Sword Bearers and the Unforgiven (Updated 1/07/23: Angels Redeemed)

[Spaced Hulk]

Cheers brother  Just checking, did you mean that the steel looks better than the grey? Or vice versa? By the way, you were right about the Nuln Oil, just needed to shake the bottle up a bit   

[recon0321]

Great scheme....where is that circular shoulder pad from

[deathspectersgt7]

The steel looks better. 

[Spaced Hulk]

@ recon0321: Cheers mate. That pad is from the Ravenwing Command/Black Knight box.

 

@ deathspectresrg7: Thanks again mate :-)

Edited November 17, 2013 by spacedhulk

[recon0321]

I wish I had half the imagination and creativity you do spaced hulk...

[Master Avoghai]

Nice.

 

For the robe I recommend making the final highlights AFTER the highlights of the green. Indeed, the work on the green will help you appreciate the necessity of an additional highlight on the robe, because it will add depth on the second major colour.

[Major_Gilbear]

A few comments in general if I may?

 

1) If after priming you spot mould lines, scrape them off. Don't worry about losing a little primer - it doesn't need to have absolute 100% coverage, and less still for a dark scheme like yours. Mould lines just give models a rushed and careless finish, whch seems a great shame after the hours you've spent posing each marine!

 

2) Drill out *all* your gun barrels -  they don't have to be deep, 1mm or so is enough. Again, if you miss them after primer, just drill them out there and then and move onto painting. The inside of the bores is normally painted black, and is hardly going to rub off from use!

 

3) Prime a lighter colour, perhaps a grey. Then block in your colours, using lighter tones than you intend. Finally, use paint washes (1 part paint, 1 part glaze medium, 1 part matte medium, and 3 parts water) to gradually build up shading and define the model's details (let them pool a little, but only a little!). The washes should either be a slightly darker tone than the base colour, or a fair bit darker if you thin them down even more (this is good as a "last" wash to increase final contrast). This may take a few sessions to apply and dry, but is not a lot of work each session - I find this perfect if you paint in weekday evenings. Also, you'll see the washes darken over 24hrs, and you can stop when you're happy with the colour and tone.

 

4) Only do highlights on sharp edges. Use the side of the brush (twist the model to get the most comfortable angle for each line of highlight) , and use very watery paint. Also, use a medium brush that's damp and don't let the brush take up much paint. Dab excess paint off on a kitchen towel. The washing techinique in #3 above will do a huge amount of shading for you, and if you left the the original base colours on the raised edges, there won't be much that nees highlighting anyway - just sports like the tops of feet, tops of knees, shoulder pads... Use yor judgement, and keep the highlights small and neat. The smaller and neater they are, the bolder you can be with the contrast. If you stuggle with the thin watery paint, use this paint mix instead: 1 part paint, 3 parts matte medium, 2 parts water. This is much more controllable, but you will need to let your efforts sit for 24hrs and then assess if you need more.

 

5) Take your time, and paint models in smallish batches (I find 3-4 quite manageble, and allows a 10-man squad to be done in 3 batches). As long as you use a clean brush, clean water, a clean palette, and take your time, you will be able to refine your work greatly with minimal effort. I mean, you've spent all this time and money already, so why rush the last (and arguably most visible) step?

 

6) Lastly, consider using different colours to give your models more interest. For example, mix a little blue-grey into your black basecoat before you wash down with black. Or add a little dark green to some brown for your washes over brown. Or a little dark blue to your washes over green. These colours darken the orginals, but don't leave the model so drab-looking in hue. At the end of the day, you want these to look good on the tabletop as well as in-hand, and if there isn't enough saturation and contrast, they simply won't stand out on the table.

 

My comments above about letting models dry for 24hrs is because matte medium can take that long to go fully clear... And you might find that what you've painted has slightly different contrasts than you thought. This works well with glazing, since it has a long drying time anyway, and with your highlights you'll find that they look less stark than you thought when you painted them on (which is usually a great cheat to making them look sharper and neater!). Generally though, since matte medium is essentially "blank" or colourless paint, it's a great way to thin paints without actually having runnier paints - although it does still have its idosyncracies to learn.

