Crimson Paladin II - Part II

 

Doing it in style.

Continuing with the red theme from before, I had actually shaded the second Crimson Paladin along with the MkII Assault Marine. The details are once more lost in the photo, but the shading is there and it does make a real difference. I also know that the later steps will dull down the vibrancy after the matt (matte?) varnish, and I'll build up the highlights with glazes afterwards. This has definitely allowed me to progress much faster with this model: I'm not getting bogged down on the first stages and I can see progression.

Castellax Bronze as before, shaded with thinned Cryptek Armourshade. I've not yet highlighted the metallics - and there still remains a good deal of the shield to be done too. This is a good thing because I missed a spot on the right foot.

The pteruges are more or less the same as the leather pouches I've been using the MkII and MkVI: Thondia Brown, then orange tones to highlight, and darker colours (I used Corvus Black) to outline or shade. The colour isn't quite as rich as with the first Crimson Paladin, but I do like the framing better. I might try Rhinox Hide as the base colour next time again, if I can get a replacement bottle (or equivalent colour); I've had a few paints finally dry out on me after however many years it's been.

On the topic of dried out colours, Steel Legion Drab unexpectedly did that to me. It's basically dried pigment with medium on top right now and it took a long time to get acceptable base layer coverage. This made the sash a little annoying to start with, and the paint rubs off far too easily in places. It's ok now, but I might want to look at a similar colour progression with the Tone Pro line (more on why those paints in a moment). Painting the sash I used a degraded synthetic brush and tried to be a little less smooth with the applications, preferring multiple passes to build up the look with some texture. I'm not unhappy with the result but I am in search of how to jump to that next level of ability in painting coarse beige material.

The paints I own have lasted a long time, but I finally want to try out alternatives. This is great if I can access those alternatives, but every time I just want one particular colour then I need to factor in the cost of delivery - which makes the paint at least twice as expensive - or include it with another order and thus delaying the purchase for a very long time. I've been waiting a month as it is for a Two Thin Coats order. There is actually only one brand of paint that I can simply go into a local shop and buy: Warhammer Colour / Citadel. If the Tone Pro range is better for some of my use cases, then so much the better - and I don't even mind the pots. I may transfer to droppers just to take up less space on the shelf, but that's very much "may", not "will".

Back to the Crimson Paladin, next up I might need to sort out the helmet. I intend to paint all the remaining helmets in one go - but first they'll need minor adjustments with green-stuff to pad out space and let them sit slightly higher.

-- silly painter