Edited by Captain Caine 24th, 23 February 2019 - 02:42 PM.
Edited by Captain Caine 24th, 23 February 2019 - 02:42 PM.
Thanks. He's just a captain, just under 130 points. Though the paint job on my actual Dante is about 20 years old and could use an update.
Work continues on the rubble bases today. I'm just using cork and styrene strips to make i-beams. I'd like to add a bit more variety to them. I'd thought about small plastic gears or something. Cheap watch parts are a bit too small. Maybe some wire mesh or some kind of industrial bits.
Edited by Captain Caine 24th, 13 February 2019 - 01:32 PM.
Alright so since Jan 1: 5 death company with better bases, a bit of improved layering, and a protective clear coat. Working from dark brown to an off white in layers really shows up a lot better on skulls and clothes. I tried edge highlighting and an zenithal with dark grey, but wasn't thrilled with either result. I've still got piles of death company that need work. The 2 new smash captains are good enough, for now. The white brushwork didn't come out the way I'd hoped.
Taking a break from blood angels, I experimented with my Agripinaa mechanicus.
Lessons: (1) clear protective coat necessary for masking; (2) give the clear coat time to set/dry properly (don't move too quick); (3) when using tamiya masking tape, stick the tape to a hard surface a few times to reduce it's stickiness so that it is much easier to pull off the model; (4) experiments are necessary in painting. Question: how to get tape to stick to model without any gaps or creases for airbrushing nice lines...
Goals: (1) Time - I got a little bit of painting in during the past two nights on my Kastellans. I think at the initial stages of coming out of a hobby hiatus, any amount of time is good. Too much time or too much repetition is an easy way to make it feel like work and burn out; (2) Better painting - I watched a couple of videos on feathering and wetblending last night techniques last night. The key take-aways seem to be to having patience in not seeing immediate results and dedicating the work to get experience (like just about anything in life).
I did get a paint shelf to get organized (been in the hobby with some breaks since 1996, and I'm only doing this now?). This is the 45 paint set (for 34mm diameter paints--as I use tamiya, GW, vallejo, etc.). I got it off Etsy. I've heard cheap nail polish racks work too.
Ultimately the most important thing was to be extremely precise in the resin mixture, or hardening won't work. I used measuring cups going a tablespoon at a time. Also, the mixture must be mixed thoroughly, which is very painful when you have to mix slowly. However, hot water mitigates a great deal of bubbles (of course being careful not to get water in the mix).
Goals: (1) put the resin experiments into practice; (2) keep watching more videos on painting; (3) practice painting, even if it does look golden demon quality--get it done!
Edited by Captain Caine 24th, 15 February 2019 - 01:49 PM.
Tools: My flush cutters died on me after many years of heavy use. The GW sprue cutters are fine but these are half the price. Don't use then to cut paper clips or thicker metal. Interestingly I did find that model railroaders have a heavy duty flush cutter for cutting the rails. I'm curious about these. I saw them on ebay for about $22. It might be worth looking into if they can cut more than plastic with ease.
I've got to get back to painting some more Krieg...
Krieg Revisited. I'm working on some bases to get some death riders ready to go. Not sure that they'll see time on the battlefield, but I think they have some good rules. Anyway, I first experimented with water effects and waywatcher green glaze at the end of last year. I thought maybe a toxic mud battlefield might work out. I still haven't figured it out.
Flames of war and AIM weathering powders to get some rust going. I've applied a clear coat. Next I'll apply masking fluid, then over that a top coat. when dry I'll peel the masking fluid and see how it looks.
Thank you very much, positive feedback is encouraging to stay motivated.
Krieg Heavy Weapons. The sandbags were a first for me. I tried the technique of making a roll (or log) of green stuff and chopping out, what appeared to be, the shape of sand bags. I tried using cloth for texture but it seem the thread was a bit big. I painted the bags green just to help blend in the whole army. I'm not going for a monotone/monochromatic paint scheme. I'm not really sure what it'll look like in the end, but real armies tend to have a lot of different camo patterns going all at once.
