Raging Heroes TGG2 Freebie - Sister Celenia, Scout Painted

After last week's unboxing I promised further updates. As usual I've gone beyond the call of duty to bring you a completely finished miniature; resplendent with scenic base and all the trimmings.

One of the things I really enjoyed when painting this model was actually something quite rare for the world of miniatures - namely that there is no "official" colour scheme. In fact, there is no scheme at all as the models were rendered in grey 3d vision during the kickstarter and the actual design sketches were done in a monochromatic pen and ink style - leaving me open to let my imagination run wild.

It is actually quite funny to look at this render and compare it with my finished miniature. I guess with Raging Heroes, what you see during the campaign really is what you get at the end!

Her concept sketch is "day 1" in the picture above.

I had the fanciful idea of doing a blue green armour - half inspired by the Alpha Legion colours, although I wanted to go a bit lighter and more angelic. The colour palette selection was also inspired by an old video game I've been replaying; Legacy of Kain - Soul Reaver. For anyone so pitifully unfortunate not to know it was a hit on the PS1 from 1999 that features the ability to shift from the physical to the spectral realm (spirit world) at will. It uses a really scenic palette of dusty greys and haunting greens that I wanted to take a little slice of. I did a lot of greenish weathering hues on the base to try to capture a bit of the feel of the game.

For the other colours I decided to stick with more traditional nunnery fare; with black and white featuring heavily in the scheme.

Anyway, after spending Saturday painting dutifully, I finished the miniature and I'm really happy with the results. Like I said earlier, there haven't been any painted before the release, so this just might be the first complete version of her in existence. 

Here's hoping Raging Heroes like the colour scheme and it catches on!

A picture of the model after being primed - you can really see the quality of the detail clearly. I should also mention the the scenic base is a resin piece by Scibor Miniatures, with a few additional bits and pieces added on.

Well, that about rounds it up. I'll be working on more Raging Heroes  miniatures soon, so stay tuned for the next update.

How to Paint - Infinity Yu Jing Orange

This week I'm looking at the art of painting orange - with a step by step tutorial for the Yu Jing faction for infinity. These are also the exact same colours I use for my Orange Necrons, so keep that in mind if you're interested. I'm using the airbrush heavily for this scheme, so if you want to know a bit about airbrushing you might find it interesting.

Lets get started!

As the weather was rather nice (a rarity in England) I've set up my airbrush outside for once!

Step 1 - Undercoat, Chaos Black

The first thing I did was undercoat the models with Chaos Black Spray by Games Workshop. This makes sure we get a really resistant finish and prevents any chipping (especially important on Infinity models as they're all metal). I haven't taken a picture of this stage as it seemed a bit superfluous. Just remember to keep the can a good distance from the mini, shake well and don't ever use the stuff under 10 degrees!

Step 2 - Undercoat, Grey Primer

I then primed the models with a good coat of Vallejo "Surface Primer - Grey". This stuff is almost white actually and gives a good base to work from for our bright colours.

Step 3 - Basecoat, Hot Orange

A goodly Basecoat of Vallejo's Hot Orange comes next. As this is a basecoat I'm just giving the model a goodly covering and really just getting it all on there!

Step 4 - Highlight, Orange Fire

I then run a highlight with Vallejo's Orange Fire. This time I'm adding fairly wide highlights across the panels to add a bit of definition to the shapes and to start to create the final colour that we're going for. I'm also painting up an Aleph bike in orange to use as an Aragoto for the Yu Jing force as I like the model.

Step 5 - Pre-Shade, White

Who just said that it looks terrible? Well, you'd be right.

In this stage what we're actually doing is adding a pre-shade of white. We'll be following it up with a final highlight of Yellow, but to get the yellow to show strongly over the orange we have to add a few points of light with our white first. This stage is the most difficult as you have to be really carefull not to get too trigger happy, or the whole thing will be a mess!

