Better Blending

The image above doesn't show too much of today's post, but it does make the page look a bit nicer. It also shows some improved NMM gold I've been attempting.

Today is another focus on blending, specifically as it applies to highlighting. The same principle as I've written about before applies (building up the paint to transition gradually), but I thought I'd give some thoughts on improvements I've learned.

To start with, Lahmian Medium is great stuff. It also goes by other names from other suppliers (Acrylic Flow Improver, for example), but by whatever name, it's still very useful. As the example I gave suggests, it's best description is perhaps to improve the flow of the paint, and naturally also thins it down. Both of these properties can be used to essentially make any of the Citadel base and layer paints into a glaze, which has different fluid properties to water and makes it much easier to control. Another bonus I've found is that when mixing it on an appropriate tray, it also takes longer to dry out (useful tip: deeper depressions in the tray surface can form a puddle, which is where it stays more fluid longer). So if you're going to take the blending approach I use, then get some Lahmian Medium!

When dealing with Lahmian Medium, or whatever it is, do not simply use it straight from the bottle. Get an old eye-dropper bottle, or something similar (some modelling shops will sell them) and keep the Lahmian Medium in that. One or two drops at a time are all that's required, and this allows you to keep the amount used consistent, controlled, and prevents contaminating it with any leftover paint from the brush.

Water can still be used, but it's more tricky to work with, and I find that it has a habit of running off into places you don't want far too easily. It also dries much faster, which can be difficult.

When using any layer paint as a glaze, simply paint a very thin amount (glaze consistency) from the darker area to the edge you want highlighted. Wait for it to dry (painting other areas during this time is a good idea), then repeat, moving the start point closer to the edge as you go. Moving the brush this way really helps draw most of the pigment to the last place the brush touches (the edge). It's very important, however, to wait for each pass to dry first if you want to get a smooth colour transition.
I also find that after a little while, the paint on the tray starts to thicken slightly as it dries. This can actually be used to transition from using it as a glaze to more of an actual layer paint, and really build the edge up to the colour you want. That really comes down to practice and getting a feel for the thinned down paint.
Do not overload the brush. Use only a small amount on the tip of the brush at a time. This makes it much easier to control where the paint goes, which in turn makes building up the layers that much faster. I can't stress that enough: do not overload the brush! If there's too much, wash and dry the brush, and then just get a small amount on the tip from the mixing tray.
Most of the above applies when using water too, but Lahmian Medium really does make it much easier to use.
Note that I did apply this to building up an Eshin Grey highlight on Lemartes' armour, but it doesn't really show up in the photo. I also used Nuln Oil to pull back the colours where appropriate, so that final step of applying a wash (or even glaze) of the base colour is often still required.

A final note for this post is non-metallic-metal gold. This video serves as a good reference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3H7i9neDtU

I used that to help try out both better blending and NMM gold on Lemartes' Crozius Arcanum. I also used a Druchii Violet wash at the end to contrast the yellow, which really makes a difference. As a test it worked quite well, but took a very long time, so I'll stick to special models with that particular technique.

-- silly painter

Storm Shield

Today's post is about layering. Specifically, layering on a storm shield for the assault terminators. Right off the bat I'll say that some effects could be done with much fewer layers (something I intend to explore soon), but it does give a good idea of how you can use the paints to build up a final effect.
Decding which colours to use when building up the paint layers can be difficult, especially when you're not sure quite how it will turn out. This comes from experimentation and experience - and perhaps a little reasearch and ideas from what other people have done. Hence this post. So let's begin.

To start with, these are close up shots. Poor lighting still, but found a much better camera to work with, so hopefully better photos soon. Anyway, the usual black spray undercoat was applied first. The photo was actually taken a bit late, so the grey cross is a combination of Mechanicus Standard Grey (base) followed by a thin layer of Dawnstone (layer). This is the same as the Crux Terminatus from the previous post - I wanted the shield and shoulder pads to carry a similar colour theme. The eagle and skull are given a coat of Rhinox Hide (base), while the scroll is done with Rakarth Flesh (base).

Here the stonework (I'm going for a stone look) was given a wash of Nuln Oil (wash). Being a little patchy doesn't matter - it gives it some texture to look more like carved stone. The eagle is highlighted with Zamesi Desert (layer). I used a good brush and a bit of patience, but this step (and similar ones later) is probably a good candidate for drybrushing (might even be better - again, something to explore later). Karak Stone (layer) was applied to the skull, with Agrax Earthshade (wash) brushed over the scroll.

Things are starting to look better. Russ Grey (layer) was applied to the stonework, but not evenly. I tried to highlight the edges, and then blend it back towards the centre. If mistakes are made, Eshin Grey is actually a good colour to use to fix them because it's very similar to Dawnstone washed with Nuln Oil, to the point where one could simply just have used Eshin Grey to begin with. Still, the wash was good for a patchy look, and it gets into folds easier. Yriel Yellow (layer) was highlighted onto the eagle, with Ushabti Bone (layer) for the scroll, and Screaming Skull (layer) for the skull.

