Need some help devising a way to paint up Luna Wolves.

[DerSchlankeMann]

So I tried painting up a Luna Wolf for my 40k army earlier today. Let's just say it ended badly. I know I need to thin my paints, etc, and I've got brushes and gel medium on order. However, does anyone know any tutorials for painting Luna Wolves from a black primer base? In addition to the black primer, I've got a slate grey from DecoArt's Americana range, Vallejo's Wolf Grey Game Color, Vallejo's White Primer Game Color, GW Skull White, Agrax Earthshade and Nuln Oil. As for the miniature I painted today, I tried to emulate this and it came out like this. Besides thinning my paints, what else can you all suggest I do to get some tabletop quality Marines?

[Bung]

Painting White on a black base color is a pain in the ass.

If you prime black and want to go to white you first need some layers of grey, brown depending if you want a warm or cold white.

 

I would suggest get some thin layers of Ulthuan Grey on your miniature and then go to white

[Grotsmasha]

If you *have* to prime in black, your first step should be 2-3 thinned coats of Ceramite White, GWs base paint. Then from there either a Brown wash/glaze or Grey/Blue wash/glaze depending on desired finished colours. Then after wash has dried (30min minimum), another coat of Creamite White followed by White Scar highlights.

 

Cheers,

Jono

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

Painting White on a black base color is a pain in the ass.

 

This is true, if you are doing the white with a brush. In my experience, white paint is more transparent than black, which is usually very opaque, so it's a horrific process of tons of very thin white coats to build up that opaqueness and get a good base color.

 

If you spray a plastic or metal figure with white primer, it can take several coats to get a good foundation as well, and even then, it can still be an off-white, more like a light grey color. I had a happy accident some years ago when I wanted to try out a paint scheme with a white base coat, but the only thing I had assembled at that moment was a marine I had already primed black. Being impatient and not wanting to assemble, wash, and dry another one, I just snatched up the one with the black primer and hit it with the can of white primer - lo and behold, with two very thin coats sprayed on, the white was brighter than anything I had been able to achieve before just using white primer.

 

I'd give that a try and just work on shading the white instead of the building up of numerous layers of ever-lighter greys until you get to white.

[GrandMagnus]

I actually prefer painting white over a black undercoat and then going through a process of grey to whites. Usually adding a basecoat of dark greay and to layers of a medium to light grey neutralize the black undercoat. After that its all about adding a mix of light grey and white.

 

The final stage depends on what kind of white you prefer. I like off-white colours so I never go pure white, only for highlighting, which means my white colour is usually a mix of 1:3-4 celestial grey and white. Of course if you like pure white, you should go for that. 

 

But it takes a loooot of time. 

[Bung]

Personly i prefer the use of an airbrush when possible.