Step 6 - Final Highlight, Sun Yellow

I then go in and  spray a coat of Vallejo's "Game Air, Sun Yellow" straight over the white points that we added. This adds a stark highlight, but is easily smoothed into the base colour. The best part is that the "Air" paint range are already thinned and this layer acts a lot like a glaze that unifies the whole model and gives us the final piece of the smooth orange look that we were going for. 

Other Details

With the Orange complete I then turn my attention to any swords that I want to do in a crystalline blue. For this I mask the models off using a good quantity of Cellophane. It's worth noting that you should let the orange dry thoroughly first as you don't want to paint to stick to the wrap!

As the first layer, I use an ordinary brush to add a coat of Vallejo "Dark Prussian Blue" to the blades. 

I then Highlight with a layer of Vallejo Green Blue applied with the airbrush, then a layer of 50/50 Green Blue and White and finally a pure White Highlight. This gives the result pictured below. For my Necrons, these are the steps I use to paint their power coils and other glowing details.

Time to Grab a Paintbrush!

With all of the airbrush work complete it's time to grab your ordinary paints and go to work. It was also a relief to get inside again as the sweet smell of Vallejo products on a sunny afternoon was creating a veritable insect orgy on my patio!

The first step after using an airbrush is always inevitably to create some definition in the panels. For this I used an applied wash of Khorne Red directly into the recesses on the armour. It is really important that the paint is applied carefully and not washed over the whole surface or it'll destroy the highlight we've built up. If you're into Oil Washes this would be the time to break one out.

A Khorne Red wash is applied directly to the recesses

After that I continue to add definition by highlighting the edges of the panels with GW's Yriel Yellow. With this step the Orange armour is complete and all I have to do is paint in to other details.

A Yriel Yellow edge highlight finishes the armour off nicely.

Finishing

After all of that excitement I finish off the models with a few simple coats of paint. As I'm feeling generous I thought I'd share the other colours I used. 

White Areas - GW's Ulthuan Grey Base, Vallejo White Highlight

Blues - The same as I used in the airbrush. I then add a final highlight to the sword blade edges etc. with pure white

Blacks - Vallejo Black with GW's Codex Grey Highlight

Purples - GW's Xerus Purple with a Genestealer Purple Highlight and a Druchii Violet wash

Bungo The Barbarian - Chapter 9, The Tomb of Doom

An earth-shattering detonation rocked the chamber as the directed energy beam scythed through the air; reducing everything in its path to dusty disintegrated rubble in an instant, before finally impacting on the far wall with an impressively pyrotechnic eruption. Even the vast collection of iron swords that hung in grim decoration had been reduced to nothing in a blinding instant; their steely blades no proof against the Derpo’s arcane technologies.

But there was no sign of the hollering man ape barbarian.

The Derpo King wiped the bountiful sweat from his brow with the back of a rubbery hand; eliciting a squealing noise like nails on a chalk board. He muttered a bitter curse as he began the reload cycle and the sorcerous weapon once again began to shudder; choking into life and discharging vast quantities of methane into the air as its energy crystals overflowed in a slowly creeping miasma.

“I don’t care if you’re alive or not” he crowed. His high pitched voice echoed through the dungeon’s now silent halls. He grabbed the ignition leaver with both hands; preparing to unleash another deadly torrent.

“This place will be your tomb manling!” he spat the words furiously; his eyes wet with tears at the thought of his lost knitting enterprise, and in his mind the loss of his people’s economic security.

It was in the midst of this rather one sided exchange that he suddenly caught a glimpse of a strange shimmering shape in the air above him.

“Excelsior!” cried Bungo from his lofty perch as he initiated a dive-bomb manoeuvre that closely echoed the attack runs of the great avian predators of Morgax.

Only mere moments before the blast he had grabbed hold of Shallica’s succubean horns and taken flight to escape the wanton destruction wrought by the Derpo King’s fierce weapon. Her entrance into the chamber had gone unnoticed in the struggle, and Bungo’s daft adversary would soon come to regret the mistake. The barbarian had mounted her sensuous form in a strange parody of a piggyback ride; the picture was as amusing as it was deadly, but markedly more lewd than either.

