Painting the BA symbol freehand

[vharing]

I have been trying to find a good way to learn how to paint the Blood Angels symbol freehand, but have had no luck. I went through the painting tutorials but cant find anything that seems to work. I was wondering if any of you guys can give me some pointers. I am currently painting an assault squad with JPs for my 3rd Company and would like to get the symbols painted before I put the jump packs on.

[fallecs]

Have you seen this?

[Brightguy]

I've had decent success. I don't have a photo handy that shows it well, but here is the general order I use.

 

Start with the drop in the middle and start this as a vertical line that you thicken. Should be starting at the bottom of the shoulder pad and going about 50% of the way up.

 

Now draw the lines for the wing edges closest to the drop. straight lines parallel to the straight part of the tear drop with a little separation running from the top 2/3 of the way down to the end of the straight bit and little semicircles on top of that, bulging outward, top directly over the bottom attached to the straight lines.

 

Now draw four straight lines radiating out from each of those wing lines, longest at the top, shortest at the bottom. Longest starts from the top of the semicircles, shortest from the bottom of the line. Tilt the top and longest up slightly.

 

Now fill out the lines to make them more feather/wing shaped. You can also fill in selectively to touch up some unevenness.

 

Highlight slightly.

 

Hope that helps. If you need practice, you can prime and basecoat anything to give you something to work on. A piece of reasonably stiff cardboard is a good choice. You can do as many as you like until you get the hang of it without mucking up expensive models.

[vharing]

Have you seen this?

 

I was trying to use that one at first, practicing on paper. I just cant seem to get it to look normal.

[1Drop]

I think I'm gonna order a bunch of the BA shoulder pads from GW, I haven't tried freehanding our chapter symbol. But, I bet it's hard!

[The Crimson Cartel]

Have you seen this?

 

I was trying to use that one at first, practicing on paper. I just cant seem to get it to look normal.

 

Try practicing detail BRUSH on paper 1st. Learning how that brush works,moves,flows,etc will help alot. Quite a bit different from pen/pencil I think. That is one of if not THE best tut i've seen on the topic.

 

-CC

[Brightguy]

Watch it ordering those shoulder pads. They're smaller than modern marine shoulder pads from what I understand. That's what internet searching I did turned up and a quick visual inspection of the product at a LGS seemed to verify.

[The Crimson Cartel]

Watch it ordering those shoulder pads. They're smaller than modern marine shoulder pads from what I understand. That's what internet searching I did turned up and a quick visual inspection of the product at a LGS seemed to verify.

 

^

Correct. They are the older edition ones, and are smaller scale than the ones that come with all the new plastic spures (DC,SG) Same goes for the Flesh Tearer pads...

 

-CC

[1Drop]

Thanks for that.. I've been meaning to get some for a while now but keep spending all my model fund on kits to kit bash. So you think they'll look out of place on new school kit bashed marines?

[The Crimson Cartel]

Thanks for that.. I've been meaning to get some for a while now but keep spending all my model fund on kits to kit bash. So you think they'll look out of place on new school kit bashed marines?

 

They are noticeably smaller bro... I was less than happy with my flesh tearer ones. :tu: I have seen it pulled off though (alpha pads for sallies,) but I think it all depends on the poses. Some hide it better...

[1Drop]

Thanks for that.. I've been meaning to get some for a while now but keep spending all my model fund on kits to kit bash. So you think they'll look out of place on new school kit bashed marines?

 

They are noticeably smaller bro... I was less than happy with my flesh tearer ones. :D I have seen it pulled off though (alpha pads for sallies,) but I think it all depends on the poses. Some hide it better...

 

I think I'll give it a miss then and just learn how to draw it freehand. Atleast the other shoulder is easy enough, just 1 drop.

 

Ps.. in fact, is their not transfers for it?

[SevenExxes]

Yeah, who knows the secret art of transfering?

It drives me silly when they won't form to the curve of the shoulder pad.

Painting the symbol freehand is so out of the question for me.

[1Drop]

Yeah, who knows the secret art of transfering?

It drives me silly when they won't form to the curve of the shoulder pad.

Painting the symbol freehand is so out of the question for me.

 

Ha,ha,ha tell me about it. Transfers are a nightmare, I used to get my mother to do my transfers for my when I was a kid, she painted some of the old school DC for me too when I had to get my army finished for a battle at my local GW (I was 11 and it was first edition I think) she painted them better than I could at the time, she's pretty crafty and artistic though and she used to help me loads I might task her with doing transfers for me again, lol (I'm 29 now hahahah) in fact she painted one of my little brothers nid gargoyles a few weeks ago and it was neater than his :rolleyes:

[Xenith]

Something like this?

 

Assault marine

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk141/Mechxen/Blood%20Angels/PC220405.jpg

 

Pad

http://s279.photobucket.com/albums/kk141/M...nt=DSC08698.jpg

 

Tac

http://s279.photobucket.com/albums/kk141/M...nt=PC220383.jpg

 

And for a laugh, Sgt. Mercurio

http://s279.photobucket.com/albums/kk141/M...=P8143322-1.jpg

 

Its basically, practice, practice, practice. I find I have to paint 2-3 of them on paper before I go near a model, then to do 4-5 models at a time to get them good.

 

Basically:

 

1) Using a find detail brush, paint a line from where you want the top of the blood drop to be to the bottom, like this: |

2) Paint diagonal lines from just under the top of the first line (preserving the single middle line as the pointy tip of the droplet) to just higher than the bottom of the first line like this: /|\(only less steep on the slashes)

3) blob paint frombottom of diagonal lines to central spine, making it roughly quarter circular - this can be cleaned up easily.

4) white paint,watered down 1:1, draw a line parallel to the diagonal ones, maybe 1/2 the length of them, placed in roughly the middle of these lines - This bit is the crucial part for craeting stylised icons - just alter the length of these lines!

5) paint two nubbins at the top of these lines, the right hand one will look like a question mark without the dot, the left hand one the reverse. |\?

6) Ve-ry ve-ry lightly, feather (literally) feathers in a rough semi circle from the top of the question mark to the bottom, the feathering leaves little feathery bits sticking out into the armour that resemble featehrs, hence the name.

 

I can post a step by step with pictures at some point, if you'd like?

[Cleon]

Thanks for that.. I've been meaning to get some for a while now but keep spending all my model fund on kits to kit bash. So you think they'll look out of place on new school kit bashed marines?

 

I've used the pads on one of my Assault squads and I'd say they're perfectly fine. The only thing is you really have to use the blood drop pads on the other side as if both pads are a little small it isn't noticeable, but with a normal one on the other side it can be.

[Taz]

If one had transfer paper, one could print out a sheet of transfers. I forget where to find them to print though, need to ask megamarines... I've had reasonable success, just finished putting transfers on a combat squad of RAS marines. Look into something called microsol, it works wonders by itself, but I hear it's even better paired with microset.

[1Drop]

Thanks for that.. I've been meaning to get some for a while now but keep spending all my model fund on kits to kit bash. So you think they'll look out of place on new school kit bashed marines?

 

I've used the pads on one of my Assault squads and I'd say they're perfectly fine. The only thing is you really have to use the blood drop pads on the other side as if both pads are a little small it isn't noticeable, but with a normal one on the other side it can be.

 

If I was going to use those pads I would be using the BA symbol ones and the single blood drop ones so it would probably look fine, especially if the whole squad is kitted out with the same pads.