Help painting my Valkyrie

[GodEmperorOfMankind]

Hi Guys, I'm looking for tips/help of how I should paint my Valkyrie (this will also help when I come to paint my avenger soon as well).

 

Now I have the base coat I'm happy enough with, but how can I shade/highlight to really make it look good.

 

Also hoping for some advice on weathering as well.

 

Here's the Valk

 

 

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg586/clarkus-maximus/Valk_zps34008390.jpg

 

I'm wondering if it looks boring because I want it a grey colour? I've painted up a few IG models though and I like the way they end up.

 

Cheers for any advice, and before anyone says, no I don't have access to an airbrush ;)

[Kierdale]

I'd recommend checking the web for sites about weathering scale model tanks, to be honest. You can pick up a lot of very good techniques for free with a bit of research.

 

One technique I have adopted (but far from mastered) is using a sponge to weather leading edges and protrusions. As your valk' is light grey, a very dark grey would be a good colour to use.

 

If you can get some weathering powders (I use Tamiya ones) these are excellent. Add scorching to engines, along with generally making it look dirty and well-worn.

 

That's some basics I can suggest.

[GodEmperorOfMankind]

Thanks for the advice. I think it just looks a bit plain, was wondering if there was any highlights or shadin that I could do or whether I just need to paint some of the panels a different colour to break it up?

[Hasdrubal]

First of all, your basecoat looks very smooth from the picture, well done!

 

- There is always the possibility to shade/highlight panels individually, but I would not recommend it without access to an airbrush.

- Panels of a different color could do the trick, but in that case make sure you either use your accent color sparingly, or select a muted tone in order to keep the overall look and feel consistent.

- Oils shading in another way to add variation to your basecoat by slightly altering it randomly, using oil paints to replicate discoloration.

- Weathering will add to the look as well

- Don't forget decals, especially on the wings!

 

You're up to a very good start, you just need to decide where you want to go with the model.

[GodEmperorOfMankind]

Thanks! It came from a spray can actually :)

 

Can you suggest a good alternate colour, and what to apply it to? What decals would you suggest and where? My IG are actually Iron Warriors janissaries, so no Imperial Eagles thank you please! :P

 

I plan to try the sponge weathering trick to the front edges, and am looking at getting some Tamiya weathering paints as well, I just think as it stands it looks boring. You look at the forgeworld flyers and they have some colour to break them up.

[Hasdrubal]

 

Your basecoat looks like a light gray, so any muted tone would do the trick. A good accent color compliments your base color, typically playing on the following qualities:

- color saturation: is you gray neutral, or tinted with a blue hue (or another color)? If tinted, you could use this color, with a stronger saturation (ie. Ultramarine blue or the like)

- darkness/lightness: a darker shade of grey will compliment the light grey

- opposite to the color wheel (what is called a complementary color)

 

As Iron Warriors retinue, your Valkyrie could get a black/yellow stripes pattern on the front panel of the wings. This would tie them with the rest of our army, and can be done with sprays and masking tape as well. If using maskol/latex before spraying, you could even create patches of chipped paint exposing the grey undercoat.

 

I also like, after spraying a coat of gloss varnish, to wash pins and rivets with a dark wash (any mix of brown and black oil paint, thinned with white spirit, will do), let the wash dry for 30-45 miuntes, then brush the rivet area backwards. As the oil color is still wet, it will drag some of it back, creating a streak to replicate accumulated grime exposed to the wind during the flights.

 

The trick with sponge waethering is not to overdo it: restrict it to areas that would get bumped, kicked, receive incoming fire, etc. You should also wipe out most of the paint on the sponge before stippling it (think of it as drybrushing with a spong instead of a paintbrush).

[GodEmperorOfMankind]

Thanks again for your continuing advice!

 

Going on what you've said I might try a darker grey on the middle panel on each side of the wing. I've got hazard decals around the Lascannon and missile pods, I don't really want them anywhere there isn't a hazard, if you see what I mean.

