Blood Angels- Airbrushing

[Firepower]

Heyo folks.  I've got an eye on doing some Blood Angels, but presently I'm also owing a red model to another forumite as an XMas gift, so this'll be a two birds with one stone question (and also obviously a touch time sensitive).

 

I'm looking for a good airbrush recipe for Blood Angels red, preferably a rather vibrant tone.  There are of course tons of different shades/paints of red, which doesn't help narrow things down.  But preferably, I'd like to go with the simple approach- 3 reds, zenithal highlighting (dark base, lighter red 45 degree downward angle, lightest red straight down) and a brown or black wash (yay oil washes!) for the recesses.  Maybe a hand painted final highlight on the highest edges.

 

So, suggestions?  Preferably using Vallejo game/model colors and/or GW colors.

[Morticon]

I know nothing about airbrushing, but love dark red BA.  

So for what it's worth, I usually go black base, foundation red, then scab red (not sure new name) then red gore.  The lightest colour I will use is bood red, for highlights.

[Firepower]

Well, there is this-

 

 

 

Trouble is, these models have a lot of fine detail that isn't red.  For instance, the trim on the shoulder pads.  Doing a section that fine with an airbrush without messing up the shading on the neighboring panels would be impossible...at least for me.  The Blood Angel kits, including the new ones, have a lot of special gubs that aren't red, but not as much as models as complicated as the Chosen.  Les Bursley has a similar tutorial, but again, it's with a Chosen.

 

For a darker red like you're talking about Morticon, there's this-

 

 

 

But again, I'm looking for a more vibrant tone.  I suppose this may work with brighter colors, though, but it's not the finer, vibrant highlighting of the Chosen and such.  By the way, if you watch it all, he makes a shout out to the BnC's decal project, so good on ya BnC :)

[The_Chaplain]

Will this one work Firepower? Found it in my paint recipes folder:

 

 

 

 

Spoilered for size of the pic. 

[Spaz431]

I like that recipe. I'll likely use it on my BA's.

[Feuermann]

I start with a black undercoat. Then I basecoat with mahogany (Vallejo model air) and i add highligt with fire red, italian red and bright red (all from VMA paints)

[Firepower]

I start with a black undercoat. Then I basecoat with mahogany (Vallejo model air) and i add highligt with fire red, italian red and bright red (all from VMA paints)

 

Got any pics?

 

That one may work The_Chaplain, but I'll have to do it on a scrap infantry model to know.  But from the pic, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of gradient at all.  It looks like a more or less uniform shade of red with a black wash on it.  Reds can be like that though: airbrushing them can be very hard, because it can be hard to see one shade over another until it's been applied rather thickly.  I don't suppose it says whether or not that model was primed black, gray or white somewhere else?

[Brother Galfridus]

I prime white and Black line the armour panels. Then VMA fire red all over. Shadows are added using Hull red and a top down highlight of scarlet again model air. Finally edge in wild rider red from gw and a finishing edge of tau light ochre.

 

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c338/brushknights/termi1d_zps4f8b8b08.jpg

[Firepower]

Hmmm...those dark lines around the piping of the calves, are those the product of the blacklining or the hull red shadowing?  I'd normally use an oil wash for that.

[Brother Galfridus]

The lines are from the black lining. The hull red can be seen on the upper corners of the calves as it fades darker. This is just how I do it you can use an oil wash for the black lining stage or skip that and do an oil wash after all the red stages. If I were using oils I would probably use the latter.

[appiah4]

I'm really not a fan of black undercoats, it's hard as to see any kind of detail on the model while painting, and it gets on my nerves. I realize that white undercoats give a very bright color you don't want, so I will offer the option of going with a grey undercoat. This is how I do:

1. Grey primer

2. 3 layers of FolkArt Lipstick Red (GW Blood Red equiv)

3. 1 layer of watered down (1:1) GW Ogryn Flesh wash

4. 1 layer of GW Baal Red wash

5. Highlight with FolkArt Lipstick Red (GW Blood Red equiv.)

6. Highlight with FolkArt Red Light (GW Flaming Orange equiv.)

7. Highlight with FolkArt Pure Orange (GW Blazing Orange equiv.)

I really like the end result myself, if I may say so:

http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/gallery/album_8363/gallery_60983_8363_64703.jpg

[Ovidius Incertus]

For my Flesh Tearers, I start with a Vallejo Red Brown primer, then pre-shade with VMA mahogany.  My base coat is VGC Gory Red, which can be airbrushed just fine if you thin it adequately (I always add flow-aid).  I'll highlight with varying mixes of Gory Red and VMA Ferrari Red.  Pin wash recesses with Carraborg Crimson (though I've done Devlan Mud and Druchi Violet).  This gives a nice, dark scab colored red: deep red, but with brown undertones, if that's what you're looking for.

 

If I switch to Vallejo Gray Primer, it considerably brightens things up into a more red tone and sort of suppresses the brown undertones.

 

If I ever do edge highlights, I use Bestial Brown.

[Firepower]

I'm really not a fan of black undercoats, it's hard as to see any kind of detail on the model while painting, and it gets on my nerves. I realize that white undercoats give a very bright color you don't want

Actually, a brighter scheme is exactly what I'm looking for. Well, I prefer the term "vibrant" actually, but you understand

I don't wanna use a white undercoat though. Not because they make for a bright color (that's the whole point of a white undercoat after all) but because I've never managed one that wasn't chalky or textured. So yeah, I'm going with a gray undercoat, in all likelihood.

Your models came out pretty good. But looking at the recipe, it seems that the original basecoat is the only point I'd be able to use an airbrush for.

[Inquisitor Eisenhorn]

Hey man,  I just do a straight recipe along the lines of what you want, very simple, quite vibrant.  

 

Black base

 

Khorne red

 

Mephiston red secondary

 

Evil sunz final

 

I carefully apply nuln oil to the cracks and recess (NOT a full wash) and then touch up again.

 

I do some more hand-brushed edge highlighting with evil sunz, because when you apply with an airbrush it doesn't have the density and therefore you can use the same color for highlighting.

 

I've been experimenting with different BA painting methods for years and I'm happiest with this.

[IronKobra]

For my Flesh Tearers, I start with a Vallejo Red Brown primer

This stuff is awesome! I use the black followed by a layer of this as a base. Now that Vallejo gave us a game colour range for airbrush I will be testing a scheme to get me to the stage of edge highlights.