targeter screen were done with Liche Purple, Warlock Purple, Tentacle Pink and Skull White using the same technique as posted with the Fire Dragon. The Icons were painted with Dwarf Bronze, Inked with Badab Black and highlights picked out with Burnished Gold.



The sash:



Sash was completed with the following steps:

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 and was used accordingly**

Dire Avenger Mohawk:

I decided on a darker yellow and black combination for the Avengers Mohawk. Here is how i achieved the result for the yellow:

1. Iyanden Darksun  ( make sure it gets into the cracks - nice solid coat x2 )     80%
2. Gryphonne Sepia (wash)                                     100%
3. Iyanden Darksun (H) (DB)                                   100%
4. Iyanden Darksun (H) (DB)                                   100%
5. Iyanden Darksun & Bleached Bone (H) (DB)   2:1   100%

**(H) Denotes highlight and was used accordingly**
**(DB) Denotes drybrushed technique**

Black part: drybrush Adeptus Battlegrey over the top.


Basing:- Drybrush Scorched Brown then Khemri Brown. Delvan Mud Wash followed by a light drybrush highlight of Graveyard Earth. A little PVA glue was added to the base with Scorched Grass flock.


Finished Product:






I am quite happy the way the model turned out. Minimal time was spent doing him as he is the core for my infantry and i don't think people will be scrutinizing him.  ;D


-Ulfhedinn-
« Last Edit: November 13, 2008, 02:39:14 AM by -Ulfhedinn- »
"The very touch of our god's breath overwhelms mortal senses with the scent of delight... the slightest purr of our god's voice is enough to stimulate the senses into eternal and blissful oblivion. To the followers of Slaanesh the mortal world is grey and insipid compared to the sensual paradise that is the master's affection."

Offline DarkstormUlthwe

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 447
The Avenger looks great :) A very neat variation of the standard colour sceme. I kinda wish at times that I did paint mine with some blue, I really want to paint blue armour for once :P

You tie them together with the purple sashes, is that a plan for the entire army? It's always nice to have something in the army that shows that they belong together.

2nd place - 40kO painting competition expert category April 2005
1st Place - 40kO converting competition beginner category June 2005

Offline -Φ Ulfhedinn Φ- Servant of the Lord of Dark Delights

  • Junior Member
  • **
  • Posts: 149
  • Juggernaught of Fornication
Thanks for the feedback DarkstormUltwe :D

Yeah, i was kinda stuck with a colour scheme for these guys and i didn't want to stray too far away from the traditional colours of the Dire Avengers, but at the same time i did not want its to be too bright and cheerful.  They did kind of end up a bit brighter then i had anticipated after i factored in the white helm and basing. Still i think he came out alright.

The purple sashes are the main unique colour for my army as well as the bronze icons. I believe especially with the aspect warriors being different colours it helps bring the army together. Banners will have a black/purple background denoting the craftworld ( might have to come up with one and a symbol before too long ).

If anyone knows any fluff about lost craftworlds ect, please feel free to contribute  :)


**Now working on Aralditing magnets to my Wave Serpent frame.**

-Ulfhedinn-

"The very touch of our god's breath overwhelms mortal senses with the scent of delight... the slightest purr of our god's voice is enough to stimulate the senses into eternal and blissful oblivion. To the followers of Slaanesh the mortal world is grey and insipid compared to the sensual paradise that is the master's affection."

Offline Happy-Cake!

  • Junior Member
  • **
  • Posts: 130
Wait, do you spray your models with primer?
------
Amazing write up by the way. This will probably become the definitive "how to paint eldar" thread. The level of detail and the obvious painting mastery is simply refreshing.

Offline -Φ Ulfhedinn Φ- Servant of the Lord of Dark Delights

  • Junior Member
  • **
  • Posts: 149
  • Juggernaught of Fornication
Happy-Cake! you are too kind hehe. My main goal is really to inspire people to take more time/effort in their painting as its a huge part of the hobby. I hope in some way this painting/modelling blog will help achieve that.  :D

Indeed i do spray them with Citadel Black Primer. Should i add that in the steps i take?  ;D

 Priming really helps the process of the paint adhering to the model.  It also gives me a nice base to work from. I guess I'm kind of old school going with the black as i really like to work with shadows and highlighting up, rather then going from white, and down the colour scale. I just wish now i had kept on painting these last few years  :(

-Ulfhedinn-

*Will post pics soon of the araldited rare earth magnets to the Wave Serpent weapons mount*


« Last Edit: November 13, 2008, 11:52:27 PM by -Ulfhedinn- »
"The very touch of our god's breath overwhelms mortal senses with the scent of delight... the slightest purr of our god's voice is enough to stimulate the senses into eternal and blissful oblivion. To the followers of Slaanesh the mortal world is grey and insipid compared to the sensual paradise that is the master's affection."