 

I hope that you don't take what I've written here to mean "I don't like what you've posted", because I actually think you have some great ideas and models. Rather, I hope that by explaining some different ways of doing things, you might be moved to give these a go and get your stuff painted to a higher finish and with greater ease. We're all looking for the "best/fastest" way to paint great-looking armies afterall, so I thought I'd pass along what I've learned so far - 'pay it forward' if you will!

[Spaced Hulk]

@ recon0321: Thank you for the compliment brother, but don't sell yourself so short!

 

@ Master Avoghai: Cheers mate!  The next time I go to a GW I'll be picking up a Warpstone Glow & Moot Green, so I'll be able to do some more work on the highlights.

 

@ Major_Gilbear: Thank you for such a detailed post mate!  At this point my painting skills are pretty rudimentary, so I appreciate any feedback I can get. Your advice about highlights is particularly useful, as I've really been struggling with both where and how to apply them.

 

I'm also very interested in your third point, eg: using washes to build up both colours and shading. There's an excellent Sons of Horus army in the latest White Dwarf which uses green washes over a grey basecoat to great effect. I'd actually appreciate a bit more detailed advice on this if you've got time.

 

For example: with the brown robes, my current method is this: a basecoat of Mournfang brown, highlighted (not very well at this point ) with Zandri Dust, then washed a couple of times with Agrax Earthshade. 

 

With the technique you've described, would the process be something like this? Basecoat of Zandri Dust, followed by multiple washes of a mixture of Mournfang Brown, Agrax Earthshade, Lahmian Medium & water, finished off by a few limited highlights of Zandri Dust.

 

One last question: when I'm using washes, is it better to apply them very lightly or to be quite heavy handed? I've been quite liberal so far when using both Nuln Oil and Agrax, and I have noticed them pooling around the details quite considerably. If I apply them more lightly, will it still achieve the results I'm looking for?

 

Thanks in advance     

[Major_Gilbear]

Major_Gilbear: Thank you for such a detailed post mate!  At this point my painting skills are pretty rudimentary, so I appreciate any feedback I can get. Your advice about highlights is particularly useful, as I've really been struggling with both where and how to apply them.

 

I'm also very interested in your third point, eg: using washes to build up both colours and shading. There's an excellent Sons of Horus army in the latest White Dwarf which uses green washes over a grey basecoat to great effect. I'd actually appreciate a bit more detailed advice on this if you've got time.

 

For example: with the brown robes, my current method is this: a basecoat of Mournfang brown, highlighted (not very well at this point ) with Zandri Dust, then washed a couple of times with Agrax Earthshade. 

 

With the technique you've described, would the process be something like this? Basecoat of Zandri Dust, followed by multiple washes of a mixture of Mournfang Brown, Agrax Earthshade, Lahmian Medium & water, finished off by a few limited highlights of Zandri Dust.

 

One last question: when I'm using washes, is it better to apply them very lightly or to be quite heavy handed? I've been quite liberal so far when using both Nuln Oil and Agrax, and I have noticed them pooling around the details quite considerably. If I apply them more lightly, will it still achieve the results I'm looking for?

 

Thanks in advance     

 

Glad it was helpful!

 

Sadly, I'm not up to speed with the current GW paints - the names were the same for twenty years, and now they've changed I can't be bothered to re-learn them for a paint range I don't use!

 

Essentially though, I think you have it right. Start with a mid brown, and wash with a darker brown. Each successive wash is applied more carefully into the folds than the last until you are happy with it. You can switch to a darker brown still if you need more contrast for the deepest folds. It's a bit like a lazy version of reverse-highlighting. The rececesses of the model guide your brush and collect the paint naturally into a pleasing gradient; I find it best not to fight this, and try and make it work in my favour.

 

As for the thickness of washes... I find that they need to be fairly thin/loose, and that they shouldn't pool too much. If you're building the washes up, this is important to do as it will hide detail if you let it pool thickly. At the end, if you use a very thin but strong/dark wash for a "cheater's lining" effect, then a little controlled pooling is okay. To stop tide marks though, I add a touch of retarder to the wash.

