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Blood Angels successor colour scheme progress


Pcm979

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Well, that's an informative but uninspiring title.

Hello everyone! As you can tell, I'm here for some advice about picking a colour scheme for a Blood Angels successor Chapter that I've been working on, on and off, for a few years now. I've been trying to find a colour scheme that equally emphasizes the 'Blood' and 'Angels' part of their motif; Most official successor Chapters tend to concentrate on the 'Blood' part, but I'm most drawn to the Sons of Sanguinius due to the duality of their motifs.

Anyway, one of the things I've been trying to experiment with recently via B&C's Online Painter was silver and dark red. Unfortunately, I hit a bit of a dead end because silver just looks grey on every online painter I've found so far. It was only when Lord Thørn posted a method that shows up metallics and other patterns that I could get going again.

My original idea was for a scheme that was primarily silver, but with a red blood drop w/black wings on the chest, red eyes, shoulderpads and left knee (the right knee left aside for squad markings), dark red soft armour and (on applicable Marks) a dark red mouthplate. I thought that the dark red showing from between the silver panels and around the mouth would hint at the Flaw beneath the sheen; It could also be carried over to the differently coloured Specialist units to tie them together. However, when I mapped it out, I realized just how little soft armour shows on Space Marines!

http://i.imgur.com/fzPDaAs.png

While this looks pretty good, a nagging part of me thinks that the Blood Angels should have more red on them. While I was searching for inspiration I found this piece of art, whose source I unfortunately have been unable to track down:

http://i.imgur.com/y0yn0Ze.jpg

I really liked the way the half-robe adds a splash of red to that one leg. Then I remembered that it's pretty much impossible to create an entire army of robed Space Marines without buying tons of Green Stuff, all the Dark Angels Veterans ever cast, or enough third-party legs to craft some kind of horrific millipede monster. The obvious solution would be for only the Characters and perhaps Sergeants to have robes, but where would that leave the Battle-Brothers? I could just colour the one leg red, but that would be imbalanced. Neither making both legs red or Halving the colour scheme seemed to work for me, so I experimented with Quartering.

First straight Quartering, first with a two-toned helmet and then with a one-tone helmet:

http://i.imgur.com/khmLQ51.png

http://i.imgur.com/KuUTtax.png

Then with two versions of 'psuedo-Quartering', first with just the leg and opposite arm coloured red, and then with the full Quartered scheme's red moved away from the torso and onto the previously silver lower arm and leg:
http://i.imgur.com/OjXoFvs.png

http://i.imgur.com/Ix63aBM.png

Obviously these last two are breaking some rules, so I'm hesitant about them. That's why I thought I'd bring this to the professionals here. Are any of these any good? Is there an idea I missed? I'd greatly appreciate some feedback!

Thanks,
Pcm979

Arm and leg red scheme. You'll have lots of other details too that will be complimentary colors, like purity seals, skulls, blood drops, and goblets, etc., so the arm and leg will look more like proper quartering once you're done, without all the extra effort. And, some it's opposite arm and leg, they will both be swinging out in run poses and such.

 

So the silver bright and with metal white/platinum highlights, compared to shaded gunmetal, and make the red a rich crimson like you have it, and it'll be amazing.

I think the quartered scheme (with single-tone silver helmet) looks the best to me.

 

I don't mind the original, but the big fear is that they end up looking to Grey-Knight-ish if there isn't enough red (at least in my mind). And I think the quartering looks good. I personally don't think the pseudo-quartering looks as good.

 

What about a Flesh-Tearers inspired look, where you replace the black with silver, and use a lighter shade of Red?

 

And as a side note ... as one who is building a successor chapter that is not red (it's purple, except the Chapter Master who wears white), don't feel that you MUST use red if you want to spice things up a bit more.

Whilst quartering is generally cool, I think the first pseudo quartering opposite arm and leg effect is really nice, and a fair amount easier to paint in bulk imo (something important to consider).

 

It's something one doesn't generally seem to see around and you could come up with some nice fluff reason why they have only parts of their armour red. Maybe they started off all silver then in memory of fallen companies they started painting bits red.

 

Or the first chapter master was a Blood Angel who's armour got damaged during a protracted campaign and all he could do was scavenge for parts, retaining only the arm and leg plates in the original BA red...

 

Up to you but that scheme has a certain awesomeness to it!

 

If you do go traditional quartering, what about the different colour helmets for different squads like the BA?

One must be careful with scattered color patterns, lest your models turn into optical illusions.

You may not be able to put robes on every marine you make, but remember that all but the barest armors (Tactical squad box) have a good amount of details which could just as easily be painted red to offset the silver. Wings, blood drops, Death Company x's and such. This would also save you the trouble of finding a third color to compliment the red and silver.

It can also open up interesting chances to scatter the colors a bit from model to model, by painting ornaments on silver armor red and ornaments on red armor silver. You'd be surprised what you can accomplish with a two color scheme when the model has enough ornamentation to work with.