Offline scarecrow260584

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 44
  • I *LOVE* 40k Online!
Hey,

this is some great work.  Im in the process of painting a similarly sized eldar army myself, and am trying to learn alot of the painting techniques.  I cant for the life of me get good photos to post up to show, but things are progressing ok.  im pretty happy with what ive done so far, but i think ill keep an eye on this blog, to get tips and the like.

for the un-initiated of us, could you explain the blending process in more detail.  I was of the understanding that when blending, you start with a dark colour, and then progressively paint lighter and lighter colours on the more raised parts, leaving the darker colours in the the lower spots, and leaving a fine line of the darker colour below the next paint layer.  Is this correct, or am i missing something, coz i cant see how there is enough room on the armor plates of the mini to do like 8 coats with differing colours?

Also, how to you go about blending the colour into the layer below, so that the transition between them is smooth?  Is that called the feathering technique?

Sorry for all the noobish questions, but ive only started painting a couple of months ago, and due to other commitments, havent been able to put alot of time into it yet.

Thanks

Offline -Φ Ulfhedinn Φ- Servant of the Lord of Dark Delights

  • Junior Member
  • **
  • Posts: 149
  • Juggernaught of Fornication
Hey scarecrow260584 a lot of good questions there !

I suppose i really didn't get into exactly what i have been doing on the models thus far. To my knowledge there are three (3) types of paint progression.

One is layering. This is good for basic troops as it really doesn't eat up much time, and is what pretty much everyone starts out with. What it entails really is painting one colour over another whilst leaving some gaps between. The actual transitions between the colours are pretty stark in comparison to say.. feathering, but when looking at the model from on top of the game board, it's hard to spot the difference. It's not actual blending, it's the illusion of blending as you can only see the lines up close and personal.

Another is glazing or feathering. There are different ways to approach this, but generally what it you're doing is layering, but with many thinned down layers of paint - which is what i do. This allows you to get some amount of true blending for the up close and personal look. Because it's all the same paint but with different variations of pigment ratio, it's easier to do many small steps to achieve the end result, and to have a smoother paintjob. Best way to achieve this is with a wet palette and to gradually add more pigment into your still wet mix and slowly bring it up to what you want.

I'm a big fan and all for watered down paints. It preserves the detail and allows you to have more control over the palette while building up layers.

Lastly is coveted 'two brush' method.  This is again similar to layering, but in this technique you keep a second brush, which is damp and is used to smooth and feather the paint as you apply it with your paint laden brush. This is similar to feathering, the results are the same, doesn't require a great deal of 'colour mixes or layering' but can be rather difficult to achieve and certainly not worth the time ( IMHO ) for rank and file models where you would have to use this approach on every segment of armour going toward the light source. The challenge really is through keeping your paint wet, not streaking, not too thin for pigment discolouration and separation, not to heavy for a thick blob when attempting to 'blend' with the second brush, and finally achieving a result that makes the paint appear that it is effortless transition from light to dark.

Here is an example for the blending technique: http://www.coolminiornot.com/article/aid/58

There is also a large source of painting techniques compiled in this thread here: http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=79336.0

Hope that was some help  ;D


-Ulfhedinn-
"The very touch of our god's breath overwhelms mortal senses with the scent of delight... the slightest purr of our god's voice is enough to stimulate the senses into eternal and blissful oblivion. To the followers of Slaanesh the mortal world is grey and insipid compared to the sensual paradise that is the master's affection."

Offline scarecrow260584

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 44
  • I *LOVE* 40k Online!
what i have been doing for troops and the like, has been after priming, painting a dark base coat over most or all of the armor, then picking out the armor plates in a lighter colour.  I then do a wide highlight in around most of the armor plates using a mix of the same colour used for the armor plates, and the colour in which i will use for a fine highlight on the very edge in a 50:50 ratio(well at least those which would actually catch the light).  Finally, using the side of the brush, i pick up the edges with the final highlight colour.

For my Dire Avenger i primed black, base coated Regal Blue, the began highlighting the armor plates with a wide line of Royal Blue, and finally a 50/50 mix Royal/Ice Blue for the final highlight.  They came out alright, but should i have base coated Regal, then picked out just the plates with say Royal Blue, then maybe a wide highlight of the plate edges using a 50:50 Royal/Ice Blue, with a final fine highlight of the very edges using Ice Blue?

