Emperor's Children Venom Crawler Finished!

Well, Monster March is over, but I had a spare week after finishing the Shadowsword and I didn't want to let it go to waste. I picked up Shadowspear on the release day, and I've been working on the Chaos models since.

Obviously, the Venom Crawler was always going to be a nice thing to add to my army. I use a lot of Daemon Engines, and it's a cool design. I have to say that it was a real pain in the ass to paint though. It just has a lot of legs and a lot of filigree to get to grips with - so pretty much any painters worst nightmare! (which pretty much describes anything Chaos anyway)

I'm really happy with how it came out though. I've used my usual scheme for my Emperor's Children. The only differences are that I've moved to using the airbrush for the purples, and I also used some Blood for the Blood God on the tongue and demon maw bits on the side of the body. It's a nice high-gloss effect that I really like in moderation.

I haven't seen a lot of Venom Crawlers around online yet, so I think it's quite interesting to get a look at the model from different angles. Personally, I think there's a lot of cool details to be appreciated. I'll be working on some of the other Shadowspear models soon, so hopefully I can showcase them as I go. Next up is probably the Obliterators.

I'm looking forwards to the wave of new models we're seeing too. In particular, I'll definitely be looking to add a Lord Discordant, and one of the new Keeper of Secrets models to my army soon!

40k Skaven, Finished Transuranic Arquebus Squad

Just a quick post to show one of the units that I painted for this year's Squaduary. They were a bit of a last minute addition after I had finished the 10 man Vanguard unit, and I didn't get to post any individual pictures of them at the time.

The arquebuses are actually conversions using Jezzails from the Dragoon kit (somewhat ironic that they're called Jezzails, just like the classic Skaven models). I had to build the rests for them, and I was careful to make sure that they matched, so I used some spare rails from the Onager's Eradication Beam that I had 2 of.

It's cool having 2 finished troop choices and an HQ anyway, as it feels like the basics have been taken care of.

I'm still working on a pair of Stormfiends for the army for Monster March, so check back later to see how I get on.

Squaduary, 40k Skaven - A Weekend of Mad Progress

I've been working hard all weekend on my 40k Skaven. I had one finished model on Friday night; and now I have seven!

This isn't a particularly easy scheme to paint either, and every model is taking 2 or 3 hours; even with the airbrushed basecoat. I'm still feeling really motivated working on this project though, and I managed to paint up 3 on Saturday and another 3 on Sunday, which felt quite manageable.

It has made a massive dent in my Squaduary "to do" list. If I can finish the next 3 then I'll be through the squad that I pledged, and I'll just have the Dominus left to go. After that, I'll probably keep going and see what else I can add to the force.

This is the first look at my Alpha too. I built him a few years back during my first half-assed attempt at making 40k Skaven. I sculpted the double cybernetic eye back then, which is still cool. This time round I swapped his weapons out and he looks pretty badass. The "shell" on his back is built from a bit of Maulerfiend. Rat in the shell? Maybe I'll call him Ratou! (well, he does have 2 cybernetic eyes!). If you don't get that joke the I don't know what I'm going to do with you; especially after that live action movie.

I'm really thrilled with how they're coming out. This might even be my best army project to date. They're just great fun to convert and paint and I'm loving working on them. They're just so cool. Even more so now that I have the unit to play with.

The scary part isn't the giant rat ... It's the fin; slicing through the water!

Stay tuned for more giant robo-rats coming this way soon. Next up is another 3 to fill out the squad, then the Dominus. After that, well, I'll just be keeping that a surprise...

Squaduary, 40k Skaven - Painting Test Miniature

*Insert maniacal laughter* It's alive! .... and all that kind of stuff.

I've just finished my first painted miniature. As this is a new scheme, I wanted to test out the colours to see how they would go on one model before committing to the rest for the force. I was torn between a lot of different colours for them; for a while I thought red would be good, but Stormvermin are always red. I was thinking of going with white after that, but then again, I did white for last year's Squaduary. I wanted something cool and different, and being me, I also wanted to work some orange into the scheme.

I liked the idea of painting a kind of turquoise type colour as it is pretty rare. I also wanted something that would look more sci-fi than fantasy and that would be a bit unique. With these things in mind, I invented this scheme. The blue/teal armour is done with the airbrush, which I just used to get the colour and the basic blend down. After that, I worked with the brush to get the rest done.

