Sanguinary Guard WIP #1

Not the best photo perhaps, as usual, but the Sanguinary Guard are starting to be filled in with a bit of colour now. The base armour colour and highlighting are starting to be second nature now, and I can do that quite quickly, so I'm trying to focus on improving my speed at painting little details now. What helps is that I think I've finally settled on a pattern of purity seals:

• Screamer Pink (base)
• Drakenhof Nightshade (wash)
• Evil Sunz Scarlet (layer, thin highlight)

Seems to give good results while being a little distinct from red armour. I might play with the final layer highlight a little, though I don't want it too pink.
I've also been mixing it up with the purity seal paper a little, and I'll likely move to:

• Steel Legion Drab (base)
• Ushabti Bone (layer)
• Agrax Earthshade (wash)
• Pallid Wych Flesh (layer)

It takes a bit of patience, and the layers must be applied very thinly, and carefully, but it's been working well so far. It also should look that little bit more different to how I paint scrolls decorating armour, giving them a more easily recognisable difference in "texture".

Another little trick I've realised is that used sparingly, 'Ardcoat (basically varnish) can really make gems stand out. I do typically prefer to try give them a gleam simply by painting, but it wasn't working with the Sanguinary Guard: the metallic sheen of their armour was making gems look rather dull by comparison. A layer of 'Ardcoat, and problem solved.

To the left is another model that I'm painting alongside the Sanguinary Guard. I've not yet decided whether he'll be a captain, or honour guard picked from the first company (owing to the crux terminatus on his left shoulder pad). As a finecast miniature, there are little mould process defects present, so I decided to slightly modify some areas: grails on the jump pack, and a blood drop on the right shoulder pad, just to give him that bit more of a Blood Angel feel. It can't really be seen in the photo, but the highlighting done to the armour really stands out on this model. He should be quite impressive when finished.

-- silly painter

Work Continues

No pictures today, on account of nothing being assembled in suitable fashion for photography (at least not with the equipment currently available), but work continues with more models.

Sanguinary Guard are up next, although this time they're being painted before almost any assembly has taken place. The reason for this is simple enough: the torso section overlaps areas of the legs with these models, making painting the legs properly difficult in places. I'm almost done with the initial stage armour base coat and highlights.

It's back to metallic paints for these guys, in an attempt to have them similar in appearance to Dante. Luckily I've already got a good idea how it will turn out, so the method of painting is very similar, albeit more refined. Blending metallics together is a very tricky exercise sometimes, however, because they reflect light rather well; what looks good under diffuse light may look very different under directed lighting, and vice-versa. So the highlighting is done very carefully, although it's basically the same as with non-metallic paints.

The real key seems to lie in the finaly edge highlight. That may have to be built up a bit more (Auric Armour Gold) to make it stand out a little, but the result is most definitely worth it. Hopefully I'll have one done soon enough to showcase that properly.

I've yet to decide which helmets I'll be using for the models.

-- silly painter.