On a side note, to paint Biel Tan Guardians, what would be the best way to accomplish this.  I was thinking priming white, then painting the plates with a watered down white, and then using a fine brush, picking out the crevices with Space Wolves Grey.  And a Snot/Dark Angels Green mix for the helmet after an initial coat of black.  Is that doing things backwards?  Should i paint the guardians Space Wolves Grey, then pick out the plates with white?

Sorry for all the questions!

I know there is no set way of how to paint your own miniatures, i guess im just after some advice on what would look better, and what would be easy enough for a new painter to accomplish.

Looking at some of those guides/pictures makes me feel really crap about how bad my minis look compared to your/theirs :).
« Last Edit: November 15, 2008, 12:46:36 AM by scarecrow260584 »

Offline -Φ Ulfhedinn Φ- Servant of the Lord of Dark Delights

  • Junior Member
  • **
  • Posts: 149
  • Juggernaught of Fornication
Hello again scarecrow260584  :)

Hopefully i might be able to answer some questions you have.

For my Dire Avenger i primed black, base coated Regal Blue, the began highlighting the armor plates with a wide line of Royal Blue, and finally a 50/50 mix Royal/Ice Blue for the final highlight.  They came out alright, but should i have base coated Regal, then picked out just the plates with say Royal Blue, then maybe a wide highlight of the plate edges using a 50:50 Royal/Ice Blue, with a final fine highlight of the very edges using Ice Blue?

It is very hard to comment without seeing pictures and addressing what you want the model to do. IE: look smoother, have more defined plating, have highlights that really 'pop' ect. Perhaps you're looking for a smoother transitions between the colours?

However with that said it does sound like you are taking the right steps to achieve what you want. Please trust me I'm no expert when it comes to painting so please take my thoughts with the proverbial grain of salt.

What you described is called 'layering' where the highlights are in stark contrast per gradient of paint you apply. There is no gently easing into each colour transition and perhaps that is what you're hoping to achieve? When you say 'Royal Blue' was that an OOP Citadel paint? If not, remember to stick with the same tones you are painting with as a basecoat. To me, say.. going Regal Blue -> Ultramarines -> Enchanted -> Ice Blue  simply would not work due to all the different tones each has. They would clash and look horrible.

I guess it all comes down to learning and practice practice practice ! Don't just look at a model you have done, try and learn from every single rank and file model you complete. That is what i am trying to do with this blog and to improve my painting technique with every stroke of the brush. Perhaps that may become evident before the end.

On a side note, to paint Biel Tan Guardians, what would be the best way to accomplish this.  I was thinking priming white, then painting the plates with a watered down white, and then using a fine brush, picking out the crevices with Space Wolves Grey.  And a Snot/Dark Angels Green mix for the helmet after an initial coat of black.  Is that doing things backwards?  Should i paint the guardians Space Wolves Grey, then pick out the plates with white?

Oddly enough i was thinking about this the other day, so you're in luck !

For Biel Tan if you want to go a route that is easy and allows you to churn out rank and file models with relative ease then definitely undercoat them white.

I personally would experiment with a very watered down layer of Space Wolves Grey to get into the recesses of the model. I'm sure there is an ink now that may very well do the same trick i used watered down paint with ( I've only begun to scratch the surface with the inks i have in my Mega Paint Set) . Picking it out in a darker colour like you described would more then likely make you go insane  ;D

The watered down colour being 1-2 shades behind your ideal choice ( I really don't like super strong highlights on say flat areas of guardian armour as it is exposed a great deal and it would look strange).

So either Space Wolves Grey -> 50:50 with Skull White -> pure Skull White. I believe it could be done in 3 stages and have a really nice effect without sacrificing obscene amounts of time. Now i have never worked with White Primer before, so i would suggest experimenting a little yourself to see what works for your own tastes.  ;)

I know there is no set way of how to paint your own miniatures, i guess I'm just after some advice on what would look better, and what would be easy enough for a new painter to accomplish.

I suppose you might be able to find some hints and techniques that you can pick up through my ongoing blog. Like i said before, I'm only starting out once again and i hope that i have helped people so far, but in reality I'm only 2 models down. Definitely have a look through the compilation of painting techniques found in this forum or just surf the net  :)

Looking at some of those guides/pictures makes me feel really crap about how bad my minis look compared to your/theirs :).

In the end its just practice, patience and i guess a review of your work. I *love* scouring the net when I'm not painting or in between modelling looking for Golden Demon winners, and having a really close look of their work, identifying each line, highlight and shadow and trying to emulate similar techniques when i next do my Exarch's/ Seer Council/ IC's ect.