Well, I'd still use a third color for parchment and eyes, but not much else.

Anyway, diddling about with the painter and your conceptual parameters for a couple minutes, I came up with this additional suggestion.

sm.php?b62c=@hU2uE_ia3h6.hdfy9.@@@@@@h7YOs@hmmn0@@__@@@@_@@@@@@__@______@@@@@hmmn0hgQ3s@@@@@@@@@@@.@hgQ3siakk7&

I always make the exhausts a different color from the armor. I have no idea why laugh.png

Also, while robes aren't so easy to come by, off the top of my head there are a number of BA bits that have large segments of what is traditionally painted as parchment, which could just as easily be painted red. :)

Most of the DC legs if I remember correctly have some sort of robe or parchment deal.

Plus you mentioned DA kits, and sculpting.

If you like the way that half robe looks, I'd say go for making them like that.

I've seen plenty of good tutorials for making clothe for minis out of a lot of things.

I seem to remember one that used wet paper and Elmers glue.

And firepower beat me to it, but marines with either one leg or the one arm painted red on silver could look really good.

Some advice from myself too.

 

I was ready to do so many bits of mine two colours (black with lots of red sections of armour).

 

I ended up hating it and toning down the amount of red because it gets really tedious to paint....

 

Food for thought.

While this looks pretty good, a nagging part of me thinks that the Blood Angels should have more red on them. While I was searching for inspiration I found this piece of art, whose source I unfortunately have been unable to track down:

 

http://i.imgur.com/y0yn0Ze.jpg

 

Looks like Marko Djurdjevic's style: http://marko-djurdjevic.deviantart.com

 

I think it's concept art he did for this game: http://www.degenesis.com/

Very practical to paint, since the pack helm and pads can be painted on sprue.

Did a bit of quick tinkering with my Flesh Tearer's inspired suggestion, just so you can see what I am talking about. Just an idea, but I think it looks pretty good.

spacemarine.jpg

Or ...

spacemarine.jpg

So that's two votes for my initial, shoulder pads and kneepads attempt, one vote for quartered with a two-tone helmet, four votes for quartered with a single-tone helmet, three votes for one arm and one leg red, and three new scheme suggestions. Wow!

Looks kinda like my boys, the Knights of Blood! I like the quartered schemes best, honestly.

Aye, go for the pseudo quartering. D also check out the Knights of Blood. Similar scheme to yours!

I followed the link in your sig, ElectricPaladin, but none of the pictures in your thread work for me. Is that a problem on my end?

Arm and leg red scheme. You'll have lots of other details too that will be complimentary colors, like purity seals, skulls, blood drops, and goblets, etc., so the arm and leg will look more like proper quartering once you're done, without all the extra effort. And, some it's opposite arm and leg, they will both be swinging out in run poses and such.

So the silver bright and with metal white/platinum highlights, compared to shaded gunmetal, and make the red a rich crimson like you have it, and it'll be amazing.

You and Firepower have a good point about the other details. When I spend too much time using the painter, I tend to forget how much more stuff there is on the actual models.

I think the quartered scheme (with single-tone silver helmet) looks the best to me.

I don't mind the original, but the big fear is that they end up looking to Grey-Knight-ish if there isn't enough red (at least in my mind). And I think the quartering looks good. I personally don't think the pseudo-quartering looks as good.

What about a Flesh-Tearers inspired look, where you replace the black with silver, and use a lighter shade of Red?

And as a side note ... as one who is building a successor chapter that is not red (it's purple, except the Chapter Master who wears white), don't feel that you MUST use red if you want to spice things up a bit more.

Those are good ideas (and thanks for the visualizations further down the page). I did try a scheme with no red at one point, but to me it just felt weird. It's hard to describe, but to me, the Blood Angels are more tied to that colour as a theme, moreso than any other Legion or Chapter, that I just can't bring myself to make one without some red on it. The Lamenters are a notable exception to the rule, but they also radically de-emphasise the Flaw in favour of their terrible, terrible luck, so the exception makes sense.
The closest I got to a no-red scheme was a halved red and purple scheme with golden eyes, Aquila wings and shoulder pad trim.
http://i.imgur.com/pjvR8Gc.png
In retrospect I think I've gravitated towards halving and quartering because it's a very easy and literal way to express the bloodline's duality. If the colours are separated vertically, like with the Flesh Tearers, the eye is more liable to pick one colour and form a first impression based on that.

Hmm. With that in mind, what if I took the first option you drew up, and altered it like this?

http://i.imgur.com/TN3LJGz.png

If I'm doing it right, the head is now framed by the red shoulders, backpack and Aquila, drawing your attention to it. So you naturally see the 'noble silver' framed by the 'flaw red'.
Darnit, I need less ideas, not more! msn-wink.gif

Whilst quartering is generally cool, I think the first pseudo quartering opposite arm and leg effect is really nice, and a fair amount easier to paint in bulk imo (something important to consider).

