Devler's Dark Angels

[Devler]

I've recently registred myself on this forum since I wanted some decent feedback and am constantly looking for tips and inspiration to improve my painting.

 

I'm normally a necron player, but with the release of Dark Vengeance set my attention went to the Dark Angels.

After looking into some recipes, I started painting some of the models.

 

I started with the Deathwing:

Group shot

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-120.jpg

 

With better light:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-116.jpg

 

And some close ups

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-118.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-119.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-117.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-108.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-107.jpg

 

Since they were my first attempt of the color and I was expecting to fail, I bought a second set on ebay which I'm currently trying to paint. Pics will follow as soon as I have actually done something with them. They are currently in progress of cleaning, since I obviously forgot to clean the mold lines on the last ones.

 

More pics will follow as I've painted some more, but most still need to be properly based or some details.

 

C&C would be appreciated.

[Gillyfish]

Hi Devler and welcome to the forum!

 

I don't think your Deathwing are a failure at all, but you have picked what is arguably the hardest Dark Angel unit to paint to begin with!

 

Depending upon the time you wish to spend on your models, I find subtle blending works well for Deathwing rather than extreme highlights. With that in mind, how white do you want them to be? I like mine to be close to white, so I end up with an overall shade that is paler than ushabti bone/bleached bone. If you're looking for darker then think about having ushabti as your finest highlight.

 

I normally now go for the following (please excuse the old paint names, I haven't updated them yet!):

 

Dheneb stone basecoat.

Gryphonne Sepia wash (twice)

Dheneb stone/bleached bone coat (50/50)

Bleached bone coat layer

Bleached bone/skull white layer (50/50)

Bleached bone/skull white layer (20/80)

Skull white highlight

 

If that sounds involved, it can be and the key to achieving a good result is to keep your paint thin. You can see the results in this thread:

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.p...mp;hl=gillyfish

 

Hope it helps!

[Devler]

Thanks for the reply.

 

I looked at your models and I think yours are amazing, however they are a bit too white for my taste if I'm honest.

I have written your recipe donw so I can get the paint to experiment a bit with and to tweak it a bit more to my taste.

 

Mine was:

- Grey Primer

- Rust (Vallejo Air)

- 2 layers of vernis

- White layer (Vallejo Air)

- Sepia wash with the AB This is the step I think I messed up giganticly by making it too thick

- highlight with bleached bone

 

I originally intended to add some battle carnage, but halfway through I changed my mind about it I guess.

 

In a second attempt, I made this:

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-121.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-122.jpg

 

The layer of sepia is way thinner here to make the white a bit more obvious, and I did a very modest highlight with what I think is Skin Coulour (again Vallejo Air) as the colour hardly stands out but is still present.

[Devler]

I've started to paint my tactical squad and this is the status so far:

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-109.jpg

 

I've started building up from chaos black (basecoat), olive green (vallejo air), medium green (gw) highlight and scorpion green highlight.

I've still have to wash it all a bit down as the scorpion green is a bit too extreme, but I hope the wash will tone it down a bit.

[FinylCut]

Devler:

 

I think your minis are looking very good. The pictures on the second set of terminators aren't as good as the first squad, so it's difficult to see the improvements. Having said that, the first squad looked solid and should not be considered a failure. Any chance for some individual shots of the newer guys?

 

FC

[Devler]

Thanks FinylCut. Calling them an absolute failure isn't really what I'm doing, but to me they are not like the image I had in mind when I started painting them.

 

When I'm home tonight, I'll try to get some close ups of the newer guys.

I've started painting Azraël aswell, so I'll try to get a close up of him aswell.

 

Something I've been doing on the side until my AIrbrush decided the nozzle should break:

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-130.jpg

 

Don't mind the chaos symbols as it is my buddy's vehicle :-D

[Izzuan]

late to the party...as usual but...

 

Welcome to the Rock! I say those termies arent too bad. A little dark, but different folks have different tastes :lol:. I think your tac squad looks good. My only C is the powersword on that Terminator sergeant is just too...shiny...to me. But I like darker weapons, so take that for what its worth.

[Devler]

After looking in everyone elses topic, I kinda agree to the power weapon being too shiny. I like the polished mirror look but the blue might be a bit too much.

