Sergeant of the Squad

Posted here today is the almost complete tactical squad sergeant. I've chosen to distinguish him from the squad leader (not shown) by the weapons he bears, and some more subtle colouring. The skull on the chestplate is painted golden, for example. The armour is also a little more ornate, making him stand out more from the rest of the troops.

There's not an awful lot different to the normal painting techniques I've already built up, but there are some small tidbits that are new (for me, at any rate). First off, I wanted the "golden" colour of the left shoulder pad insignia to differ slightly from the colour of the rope seen on the right arm - one is rope, the other is armour decoration after all. With that in mind, it was really quite simple:

• Averland Sunset (base)
• Casandra Yellow (wash)
• Yriel Yellow (layer highlight)

And that's it. Nice and simple, but effective. Additional highlights could be done with Flash Gitz Yellow, or perhaps White Scar, but I didn't deem it necessary.

The gold on the chainsword and elsewhere was done normally, however this time I used some Necron Compound to drybrush on a few highlights. If carefully done, this gives edges a bit more of a shine over sticking only to golden metallic paints. This is normal for Games Workshop to do (I tried it after seeing it done in a White Dwarf paint splatter). It's definitely a case of less is more, however, so I'll practise a little more with that.

The other item of note on this model is the base. It's not finished yet, and the photos really don't show what I want properly, but I've determined that painting the base before gluing the model is somewhat easier. I can also apply some Purity Seal spray (finally found a use for that) to help keep the technical paints from flaking off. There's normally enough flat areas to glue the model onto afterwards, especially if you keep it mind while painting.

While easier to paint, looking afterwards I noticed that something wasn't quite right: shading around the feet. The line between the model and the ground was a little too distinct; there should be some shading to help make the model and base really fit together. This is a very subtle effect, though I think it needs to be done more still in the model shown, but it really enhances the overall end result.
For the ground shading, I just used Agrax Earthshade around the feet, keeping it as close to where the feet meet the base as possible.

So a few things need things need fixing up, some skull icons need doing, and a bit more work on the base, but one can see how it will turn out.

-- silly painter.

Lemartes Continued

Ok, so it's been a while since I've done a proper post, but I've not been entirely idle. I'm far too much of a perfectionist with the painting, however, so it takes a very long time.
At first glance, perhaps nothing much has changed since the last time, but it's the details that matter. A few edges have been sharpened up with some Dawnstone highlights, purity seals have been finished, knee and shin decorations have been painted, and some pseudo-metallic areas have been done.

Lemartes asks if you are loyal to the Imperium.

The decision to not use any metallic paint has meant that metallic areas should look like metal, but I also didn't want to go overboard on "shine". Lemartes is really a character that's grim and dark, and I wanted that overall impression to stand, even with golden chalices, gem decorations, and so forth. Taking a queue from the helmet, the grenades and bolt pistol were given a similar approach to that used on the terminator thunder hammers:

• Celestra Grey (Base).
• Nuln Oil (Wash). This step was applied rather heavily.
• Fenrisian Grey (Layer). Highlights along edges as appropriate.

That's really it. I could have used a very thin edging of white to give it a shine, but did not feel it to be necessary (and again, it might have made things too shiny).

Another unusual step I took was with the shoulder pad edges. Normally I would highlight with very thin lines of Dawnstone, however this time I wanted the studs to stand out a bit more. So instead, between the studs was built up with Eshin Grey and Dawnstone, and pulled back with Nuln Oil where appropriate. The studs themselves are highlighted with Dawnstone. This really makes the studs stand out, and gives the armour more appearance of being old (using more ancient manufacturing techniques), but still fits in with the highlighting elsewhere on the model.

Despite the camera, Lemartes is still photogenic.

The insignia on the left shoulder was given a purple appearance to make it stand out from the red background. It's a little small in my opinion, but relative to the bolt pistol icon it's actually proportionate.

With the purity seals, I finally settled on a scheme that makes them stand out just a little against red armour.

• Khorne Red (Base).
• Drakenhof Nightshade (Wash).
• Mephiston Red (Base). Thin layers are used to highlight the very edges.

It's the shade that gives them an ever so slight colour offset. Druchii Violet might also be used as a wash, however I prefer the blue of Drakenhof. The effect is very subtle though, so care should be taken to not be too heavy with the last highlight - a very, very thin layer is all that's needed, and it should be almost drybrushed on.

Aside from adding some script to the scrolls, the main model is pretty much well done now. The base is still to go of course, and the jump pack needs finishing, but it won't be much longer before this model is done.
Before that, however, there will probably be an update on tactical squad marines, who are also nearing being done.

-- silly painter.

Still Painting

Wow, it has been a while since I posted here. That's what holidays, weddings, and neverending high workloads does. Never fear, however, for there will be an update very, very soon.

-- silly painter.