 

Lastly, a bit of patience is key - if you build up the washes thin, you can control them much better. It's far easier to add another wash than it is to go back if you overdo it!

 

I'd be more than happy to explain anything in greater detail if you have further questions.

Edited November 18, 2013 by Major_Gilbear

[Spaced Hulk]

Cheers mate, appreciate the help!  Need to get some Lahmian Medium then I'll try a couple of test models.

[Major_Gilbear]

You might find Vallejo rather cheaper and easier to use (dropper bottles for mediums is generally sensible):

 

Matte Medium (This is like a blank paint, makes the paints you mix it with more translucent, and also ensures a really matte finish)

Glaze Medium (Two drops of this, one of water and one of a paint of your choice turn that paint into a wash. Also, acts as a flow release agent and has a satin finish)

Retarder (Slows the drying time of your paint. Use this very sparingly indeed!).

 

These links are all to Dark Sphere in London (since I think you're UK-based?), but most shops that carry lots of Vallejo product will have what you need.

 

If you do get the retarder, be warned it is stupidly thick! I cut it in an empty bottle something like 1:5 with water, and even then I use only one drop in my paints at a time. It's pretty much unusable otherwise. You use retarder when you want to slow the drying time of your paint - either becuase you have a big batch of models, or because it's warm, or becuase you've made a runny glaze and don't want it to leave tide marks when you slop it on.

 

Mediums are great for making complicated effects easier to acheive, and they are well worth messing around with! ;)

[Dragon Claw]

Congrats on putting paint to plastic for the first time in ages!  It's good to see someone else join the Relapsed Painters Club, we have scones.

 

Personally, I love the gritty, dark shades you've got especially as it matches the macabre tone of the models to a T. Call me awkward but I actually preferred the drab grey you had going rather than the steel, but at the end of the day whichever one looks better in your eyes, stick with that. Did you have any plans for colouring the eye lenses of the skull masks? If not could I suggest a deep, faint red glow, like banked coals, which could look pretty menacing and would tie in with the normal helm lenses you have.

 

Looking forward to seeing some more. I'm also hoping for a day that isn't frozen over or soaking wet to get some priming done so maybe with enough of us wishing for it the weather will finally relent, oh who am I kidding?

[Spaced Hulk]

@ Major_Gilbear: Cheers for the links mate, and the descriptions of the different mediums - very useful!  Never tried Vallejo paints but I know lots of people use them. I am in the UK so I'll probably try ordering some stuff from Dark Sphere. What are they like to deal with? Their models are priced very reasonably too (at least compared to GW prices  ) so might drop a few hints to my other half for possible Christmas presents.

 

I'm also going to try a Grey Primer spray from Halfords as a possible undercoat.

 

 

@ Dragon Claw: Thanks mate!  Considering how long I've been procrastinating about painting, now I've actually started I'm really enjoying picking up a brush again. Only problem is that I have to divide my (sometimes limited) hobby time between writing, converting and painting now!

 

As for the colour schemes, I'm still experimenting really and nothing is set in stone. To be honest, I don't think I'll ever be a really good painter (I don't have either the patience or the hand-eye co-ordination) so if I can get them to a reasonably good table-top standard I'll be happy. At this point, getting any paint on a model is still a major achievement for me! I also don't mind if different elements are painted slightly differently, I'm aiming to produce an army that represents the Sword Bearers at different points in their history (for example: I'm currently planning models for two different Chapters Masters) so a bit of variation won't matter too much. It's quite likely that I'll paint up at least a squad with the grey scheme. Now I've painted one I don't want to re-do him, so I may as well paint up enough for a full unit, and then think of an interesting fluff reason why their armour is different

 

Will have a think about the eyes on the Revenant skull masks. I had planned to leave them black to reinforce the morbid image but I do see what you mean about the red tying in with the normal helms.