It's something one doesn't generally seem to see around and you could come up with some nice fluff reason why they have only parts of their armour red. Maybe they started off all silver then in memory of fallen companies they started painting bits red.

Or the first chapter master was a Blood Angel who's armour got damaged during a protracted campaign and all he could do was scavenge for parts, retaining only the arm and leg plates in the original BA red...

Up to you but that scheme has a certain awesomeness to it!

If you do go traditional quartering, what about the different colour helmets for different squads like the BA?

That could fit in nicely with the vague outline of the Chapter's origin story that I've been formulating- that the home planet was once garrisoned by a squad of Blood Angels who died to the last man protecting it - and I've had some other fluffy ideas too (like nabbing the Dusk Raider's reason for the red arm being that they are the Emperor's red right hand).

As for the different coloured helmets... Probably not, or at least, not exactly as the Blood Angels do it. With a complex scheme like Quartering, I'm worried about losing control of the colours and layout, especially with the blue Devastator helmets. If I did go that route I'd probably go for the Codex compliant 'stripe for Sergeants, gold helmet for Veterans' system.

Schemes look pretty awesome! Any ideas for your Chapter symbol?

A few, actually! In order of deviation from the stock BA symbol:
1: As BA, but wit red wings
2: As BA, but with a golden halo
3: As BA, but with multiple pairs of wings, like the Seraphim (Also a naming option; Blood Seraphs, Sanguine Seraphs, Seraphs Vermillion, etc)
4: Any combination of the above.

One must be careful with scattered color patterns, lest your models turn into optical illusions.

You may not be able to put robes on every marine you make, but remember that all but the barest armors (Tactical squad box) have a good amount of details which could just as easily be painted red to offset the silver. Wings, blood drops, Death Company x's and such. This would also save you the trouble of finding a third color to compliment the red and silver.

It can also open up interesting chances to scatter the colors a bit from model to model, by painting ornaments on silver armor red and ornaments on red armor silver. You'd be surprised what you can accomplish with a two color scheme when the model has enough ornamentation to work with.

Well, I'd still use a third color for parchment and eyes, but not much else.

Anyway, diddling about with the painter and your conceptual parameters for a couple minutes, I came up with this additional suggestion.

*Image snipped*

I always make the exhausts a different color from the armor. I have no idea why laugh.png

Also, while robes aren't so easy to come by, off the top of my head there are a number of BA bits that have large segments of what is traditionally painted as parchment, which could just as easily be painted red. smile.png

You're right, I am worried about losing control of the colour patterns. That's why I haven't pulled the trigger yet. I'd definitely have to spend some time honing my skills on simpler designs before taking the step to something this complicated.

That's a good suggestion- I've always liked the symbolism of the red right hand. If I don't end up using it here I'll probably have to paint up some Dusk Raiders just to get the bug out of my system!

As for making the exhausts a different colour, you're in good company- a fair amount of the official art does it too! laugh.png

Most of the DC legs if I remember correctly have some sort of robe or parchment deal.
Plus you mentioned DA kits, and sculpting.
If you like the way that half robe looks, I'd say go for making them like that.
I've seen plenty of good tutorials for making clothe for minis out of a lot of things.
I seem to remember one that used wet paper and Elmers glue.
And firepower beat me to it, but marines with either one leg or the one arm painted red on silver could look really good.

Yeah, I've looked at some tutorials too.
The problem is, I'm a coward. tongue.png
But if I was going to be really serious about this, it's probably something I should knuckle down and learn.

Some advice from myself too.

I was ready to do so many bits of mine two colours (black with lots of red sections of armour).

I ended up hating it and toning down the amount of red because it gets really tedious to paint....

Food for thought.

Good point. I don't want to burn myself out.

Looks like Marko Djurdjevic's style: http://marko-djurdjevic.deviantart.com

I think it's concept art he did for this game: http://www.degenesis.com/

Ah, well spotted! Google Image Search failed me, but searching for 'Djurdjevic Knight' brings it up about halfway down the page.

Well, when the pictures are back online, I'll be glad to see them!

Which actually makes me realize, that new scheme I put up for consideration is literally the Knights of Blood scheme with a silver helmet. How did I miss that? Oh well, back to the drawing board...

I hate to double-post, but I need one more bit of advice right now. I'm going to go ahead with some test miniatures, but I, er, actually don't have any red on hand at the moment, so I'm going to have to buy it. Do you guys have any suggestions for what I should buy to get the rich crimson I'm looking for in the main red, and the darker, scabbier red I want to use for the soft armour? Thanks!

Here are a few easy reds, don't know if they help at all.

 

24396497591_600e6f2dfd_z.jpg

 

24452709526_a5e1483bc6_z.jpg

 

23850717844_8b83e49034_z.jpg

 

(Don't worry Jolemai, no copyright infringement because the book is FREEEE!)

 

Edit: for a deeper red (my Flesh Tearers) I use Mephiston Red, Wazdakka Red, heavy Carroburg Crimson Wash, Wazdakka Red highlights.

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