 

However, currently I have 3 of the same look right now, so I'll probably keep them. On my test terminator (a second DW from DV) I was thinking of trying the same effect with grey/black colours to make it more like the cover art. He is currently awaiting primer as I have him pinned.

[Devler]

I normally now go for the following (please excuse the old paint names, I haven't updated them yet!):

 

Dheneb stone basecoat.

Gryphonne Sepia wash (twice)

Dheneb stone/bleached bone coat (50/50)

Bleached bone coat layer

Bleached bone/skull white layer (50/50)

Bleached bone/skull white layer (20/80)

Skull white highlight

 

Since my AB has been fixed and I had all of the above paints, I decided I would try them out. This is the status so far:

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/th_file-131.jpg

 

And assembled to check for color difference:

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-131.jpg

 

All in all, I like it. I'm not sure if I'll be going for this scheme or will try something else, but the overall warm white color really is appealing. This scheme seems to be clogging up my AB constantly so it's a bit exhausting.

 

I'll try to further detail it so I can see the overall result.

 

Thanks for the scheme btw :P

[Devler]

And these are the guys awaiting further detailing and basing:

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-133.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-135.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-134.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-136.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-137.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-138.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-139.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/th_file-140.jpg

 

 

I tried something special wit the watcher helmet by giving it a golden shine on the wings. The image doesnt show it well, but in RL it's actually nice.

 

I'm still deciding which banner the terminator shall carry. The one it came with was an Ultramarine one, but I have some spares laying around from the veterans box.

 

Bases are all but finished. The watcher is standing on a red try out base but I'll probably change that to match the overall view of the troops.

[Devler]

I've been painting the librarian today aswell:

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-141.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-142.jpg

 

I definately like the way his robe came out. The part I'm definately not happy about are the leg ornaments. It seems I have screwed them up and I'm looking for the best way to fix them.

 

I'm looking after a new way to paint the power weapons. My buddy had some leftover swords laying around which I could practice on:

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-144.jpg

 

I like that it is darker than my current ones, but it's still a bit too light for me. I might try to swap some colours before I finally get what I want.

 

Lastly, I continued my deathwing try out:

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-145.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-146.jpg

[Devler]

And I think I may call this finished now :

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-149.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-150.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-151.jpg

 

I tried something out with the sword to give it something special in a different way.

I painted the sword nithrill silver, dwarv bronze to the decoratins and washed that down with badab black (I only have old paints). When the wash was dry I highlighted the decorations with a lighter gold, to finish it of with a very thin layer of yellow gold to give it a golden shine for that special touch.

 

I can't say I'm really happy with it, but I guess it will have to do for now. I am willing to give it a try for now, if it really bothers me that much I'll strip the paint and start over (I don't have this one in backup like most other models sadly)

 

What do u guys think? C&c appreciated.

[Devler]

And it seems the company master is as good as finished swell.

 

Even though I don't like the model, I really like how he turned out.

 

The special characters banded together:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-152.jpg

 

As you can see, the base still needs some paint

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-154.jpg

 

I'm not sure if I'm going to paint the "antenna's" on the sword. I like how it currently is and I'm not sure if it would improve or ruin the sword when painted.

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-153.jpg

 

I definitely like the colour of the cape. I may highlight it as subtile as possible but the way it is now is ok to me. The wings on his helmet came out well and the color of his weapon is probably the best I've ever painted it until now.

I might need to clean up the artwork on his backpack, as the picture suggests it's a bit messy how it is now.

 

The green of the model is a bit lighter than the troops, but he is a HQ and meant to stand out from the other troops.

[MithrilForge]

cool stuff :P

the swords are really coming along well (good ol airbrush)

i never noticed the company master had a combi plas tucked away under his robes :P i really should drag mine out and check it out !

keep up the good work.

 

mithril

[Devler]

Thanks Mithril

 

I agree that the airbrush is one of my better purchases these days ...

 

Something I've been tinkering with:

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-155.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-156.jpg

 

I'm not really happy how this guy turned out. The green cape was coming along well enough, but I guess I ruined it by the details and with the white logo. I'm not too sure that I can fix that without ruining the cape.

 

Still some other details to add and I'd call him finished for 1 of my 3 vows ...

[Isiah]

I think what you might need is an overall dark wash to tone down and harmonise those (bright) colours, as well as picking out some of the deeper details. The robe is cool, just needs a bit of touching up here and there, but it's really good so don't get disheartened.

