Help Identifying FW paint technique of Vultarax

[MorgothNL]

Hi all,

 

As the title says, I'd like to paint my mechanicum to have a similar look as the new FW Vultarax.

However, no matter how much I look at the model, I can't get my fingers on the techniques they used to paint the scheme (the brownish areas)

It seems to be layered up initially with an airbrush, from dark brown to a lighter brown, but I can't figure out how the nice vague splogy effect is done. It's too random for airbrush and to flat/light/subtle for a sponge technique I think.

 

Can anyone help me out here?

[Brother Desultor]

Have you tried emailing them? They're usually pretty willing to help out with painting techniques - they've answered every single request for "how did you paint......." that I've sent them over the years.

[MorgothNL]

Have you tried emailing them? They're usually pretty willing to help out with painting techniques - they've answered every single request for "how did you paint......." that I've sent them over the years.

I have just now, I hadn't before because they don't seem so responsive to emails anymore these days. They used to be very helpful in these kinds of things, but last 2 questions I've asked, never got a reply.

[Warsmith Uveron]

Weathering Powders? 

 

FW does make a line of them. 

[MorgothNL]

Weathering Powders? 

 

FW does make a line of them. 

The rust along the metal is certainly done with a pigment/powder yes, and some greenish diluted wash on the edges of the panels. But I can't imagine they created the patchy paint-scheme itself with powders.

[Kierdale]

I think when they first showed the model on FB people asked and I'm sure FW answered that it was stippling.

I hope that helps.

[Soldier of Dorn]

It looks to be the same as the scheme for House Malinax, which is:

 

Undercoat the model in chaos black
metal
1. base coat entire model with leadbelcher
2. wash with 50:50 seraphim sepia and nuln oil
Armour plates
1. base tamiya flat earth
2. layer wood deck tan
3. layer 50:50 wood deck tan and desert yellow
4. highlight with step 3 mixed with a little white scar
Dark metal trim
1. base 50:50 leadbelcher and adeptus battle grey
2. wash nuln oil
3. dry brush edges with leadbelcher
4. stipple (randomly) the edges with typhus corrosion
Entire model
1. wash 50:50 mix of seraphim sepia and nuln oil
2. water down ryza rust using lahmian medium and flow into creases, joints, recesses
as desired

[Major_Gilbear]

You need to look up a technique called "Stippling". There are various different ways of achieving this (from using a coarse brush, to carefully applying spots one by one, to using an airbrush, etc), so it's worth doing a search and having a look at different effects and that can be achieved with stippling.

 

To achieve a soft yet detailed look, you need to layer up the stippling gradually with progressively lighter colours, or alternate between glazing the stippled layers with the base colour and re-stippling selectively until you are happy with the effect.

 

I would advise that you need to keep the paint you stipple on very well watered-down, in order to avoid the paint effect producing a rough finish. Keeping the paints very thin like this also helps to control the effect.

[MorgothNL]

Thanks all!

 

I've just received the paints I'm going to use in the mail, and the army is ready and primed.

 

Just for anyone also wondering, the replies I got from FW was the same as Psycho mentioned and when I asked for the way of application they replied:

 

The base colours on all of them were applied with the airbrush, with the airbrush being used for the additional colours on the Knight, but a brush being used on the smaller kits. The key is the application of the washes and by varying the amount used in certain areas it helps to graduate the colours. To achieve a gritty look, then you can use a sponge and stipple on colours.