The pictures aren't the best, but I was in a bit of a rush. Hopefully they're good enough for you to get the general idea.

The highlight on the armour goes all the way to a pure white "shine"

It wasn't all plain sailing, and I had to change some of my ideas as I went to get the result that I wanted. I had originally thought of giving them brown fur, but it just didn't pop. I changed it to white, but then I had to change the colour of the cloth parts so he didn't end up as a  big beige blob (the robes were originally white). Quite the conundrum. After that, once I was happy with how things were going I still had to think about the base. Personally, I think a lot of people underestimate what a good base can do for a model. Not just in terms of tying it into the universe, but just as a good source of colour and interest. It is a lesson learned the hard way as I painted my share of plane old Goblin Green bases in the 90s and early 2000s!

For my 40k Skaven, I chose a red dust style base. It plays nicely against the orange spot colour and contrasts well with the armour and white fur details. It also serves as a reminder that on the field they're mechanicus through and through; well as far as rules go rules anyway!

Overall, I'm happy with the scheme and I plan to keep on plugging through the rest, so that I can get this force off the ground! Squaduary has been a good motivator too, and getting some of these Skaven done is putting a dent in my hobby backlog/cupboard of shame. Stay tuned for more snarly Ratmen coming this way soon, and don't forget to follow the blog if you want to keep up with my progress.

Cheers

Painting Necromunda Scenery

Since Christmas I've been hard at work on the new Necromunda range. Rather than heading straight to the gorgeous minis like usual, I actually started with the scenery. I have to admit that I was a little surprised myself, but seeing the parts in person really captivated my imagination.

I wanted to get them ready for use in some games I had planned, so I chose a scheme that wouldn't bee too demanding technically. More importantly, I wanted to capture a really grimy worn underhive look. In my imagination I was aiming for some sort of ancient rusty waterworks/sewer looking thing. I wanted them to match the boards from the box closely as well.

It's strange, as I had originally intended to ignore the boards mostly and move on to playing multi-level style like the old Necromunda, but having painted the scenery and played a few games on it now, I can say that I really like the cramped conditions. It feels different; which is something I wasn't expecting and actually I felt added a lot of flavour to the game (which could have basically just felt like a 40k Infinity hybrid).

Paint wise, I started with some standard GW Black spray undercoat. After that I gave the whole set a coat of Leadbelcher. I generously stippled Ryza Rust on to the relevant areas. A few layers helped build up a bit of texture for the rusty bits. I then washed the whole thing down with black (which I mixed myself so as not to waste too much pre-made wash as I was using a lot!). The next step was to add the oxidised verdigris type parts. For this I made a mix of 1/2 Vallejo Blue Green, 1/4 Vallejo White, and 1/4 Vallejo Olive Green. I thinned this own to a wash and then applied it to the relevant areas (cracks and places where water would pool). I was quite generous in giving it a good coat as I wanted a strong effect. The last thing I did was give the parts a light drybrush (literally just for the edges) of Runefang Steel to bring out the shapes a bit and give it some depth. It also makes the edges look a bit more realistically chipped.

That pretty much sums up the painting. The only other thing I did was go back and add some OSL (Lights). This was pretty quick. I used the airbrush to spray the lights and the areas around them with white. I then went over this with yellow. I hit a larger area with the yellow to fade the effect across the surface a bit. after that, I painted the internals of the lights with light yellow.

Anyway, I'm happy with the way they came out and I think they match the boards well. I also painted all of the consoles and additional bits. I blasted some of them up pretty fast though; especially that tentacle thing that I wet-blended pretty messily!

If you enjoyed this article, check back later as I'll be working on my Escher gang. I should also mention my Necromunda ganger names generator, for those who missed it:

https://tabletopapocalypse.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/necromunda-ganger-names-list-over-500.html

Tau Ghostkeel Battlesuit - 4 Hour Speed Paint

As a bit of a challenge, and for a bit of a change of pace, I painted this Battlesuit (and the 2 drones) over the weekend. I had the idea that I would try to paint it to a high standard as fast as I could. With that in mind, I thought I would aim for about 3 hours on the main suit (with some additional time given to the drones that I didn't really factor in). In the end, he came in at 4 hours 30 minutes, but that includes 30 minutes on the drones. I also ended up applying the undercoat with the airbrush rather than a spray can due to the cold weather and that ate up at least 20 minutes or something. Still, I'm happy with the results and it made for a great Sunday afternoon slice of hobby.