“What the hell is wrong with you people?!” The Derpo King screamed; fleeing in terror as the strange cavalry bore down upon him. His waddling gait and clumsy flapping feet made escape next to impossible and the lurid pair grew ever closer. He had only made it three cumbersome strides when he turned in horror to see Bungo sailing through the air on a direct collision course. The barbarian had abandoned Shallica in mid-flight and was now soaring towards the wildly defecating Derpo; his hair billowing in the wind as he made the heady 20 foot drop with ease.

The world seemed to go into slow motion as Bungo’s bulging elbow drop came to a thunderous end; connecting directly with the Derpo King’s head. For a single heartbeat the rubbery flesh seemed to absorb the impact as Bungo’s arm disappeared right up to his shoulder in the cranium of his unprepared adversary. There was a momentary delay before the Derpo King’s eyes bulged out of their sockets to three times their usual size and his head imploded inwards in a fantastical expulsion of methane that drove his shrivelled body into the ground; before pinging about the room.

“Don’t be so hot headed!”  quipped Bungo; standing proudly with his hands on his hips and pulling a few manly poses that Shallica seemed to appreciate with hungry enthusiasm. In truth she was still overcome from the excitement of having Bungo suddenly leap on her; and had been in a daze ever since.

Unfortunately for the heroic duo, the moment of victory was short lived. The Derpo King’s shrivelled body flew by one last time before finally coming to rest in the worst possible place; directly on the Death Ray’s ignition leaver. The was an ominous clunk as the dooms-day device switched from idle and into overload and the whole chamber began to collapse as the nebulous energy ball started to unmake the world around them.

Converted Ork Skorcha Squad

Work on the Grot Army continues at a good pace. This time I'm adding a unit of Skorchas to the mix. A unit light vehicles with a heavy flamer for just over 30 points a piece sounded good to me. Their biggest advantage is that the template weapons mitigate that terrible BS2. The other big advantage is that they're Fast Attack, so I don't have to worry about those straining Heavy Support choice slots for once.

Anyway, on to the models themselves. They're what I like to call Au Naturel, or in the common tongue what's known as "built out of crap". We're looking at a lot of various bits here. I had the wheels from my Battle-Wagon left over, which I combined with some spare Killa Kanz that I had going (Thank you Sanctus Reach box!). To that I added some odd Gorkamorka bits and voila! success.

I also decided to mount them on 60mm bases for gaming ease (and to keep my rampant building under control!)

For the second one I used much the same process as the first, but this time going for a sort of trike looking thing. I also used a spare cockpit from an Ork Bommer to build the chassis.

The third one is still a work in progress. I used a track unit from a Gorkamorka half-track and a lot of other bits to bring it together. It still needs a driver though and some more work. I also didn't have a base for it, so I'll have to hit eBay up at some point to rectify that!

It's going to be fun to get these on the board with my Battle-Wagon. I can just imagine them whizzing about the place like it's Mad Max or something!

Here's a link to the Battle Wagon for those who missed it (or just want to experience that magic moment one more time...)

Converted Ork Battlewagon - Seriously Huge!

How to be a Better Painter - Improve Your Accuracy

Unsteady hands and blobby paint flying all over the place? Well not for long because I'm here to hit you with some knowledge. Improve your accuracy today, right now, just by reading this article.

For most of these demonstrations I'm using a pot of Citadel's Khorne Red and a Small Layer brush. I have also used an Imperial Fist and some Abaddon Black in the first example. No expensive equipment needed.

I've set up a little practice area. Citadel will try to sell you a £20 water pot, but an old mustard jar will do you proud. The lid doubles as a palette too. Other than that you just need some paper and the aforementioned brush and paint.