 

As for the weather, I've long given up expecting too much from the British climate  I work outside most of the time (was out in a hail storm earlier today) so look at any nice weather we get as a bonus. There's a reason why I described Mire (the Sword Bearer's homeworld) as the world of perpetual rain

 

Thanks again guys, appreciate the feedback and advice

[Major_Gilbear]

@ Major_Gilbear: Cheers for the links mate, and the descriptions of the different mediums - very useful!  Never tried Vallejo paints but I know lots of people use them. I am in the UK so I'll probably try ordering some stuff from Dark Sphere. What are they like to deal with? Their models are priced very reasonably too (at least compared to GW prices  ) so might drop a few hints to my other half for possible Christmas presents.

 

I've ordered from Dark Sphere about four or five times now, and so far I've had no issues at all. They do charge for shipping, but it's not hard to ameliorate that with a few big orders! Worth clicking around though, as not all the products they carry show up in all the links... For example, they do carry P3 paints, but you have to look for them! ;)

 

 

I'm also going to try a Grey Primer spray from Halfords as a possible undercoat.

 

This is my personal favourite primer actually, and I recently found out that it's a McVey favourite too. I love that it's really fine, dries smooth with a soft tooth, and works well in most UK weather conditions. Watch for the last 15-20% of a can though, as it can get a bit gritty (save these for terrain), and make sure you shake well between each model (they have loads of solvent - part of why they are so good).

 

Good luck, and I look forward to seeing how you get on!

 

(Where in the UK are you BTW?)

[Spaced Hulk]

 

 

Major_Gilbear, on 21 Nov 2013 - 08:45, said:

 

I've ordered from Dark Sphere about four or five times now, and so far I've had no issues at all. They do charge for shipping, but it's not hard to ameliorate that with a few big orders! Worth clicking around though, as not all the products they carry show up in all the links... For example, they do carry P3 paints, but you have to look for them!

 

Cool, will give them a go. There are a few kits I fancy getting as well (Deathwing, Vanguard, another Sternguard box) so it would be nice to pay a bit less than normal GW retail for them. 

 

Just to show my ignorance , what are P3 paints?

 

 

This is my personal favourite primer actually, and I recently found out that it's a McVey favourite too. I love that it's really fine, dries smooth with a soft tooth, and works well in most UK weather conditions. Watch for the last 15-20% of a can though, as it can get a bit gritty (save these for terrain), and make sure you shake well between each model (they have loads of solvent - part of why they are so good).

 

Ages ago I saw somebody recommending Halfords Grey (somewhere online I think, maybe Dakka or a Space Wolves blog) and thought back then I'd give it a try, only to forget all about it until you mentioned using grey primer. Just ran out of Chaos Black primer as well so it's good timing

 

Will probably get another black primer though just to do the Revenants, as it'll make painting bikes and vehicles a lot easier. Do Halfords do a good black spray primer?  

 

 

Good luck, and I look forward to seeing how you get on!

 

(Where in the UK are you BTW?)

 

Cheers mate  The next models I post will still be done in the original way (I'd already primed and started painting a combat squad, and I want to keep each unit looking reasonably uniform) but after that I'll experiment using the washes technique.

 

I'm in the West Midlands, Dudley to be precise  What about you? (I'm guessing you're also in the UK?)

[Major_Gilbear]

 

Just to show my ignorance , what are P3 paints?

 

 Privateer  Press Paints (P3 paints - linky).

 

I personally love them (and even get a bit evangelical about them sometimes... ).

 

My friends like their range of inks a lot (although they are too strong for me, so I use Vallejo instead), and I've recently ordered their metals to give them a try (P3 had a lot of trouble with these originally, and getting a good pot was a bit of a gamble. I understand they sorted the issue a little while back though, so I thought it was about time to give them a go).

 

 

 

Do Halfords do a good black spray primer? 

 

They used to, but I'm not 100% sure all Halfords stores still carry black primer. I've used all three main colours over the years however -white, grey and black- and they are all very good. For cost and availability, I wouldn't bother looking elsewhere in the UK.

 

I also had opportunity to use one of their Khaki sprays recently too, and that was rather good as well; might be a good cheat to do the undercoat and the base coat as one if you can find a suitable colour for your needs.