 

Cheers

I

[Devler]

Thanks for the advice. I will try to wash it down, I'm only stuck with what wash.

 

I've got the usual washes, like a green wash, devlan mud, a red wash which name I can't remember, a blue wash and badab black, which would be best? My first chouce would be the green wash for the cape, red wash for the inside of the cape, black wash for the armor parst and maybe gryphon shade for the bronze/gold with a highlight of gold orso.

 

I did touch up the cape so the detail would be a bit cleaner and it looks a bit better now. I'll post a picture when possible.

 

Currently, I'm working on a Land Raider for a buddy of mine and it seems I'm missing some sprues. I am missing the weapon options which is supposed to be for the top gunner. Did anybody else encounter this problem? Or is it not a given that all the weapon options that are mentioned in the building manual are actually included in the box?

I have the same problem withg a box of DA veterans. In the manual it states there is an option for building a veteran which is holding a standard banner in one hand which I can't find in the box. Is this supposed to be contained or am I mistaken?

[facmanpob]

I'd try green wash on the outside of the cape, followed with a light drybrush of green (maybe 1 shade lighter than the main green) on the raised sections, just to get a bit more definition. the inside of the cape I would use Nuln Oil/Badab Black over the red. So long as its only a light wash, it adds a lot of "body" to the red. Just remember that you don't need to use the corresponding colour wash over a particular colour. If you have a sepia wash then you could use that on the front of the robes to add some shading to the recesses, otherwise use Devlan mud and then drybrush the riased section again to lighten it up.

 

Kutgw :(

[Devler]

It's been a busy couple of days where I live as there was a major explosion in a fire work factory ( I'm a voluntary fireman) and I didn't get a lot of time to paint these last days but this is what I managed:

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-173.jpg

 

In closer detail:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-174.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-175.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-177.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-178.jpg

 

I've managed to score a terminator squad from AOBR set which serves as a trial and error unit, but this last scheme is what currently suits my taste so I used it on the spare DV DW aswell.

 

Now to add the details, washes, ... to make them look a bit decent.

 

I'll try to touch up the chaplain swell, with the given tips above. Thanks for those :huh:

[Devler]

It seems I really can't get satisfied these days with my painting as I have yet again tinkered with the scheme.

 

Using the previous as undercoat, I've come to this:

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-179.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-180.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-182.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-183.jpg

 

It's not that clear on the picture, but in normal light there should be a lighter color on the "visible sunlight" parts than on the other parts. I started out with a light coat of "devlan mud" all over the basecoat to make it a bit darker, followed by the overall color "bleached bone", all over the model that were easily reachable, leaving the devlan mud in the recesses a bit. I've added white to the bone, lightly adding more white to the mix for the parts in direct contact with the sunlight.

 

It seems after viewing the pictures I might add a bit more white to make it a bit more obvious. I feel like I'm on the right path but that I just need to add something more.

 

 

All in all, happy with the progress so far :P

[Devler]

And with the above, I've also retouched my already finished Deathwing troops to the same scheme as I always thought they were a bit too dark:

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-184.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-185.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-186.jpg

 

As you can see, I touched up the power weapon. Another member talked to me that he felt it was missing something and came up with the solution. I added a white/bone frame to it, and darkened the overall look of the sword. I admit the frame isnt that neat but I don't see how I can touch that up right now.

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-187.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-188.jpg

 

I know, the drilled barrels are a bit un even ;)

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-189.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-190.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-191.jpg

 

As these last ones are identical, I took the twin shot.

 

C&c appreciated ofcourse, it seems I learn a lot from those.

 

Special mention to mithrilforge, for the tip about the power weapon :P

[Devler]

Just finished this little project.

 

My last DW character normally has a banner on the back, this is what I've made of it:

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-192.jpg

 

I tried to make it look like 3rd company but I guess the logo isn't really centered. I tried to make it go along with the wind like the cape is, but that failed horrible. I'll see if I can redo that, otherwise I'll be placing a new banner on top of him.

[Devler]

Still trying to improve on the painting, I've co;e up with this:

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-193.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-194.jpg

Tried something on his shoulderpad but not sure if it came out alright

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-195.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-196.jpg

 

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/Devler88/file-197.jpg

 

Still some details left, but I think they are a good impression of what they would look like finished.