Colour wise, I painted the body with a black through to white blend (2 layers of grey there in the middle). I went back and added a bit of Vallejo Dark Prussian Blue to the recesses to get some interest and to stop it being so monotone. I highlighted the upper edges of the panels with Vallejo white.

I painted the base with Vallejo Cavalry Brown, washed it with Khorne Red and then progressively drybrushed Vallejo Orange Brown, Rakarth Flesh and Pallid Wych Flesh. For the OSL bits, I airbrushed in a dot of Vallejo Escorpina Green. I then washed the area with Waywatcher Green and highlighted with Moot Green and then a mix of Moot Green and white.

That pretty much sums it up. I hope you like the finished mini. Did you notice the incredibly unintentional mistake (one of his lower legs is on the wrong way round! Whoops!!). I plastic glued it too, that sucker is permanent! Luckily, it doesn't notice really. I only worked it out half way through painting him.

Infinity - Aleph Alternate Colour Scheme

I think it is probably no exaggeration to say that this might be the strangest colour scheme that I've ever done.

For those who don't know, Aleph is an artificial intelligence. This miniature is a proxy (basically a synthetic body that can be inhabited by a digital consciousness). With that in mind, I really wanted to get an inhuman and alien look going on.

I had the idea of taking their regular colours (beige and purple) and strengthening them. I also thought of combining them into one color, which led to the yellow blended through purple shade. After that, I still had to choose the other colours, and as I was going for a synthetic look I went for a pale white on the skin. The paints were applied with an airbrush, and it was a bit nail biting to say the least; one misaligned blast and it would've been easy to spoil the effect completely. If anyone is looking to do something similar, I'd say that the secret is to angle the model and apply the shades from below and the highlights from the top to try and protect the dual-tone effect.

After laying down a few colours, I suddenly had a moment of nostalgia. Did anyone else play Grandia 2 on the PS2? I did, and there was an android girl called Tio who actually looked quite similar to what I had. For the sake of it, as I was searching for a color for my proxy's hair, I just went
with it.

Tio

I'm still a bit unsure of the base though. For the moment, I'm sticking with it though, and was quite happy with the overall effect. I started these Aleph as a bit of a side project and for the fun of experimenting with their paint work, as I'm not planning to field them anytime soon. I'll be interested to paint up a few more though and see how they turn out.

Infinity Domaru Butai Painted

Well, the blog has been a bit quiet lately; must be time to break the silence with something fresh and different!

I've had these miniatures sitting about for quite a while now, and I was looking through my drawer the other day and I decided that it was high time I finished them. Those of you with good memories may remember them from my Painting Orange Tutorial from a while back.

If you don't play Infinity, they're from a faction called Yu Jing that are basically a conglomerate of futuristic Chinese and Japanese factions. These guys are specifically from the Japanese Sectorial Army. Like I mentioned, I did a tutorial on this color scheme a while back for anyone interested. Technique wise, I use the airbrush to lay down a blend and use a bit of pre-shading. The thing that I really like about this scheme is how saturated the colours look. It's basically the same as my Necron scheme, although for these miniatures I went a bit further to get a higher quality look.

Another thing that you might find interesting is that they're all metal. A rarity in this day and age, but the detail is great, and given how much of a minefield resin can be, I'm glad they went with metal for the whole Infinity range.

I figure it was a weekend well spent. I'm hoping to continue with the force soon, but with Salute breathing down my neck (well the painting competition anyway) I might have to hold off till I can finish Greyfax up, as I still have a long way to go.

Well, that about does it for now. If you like these, feel free to check out the PanOceania stuff I painted too:

PanO Post

Texture Paints - Valhallan Blizzard Review

Recently, in an effort to give some bases a little more interest, I bought a pot of Games Workshop's Valhallan Blizzard. This stuff is specially formulated to give a snow effect to the top of your bases. I was interested to see what could be achieved, as it's a relatively easy step that has the potential to add a lot of impact to an otherwise bland base. I'm using my recently completed Wrack as an example miniature for this review.