 

 

Cheers mate  The next models I post will still be done in the original way (I'd already primed and started painting a combat squad, and I want to keep each unit looking reasonably uniform) but after that I'll experiment using the washes technique.

 

I quite understand!

 

As an example, I started the dusters on these from a bone-coloured base, and washed them down with Citadel Graveyard Earth and then with a darkish green-brown-grey (P3 Cryx Bane Base). Then I went back and highlighted with pure white. Obviously, you'll be shooting for a darker tone with your robes, but if you apply one wash layer an evening, you can do a decent batch over the course of a week or so with only a little effort. For robed marines, you'd really only have the armour and details left after that.

 

A more advanced version of glazing down from a light basecoat and then adding final small highlights is what James Wappel uses (to be fair, he's a great painter!). He did a step-by-step of a Saurus Warrior here which I liked as it shows how forgiving this technique can be, and how it lends itself well to batch painting (and also allows for a lot of correction opportunities as you go).

 

Hopefully it will work well for you too.

 

 

 

I'm in the West Midlands, Dudley to be precise  What about you? (I'm guessing you're also in the UK?)

 

You know, the reason I asked is because I had the strangest feeling that you might be local to me - and I see that you are! I am in Birmingham (Edgbaston).

Edited November 22, 2013 by Major_Gilbear

[Spaced Hulk]

 

Major_Gilbear, on 22 Nov 2013 - 10:51, said:

 

 Privateer  Press Paints (P3 paints - linky).

 

I personally love them (and even get a bit evangelical about them sometimes... ).

 

My friends like their range of inks a lot (although they are too strong for me, so I use Vallejo instead), and I've recently ordered their metals to give them a try (P3 had a lot of trouble with these originally, and getting a good pot was a bit of a gamble. I understand they sorted the issue a little while back though, so I thought it was about time to give them a go).

 

Just read the description on Dark Sphere, they do sound pretty good. Might have to try them in the future too.

 

 

They used to, but I'm not 100% sure all Halfords stores still carry black primer. I've used all three main colours over the years however -white, grey and black- and they are all very good. For cost and availability, I wouldn't bother looking elsewhere in the UK.

 

I also had opportunity to use one of their Khaki sprays recently too, and that was rather good as well; might be a good cheat to do the undercoat and the base coat as one if you can find a suitable colour for your needs.

 

Had a look on the Halfords website, but could only find white and grey primers. They do a black Gloss spray but I'm wondering if that might be too shiny?

 

 

As an example, I started the dusters on these from a bone-coloured base, and washed them down with Citadel Graveyard Earth and then with a darkish green-brown-grey (P3 Cryx Bane Base). Then I went back and highlighted with pure white. Obviously, you'll be shooting for a darker tone with your robes, but if you apply one wash layer an evening, you can do a decent batch over the course of a week or so with only a little effort. For robed marines, you'd really only have the armour and details left after that.

 

A more advanced version of glazing down from a light basecoat and then adding final small highlights is what James Wappel uses (to be fair, he's a great painter!). He did a step-by-step of a Saurus Warrior here which I liked as it shows how forgiving this technique can be, and how it lends itself well to batch painting (and also allows for a lot of correction opportunities as you go).

 

Hopefully it will work well for you too.

 

Very nice work mate  I want the robes to be a really dark brown, so would I need to use a darker base colour, or will multiple washes have the same effect? The step-by-step is very useful, and you're right, James Wappel is a really good painter.  His White Scars and Blood Angel models are exceptional.

 

One thing I am wondering is whether the washes technique works better on quite bright, colourful schemes? I painted another couple of Sword Bearers earlier and must admit, I am quite liking the dark, grungy look I'm getting now, as it kind of matches my image of the Chapter. On the other hand, there are a couple of other Chapters I fancy painting (Executioners and Fire Hawks) which might really benefit from a more, well, subtle technique than my current method

 

 

You know, the reason I asked is because I had the strangest feeling that you might be local to me - and I see that you are! I am in Birmingham (Edgbaston).

 

Wow, small world!  Yeah, not too far away at all. Might have even bumped into you at the German Market at some point!

