New to Shading

[EvilWizard]

So I am new to using shades and was wondering what I should go with for my 1k Sons army.  I am not using any different color schemes or anything I just don't know what color shade would work well with that.  I was just going to use Citadel Shade since some of my friends have used them quite a bit but they are Nid and Blood Angel players and have never really used them on a really blue army before. 

 

I was thinking of using something like a Coelia Greenshade but don't know if that would give it a really odd look or if that's more of the chaosy thing to do. 

[Nusquam]

Assuming standard gold/blue 1k sons I recommend Seraphim Sepia if you want old/aged/tarnished 1k sons, or Drakenhof Nightshade for the blue and the Sepia for the gold.

[Hemal]

I'd avoid the shades for the metallics if you can, sparinly use nuln oil to add definition to the edges, I tend to use dark browns to shade golds.  Coelia will give ou a nice turquoise effect as a glaze, but isn't really meant for shading blue. Drakenhoff is nice but definitely thin it down using lahmian medium, and you will also see it doesn't add that much depth to the blue if it is deep - use purple and black added to the mix..

[GrandMagnus]

For gold I recommend you shade with a mix of Abaddon black and mournfang brown, watered down. Watered down paints are much better for metals that washes.

[Kaedes Nex]

I use Seraphim Sepia and it looks great on gold, did you guys have a poor experience using brown washes on your golds or something?

One of the best gold tutorials I've seen is from From the Warp and it recommends a brown basecoat with washes of Devlan Mud and different golds depending on how warm and rich you want the tone.

 

I personally use the metallic bronze/gold base from Citadel, then my gold of choice, then Seraphim Sepia and it looks great. I don't see the point in using a black wash or some kind of mixed wash that contains black in it. That sounds like it'd be terrible as it makes the gold look filthy instead of simply adding shadow.

 

Here's what it looks like with just metallic base, gold, and Seraphim Sepia:

 

http://s27.postimg.org/cbu65fnoj/photo_1.jpg

[Forté]

Could start from a darker colour (which is what a lot of the GW guides recommend) your Gold colour mixed with a dark brown for the base coat then build up to the gold you want on the main areas. Add some silver for final highlight.

 

As for the blue. Nuln Oil used in the gaps between plates and on the darkest areas works well. You can also start the blue darker than the colour you want.

 

Take a good look over the Work in Progress section as a fair few people have step by step pics.

[Forté]

http://massivevoodoo.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/tutorial-overview.html?m=1

 

http://tutofig.com/

 

http://fromthewarp.blogspot.co.uk/p/archives-and-tutorials.html?m=1

 

Some great tutorials on those sites too.

[Fibonacci]

 I use Seraphim Sepia and it looks great on gold, did you guys have a poor experience using brown washes on your golds or something?

Naw, just like something darker than Seraphim Sepia.  Not enough contrast across the wash.

[Forté]

 

 

 

I use Seraphim Sepia and it looks great on gold, did you guys have a poor experience using brown washes on your golds or something?

Naw, just like something darker than Seraphim Sepia. Not enough contrast across the wash.

Try Ogryn Flesh or Devlan mud (or whatever the current names are).

[Hemal]

the mournfang gives a great contrast, and the washes "wash out" the gold - great for a patinated effect as long as you fine line everything (and I mean every hard edge and even a few soft edges) with the base colour then silver in extreme highlights...

the mournfany makes the recesses appear darker so works the other way, by automatically creating contrast

[UselesswizarD]

I would second the devlen mud or their equivelent but I would mix it with a blue wash.  This is because the orange tinting of the devlen mud is opposite of blue onthe color wheel.  This will both darken the blue as well as keep it rich in color rather than flatten it out as adding black tends to do.

If you want ot know more about color theory and how you can apply it to your models check out our video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGuP9PAL2Wk

I think that it will help you out a ton.  Enjoy!

[Forté]

Colour theory is a great thing. I shaded a mini's turquiose dress (female Malifaux zombie not a Dark Angel) by adding red (it's opposite) and it worked a treat.

[S.k.i.t.t.l.e]

For the metallics, ditch the GW ones and get the Vallejo Model Air metallics. Waaaaaay better.

