Bloodletters (Showcase)

They're all running from Smelly Armpit in the back.

For no other reason than to give the airbrush a go with different reds, and to try out some of the crackle paint with a fire effect around feed, I've painted up some Bloodletters. I opted not to use banners, horns, or any such extras and instead just keep them reasonably simple.

With the exception of one. The leader was painted some time ago and is slightly darker than the rest, but in a group like shown it's not really that noticeable.

Wonder how many times it bites its own tongue.

To paint these models I decided to make the underneath lighter. This would kind of show as light from whatever warp taint is affecting the ground underneath them, and perhaps give the impression that their backs were somewhat more hardened - this is not a Bloodletter thing, but was a good excuse to practice such an apperance.

Basics from the airbrush, after a black primer, are:

• Averland Sunset directed from underneath, with a little more on the face as well; the face is a focal point and I wanted it to stand out.
• Khorne Red (obviously) over the entire model. Don't be too heavy on this step or the previous won't show through.
• Calth Blue (Clear) on the back. I wasn't sure about this step - it may have been a little too dark, but I was betting on later steps of drybrushing to lighten things again.

And that was really it for the airbrush. The next step was attempting to use some Astorath Red to drybrush the bumps on their backs, but this didn't work as I wanted. So instead, Wazdakka Red was dotted on each bump. Each. And. Every. Bump. In hindsight I would skip the last airbrush step, drybrush the bumps, and then use Drakenhof Nightshade to clean up.

Wazdakka Red was also used for some highlights on the faces, followed by a little Pink Horror. This was also applied to the...stripe, fur, thing, down their backs. A little Corax White on the eyes for dots, followed by the Iyanden Yellow Contrast to give them an even more demonic appearance, and simple Morghast Bone and Skeleton Horde for the teeth and various claws. The tongue was Phoenician Purple, Warp Fiend Grey, and Druchii Violet.

The horns were Morghast Bone, over which was a slightly thinned (not enough) Wyldwood Contrast was applied. Black Templar Contrast was then thinned and applied to about 2/3 of the horns. I'm convinced this could work in future, but the Wyldwood needs to be thinned much more.

Runelord Brass, Agrax Earthshade (Nuln Oil on the handle, gloss variants of course), and some Skullcrusher Brass for the metallic bits. The brasses don't quite match, and actually I did this on purpose. Sometimes using colours or paints that don't quite fit together make something different - in this case I wanted the weapons to seem a little "wrong", and this was my way of doing so. The blades were black (Black Templar was used, it was sufficient for the first step) and then edged with Warpstone Glow. Following this a thinned coat of Black Templar Contrast was added to blend in the green a little, with some touch-ups done again later where it was too dark. Red, orange, yellow, just would have stuck out too much, and I find this far more interesting.

The bases were surprisingly simple. The key is to paint them a bright colour first, Averland Sunset in this case. A thin layer of PVA glue (or wood glue, however it's called) and then Martian Ironearth over the top of that. When it's completely dry, glue the model in place, and then start to cover the outer edges with Black Templar Contrast. Spreading out the Contrast paint naturally reduces what's on the brush, until it can be sort of "drybrushed" closer to the feed. It's hard to describe but this effectively fades the black into more of a red, and then from there to yellow of the underlying Averland Sunset. Rhinox Hide for the trim seemed better than black, just to give it an outline. I'm happy enough with the result and could easily imagine a larger diorama done this way, with prior footsteps visible as they fade away.

The fire around feet could also be explored more on a special model with a larger base, something like an Avatar of Khaine. Additional scenery, like plants or rocks, could be darkened and given a burnt appearance to show the heat being given off. Something to think about.

Anyway, that's basically it for these models. They were done as a bit of an exploration and I don't intend to keep them, so tabletop quality is sufficient.

-- silly painter.