Sentinels of the Abyss

[Dragon Claw]

Hello Brothers.

After a break of about 8 years of painting I decided to get back into the practical side of the hobby. Originally I had been a true Son of the Lion but after a while the mish-mash of colour schemes started to tire on me a bit(I know, I know, I'm on my way to Chamber 42 already) so for the last year or so I've been mulling over creating a DIY successor and I've finally gotten off of my arse and put paint to plastic.

I was never really very good at painting back in the day if I'm honest, but with the wealth of guides and tips that are available nowadays I'm feeling a bit more confident in progressing although I'm well aware I'm still at the 'crude' stage. A few notes beforehand - firstly apologies for some of the lighting in the pics, its a standard miserable British rainy day so a bit gloomy I'm afraid and frankly I'm a bit crap with the new camera. Secondly, the model has been chosen for a tester because the plastic has warped in places(most noticeably on the model's left hand side) so it seemed a bit pointless to remove mould lines, however normally I would do.

With that nonsense out of the way here is my test scheme:

http://i.imgur.com/jAgy7zy.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/dj97GKk.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/9yf0yet.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/G4dyUCt.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/xlGnYjT.jpg

Well, what do you think?

This is actually the first time I've dared to try any kind of freehand(as usually I've been too much of a wimp to give it a shot) and although it's a bit thick in places I'm actually really rather happy with how it came out. You may have noticed I've shamelessly stolen the designation markings from Bryan Blaire's Stoneburners, although they're a pale imitation(I have no idea how he manages to be so neat and tidy in such a small space) they match nicely the knightly order theme I'm aiming for.

The scheme itself is a bit of a riff on the meeting of light and dark as in the fluff the Sentinels are one of the Astartes Praeses standing in between the darkness of the Eye and the light of the Imperium, hence the halved scheme. Originally I had tried with a purple and white scheme but could never get a white that I was happy with, so tried with yellow instead and was much happier. I think it matches the light/dark analogy a lot better as well as a dirty golden yellow light seems to fit the Imperium a lot better than a pure white one.

I'm not sure if the red weapon casing is throwing a few too many colours into the mix, the other choice was a simple black casing but then the robes I'm planning to paint a dark penitent grey(again fluff related) and I don't want them to just blend into each other. The base is another question mark, I was planning a rusting metal floor effect covered in brick debris but again I'm worried that adding in an orange/brown/black base is just going to make the model too busy and perhaps a light grey urban rubble would be best.

Any advice or comments would be much appreciated, I'm not a very fast painter and without much free time but I plan to update this thread as and when I can.

Edit: One other thing, is the gallery broken at the moment or am I doing something wrong? Every time I get an error.

[Bryan Blaire]

I like it, it's a very interesting and unique scheme.

 

On the markings, don't be afraid to go back and clean up thicker lines. One of the easiest ways to make things thin is by simply sliming the edges down with the base color painted over the edge, it can allow you to get things as small as you want this way. I like how you actually highlighted your markings, that's very cool!

 

For the base, I'd come up with a small story for your units and not worry about too many colors. You do want it to enhance the mini and not distract from it, but also to "tell a story", IMO.

[Dragon Claw]

Thanks Bryan, I'm a great fan of your Stoneburners as I'm sure you can guess. The highlighting on the markings was just one one of those random experiments that seemed to work, I'd originally blocked in the Chapter Symbol in a single colour but wasn't too pleased with how blobby it looked and thought ' it, lets see what happens if I painted it as if it was sculpted'.

I've spent a portion of today playing around with the base, throwing in bits of plastic and plenty of greenstuff, which is curing as I type. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have a chance to finish it off and put up some pics. For the bases I'm aiming for a deserted manufactorum type world, which should fit nicely for a world on the very edge of the Eye itself.

[Dragon Claw]

Quick update.

 

http://i.imgur.com/PTc3rAb.jpg?1http://i.imgur.com/saYULs5.jpg?1

 

Apologies for the fat thumb trying to hog the limelight.

 

I think I may have gone a bit overboard on the amount of rubble and I'd completely forgotten how damn long it takes watered down PVA glue to dry so my first few attempts at painting it turned into miniature hockey with sand clumps but I got there in the end! I kind of want to make it a bit lighter, but I'm not sure if I'll just end up overworking it.

 

One other thing I'm slightly torn about is the chapter symbol, originally I had planned for it to be an angel of death standing sentinel(because, you know, space marines aren't exactly known for their subtlety) but after picking up a couple of boxes of the Black Knights and Deathwing Knights, not to mention Dark Vengeance. the thought of modifying all of those moulded symbols is quite daunting, especially considering how beautifully some of them are done. So my question is pretty simple: Is it a cop-out to simply paint the DA symbol a different colour and I should pull my finger out or does it look different, and more importantly good enough to leave as is?

