93 replies to this topic

[Firepower]

OK, so I have been fumbling over one problem after another.  Finicky airbrushes, broken airbrushes, failed primers, misused respirators...

 

But finally, the first test model is complete!  Well...mostly:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My photography is...sketchy.  I actually had access to a really good camera for a change, and the results were worse than my crap camera!  But I need to go reading the instruction manual rather than piddling around with the options wheel blindly.  Anyway, these are from the crap camera, and are pretty decent, if just a touch blurry.

 

I need to settle on a base theme.  I want something pretty, but not overly complicated to save on time investment.  Something that clashes well with the muted brown, most likely a concrete/gray/urban sort of base.

 

This was my first attempt at battle damage, and I had mixed results.  The tone I used is the base shade of brown mixed with black about 50/50.  The problem I found is that it doesn't really appear on the shadowed areas.  Seeing as the shins are the shadowed area, and the most likely to get dinged up...well, that's a bit odd.  

 

I didn't go with the typical method of underlining damage with a lighter shade, as I wanted most of it to just look like mild peppering, with only a few serious slashes and worn edges that cut through to the metal beneath.  It also looks a bit like dirt/mud this way.  I did, however, go a bit overboard on some segments, his right shoulder in particular.  

 

The Bolter is crap, but I borrowed it from an old model to just skip that nuisance for now.

 

Also, if someone can tell me how I might turn these into expandable thumbnails rather than big clumsy pics, I'd appreciate it!

Edited by Firepower, 22 August 2013 - 12:10 AM.

[deathspectersgt7]

Very different color scheme I like it .The one thing I would change is the pad trim.Other than that I like.

[death given form]

Very nice! I was quite excited to see this after seeing your post in your art thread. I'm really liking the contrast between the dark, drab tones of the armor and the vivid blue markings. I'd be really curious to see a character from this chapter, with a relic bolter/bow hybrid. Looking forward to more, brother.

[Tyrannicide]

I like him a lot. If these colors were to be applied to an entire tabletop force you'd achieve something very unique I think. 

 

I'm never good at deciding on the bases. I'd echo the urban rubble base might be a good choice as well.

[SickSix]

I think he looks good. The contrast of the blue on brown is great! I can't wait to see a whole unit of these guys.

[Yosef Hausakluif]

great color scheme.  Did you use a sponge for the weathering effect, or is it just a grainy photo?

 

regardless, will be a very distinct and good looking force when all painted up!

[Firepower]

Thanks for the encouragement folks! Glad to hear this scheme is working out.

I'd be really curious to see a character from this chapter, with a relic bolter/bow hybrid.

Hmmm...I hadn't thought of that. I'm not sure I could do that without making it look like it belongs in the hands of a Wookie, but I'll brainstorm on it during those more tedious moments of getting these guys done (mold lines, endlessly endless mold lines!!!). Bolter conversions will be a central theme of the army though, and I've been rapaciously stealing all the ideas I can find around the B&C and internet as a whole.

Did you use a sponge for the weathering effect, or is it just a grainy photo?

Both

I'll probably be spending the day either fooling around with bases or guns...or both. If I get anything to a stage worth photographing I'll post it here

[Redwunzgofasta]

Really like your colour scheme firepower, very unique and gritty. Id say maybe a red earth/ruins base, which might provide a nice contrast? Just an idea. Look forward to seeing more!

[Firepower]

Whipped up the bases yesterday, and here they are pre-priming.  I'm going for an urban theme- dirt/grit, broken and disarranged tiles, and the occasional debris like pipes, abandoned and broken war materiel, etc.  Not sure exactly how I will go about painting them just yet.  I mean, I know what end result I would like, but I have to figure out how to do it from a light gray prime, rather than the typical black.  The end result will be along the same lines as the bases this guy shows about 4 minutes into his second video- http://www.dakkadakk...ist/410592.page

 

 

 

I've never done bases quite so complicated before, but they were surprisingly easy to make.  I did some debris bases for a tiny squad of Tau I made up last year (seen here- http://www.dakkadakk...ist/482289.page ) but these are surprisingly much easier to make, and will hopefully look better, too.

 

On to the bolter conversions!  I'm so going to hate making them, with all that tiny, exact and unforgiving modelling, but if I don't screw it up it will be worth teh effort

[War Angel]

Cool looking bases, and awesome color scheme. Your chipping and highlighting is subtle and effective. Very inspiring. I'll have to take a leaf from you're book some time.

[recon0321]

Awesome color scheme...how did you do it?

[Firepower]

Awesome color scheme...how did you do it?

Using airbrush-

Prime gray.
Basecoat vallejo model color German Camo Black.
Zenithal hightlight of vallejo model color USA Olive Drab, at a 45 degree angle.
Zenithal highlight of Steel Legion Drab from straight overhead.
Paint metallic parts chainmail.
Gloss varnish.
White spirits/black oil paint wash.

Add Hawk Turqoise details, then go over those with a 50/50 Turqoise and White mix.
Sponge on German Camo Black damage.
Edge highlight sparsely with chainmail. Touch up raised metal details with chainmail.
Matte varnish.
Done.

It's a lot easier than it sounds, since half of it is airbrushing. The hardest part is the fumes from the lacquer primer I use and the white spirits

My 2 vowed squads are up on their painting bases more or less now. Once I finish that and get my computer running again, it'll be time for a photograph and then off to painting at last

[Captain Semper]

Looks like a good start Firepower! I'll be watching this...