 

A basecoat of gold and brown mixed 50/50 will give you a good start, highlight this with a few layers of gold, then a final highlight of gold and silver mixed on the upper most edges.

 

In my gallery there is a picture in the Dark Vengeance Chaos section of Lord Kranon, the Chaos Star on the cloak was done this way. (Sorry but I'm having problems getting an image to work here...)

[Forté]

@S.k.i.t.t.l.e. Are those really that good? I have heard good things on Massive Voodoo about them being good to use right out the bottle.

 

Mostly gold that I have issues with myself.

[S.k.i.t.t.l.e]

Yep they are that great, straight outta the bottle they are really good. And you can thin them quite a lot before they start to separate. The only minor gripe I can think of is that you gotta make sure you shake them well every time you use them, you can really tell when you haven't. (But you should be shaking them well anyway, right...) They mix well with each other and with other paints, I've had no issues with that. They are good through an airbrush (obviously) but I've heard its tricky spraying metallic. (I've only done a tiny bit with them)

I bought the basic metallic set, 8 paints I believe, for £13 ish. It has copper, brass, gold, gunmetal, silver, steel, blue and a metallic black. More than enough for most jobs.

[Forté]

Tempting. And I shake the :cuss out of my paints before I use them. Tempted by their chrome.

[S.k.i.t.t.l.e]

Actually according to Vallejo's site you shouldn't shake their paints, you should roll them between your hands, or on a table. :D Sometimes shaking them creates air bubbles that can force a blob of paint (what a waste) out of the dropper nozzle when you take the top off. Ever since I read that I've been rolling my Vallejo's and they seem to mix faster, and less waste.

 

Haven't tried the chrome, but I'm sure it's a shade darker than the steel paint. I think for the silvers in the range it goes gunmetal, silver, chrome, steel. Steel and Black Metal from the set I got are my favourites, they are the two smoothest (water based) paints I've ever used, and cover really well.

[UselesswizarD]

I have started rolling my paints rather than shaking them and they actually tend to mix much better and faster than just shaking them.  Just make sure the cap is on tight otherwise if it comes off you'll get paint everywhere (speaking from experience lol)

[Subtle Discord]

Consider Vallejo's Liquid Gold line if you want amazing metallics. Hands down it is the best gold paint I've ever used; 1-to-2 coats and you have a flawless gold you can then wash and paint however you like. It is an alcohol based paint that has a slight learning curve to use, but once you get the hang of it, it is absolutely amazing.

 

I've been using a home made vibration tool made from an old hand mixer for paint mixing for a few years now. it does a good job on day-to-day mixing, but it's best for rejuvenating older paints that have settled. The vibrations liquify the paint in moments compared to mixing, rolling, and shaking.

 

In general I find Brown and Black washes are the go-to for most shading; if the colour is in the warm spectrum Brown will most likely work well, and if it's in the cold spectrum Black will do well. There are exception (some major) but this is a good starting rule of thumb. All of the other washes have their place and will help you get better results, but they are much more situational I've found. Even then, Brown or Black are usually part of the process. Devlin Mud is an odd Brown/Black mix that I'm actually not that fond off unless I want a dirty and/or greasy look to the layer; it gives a more dirty than tarnished look than I'm after in my Golds. I would rather start with Brown, Black, or a more colour specific wash, work up the shading, and then dirty or tarnish it myself. But that's my personal preference.

 

Always start lighter then you might think; even pale/thin washes done in a few layers will considerably darken bright colours. Don't be afraid to keep a second clean damp brush hand to help clean and blend edges of the wash layers. Wash provides a lot of freedom to push and nudge it where you want it as you work; don't just slop it on after the first light base layer, build it up in very specific places that should have depth and shadow and blend out the edges with the clean damp brush. Leave the high points bright and clean, a lot of the highlighting and blending will be done with the careful washing in the recesses.

 

Hands down, using wash on a very light base, darkening it down and adding depth with 2-4 light targeted layers, and then coming back to highlight and blend up some details is a very easy and effective way to do most stubborn pale colours like skin tones and bone.