With the intro out of the way, lets take a closer look at the product.

Ease of Application

This stuff is really thick. I know they say that the new texture paints can be applied with a brush, but in this case only quite a stiff bristled one. That said, there's a bit of leeway in the drying time, so you get plenty of time to adjust it on the model and it spreads ok. It doesn't take long to apply and overall has a satisfying effect for the amount of time it takes.

After a bit of experimentation, I found that digging a bit out of the pot on a sculpting tool worked well, and that once I'd separated it out from the whole it was easier to manipulate with a brush.

Drying Time

Like I mentioned above, it does take a few minutes to cure, and even then I think it takes longer to fully harden. This helps a bit actually as it gives you some extra time to adjust it and as the effect is a finishing touch for bases, there's no problems with letting them sit on the side while the snow cures.

Durability

I found that the snow could sometimes come off on my finger when handling the base (I specifically handled the snow directly to test it). The majority of it stayed on there and I think it would be pretty hard to shift, but one or 2 tiny grains came off the top of some of the "heaps" when handling and I could see it wearing a bit in the long-term. To combat this I gave it a quick coat with some PVA to seal it; which didn't seem to do any harm to the aesthetic qualities, so I'd probably recommend it, especially for models that will see a lot of play.

Look

Lumpy, snowy, check out the pictures for more. In person, I was happy with the effect and it combines well with a painted base to add a nice finishing touch. I added an extra layer of gloss varnish to mine in the end (not too thickly) to add a bit of wet shine to it. I don't think it's necessary though, and its really a matter of preference and what you're going for.

What I particularly liked was that it naturally makes small clumps that look very realistic when you apply it to a base; like little remnants of melting snow. It's a nice effect that gives a strong finish.

Just for fun, I combined in a few blood effects too!

Cost

At the time of writing, it's being marketed at £4.55 a pot (24ml). I think that whether you consider that a good deal or not probably depends on your approach. For me, I wanted to add a dash of snow to a few bases; meaning  it would go a long way. If you were looking to completely cover your bases, or to do scenery, you might want to look at other options as I could see you might end up getting through a lot of pots!

Conclusion

A good product, but one that needs a bit of thought and TLC to reach its full potential. Great fun though and well worth a shot if you're looking to spice up some bland bases. If I was rating it out of 10, I'd probably say 7/10. It looks good, but could be a bit more durable, although this can be treated and it isn't likely to come off easily. I also think that it could be a bit pricey for some uses; particularly scenery or application to larger bases and models. Well worth a punt though for anyone interested.

Shirtless Wrack says "it's cold out here, I need a nice cup of soup!"

How to Paint Non Metallic Metals

As part of my latest project, I've been working on painting Inquisitor Greyfax in Non Metallic Metal Gold. As a relative newcomer to this technique, I thought I'd share the insight I've managed to get so far and a few of the techniques I've been using to pull it together. I had initially planned this to be a fairly succinct article, but it has grown into a bit of a Behemoth as there are so many facets to the technique; so you'd better get your thinking caps on and your specs ready for this one!

Initially, I found one or two tutorials online to get an idea of how the technique is done. These varied greatly in quality, but the one that I found most helpful was:

http://razzaminipainting.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/non-metallic-metals.html Darren Latham's blog, he doesn't post very often, but it's very interesting, well worth following especially for painters or anyone who is interested in Games Workshop.

It was especially useful, not only as good reference material, but also as he discussed the actual paints and colours used. From the tutorial, it was obvious that the keys were smooth blending (fairly obvious), contrast from dark to light, and adding pure white highlights in relevant places (probably the hardest parts). The whole pattern of shading had to be carefully considered as well if it was to look realistic. I won't bother to go into too much detail (ok some detail is covered later), as these points are discussed ad-nauseum all over the internet and for my part I'd rather talk mechanics, blending, and how I did it!

The other tutorial that I used was from Angel Giraldez's Painting Miniatures from A-Z Part 2. He covers creating a range of Non-Metallic colours using an airbrush and brush style. Unfortunately, you'll have to buy the book if you want to know the ins-and-outs of it as I'm not sharing his copyrighted material. Needless to say that my own method below was inspired by his book and draws on the techniques I built up after reading both volumes and experimenting with his style (which I've since combined into my own style as they were surprisingly compatible; a rare thing for me as I find a lot of painting tutorials clash with my own style and techniques).