[Firepower]

A sea of gray and cork, ready for priming.  These are the two squads promised for my ETL vow.

 

 

 

 

Not really much detail can be made out, but given that they're all in several pieces and not even primed, I didn't see much of any reason for close ups yet.  Just meeting the ETL requirements.

 

That, and you get a teasing peak at just how messy my workstation is.  The area around that cutting mat is much, much worse

 

And you can see my incomplete Templars hiding behind them, too

 

I'm hoping my airbrush will really pay off now that I have a bulk load to paint!  I still have a Drop Pod, Landspeeder and Librarian to go after these guys.

[RolandTHTG]

The only model I know for the bolter-crossbow is this  inquisitor, but I swear there was another model with one at the time of the witch hunter codex.

[Firepower]

I've more or less given up on that idea for a conversion.  I haven't been able to conceive of a version that didn't just look like every other automatic crossbow idea in history- Dark Elves, the Inquisitor, that awful Van Helsing movie, etc.

 

If the Savage Ork bows had only slightly different proportions I would find a way to stick one on a Scout.  They've got the right aesthetic for the background, meaning they're somewhat primitive but mean looking, and could be painted to look like it's made from bone, but are too long in the grip and just a touch too short in the limbs for my liking.

 

I might just try anyway somewhere down the road.

[death given form]

I've a few ideas about relic bolter bows kicking about in my head... I'll mock something up and send you a PM, brother. I'm curious, lots of snipers in the force? Check out Anvil Industries, lots of attachment and weapons options to customize your marines.

[Firepower]

I've a few ideas about relic bolter bows kicking about in my head... I'll mock something up and send you a PM, brother. I'm curious, lots of snipers in the force? Check out Anvil Industries, lots of attachment and weapons options to customize your marines.

 

I appreciate that.  

 

As for Anvil, I've taken a look at them, and I'm not much of a fan.  It's not so much going to be a sniper heavy force, but some snipers are a must  I've been tossing around Telion alternatives in my head from the beginning.  

[Adeptus-Alaska]

I almost wrote these guys off a while ago when you where in the planning stage with the proposed color scheme. after seeing an actual painted fig though, well done!

[Firepower]

OK, I got everything primed in a 3 hour session of toxic fumes, and needed a little break from the airbrush to get back to my roots.  Seeing as just about everything in the army is going to be done by airbrush, that left me one option.  Ironically, they're the one thing I always hated painting most.  Go figure.

 

 

 

 

I only managed to get pupils on two of them, and of those two you can only really tell on one   But I'm still pretty happy with the end results, considering I'd never tried to paint a non-Caucasian skin tone before...not that I was ever any good with Caucasian skin tones, either.

 

Unfortunately I made up the paint mixtures as I went along with each head, so I don't have a specific formula to fall back on.  But on the bright side, it adds a slight variance to tone which looks a lot more natural than a collection of clones.  The second pic shows the difference best I think.

 

On a technical note, although I'm going for a Native American theme, the wide range of skin tones among the gene pool actually more often have a yellowish undertone, not red.  I didn't go with red to play to a stereotype, but rather because it stood out better against the armor than a yellow tone would.

 

I also flattened out (read: shaved off most of) the noses, to allude to a genetic predisposition of their home world.  It worked pretty well except on the guy with the braid.  His nose and lip sort of became a single surface.  That was tricky to fix with paint. 

 

C&C much appreciated.

Edited by Firepower, 30 May 2013 - 07:40 PM.

[Tyrannicide]

I think the more faces you paint the better and more advanced the procedure will become. Right now they're really very good, but the red/yellow undertones are very heavy. Blending those colors a little better will give a cleaner end result to their complexion. I do like the tattoos. I imagine you'll be able to pull off some pretty intricate ones as this force continues to grow.  

[Aqui]

The armour colour is even better in real life than the concept I love the little touch of making the Tactical squad arrow out of two "Broken Arrows" The skin tones look very cool and it's something I still have a lot of difficulty getting right and consistent

Looking forward to seeing more

[deathspectersgt7]

Like minded w/DP the too's are really good .Most of my NA relatives have fine nose's

[Firepower]

Like minded w/DP the too's are really good .Most of my NA relatives have fine nose's

 

Yeah, the Arrows are NA in culture and largely appearance, but the gene pool of the home world is a bit different.  Inhabitants of Lacrum have, among other things, enlarged nasal cavities, similar to a Neanderthal.  Hence, I tried to get the flat and broad look.

 

 

I think the more faces you paint the better and more advanced the procedure will become. Right now they're really very good, but the red/yellow undertones are very heavy. Blending those colors a little better will give a cleaner end result to their complexion. I do like the tattoos. I imagine you'll be able to pull off some pretty intricate ones as this force continues to grow.  

 

When it comes to blending, the Blood Angel head came out the best I think.  Odd, considering it was the first one I painted.  But at any rate, I intend for bare heads to be few and far between, so I won't be getting a whole lot of practice really.  The Librarian I have promised for my ETL will in all likelihood be bare headed though, and as an HQ he will demand special attention...hm.

 

Thanks for the C&C so far folks  Next up the assembly line begins again.  Hopefully I'll get the knack of mixing paint and thinner early on this time around.  Clogs every 15 minutes are....irritating.  I managed to prime everything with only one clog, but the lacquer dries a touch slower than Vallejo and GW acrylics.

[deathspectersgt7]

cool.