 

Any opinions or advice would be much appreciated as always. :) I've got a bit of spare time coming up so hopefully I'll have a few more bits and pieces to show.

[Gillyfish]

A winged sword is a fairly common icon, so I wouldn't worry about retaining the iconography - the colour scheme is enough to make them different to the standard DA. 

 

I like the scheme and what you've done with the freehand - it's always daunting when you start but, trust me, now you've started you won't look back - with practice it's easier than transfers and far more satisfying, in my opinion. The highlighting and shading is very well done and I don't think the red is out of place. You suggested grey robes, but you might want to think about the particular shade and whether a dark brown might not be better (it would work with the shading of the yellow and is a warmer colour too, and you are using lots of warm colours).

 

One minor criticism of the test mini is the mould-lines - it really is worth getting rid of them on future miniatures as they can distract from a really well painted model.

 

Keep up the good work!

[Dark Rage]

A very cool scheme for a successor Great job, I think that standard bone robes would go ok but failing that possibly dark green?.

 

I agree with Gillyfish the winged sword icon is common and I think that having some Dark Angel Iconography is suitable since it can show that they are successors to the first legion.

[Dragon Claw]

Thanks for the replies guys.

 

In regards to the mould lines, I was lazy this time because the model itself was warped(you can see it most around the left knee joint and upper thigh) but rest assured the others will be properly cleaned! I've spent the last 3 hours cleaning, drilling barrels and prepping 5 of the DV tac squad for priming and at this point I'd quite like to punch the bloke who thought it was a good idea to attach the sprue to the sergeant's thigh plates.

 

The grey robes are actually fluff related. I don't want to witter on too long about it but basically they have a stain upon their honour referred to as Cadfael's Folly, where in their murky past they lost fully a third of their geneseed stock due to 'deviation from the norm'. This was put down to the chapter being fleet based and its extreme proximity to the Eye of Terror causing mutation which was picked up by the Ad Mech on their usual tithe, causing an Inquisitorial investigation to descend upon them and the trial of High Apothecary Cadfael. So shamed were they at the desecration of the Lion's gift(which is obviously known for the purity of its seed) that they declared a self imposed penitent crusade, painting their armour and robes penitent grey. Upon completion of the crusade they repainted their armour but kept their robes grey as a reminder for constant vigilance, however the Apothecaries still retain the grey armour until such time as they deem their penance complete.

 

I do see where you're coming from on how it may spoil the colour combinations however, so I'll certainly take your advice and see if I can make it a warm grey with slight browns and creams mixed into the greys. If it still looks garbage then I may need to rethink the penitence markings.

[Aradiel]

just a small imput about the chapter insignia. there is no problem at all about using the same insignia with diferent colors. gw itself does that. imperial fists & crimson fists, im looking at you

[johnyocum]

Not only is there the Imperial/Crimson Fists, but there are at least 2 Ultramarine successors that use the omega symbol (either upside down like the UMs or right side up), either in white or some other color.

 

If you want to use a different color for the winged sword, that is your choice, and I agree that it makes a wonderful way of saying that your chapter is indeed a successor of the First Legion.

[Dragon Claw]

Well you've put my fears to rest about the chapter symbol, thanks for your opinions brothers.

I've got a little update on progress. I've managed to prime and start laying base colours on my 5 man tac squad.

http://i.imgur.com/JIvBYPf.jpg?1

I didn't notice when taking the picture quite how much they look like a boy band.

You may have noticed that this fella is a little bit more completed than the others.

http://i.imgur.com/E0dHtTe.jpg?1

That's because I wanted to try and remember what recipe I'd used for the purple as like a bloody idiot I forgot to write it down while painting the tester. Although it's not quite as dark in places as the original test model I'm pretty happy where it is(I can always do a bit more shading if needed if it doesn't look right later anyway) although after I finish up the rest of the model I'm going to go back and tidy up some of those highlights because they look a lot sloppier in places now I've had a chance to see the pictures.

It's taken me a good 3 hours or so just to get him to where he is at the moment, so I don't expect to finish the squad off anytime soon, but I'll keep posting updates when I can.

[Bryan Blaire]

Just keep it up! If you want to dull everything down, try using some Druchii Violet over it. As I said in my other response, don't be afraid to paint over the edges/parts of your highlights to erase and/or thin them down and do some clean up.

 

Looks good, keep on trucking!

[Dragon Claw]

Another quick little update.

 

http://i.imgur.com/KtkZhT5.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/4G8Awrm.jpg?1

 

Apart from a few things like company/squad markings and little touch ups this fella is pretty much done. I'm painting all the backpacks separately so that'll come later.