[deathspectersgt7]

NO SHINY BLACK PRIMER!!!!!!!

[Spaced Hulk]

 

NO SHINY BLACK PRIMER!!!!!!!

I guess that's a no-no on the black gloss spray then 

 

Actually been a nicy, sunny morning here (albeit a bit frosty) so I've managed to take some pics of all my currently painted models outside in the natural light. They show up the limitations of my painting skills (and the lack of green highlights) but after not painting for so long, I'm still quite pleased with how they're turning out. Will post em later today. Have also thought of a fluff reason for using both the grey and steel schemes which I'll explain as well.

Edited November 23, 2013 by spacedhulk

[Major_Gilbear]

As I said, I know Halfords limited the sale of their black matte primer, but they do still sell it as far as I know. Perhaps it's an in-store thing only? I don't think the Selly Oak branch carries it, but one near my sister in London does. Either way, I feel you're almost better using Halfords Grey and over-painting manually with black paint than using other black "primers" (not least because most of them are just spary paint, and not a spray primer). I'd avoid the gloss black though - that stuff is like car enamel (well, it is essentially car enamel!).

 

I'm currently painting some Dark Angels with this technique, and they are definately dark! Strangely though, my experience has shown that without enough contrast or other colours nearby, it is hard to get dark or light schemes across well. That is to say, if your scheme is mostly dark, you need brighter elements to bring that out and demonstrate it to the observer -  otherwise it just looks dull/unlit. Similarly, you need some deep contrast with bright/light schemes, otherwise it looks a bit flat and garish.

 

Thanks for your comments on the Malifaux crew - I painted those a couple of years ago, and I painted them (for me) in a fast time. I only managed to get two models painted last year ( ), but am currently ploughing on fast with the DAs - I hope to have a squad finished by Christmas.

 

And yeah - small world indeed!

Edited November 23, 2013 by Major_Gilbear

[Spaced Hulk]

//+ INITIATING PHASE THREE
//+ ACCESSING IMAGE DATABASE
//+ INPUT SEARCH PARAMETERS = CHAPTER TRAINING EXERCISES

++ COMPILING
++ DOWNLOAD BEGINS

Vid-Capture: Elements of Sword Bearers Second and Third Companies, recorded during extended training operations on Althanis Prime (see Addendum (1) for deployment data.)

***

Subject identified as Veteran Sergeant Amon Kal, senior NCO and second in command of the Sword Bearers Third Battle Company, a position he has held for at least the last forty seven years. Despite a distinguished career spanning nearly two centuries, Sergeant Kal has never progressed into the upper echelons of the Chapter's hierarchy. The reason(s) for this unusual lack of further promotion are unknown.

***

Archivists Note: This remains one of the few recorded images of the Celerem Mortem, the Sword Bearers much maligned Second Company. Primary reference: Revenants. Secondary reference: Headhunters.

***

Combat team Hain, 4th Squad, Third Battle Company, Adeptus Astartes Sword Bearers. Deployed in standard Tactical configuration.

Sergeant Matius Hain, squad leader

Archivists Note: As part of his heraldry, Sergeant Hain bears the Iron Wreath, marking him as one of the few survivors of the Chapter's assault on the Space Hulk Den of Iniquity.

Battle Brother Hagan

Archivists Note: Hagan is armed with a rare Terra-Ultima pattern boltgun, an antique weapon dating back to the very earliest days of the Great Crusade. A treasured heirloom of the First Legion, Hagan was awarded this ancient relic following his role in the Vibernus Pacifications.

Battle Brother Lucen, support weapon specialist.

Battle Brother Arcus

Archivists Note: In addition to his modified Godwyn Diaz pattern bolter, Arcus is also armed with a Mire Long Blade. A traditional survival tool used by the Marsh-dwellers of the Sword Bearers homeworld, this type of mono-molecular machete is a favoured close combat weapon throughout the Chapter.

Unidentified Battle Brother

Archivists Note: The subject's power armour has been partially stripped back to bare grey ceramite, signifying his status amongst the Dishonoured (see Addendum (2)).

