Blood Angel test schemes

[wings of sanguinius]

I was a member who made regular posts here about 5 years back and have come back into the fold after taking some years away from 40k. I started back with a guard army when the new codex was released but still had remnants of my Blood Angels from 3rd ed that I never finished painting. At one time I had around 15 000 pts which was a ridiculous number as there was no way I could field them all ever. I am planning on making my army around 3000pts this time around and currently have maybe 1500pts to get painted.

 

So ramping up for the release of the new Blood Angel codex in May I am going to start painting the models I have left over from 3rd ed as well as the models I got in the black reach box. I was thinking I would try something different from what I had back in 3rd ed but was really not satisfied with the results but am still looking for opinions. I decided to test on the black reach models since they aren't as expensive but still have enough detail to really test.

 

-The one on the left was base coated with mecharite red foundation and then drybrushed blazing orange followed by black lining with a 005 size micron pen. ~20 minutes for the armour (no details done)

-The middle one is my old painting style base coated blood red, drybrushed blazing orange, drybrushed vomit brown (previously fiery orange but its discontinued), put more blood red on the large flat spaces, then black lined as above (and then additional details.) ~60 minutes for the armour (before details) I am still working on the battle damage and don't like how they turned out in this case very much; I think I need more and smaller chips/scratches.

-The one on the right was base coated mecharite red foundation then manually highlighted with a fine brush with blazing orange, then vomit brown, then black lined with a fine brush and badab black wash. ~240 minutes for the armour (before details)

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4033/4312833120_ce92064108_o.jpg

 

I found drybrushing orange over the foundation red (the left model) made it look brown and muddy from a distance and manually painting all the details with the model on the right looks clean but takes FAR too long for basic troops. The model in the middle which is my old style is the middle ground but at the same time looks very orange and not very "bloody." I tried washing (the pics are not included) but find it makes the models look dirty (not in a good way) when the washes are used on flat surfaces like power armour. I really like how bright the model looks and how much it stands out on the table but was wondering if people thought it was too orange.

 

I was wondering what peoples opinions on this where from an aesthetic viewpoint.

 

(The bases are yellow because at one time I wanted to play Imperial Fists but red just looks so much better in my opinion.)

[Hal]

Middle one is defiantly best, the right one's red is more Fleshtearers than Blood Angel.

 

If you think the middle one is too orange, try dry-brushing with a mix of red and orange.

There is a good tutorial on painting the Space Hulk terminators in a previous white dwarf which might be worth a look.

[Dexter Kong]

I'll take a stab at this. I make my living as an artist so if I can't shed some light on this I know I'm a failure.

Personally I don't like the black lining using the Micron pens. The ink in those pens has a gloss quality to it when it dries, so when light hits it, what should look like a crease between armor will catch the light in a weird way, and it'll look a lot like stripes of motor oil or something like that.

I like the colors of the Marine on the right the most, although I know you said it takes too long to paint. My personal technique for doing lots of models at once is to use lots of washes. For black lining I make a black wash by thinning down black paint with water, and wiping off the excess wash with a paper towel. Citadel Inks are too expensive and potent for this job, and don't cooperate when you try to wipe them. The nice thing about this method is that the wash dries quickly under a light. So if you're working on a squad of ten, by the time you've washed the tenth model, the first is already dry and ready for another wash. I am currently painting Space Wolves, and build up my shadows using varying black and blue washes, with brown washes thrown in to show dirt and grime. To avoid the dirty, mottled work, I would alternate washes and drybrushing with your basecoat color, possible even drybrushing while the wash is wet to achieve a blending between the two.

The real key is practice, obviously. Since you have what appears to be a metric ton of old Marines kicking around, I would throw a dozen or so into some Simple Green and strip them of their old paint, and experiment with different painting styles until you find something that's quick and easy, and still looks good enough for rank-and-file troops.

[wings of sanguinius]

The micron pens do dry quite glossy but I overcoat all my models with matte overcoat and it tends to keep it more like a shadow instead of some weird recessed highlight.

[IronKobra]

I think if you go to blood red before orange highlight on the model on the right you have your scheme. Would brighten up the red a little before you hit the highlights. Right now they look like they have been highlighted too soon if that makes any sense. I do this with my Angels and like the results. Defiantely bright enough to not be mistaken for Ravens or Tearers.

 

this is how they look BEFORE an orange highlight, so will be brightened up a touch with it.

 

http://i847.photobucket.com/albums/ab36/IronKobra84/WIPVanguard53.jpg

[Capt. Lysander]

Yes, I too like the middle red ;)