I hope i have been some help with answering your questions  :D

-Ulfhedinn-
"The very touch of our god's breath overwhelms mortal senses with the scent of delight... the slightest purr of our god's voice is enough to stimulate the senses into eternal and blissful oblivion. To the followers of Slaanesh the mortal world is grey and insipid compared to the sensual paradise that is the master's affection."

Offline -Φ Ulfhedinn Φ- Servant of the Lord of Dark Delights

  • Junior Member
  • **
  • Posts: 149
  • Juggernaught of Fornication
The last few days have been really busy so i actually haven't had a chance to do a lot of painting.  :-[

However tonight and the rest of the weekend is free and i will be painting like a madman. Much to the girlfriends dismay i'm sure.

The last two days haven't been a total waste as i have completed a fair bit of modelling, namely aralditing magnets to my Wave Serpent weapons and mount.

Below are the pictures i took during the process:



Above you can see the magnets i used in the top left. One is a 3 mil magnet the other 1 mil. The 3 mils were used on the Wave Serpent weapons and mount, the 1 mil on my Fire Dragon Exarch for interchangeable weapon options.



These are all the weapon options for the 2 Wave Serpents. I will have to repeat the process for the other one and the falcon when i get around to it.

After leaving the Araldite set for 16 hours i returned and got rid of the nasty nasty mold lines i despise so much.

While the Araldite was setting i decided to catch up on some basing. I managed to knock out my Warp Spider Squad, my last Farseer and the Wave Serpent bases. Now many people leave the bases clear and see through. They get all dirty and generally nasty looking so i decided to base mine properly. The PVA glue likes to dry in some weird patterns on the base itself so i used that to my advantage. I managed to get as much sand and glue on as possible and in the areas that it did not stick to i will base with flock later on.



Note: I will be leaving the stand itself clear, just the bases will be done up like the rest of the army.

Lastly i went to the store this afternoon and picked up Vallejo ' Model Color Retardante' (IE: Acrylic retarder that actually slows down the paint drying so it allows more time for true blending.) and some Testors Dullcote. I've heard some good things about this drying retarder so I'll post results when i use it !



Thats all for now, I'm currently working on the whole Dire Avenger squad and hope to have it completed before the weekend is out.


-Ulfhedinn-
"The very touch of our god's breath overwhelms mortal senses with the scent of delight... the slightest purr of our god's voice is enough to stimulate the senses into eternal and blissful oblivion. To the followers of Slaanesh the mortal world is grey and insipid compared to the sensual paradise that is the master's affection."

Offline -Φ Ulfhedinn Φ- Servant of the Lord of Dark Delights

  • Junior Member
  • **
  • Posts: 149
  • Juggernaught of Fornication
Just before i go to bed, a small update -

I completed most of the blue on the Dire Avenger squad and painted the Exarch up today with interesting results. I tweaked the way i did the armour a little and i must say i like the way it came out over the stock standard Dire Avenger i did as the 'test' model. Below are the results. Bone still needs to be smoothed a little and highlighted before completed. 

Comments and critique welcome as usual.






-Ulfhedinn-

PS: Hi Jack -This really is me and i really do have the attention span to paint and to have written this out haha-
« Last Edit: November 15, 2008, 12:37:04 PM by -Ulfhedinn- »
"The very touch of our god's breath overwhelms mortal senses with the scent of delight... the slightest purr of our god's voice is enough to stimulate the senses into eternal and blissful oblivion. To the followers of Slaanesh the mortal world is grey and insipid compared to the sensual paradise that is the master's affection."

Offline Happy-Cake!

  • Junior Member
  • **
  • Posts: 130
The blending on the armor seems to be blended with the normal pattern, until the edges, where you put in a really distinctive highlight. Is that the difference?

It looks even cleaner in my opinion and really bring some nice accents to the model!

Offline scarecrow260584

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 44
  • I *LOVE* 40k Online!
good work!  and thanks for your tips, when i get a chance to sit down and paint some more, im gonna try a few more things out, and see how i go.

just another question, regarding basing this time... currently i paint up my minis first, then base with the GW Sand, and just glue on a little static grass on top of that.  They come out looking not too bad, but should i be painting the sand or something?  I guess i just left it they way it was, coz it was already natural looking...

and another (:P), with your palette, do you think the foam that comes in the blisters of like warlocks, etc, could be glued down, and used to hold the water, or maybe even the dish cloth sponge material?  Im tempted to give this a shot, as my paints have been drying out way too quick on my palette.
« Last Edit: November 16, 2008, 04:30:04 AM by scarecrow260584 »

Offline -Φ Ulfhedinn Φ- Servant of the Lord of Dark Delights

  • Junior Member
  • **
  • Posts: 149
  • Juggernaught of Fornication
The blending on the armor seems to be blended with the normal pattern, until the edges, where you put in a really distinctive highlight. Is that the difference?