At the last minute I went with Woodland Scenics Water Effects instead of the resin I had planned on. This was a questionable choice. Always have a plan with water effects. I'd run many experiments now and it was time to just move forward. The resin would have dried in 4 hours and fully cured probably in 24-48. The water effects are a different story... so the heavy weapon base looks cloudy and off-color, and will likely look like that for a week while it dries. It's hard waiting to see if I've screwed it up or not. In any case, water effects shrink and I'll need more layers. So, it most likely can be fixed if needed, it'll just take time.
Can't beat 'em join 'em. I broke down and got a knight, and I figured I'd finally get started. I'm thinking Terryn or Hawkshroud. I was planning to do Malinax last year but the decals sold out from forgeworld. So, at least economically, it makes sense to use the decals that come with the model. A few years ago I did get some 1/6 scale ammo belts (M134 minigun ammo feed schute for the gatling cannon and Mk19 grenade launcher belt for the rapid fire battle cannon). But it was a project that never came to be. I'm just going to build this guy and worry about conversions on the next knight.
Magnetization was fairly easy really. Instead of large magnets I used a number of smaller ones to ensure a strong bond while giving me some flexibility on fitting the magnet on the model. I didn't have a drill bit (lost in the move apparently) to drill out the arms, but that was the only thing I'd change really. I've still got to figure out the pieces for the thermal cannon and battle cannon, but it's assembled otherwise. Very fun build. I think I'm going to base coat it in a hull red or dark brown to do some chipping effects...
Knights. Work continues on house Terryn. Previously I elected to do the base weathering color as VMA Mahogany. It works, but on the next knight I think I'll use a Hull Red and various gradients of orange and red for more uneven rust tones. Though I'm not intending on over-doing the rust--lore wise the model is the pride of the House, not an implement of the death guard. Still I feel weathering is important if the machine walks with my Krieg.
Hairspray method. I experimented with hairspray on a single piece first if corrections needed to be made. I sprayed the hairspray into the airbrush for a bit tighter control on the amount I'd be putting on the model. This was very cheap hairspray and was what we had at the house. It's worth noting that some recommend a low-hold hairspray for best results. I was surprised that this hair spray left a white residue... but it didn't impair my results.
I let it dry briefly and set to applying water with a brush. letting the water soak in I began to rub the plates gently with the brush to weather it. I used a finger nail to make some scratches. The keywords are patience and slow... It looks a bit crazy as since I applied water to the whole area,the paint seems to bubble or wrinkle in texture, giving the appearance that the whole blue layer is destroyed. However--thankfully--that goes away and it dries perfectly flat, and while still wet the weathering can be easily done.
It's time to start thinking about the base. I've been wondering if Urban Conquest terrain would fit... Besides Krieg (being in mud, naturally), my other armies are all urban rubble bases. Meanwhile, I think I'll go with vallejo metal color old gold on the trim. It's hard to get a decent gold...
I'm happy to be making a lot of improvement here, but all can still be improved.
Basing. Using cork and polystyrene I've got a rubble/urban base going. But, t his time I wanted to add some water effects. So, the plan is to have a toxic leak coming out the the barrel. So, the plan was to create a plastic dam to hold in the resin I'm going to pour onto the base. I cut some clear plastic out of a food container that would just be thrown away anyway. I then got the hot glue gun ready. This was not well thought out. The asymmetric and protruding bits of the base prevented a good fit. Though I could have gone ahead with the resin pour, it would have been lopsided when hardened... I'm going to have to think about a better plan. Conceivably a circular sort of cookie-cutter type plastic object could be placed on a base and secured with hot glue. But, even assuming I get the resin pour right, I'm still not sure the removal of the plastic will go without incident.
Anyway, I'm excited for the next projects as well. The tech priest Manipulus(?).
Lessons: patience is key. Take the time to make sure all steps are completed before moving on. Let the paint and clear coat dry!