Brace Yourself

I'm going to start with the thing I hear all the time all over the internet, but for some reason never hear the solution to; people complaining about having unsteady hands. The truth is that nobody is born with super steady hands that make them more accurate. The solution is as simple as it is complicated, although it will become second nature over time. This one comes down entirely to how you hold the miniature and how you brace yourself and your painting hand. For demonstrative purposes (as it really is the only was to explain this) I've taken some pictures of myself painting - specifically how I'm holding the model and where my fingers are.

For those who are wondering - I wasn't born with 500 fingers or anything...

Ok, so you can see that I have four fingers from my left hand in contact with the model. 3 on his base and the other against his backpack. My right hand is then braced against the left, creating another 2 or 3 contact points. Add to that the fact that my forearms are braced against the edge of the desk and you'll start to understand why my hands aren't shaking anymore.

There isn't a single correct grip that you can learn and use, as it will vary with the miniature and what you're painting on the miniature. You'll have to quite literally feel it out for yourself, but it is very much worth considering and practicing. If you've been struggling to get those small details, but are holding the model between thumb and fore finger, both hands will be shaking the whole time in different directions and you're going to have a real hard time of it. You'll have to try and find what works for you, but most people will brace with their forearms resting on a table and a few fingers on the model.

I'm also turning the model as I go to keep the angle I'm working at favourable. It is generally easier to pull a line straight down, or straight horizontally, rather than round corners - so rotate the mini as you go to make things easier for yourself.

This long sweep would be a real pain if it wasn't for that fact that I've turned the model to make it easier.

The Grip

Just as important as correctly bracing yourself is how you hold the paint brush in your hand. You should hold it like you would a pen - and close to the head of the paintbrush. I know it sounds simple, but people often forget the basics when they try something new. You can see how I hold my brush in the picture below.

The Paintbrush

You're going to need a decent brush and realistically you can only paint details as fine as the point your brush can maintain. This doesn't necessarily mean you need a brush with a single hair - as this would actually be terrible. The brush always has to have enough bristles to be able to hold an amount of paint that you can actually use, as well as allow for smooth application. If the brush is too fine (and I mean in extreme cases, or what you might experience with an old brush that is going a bit bald) you'll find it very hard to use because the paint will begin to dry on the brush itself before application. I use a small layer brush for most for mine as there's no way I'm forking over £15 for an "artificer brush". That and to be honest they really don't look that good for the price tag.

Paint Quantity

Yep, it's not just the quality of the paint that matters. Quantity wise I'm talking specifically about how much you're putting onto the brush when you paint and where you're putting it. Too much and you'll find the bristles are pulled apart and that finely honed brush tip will disappear - leaving you with a paint shovel instead of a precision instrument. It also matters where the paint is (and I'm not just talking about the model). The paint should be focused on the tip mainly, but with enough in the well of the brush that you will be able to pull a line without running out of paint after the first millimetre.




Examples:

An overloaded brush destroys accuracy!

Look at that fine point, you can see vague redness where the paint has been absorbed into the well of the brush.

A few test lines (old battle sister for scale). Number one shows lines drawn with a correctly loaded brush. Number 2 is from our overloaded brush. The difference is huge, and it's all due to how we've loaded the brush.

Paint Consistency

This is one of those things that people tend to disagree over. Generally paints should be thinned from the pot to a consistency where they will apply smoothly without giving a lumpy or uneven finish. Some people say it should be like milk, but I'm not sure on the correct analogy. The important thing is that it is thin and free-flowing, but not so thin that it is washy, or doesn't stay where you're applying it. Equally if the paint is too watery the bristles will splay. You'll also hear a lot of people say that you can't paint straight out of the pot. This isn't necessarily true as most colours of paint have different consistencies, so it's different for every colour. There's also nothing wrong with using the lid of a citadel paint as a mixing area for diluting the paint - I do it all the time (just don't mix colours in there!).

Too much water pulls the bristles apart and prevents you from getting a fine tip.