I don't have exact paint names for a lot of this, as I did a lot of mixing and improvising as I went, although if you do want to follow a set of specific colours, they're listed on Darren Latham's blog and I was basing my work on his. It's important to note that there is no way to apply this technique "by the numbers" anyway as any application is going to take considerable artistic skill (and I'm still learning too). Even with those restrictions, I'm going to break things down as succinctly as possible and I hope people will find it some help, or at least interesting.

Method 

 

Airbrush Blending

I used an airbrush, but it isn't necessary. If you don't have one, the same colours can still be applied, but you'll have to blend by hand from the start. I've written a section on blending later on, which I hope will be of some help. It'll just take a long time!

1. I started with a coat of black primer (pretty standard for most models).
2. I then added another layer of primer. This time with the airbrush using Vallejo Grey Primer. This stuff is almost white and I sprayed downwards and from the directions that light would shine in. This served 2 purposes; first as a pre-shade, but second to help me see the volume of the areas I was working on as well as to demo the lighting effect/highlights that I would later add. It sounds like a superfluous step, but it really did help me process the effect I was trying to create.
3. After that excitement, I added thin a basecoat to the whole model with the airbrush using a ruddy brown (a mix of red, black and Vallejo Dark Flesh). This would give me a base to work from for the darker tones.
4. Progressively mixing in lighter colours (Pale flesh) I layered lighter browns with the airbrush. 
5. This was following in the footsteps of my favourite internet tutorial that said to start with browns and then glaze in the yellow tones. As I worked I added in some more yellow to the mix, but it was still very woody.
6. I finished the initial blending with some tentative white highlights using the airbrush.
7. The moment of truth came next as I glazed the model with pure yellow - again using a thin mix and the airbrush at a good distance. This was a nail biting step as if I got the mix too thick it'd obliterate all of that blending.
8. To finish up the airbrush work, I came back in and did a final spot highlight using pure white to create points of light on the armour.

And with that, my quest came to an end .... or so I'd like to say, but honestly it was just getting started and I switched to the regular paint brush and set to work. To make it look like less work though, I'm going to start numbering again. I bet you feel motivated now...

Paintbrush Time

1. In order to enhance the contrast, I painted Rhinox Hide round all of the edges of the armour. This gave visual definition between the plates and is a bit of a classic technique from Angel Giraldez's work (always then combined with a sharp highlight). I used a mix of 1/3 Rhinox Hide to 2/3 Lahmian Medium for this as I wanted to keep the paint nice and pliable.
2. With a series of glazes, I set to work improving the contrast. The airbrush had worked well, but the colour gradient between dark and light wasn't sharp enough yet. I blended with various browns and reds to darken the plates in the appropriate places. The reds also helped to enrich the tone.
3. I used a thin glaze of yellow over the lighter areas in order to adjust the tone (to make it more yellow and vibrant, rather than brown). This can be as strong, or not as you see fit, depending on the end result you're going for.
4. After the blending (which I'm still adjusting even now, so I keep going back to this stage really, but in the ideal world...) I added a sharp highlight of pure white to the reflective surfaces to add the "shine". The first layer of white was glazed in with a mix of white and Lahmian Medium, with the second added using pure white to get a stronger tone.

If you're still reading this, then kudos, you might actually have enough attention span to make this work. I know I'm getting tired just talking about it, but the mini isn't done yet and there'll be endless layers of paint till we're done. I'm still adjusting mine as we speak (that makes it sound like I have my hand down my pants... but whatever). It really is all about hitting those highlights and going for contrast though, so keep at it. With that in mind, I think I should add a bit to the end on techniques and stuff.

Blending

Everyone paints differently, so I can't hand any technique to you on a platter, but I can give you an idea of how I blend. You may have noticed my fairly heavy airbrush use these days. I use an Infinity CR Plus airbrush with a cheap compressor and Vallejo products (both thinner and cleaner). This allows me to lay down a highlight as fine as about 1mm radius; although control at that level is still a nail biting experience. I know I always advocate it, but if you are serious about airbrushing, Angel Giraldez's Painting Miniatures from A-Z books are a good source of knowledge; although they don't tend to cover too much in the way of mechanics, but mostly just walk you through how he goes about painting various colours as well as stuff for NMM etc. I bought the first book about a year ago, and haven't looked back since (although I had no idea what I was getting myself into at the time).