***

Addendum (1)

Althanis Prime is a quarantined Feudal class planet located in the Capra Dium Subsector. Close proximity to the slowly dying star Althanum (reference 234.776.8945) has resulted in extreme levels of mutation amongst the native human population. The Sword Bearers Chapter are known to regularly undertake Purgation missions against the savage techno-barbarian tribes that inhabit the desolate tundra wastes. Although the level of genetic contamination amongst the tribes is easily enough to warrent full Exterminatus, the Chapter appears content to periodically cull the population, effectively using the world as a live training arena, practicing their battle craft in a controlled, isolated environment.

Addendum (2)

An unusual feature of the Sword Bearers Chapter is their long standing practice of visibly marking out those who fail in their duty. Known as the Dishonoured, those battle brothers who survive unsuccessful operations are castigated by the partial removal of their livery, stripping their armoured plate back to it's underlying grey ceramite. In very rare cases, brethren whose failures are particularly deplorable will lose their colours entirely, resulting in a suit of completely grey power armour as a visible mark of shame. Although this penance lasts only until the warrior has redeemed themselves successfully in combat, the stigma of becoming one of the Dishonoured is such that most Sword Bearers would rather die in action than face such punishment (literally choosing Death before Dishonour). Imperial analysts believe that this tradition contributes to the Chapter's significantly high casualty rates.

Edited November 23, 2013 by spacedhulk

[Brother Excedis]

Hail brother! The minis are looking pretty good. My only personal tidbit, though you seem to have had quite a few so you've probably heard it, is how heavy the was is on the robes. Personally maybe a bit of blending over top of the wash so its in the recesses and a bit darker but more natural color on top might work? Not trying to nitpick or anything, they look good. Just my 2 cents.

 

And once again excellent with the storyline and the tidbits of info. The pathfinder is so totally screwed right now.....I love it.

[Spaced Hulk]

@ Major_Gilbear: 

 

Thanks for your comments on the Malifaux crew - I painted those a couple of years ago, and I painted them (for me) in a fast time. I only managed to get two models painted last year ( ), but am currently ploughing on fast with the DAs - I hope to have a squad finished by Christmas.

 

Well, that's two more models than I painted last year mate  Btw, I like the Delaque conversions you've posted there (coincidentally, the last models I actually painted were for a Van Saar gang a few years back).

 

Thanks for all your advice mate, look forward to seeing your DA models

 

@ Brother Excedis:

 

Hail brother! The minis are looking pretty good. My only personal tidbit, though you seem to have had quite a few so you've probably heard it, is how heavy the was is on the robes. Personally maybe a bit of blending over top of the wash so its in the recesses and a bit darker but more natural color on top might work? Not trying to nitpick or anything, they look good. Just my 2 cents.

 

And once again excellent with the storyline and the tidbits of info. The pathfinder is so totally screwed right now.....I love it.

Cheers brother!  Still finding my feet with painting so hopefully I'll improve with practice. With the robes, I do actually quite like dark, dirty look it gives them - matches my image of them as 'Knights in Un-shining Armour' (eg: battered armour, torn & tattered robes, faded purity seals etc). Will keep experimenting with different effects and techniques though.

 

Glad you're liking the story btw. Will be getting back to Aldous soon, just working on a bit of a side project at the moment (a short story and model for a counts-as Ezekial)

Edited November 24, 2013 by spacedhulk

[Spaced Hulk]

Update time Been working on some more conversions this week. First of all, here's the last two Revenant Headhunters to finish the squad:

The perspective isn't off in this pic, the axe-bearer is a fair bit taller than normal GW models!

I went for a chained bolt pistol from the Black Templars sprue for the final Headhunter. My thinking is that in combat he'd either drop the pistol to draw his second gladius, or use the chain itself to wield the pistol as an improvised morning star.

Secondly I've started working on a new squad. This is the first model for my Assault Veteran Squad, Battle Brother Victus, armed with a pair of Mire Long Blades:

As always, C&C are welcome

Edited December 1, 2013 by spacedhulk

[recon0321]

Where are those blades from?