First Batch of Guardsmen

[Kurhanik]

Hi all, I'm new to the hobby side of 40k, and I was hoping to get some feedback and advice on my first squad of guardsmen off the assembly line.
 

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I went with a very basic color scheme as you can see, and a few issues pop out to me a bit - namely the gun tips and the eyes.  I'm not that good with tiny details yet, its part of the reason I kept the job so basic, and I feel I could have done better on the eyes.  Any tips to avoid spilling it over onto the rest of the face, or vice versa?  The gun tips and bayonets I feel the issue is mostly me not practicing with the paint first (the rest of the scheme I tested out on a random Dark Vengeance cultist), and I put the paint on too thick as a result.  Any tips on fixing that or shall I just chalk it up to a learning experience?
 
I guess as a follow up question, I was thinking of putting a shade over them.  I have GW agrax earthshade and nuln oil on hand, and can easily enough get my hands on some other shade if needed.  I'm just not sure what sort of shade would be good for the pale blues and greys I have been using on these guys, so any advice there would be appreciated.
 
Thanks in advance!

[Kinstryfe]

The large color blocking is done very well, but I think you're on the right path thinking a shade may help. Test the ones you have on parts of the cultist you painted to see what you like, and don't be afraid to thin down the shade of it's too strong out of the bottle for your liking.

 

The other thing I think you could benefit from it using a metallic for some of the metal details, as the details seem a little flat without them with all the icons, rivets, etc on the models.

 

The last thing is entirely personal preference, and not to be taken as strict advice, but I feel some splash of stronger color somewhere on the models could make them stand out a little. Your troops are painted fairly nearly and in a realistic military color scheme, but they kind of all blend together. Again, just preference, and you may have been going for a coordinated look like that, in which case the muted colors work well.

[Kurhanik]

Thanks for the advice!  From the cultist I decided on trying out the nuln oil, and put some on one of the guardsmen.  It does improve the look a lot, though I need to get a bit better at using a light touch.  I'll probably do one more thin coat of the base colors on all the raised surfaces to bring the contrast out and see how it looks from there.

 

I thought of doing some work on the smaller details but have decided to wait until I do my third or fourth squad, so that I can get the basics down pat.  Hopefully by then I'll be confident enough to do a little fancier work on the small bits.  At the very least I plan to glam up my scions somewhat compared to the basic grunts, I'm not sure what exactly I plan to do, but was thinking of adding a little bronze onto them.  Either way, at the rate I do things, that is a little ways off, so I have time to think on it.

[duz_]

You should start a thread in the Guard forum! We love WIP threads and always happy to give feedback and advice! :)

 

As for washes depends what colour you hope to achieve.
You could test Agrax (will have a brown hue), Nulin (will just be darker / black), Drakenhof (will be blue, possibly quite blue) and see which you prefer.

Once you've applied the wash, if you do a whole model wash you will possibly have to go back and layer again, or you could try just "painting" / washing in the recesses. The model would definitely benefit from a wash.

 

As for the eyes, don't worry about neat. Get them done then touch up afterwards much easier and quicker! ;)

 

We expect to see you reporting to the Barracks shortly Guardsmen! ;)

[WarriorFish]

The Guard models are quite good for washes, lots of places for the wash to collect and add some quick and easy depth :tu:

[Demonl]

Use different washes on different parts (e. one colour on the flak armour and another for the cloth/trousers etc).

My SA Lasrifles were the airbrush the same grey but i used different washes (vallejo in this case) to contrast the different materials but keeping the overall drabness.

Edited July 1, 2017 by Demonl

[Kurhanik]

Thanks for all the advice everyone!  I ended up doing a full body wash on them with Nuln Oil and then taught myself the basics of drybrushing to work on the surface areas.  They are not perfect by a long shot, but I am satisfied for a first attempt.  Even as I improve I may leave them as is just so I can gauge how far I am or am not advancing.

 

I have my second squad lined up, this time drilling the lasguns as well as the special weapons, and primed up, so hopefully I'll be able to take the lessons from this first unit and bring them to bear on these guys.  I may just try mixing washes on different colors, and see how it compares.  My goal is to get 2 more squads done by the month's end.  Not a grand goal I'll admit, but I want to start with small realistic goals.

 

Thanks again!

[duz_]

Drilling lasguns isn't necessary compared to Bolt Guns and projectile weapons. Lasguns and pistols are about the only weapons I dont drill out. However if youre game enough there certainly are others who are just as crazy! ;)

[Kinstryfe]

Thanks for all the advice everyone!  I ended up doing a full body wash on them with Nuln Oil and then taught myself the basics of drybrushing to work on the surface areas.  They are not perfect by a long shot, but I am satisfied for a first attempt.  Even as I improve I may leave them as is just so I can gauge how far I am or am not advancing.

 

I have my second squad lined up, this time drilling the lasguns as well as the special weapons, and primed up, so hopefully I'll be able to take the lessons from this first unit and bring them to bear on these guys.  I may just try mixing washes on different colors, and see how it compares.  My goal is to get 2 more squads done by the month's end.  Not a grand goal I'll admit, but I want to start with small realistic goals.

 

Thanks again!

Realistic goals are important! I have sooooo many models that aren't painted because the scope of it all freaks me out. Go a squad or so at a time and it'll be much less stressful :)