Fenrisian Grey (layer) gives final edge highlights to the stonework, which makes that part of the shield complete. Agrax Earthshade (wash) was applied over the skull, and Seraphim Sepia (wash) over the eagle. Final highlights with Screaming Skull (layer) for the scroll finish that part as well.

Flash Gitz Yellow (layer) for eagle highlights, and Scar White (layer) for the skull. At this point, the skull was actually too white, even if it looks ok in the photo. So the tip for future such adventures: don't use Scar White for anything but final edge highlights.
The eagle here could also be considered finished, however I find it too bright, too yellow to really give a golden impression. Looking back over the Death Company, I realised that while a brown hue is good, the missing colour was orange...

...so the final touches are Fuegan Orange (wash) on the eagle, and Agrax Earthshade (wash) to tone down the excessive white of the skull. Although the ambience is a bit dark for the photo, it hopefully shows that the eagle now looks closer to Dante's armour, but without the metallic paints.

The storm shield isn't completely finished. I'll likely give some very fine edge highlights of blue around the outermost edges to hint at a power field of some kind, and there's still the other side to do, along with something to write on the scroll. As an example of building up paint layers it's fairly good however. I might experiment with achieving similar colours on the eagle, but using less layers - I'm thinking Averland Sunset (base), some highlight of orange, Agrax Earthshade (wash) to give the brown colouring, then a final layer of Yriel Yellow. I'll see how that turns out in a future post.

-- silly painter.

Terminators 03

Today's post details some of the additional work on the shoulder pad (from Forge World), laurel wreath, and thoughts behind some of the colours chosen. First of all, let's start with colours.

The sergeant is likely going to be the focal point for all painting, with the rest of squad finished only after he is. This allows me to concentrate on the one model, and then use it as a reference for the rest. He's not too far from being done now actually, although I guess that depends how overboard I go (so...he's far from being done). At any rate, the picture above I should mention was slightly modified, purely to try and sharpen it a little. The image was a little too blurry otherwise. Anyway, I'm still attempting to go with as few metallics as possible (the claws will be metallic soon), and so tried to give a golden feel to some of the icons. I didn't really succeed there, at least not to a level I'm happy with, so I'll have to keeping trying. There needs to be either more brown, or more white, or both. Regardless, the chest plate for Blood Angels tends to have a black aquilla (or similar design) these days, but I wanted something to make the sergeant stand out a little more, so his is golden. I'll probably do something similar for the tactical squad as well: sergeants will have a more golden symbol across the chest, with squad leaders having black.

At this point, the terminator has too many harmonious colours. I wanted to add something a little contrasting just to break it up a bit: enter the laurels on each glove. They're perfect for some small detail in a contrasting colour to attract the eye to them, giving the whole suit of armour a more ornate feel. The wreath is not painted quite the same as with Dante, however I like this way better.

• Caliban Green (base)
• Moot Green (highlight edges of each leaf)
• Drakenhof Nightshade (wash - and yes, a blue wash!)
• Sybarite Green (highlight tips of each leaf).

As usual, the photo doesn't do things justice, but Sybarite Green does give a good leafy green, and really makes the laurels "pop". Just need to have a very fine brush tip to be working with, and a little patience.

The Crux Terminatus I decided to give a stone look. I debated making the skull white, or giving it a bone feel, but decided that it would look more impressive to wear carved stone into battle rather than something that could be mistaken for plaster (fear me, for I am your exterior decorator). Being a Forge World shoulder pad, the resin is highly detailed, and presents quite the challenge to paint. I dare not use more than a spray undercoat on them lest the detail be obscured. Even so, the layers of paint had to mimic in places the original design, but it turned out ok. Just be sure to use very thin layers when working with such items!

• Mechanicus Grey (base)
• Dawnstone (highlight, very thin)
• Nuln Oil (wash)
• Russ Grey (highlight)
• Fenrisian Grey (highlight, skull only)

The skull was the tricky part. The creases on the forehead are extremely difficult to not obscure, and in the the end they were the part mostly mimicked via highlighting. I used two layers of Nuln Oil there in the end; one wash to catch the creases, the second to bring them back from overly ambitious highlighting. Even then, the last highlight was touched up in places because of the second wash. Drybrushing might work, but the creases are very shallow, so just patience and a steady hand are probably better.
The skull I also wanted to stand out more; the skull should be the focal point. To this end, Fenrisian Grey was used to brighten it up somewhat, subtly setting it apart from the background, but still maintaining the same overall colour scheme. I'm fairly happy with how it turned out, but I have to repeat it yet across four more. That won't be so easy.

Next time I might actually have the second shoulder pad attached. At the very least, it's about time for some metal colours now.

-- silly painter.