 

Thanks for the tip on oil paints, have you a specific range you could recommend (tamiya?) Would it need another spray of varnish afterwards of fine as is? Why does it need a coat of varnish to start with?

 

THe tamiya weathering paints, do they dry or do you need to varnish them afterwards? Would a spray be ok?

 

I understand with the sponge method, thanks for the good explanation!

 

This is excellent stuff, I really appreciate it!

[Hasdrubal]

While Mig Production does awesome oil paints which are already tailored to the miniatures modelling community as far as names are concerned, they are expensive. I recommedn you start with whatever oils study paints you can find at an art or general stationary store. Pick up a couple of colors (Titanium White, Raw Umber, Burnt Umber and Ivory Black being a good set-up to start experimenting with oils).

 

Oils are thinned with mineral spirits, which attack acrylic paints, hence the need for sealing the previous layer. A gloss coat is recommended as it will enhance capillary traction: you'll just have to touch a rivet to get the wash flow around it. Once you're done with oils weathering, it is recommended to let the model dry for a couple of days before sealing the oils with another layer varnish (as oils never fully dry: once can always go back to the paint job with thinner). Spray varnish is fine of course.

 

As a rule of thumb, spray matt varnish to seal a layer if preparing to work with acrylics afterwards, and gloss if preparing the surface to work with oils afterwards. Once you're done with the model and ready to play with it, spray a gloss varnish layer (gloss is stronger that matt varnish), then matt to kill the shine off.

 

I've never worked with Tamiya paints so can't vouch for them personally, I use a mix of GW, Vallejo, P3 and Lifecolor ranges for paints. For weathering, I use Mig Productions to get precise colors, or whatever brand fits the color I am looking for if preparing washes for specific colors (like turquoise, for instance). Having tried both Mig and Vallejo pigments, I much prefer Mig's, I couldn't get Vallejo's to adhere enough to the model.

 

As a gratuitous and shameless self-promotion, this is the type of results you can achieve with weathering and an airbrush:

http://www.coolminiornot.com/pics/pics15/img4e64896147c50.jpg

[GodEmperorOfMankind]

Wow, mate that is awesome! Thanks for the pic it's a real inspiration! I really appreciate all the great advice on this, it's really gonna help me out no end.

 

One last thing, I've heard the weathering sets need sealing as well? My plan was to try some rust weathering, does the weathering powder need tp be a seperate layer to the oil weathering or can I do them on the same layer of varnish then seal them? My thought is I could put some rust on, then have the oil 'soak in' in parts of the rust where there's a leak, so it shows up darker, just like on real rusty machinery. Do you think this is possible?

 

Thanks again so much!

 

BTW, are you in the ETL this year? would love to see some of your vow work.

 

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[Hasdrubal]

Thanks for the comments, always appreciated :D

 

Weathering pigments/powder needs sealing as well, otherwise you're going to rub them off when handling the model (think of it as a chalk residue: there's no way you're gonna touch a chl-dusted surface without the natural grease of the finger catching some of it. Same goes for weathering pigments).

 

Weathering pigments are typically applied last as they need a matt surface to get caught. It is however perfectly possible to apply a mix a pigments and white spirit, let dry then seal shut. White spirit sets the pigment in place but doesn't seal them 100%. It darknens them while wet, but they get back to their tone once dried up. Pigments makers provide 3 shades of rust (dark, standard, light) replicating oldest to most recent corrosion effects, so they should cover your needs.

 

A full-blown weathering plan, such as the one I used on he Valk, typically consists in:

1. Oils fading (discoloration of basecoat due to rain, sun, etc.)

2. Pins washing and streaking

3. Paint chipping

4. Pigments

Each step requring varnish sealing before moving to the next one.

 

Welcome to the wonderful world of weahtering, where (more than) half the fun consists in "grimdarking" a pristine factory paintjob :D

 

I've indeed entered the ETL for the Mechanicus, I've vowed to paint a Dream Forge Games Leviathan Crusder (still get to paint some killa kans I've started working one before though).