 

Had a bit of a nightmare with the eyes on this guy as I'd had this fantastic idea to paint up to white and then give it a good red glaze for some proper glowing red eyes, only problem was that it turns out I actually hadn't bought any Bloodletter Glaze like I thought I had. :( After trying to approximate it with various reds, washes and water levels and failing abysmally I went back to the old method of working up to Mach. Orange.

 

I've somehow managed to book a week off work so I'm hoping to get the other four finished this week and seeing how they look together.

 

Let me know what you think.

[Isiah]

I have to admit I was never sold on the colour scheme but actually seeing models painted has changed my mind - keep going with them.

 

Can't wait to see dreads/ vehicles in that scheme.

 

Cheers

I

[Dragon Claw]

Thanks, I've got some Black Knights sitting in their box in the hope that the Currus Belli will give me a good reason to break them out and while I haven't got any dreads or tanks(apart from an old hellhound from god knows when) I am tempted to pick one up for the challenge.

That's all dependent on the challenge actually being about vehicles of course, if it turns out it's actually about who can draw the best smiley face on their stomach with a bit of Tika Masala then I may have to rethink my strategy.

[Isiah]

:) well if it is then I might be in with a chance to win.

[Dragon Claw]

I gave into temptation, turns out the Iron Hands are bloody right, the flesh is weak. Picked up a Ven Dread and Landraider, although it was 30% off from totalwargamer this weekend so my conscience is slightly salved, but this is the last thing I buy before I start getting more paint on plastic! I swear! Not one box more!

Oh who am I kidding....

[Bryan Blaire]

Hey, it's a sickness most of us have! So you are likely in good company. :)

 

The Ven Dread and Land Raider should look very striking in your color scheme!

[Dragon Claw]

Another quick little update, more to keep myself going than anything. The lads have a few layers on, about halfway still to go.

 

http://i.imgur.com/k4GoFXf.jpg?1

[Dragon Claw]

Another little step towards the finish, this time the armour has had it's final highlight.

 

http://i.imgur.com/TtUDES4.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/FybHrNT.jpg?1

 

Still got a little bit left to go, weapons and backpacks need their final layers and then I just need to finish up the details, markings, cloth, skin and basing. Actually when I say it like that it seems quite a lot more than a little bit.

 

C&C always welcome, also I'm looking for some tips for the plasma power coils as I'm not really happy with how it came out. I had painted up through various lighter greens finishing with white and then glazed it with waywatcher green but rather than blend the colours together like I thought it would it actually seemed to accentuate the varying colour bands. It's my first time using the glazes, am I using it wrong or is it just something that doesn't seem to work well for this sort of thing and if not what methods do people tend to favour?

[Dragon Claw]

Another little update.

 

http://i.imgur.com/MsNHskG.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/bwsdc1F.jpg?1

 

Here's a close up of the Sarge, tried to take one without the flash so they don't seem quite so washed out but its been raining all day so the lighting isn't great.

 

http://i.imgur.com/pV830cH.jpg?1

 

Apart from a few little details here and there, they're pretty much complete. Last proper task will be to base them properly so hopefully it'll stop raining long enough for me to prime a few.

 

Any C&C would be much appreciated.

 

Edit: Finally managed to get some pics with decent natural lighting so I didn't have to use the flash -

 

http://i.imgur.com/9sTMzMz.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/Jtm0rN3.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/UbzDF7S.jpg?1
 

[Spaced Hulk]

Excellent work mate! It's a striking colour scheme that you're executing very well.

Obviously you've changed your mind about the robe colour - I think it was the right decision as the sergeant's tabard really compliments your scheme. If you don't mind me asking, what paint(s) did you use on the tabard? It looks almost exactly how I'm picturing the robes for my own DIY chapter.

[Dragon Claw]

Thanks mate, the robe is Calthan Brown base and then (Vallejo) Burnt Umber shading, (Vallejo) Light Brown raised areas with an Agrax Earth Wash then finally (Vallejo) Cork Brown highlights. I'm glad I was persuaded to try the brown as it does look much better.

[Spaced Hulk]

Thanks mate. Looking forward to your next update :-)

[Gillyfish]

Regarding the plasma power coils I think the main issue is the colour. Green is a little jarring. I suggest blue for a couple of reasons - it's become sort of traditional and I think it would complement the colours you have better than the green does. In terms of how to do it, go with regal blue (or the equivalent new colour) base and drybrush successively lighter shades until you get to a light layer of pure white. Then use a blue wash (not glaze) to merge them together again and, if needed, do another very light drybrush of pale blue and then white.

 

Hope that helps. They look really good so far. :)

[Dragon Claw]

Cheers for the advice Gillyfish.

 

I'd picked the green to begin with as it was a strong contrast to the red of the weapons themselves and was a bit worried the blue might not pop enough against the purple, but hell you were right about the robes so I'll give it a shot with the blue and see how it looks.