Project 20 Marines - Part V

 

Lightning fast knee to the xenos.

Problem with painting twenty marines at once is that there isn't too much to write about for a weekly based update. I have managed to experiment more with the oil paints however, and have now done seven in this manner, with the rest catching up over the coming days.

The photo shown above is one of the earlier test models. I've actually already applied a matt varnish to this one just for photography purposes, but I will very likely get more painted before that stage on the rest. Painting over gloss varnish is trickier on larger surfaces, but once that first coat is applied (and dry) then the next layers are fine. The recess shading / panel lining on this particular test model is also thinner than what I'm going for with the others, because it doesn't give quite enough depth that I'm going for here. Except on the backpack, but that was done without oils.

The verdict so far is that yes, oil washes are much quicker, but aren't as strong. More mineral spirits allows the mix to flow much easier, but naturally thins out the pigment. I could either do multiple coats, or thin it less; I'm trying for the latter. I'm also using a magenta oil, where Crimson Carroburg is darker, so it might be worth investing in a black oil paint to mix in. This would definitely overcome some of the issues I'm having, so I'll very likely give it a try as soon as I can.

I will admit that using the acrylic washes I so far prefer overall for quality, possibly just because I'm used to them, but also they don't come with the hazardous chemical requirements. The catch is that they're much slower for pin shading, and mistakes are more difficult to fix.

In the end, the speed of application for these models is winning out. It's just that much faster right now, and I'm really trying to teach myself ways of painting larger numbers of models. Prior techniques can remain the domain of special characters or other stand-out models that will have that extra bit of attention, but for getting through twenty "normal" marines at a high quality, the oils is good enough. I do want a high level of finish, but I'm also very aware of just how big my backlog is. I'm hoping in the coming year I can have a constant stream of squads in the background while exploring new techniques and styles on some more singular models.

Finally, the idea of dots of PVA glue is really helpful. Even after all the priming, painting, and varnishing, the masked areas come off nicely and help glue sub-assemblies in place.

-- silly painter.