Anyway, I use the airbrush to lay down a basic blend (this is possible with a brush, but would take a lot longer). After that, I use a series of Glazes to blend the colours together further and to change the tones. A Glaze is a bit like a wash; only thicker. Instead of water I use 2 products, Lahmian Medium and Vallejo Glaze Medium. Interestingly, I've found that these both have very different properties, but both can be exploited depending on the situation. Both are a medium, which essentially means that they're paint with no pigment in it. This might sound like something that would be of no use, as they're completely clear, but they're both incredibly helpful products. Mixing the medium with regular paint lets you create a very thin translucent layer that doesn't run into the gaps like a wash or leave stains where it dries. It will allow you to "tint" the base layer with a colour that applies evenly across the surface. With multiple layers you can build up a completely smooth blend (it just takes a lot of time and patience!).

Lahmian Medium acts very much like GWs other paints; it dries quickly once applied and a thick mix can leave a strong edge. I tend to use it when I'm going for a stronger look, or where I want to be very direct about what I'm doing, but just want to get a smoother result; like when I did the dark edge on those panels, or later the white highlight.

100% Acrylic resin? I have no idea what that means, but rumour has it it'll make you a sexual Tyrannosaurus, just like me...

Vallejo's Glaze Medium is far more interesting. As well as the same thinning effect, it retards the drying time of your paint incredibly. A thin coat will dry in about 2 minutes (compared to a few seconds). I've had paint mixed on my pallet with this stuff that has still been fluid days later (and no I don't ever use a wet pallet, so its just out in the air). The advantage of this is that I can add a layer of paint and while it dries I wash my brush and go in (with a just barely moist brush) and adjust the paint before it dries. This allows me to blend it in so that it leaves no "watermark" where the edge of the paint lies. Essentially it's completely smooth and seamless, but takes a very long time to build up the colour. For the purpose of my mini, this is the technique I used to adjust the blending and contrast after the airbrushing was complete.

The other thing to consider is the direction you're moving your brush in. Paint tends to pool and be the strongest when the brush leaves the model (especially with these thin glazes), so you should be dragging the brush towards the point where you want the colour to be the strongest. It's a bit of an odd one as it seems to be counterintuitive; you'd think that the colour would be strongest where you first made contact as logically you'd think that would be where the most paint was deposited. To make it a bit simpler, if I was shading, I'd start at the middle of the panel and drag down towards the darkest point.

Lighting

As it is so central to NMM, I thought a quick discussion of light and direction would be appropriate. If you made it through my guide above (or are still even awake by this point), you might remember that layer of grey primer at the beginning, which I used to help me establish this. Anyway, generally you'll be thinking of creating multiple virtual light sources. By that I mean, you don't really have to shine a bunch of lights on the mini, but think of the direction that light would be coming from around it. In some ways I envy 2D painters as they can add light entirely from one direction, whereas working in 3D that'd leave half the mini pure black - not really ideal, but it does demonstrate the idea - that the colours will be stronger where the light hits and darker where it doesn't. While a mini, having a "dark side" isn't exactly ideal, it does give you some idea of how to work the shadows. For mine, the darkest parts would be the inner surfaces of the legs as even with 4 imaginary light sources (roughly evenly spaced around the mini) that area would still be dark. At this point I think I may have actually gone mad with all of this stuff as reading it back I sound like a lunatic, but anyway you'll either get what I'm saying or not. This stuff is hard to explain, but that's basically it. After that it's mostly that the light will hit any ridges, or bits that stick out.

I drew this terrible diagram of where the highlights are on my phone using a work in progress photo:




While I'm showing off, I might as well finish up with some work in progress shots of my other rediculous painting project.

I have a headache now...


Don't forget to leave any questions or comments below - I almost always answer, and I'll throw in my two cents on almost any topic/problem. I'll probably also develop this article in time as I personally gain more experience. I certainly plan to update the pictures at some point once I'm finished working on the miniature in question!