It looks even cleaner in my opinion and really bring some nice accents to the model!

Yeah matey, i thought the accents themselves sort of make the detail pop. It allows the model to keep the dark plating and the strong highlights ( to me ) don't look out of place. I think it looks cleaner as well !  ;D

with your palette, do you think the foam that comes in the blisters of like warlocks, etc, could be glued down, and used to hold the water, or maybe even the dish cloth sponge material?  Im tempted to give this a shot, as my paints have been drying out way too quick on my palette.

I think that would be all kinds of bad hahah. I have a much easier method that will do the job for you !  ;)

I wrote this towards the top of my first post: 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 to keep the paint moist.
I have have paints here in Brisbane ( 30+ degrees Celsius + 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.



Below are the pics i used to make my palette.

Start with a normal cheap palette or a plate... whatever you can find that is relatively shallow but not flat.



Then get some napkins or absorbant towel and cut it/tear it to fit inside you palette.



Cut out some baking paper that will act as the layer between the water soaked towel and your paint. Make sure it also fits inside the palette nicely. ( exposed areas will get air underneath and will speed up paint drying)



Next add water to the absorbent towel and fill up the base as much as you can without overflowing. This will provide a reservoir is the bottom to allow your paint to remain wet considerably longer.

Press down on the baking paper and smooth out small air pockets. Try to get it as flat as humanly possible, because if you have paint on an area that is not touching the wet towel, the paint has no water to draw upon.



When your reservoir eventually runs out, the paper will detach itself from the towel so you can fill it up with more water and/or get a new piece of paper to mix your paints on.



I hope this helped a bit. I find it invaluable when keeping my paints from drying out !  ;D



just another question, regarding basing this time... currently i paint up my minis first, then base with the GW Sand, and just glue on a little static grass on top of that.  They come out looking not too bad, but should i be painting the sand or something?  I guess i just left it they way it was, coz it was already natural looking...

In response to the basing: I have also written previously that i paint my sand bases. I believe this really helps tie it together with the model.  Bases alone can really change the overall look of a model. If you believe that the current basing you are doing works for the overall feel and look of the model then there is no reason to change ;D


-Ulfhedinn-
« Last Edit: November 16, 2008, 05:28:29 AM by -Ulfhedinn- »
"The very touch of our god's breath overwhelms mortal senses with the scent of delight... the slightest purr of our god's voice is enough to stimulate the senses into eternal and blissful oblivion. To the followers of Slaanesh the mortal world is grey and insipid compared to the sensual paradise that is the master's affection."

Offline -Φ Ulfhedinn Φ- Servant of the Lord of Dark Delights

  • Junior Member
  • **
  • Posts: 149
  • Juggernaught of Fornication
Wooo !!

My long awaited package has arrived  ;D Watching the mail for a week can get pretty tiring !  ::)

Below is the source of all my excitement:




1 Eldar Army Deal and 2x Fire Prisms. I love ebay !!! I managed to get them for 40% of retail as apparently people didn't want to bid on Eldar  ;D



If you ever wanted to see the obscene amount of plastic sprues that come in the box ~ here is your chance ! ( dang - more mold lines  ;) )



Update on painting : Managed to knock out the basecoat colours for the armour, weapons and white areas on the models in an assembly line fashion. The colours help me get a feel of what the model is going to look like in the end as i find just doing say all the armour finished and highlighted with no other colours to be a poor indication of how far the highlight needs to go.

Really hoping to complete these 2 squads so i actually have something presentable  :D

Then i will go back to the Fire Dragons and finish them off as well.




Thats all for now,


-Ulfhedinn-
"The very touch of our god's breath overwhelms mortal senses with the scent of delight... the slightest purr of our god's voice is enough to stimulate the senses into eternal and blissful oblivion. To the followers of Slaanesh the mortal world is grey and insipid compared to the sensual paradise that is the master's affection."

Offline Happy-Cake!

  • Junior Member
  • **
  • Posts: 130
Re: Ulfhedinn's Eldar Army -[Update: How to make a 'wet palette' + new models]
« Reply #19 on: November 19, 2008, 02:32:54 PM »
I like how you positioned the wraithlord! This army is just going to be ridiculous. I can't imagine how exciting it was to open up all that 40k at once. It almost made me miss that really sick Samsung screen.

Your room must be so fun. xD

 


Powered by EzPortal