Until you get the hang of it you can mix in water on a palette (or piece of plastic crapola like me)

Obtain a fine point by turning (or rolling) the brush in the paint slowly. This also helps get even coverage across the head of the brush.

Practice makes perfect. The large lines were made with the watery brush pictured above. The finer work was the same watery paint after I had wiped away the excessive quantity. This also highlights the importance of using a palette when you're still getting used to things, as you can more easily see the quality of your paint mix as well as how well the brush is loaded.

Well that about sums up the basics of accuracy. It sounds simple enough, but these are all things that take a lot of time and practice to master. The good news is that it all becomes second nature eventually, and if you stick with it you'll be getting great results in no time.

To recap, here's what it boils down to:

• Brace yourself to stop that shaking!
• Get a good grip on the brush near the head!
• Use a decent brush and load it properly!
• Thin your paints with some water for smooth application!

                                       

Don't forget to read my article on the basics too if you missed it:

How to be a Better Painter - Basics

 

Bungo the Barbarian - Chapter 8, A Deadly Derp in the Dead of Night

 

Bungo’s muscle-bound reverie was soon interrupted; the chamber seemed to darken momentarily as a second gargantuan Ogroid guard stepped through the broken remnants of the doorway. The beast’s face split in a menacing parody of amusement as it loomed over the barbarian’s masculine form.

 

“Blaarggh!” the creature intoned, although it was unclear whether this was intended as a vicious war cry, or perhaps it was merely the sound of some malicious bowel movement brought on by too much fine dungeon cuisine.

 

The beast’s monstrous form swayed unsteadily as it made a lumbering side-swipe with its corroded War-Maul. Bungo leapt aside; easily evading the cumbersome assault. The rusted club-like implement crashed into a pillar, and the room seemed to shake momentarily under the crushing impact; dislodging a good quantity of ancient tomb-dust from the straining rafters.

 

Bungo was already moving; he jumped into the air and landed a vicious double-kick to his opponent’s malformed face. The creature reeled back; holding its bloody mess of a head and yowling incoherently.

 

“Looks much better!” declared Bungo heroically; admiring his grizzly handiwork from his vantage point on the ground. He was feigning reclining on a chaise longue, much to the chagrin of his opponent and the watching Derpo King. In truth the beast’s hideously concave visage had been reduced to the walking equivalent of an ingrown toenail.

 

Bungo wasted no more time and drew the crystalline Blade of Donglore; decapitating his blundersome opponent in a satisfyingly explosive eruption of gore. There was a short delay as the creature’s body swayed unsteadily, before collapsing to the ground in a convulsing heap.  

 

Just as the barbarian was about to make a witty pun, he was again interrupted by the appearance of another adversary.

 

“You would defile my innermost chamber?” A squeaky voice declared haughtily.

 

Bungo turned from the Ogroid’s corpse with a groan of dissatisfaction. At this rate he’d never get to loot the body for any treasure.

 

He salvaged the less than ideal situation with a heroic witticism “That’s what she said!” replied the hero with a smirk; judiciously adjusting his generous man-package for added impact.

 

The Derpo King was not amused. Enthroned on a raised dais; the blobby creature’s rubbery flesh squeaked menacingly as he waddled from his perch and approached the barbarian on stunted purple legs.

 

“Time to die man ape!” he squawked; momentarily blinding the barbarian by throwing what appeared to be a half-made garment complete with knitting needles into Bugo’s chiselled face.

 

Screaming with manly fury and choking on the fluffy garment for a surprisingly long time; Bungo eventually threw the knitting to the floor.

 

The Derpo King had not been idle during the distraction. A section of wall had slid aside by some arcane means; revealing a colossal Derpo Death Ray in the adjoining chamber. The Derpo King cackled maniacally as he aimed the bulbous weapon and it cycled unsteadily to full power.

 

Bungo could only swallow uneasily as the Derpo King pulled the ignition leaver and a stream of crackling methane-powered energy arced across the throne room.