Karlina von Carstein - Part III (Showcase)

 

Come closer, I want to hit you with my cup.

I managed to find enough free time to finish Karlina to an acceptable level. I'd already decided that tabletop level was good enough, which seems to be an ongoing trend for me lately, but I'm not unhappy with the results. I played around with a few areas just for fun, with the most noticeable being the base.

I was originally planning on grey flagstones, but that just seemed too boring, and I didn't think it would fit with the model: a relatively bright upper body from the reflections, relatively light base, didn't see it working. Instead I went with cobblestones of the red-brown range that I've seen across various old cities. Doombull Brown was the main colour, after which I sketched the basic pattern in black, and then mixes of burgundy, black, Stegadon Scale Green, anything on the palette really. Even white mixed in for freehand edge highlights. The idea is to give each cobblestone variation in hue and value, which makes for a much more natural look. I don't think I achieved my goal unless it's viewed from directly above - perhaps the cobblestones could be larger, which would help view the pattern while also making the shapes rougher around the edges. Next time.

I did use Doombull Brown mixed with black to very lightly drybrush over the hem of the cape which would more naturally pick up dirt from the ground. It doesn't have to be much: when in doubt, do less. More can be added later if necessary, where it's much more difficult to remove it if applied too heavily.

The cup isn't quite as blue as I was going for, but I don't feel like glazing over it and pushing the colour mores more. It still looks like silverware and on the model is distinct enough from the sword. The colours are mixes of Grey Knights Steel, Iron Hands Steel, Stormhost Silver, and some black edging or glazing where appropriate. There are no formal steps here, it was just put those colours down on the palette and play around.

The rose is straight forward:

• Screamer Pink base.
• Pink Horror along edges, some volumes.
• Fulgrim Pink for specular highlights. This step is more than just dots of the brightest points, and instead shifts the rose more into a brighter pink colour.

Stegadon Scale Green for the vine, with some brighter colours from the palette mixed in to highlight. I'm not a fan of the outcome - I perhaps should've used a more dedicated green/brown paint, but it's such a minor detail that it doesn't really matter.

The last interesting tidbit is actually the skull detail (buckle, perhaps) on the leg. I decided to go for something a little different:

• Daemonette Hide base.
• Mix in black for shadows.
• Slaanesh Grey mixed in stages to highlight different areas. Use unmixed for the brightest edges.

And that's all - it's not the number of colours used that matters, it's the contrast to define the shape which matters for small details. I think it turned out well enough here, but I did use a very fine pointed brush and magnifier headset to get it done.

And that sums up this special edition model. I had a bit of fun with it, practised volume highlights, experimented on the base, but I'm glad it's finished. I won't be putting a varnish over the top as that would ruin the metallics, but it's also not likely to become a gaming piece anytime soon.

The count is now around 5 I think, but I'll say 4. Good thing I have more models to finish off soon, and motivation to save money right now.

-- silly painter