The Exalted Court of the High King. Elsewhere the progress on the knight continues. I sat and stared at it for some time wondering which way to go with it. My armies are all urban rubble bases except my Krieg. So, I figured I'd try a trench. The problem with a trench base is that it's inherently underground and a base is an above ground thing. As a practical matter this means the base would be too tall for the knight, if I were to make it sufficiently deep and detailed. The second challenge is that I've not yet made a full trench board or display board before. I wasn't sure on how to make it with the items I had available. I used styrene, cork, and green stuff. I'm not sold on the trench base idea so far, but even if it fails it'll be good practice and lessons learned for my Krieg display board
Basing. Making the sandbags from green stuff is difficult as the substance is sticky. I should wait longer to work with it. Some say to add more of the blue and less of the yellow to reduce stickiness (I’m not sure). I’ve seen people use an acrylic block to work green stuff on, and I might try that… they are cheap on Ebay. Adding drops of water to my knife, table, and hands as I go helps a bit. The fabric I used to make texture (and to erase fingerprints) was my shirt, but the fabric appears too large. I actually like working with Magic Sculpt more, but it seems more expensive and less readily available. It hardens more and is less elastic than Green Stuff, but that hasn’t been an issue for me.
The question is, how do I make the legs for the tech priest?
Foetid blight drone legs, mechanical necron legs, spawn legs, or maybe Tyranid legs... If properly done this conversion should raise serious questions as to what side she's on...
The appropriate Halo is a subject of much debate. The mortarch of grief is such a great model, it's blasphemy to cut it up. The veiled skull is especially eerie and unsettling but doesn't match the artwork. I need a screaming skull. Maybe a Banshee?
Brush Blending. The better brushes make a clear difference in attempting to blend, perhaps more than anything. Throughout my painting for years, I'd only ever used a small fine point brush and a dry brush. The reservoir in the more expensive brushes is large to hold water, and the tip holds finer than my fine point brushes. Conceivably I could paint eyes (assuming I get a microscope) without the paint immediately drying. It's strange to think of how many years I've done this hobby without really looking into how to do things properly.
Switching to a masterson wet palette at the suggestion of many others feels like it'll be the right answer. Previously I'd just used parchment paper and wet paper towel. I feel it handles a bit differently, almost like driving someone else's vehicle. I really may be true that many brush techniques can work, but each has it's pitfalls. (notably I don't paint with the pots in the wet palette, I just wanted to show the colors i'm working with.
Looks like a lot more practice will be the only way to figure this blending thing out. I may try flow improver tonight to see if it helps the blends.
Edited by Bjorn Firewalker, 14 April 2019 - 02:27 PM.
Thanks Bjorn, I'm still not sure how to paint the wood in the trench yet. I've been doing brown with a darker wash... but I'm thinking weathered wood should be grey with some green mold coloring. I also think I want water effects in there to make the planks somewhat submerged. The other problem is that if it's all too muddy, I suppose the knight would just sink into the mud. I'm going to try out some snow as well. I'd like to go for a muddy winter look.
Blood Angels. I'm still stuck on the idea of getting better with a brush. Decent/ok airbrush blends are fairly easy, realistic airbrush blends based on a real light source are a bit more difficult. But, airbrushing alone won't finish a model. So, i'm working these blending and glazing techniques. Ebay rescued scouts sitting in my box, un-built for a year, are a perfect test subject. Interestingly enough I'm really liking the liquitex white ink for wet blending, as it's so thin and doesn't dry immediately. I'm considering trying out others. Anyway, here's the progress this weekend:
Hey mate! You are making fantastic poses for the Captains with the Intercessors' bodies. I also love the terrain you are baking there.
And that lettering on the scrolls is fantastic. Could you be tempted to add the script to the other side as well?
WIP thread - Blood Angels 5th Company "Daemonbanes" || Other things&projects
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." ~W. Churchill
Thanks Majkhel! I'd love to do more scrolls. I think I can get the green stuff rolled thinner next time too. I'm only limited by the number of cherubs (hopefully with the new sisters of battle this year there'll be new cherubs to pick up.
Humble Beginnings. I've been watching a lot of painting videos lately. I've been trying to note brush strokes (pull/push), paint dilution, and consistency/viscosity. I've no doubt there are many ways to blend, glaze and layer. And, at some point I'd like to learn as many as possible, but for now, I'm trying to zero in on thing in order to get it to work for me. So, though it may seem small I took photos of two big steps for me.
The video that helped my brain understand glazing was Rob Paints Models (Youtube) on thinning paints.I may try his patreon. Using flow improver to decrease the surface tension of the paint allows the paint to maintain position, instead of pooling or puddling. Also, using too much paint leaves streaking/puddles/pooling. I'm really thinking with some flow improver and less paint on the brush (and patience) I can do better with my scouts.
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