Thousand Sons and Painting Help

[Herald of Magnus]

So I've wanted to start a Thousand Sons detachment for 8th edition however I have a couple of issues.

 

Firstly, I'm not a great painter. I want to get my army to table top standard and am worried about this. I sprayed them gold as per Duncan's video however I don't think I have a chance of being able to paint the blue in without it looking well, just bad. Is there alternate schemes like a mostly gold scheme I could use with washes that you think might look good?

 

I'm aware if I don't try the blue method I won't get any better at painting however I have other miniatures I'm planning on using to help improve my painting. 

 

Could a pure gold scheme and a few washes over it and picking out details after look decent? Still going to use red probably for the robes etc, but I'm really unsure...

 

A bit of help might be nice from some painters that are good at judging these types of things, thanks..

[PeteySödes]

I havent seen the video in question but for a beginner painter the gold spray seems backward. If you're worried about the blue, spray blue, wash the blue then paint the trim gold.

 

Otherwise though don't sweat it! Just paint in the blue in a few thin layers and understand that your first few WILL be garbage to you lol. But if you havent improved drastically even after just a few tries I'd be shocked. Then go back and correct your mistakes if you need to.

 

or just kill the first few first...

[Herald of Magnus]

The video in question is this one:
 

 

To be honest I was talked into it at a Games Workshop and I thought it sounded a bit odd at the time however I've now gone ahead and done it, as in, sprayed my first two units and my hq in gold so I'm kind of stuck with it now.

[PeteySödes]

Yea i guess they do have a ton of gold on them so its kind of dealers choice there. Seriously just give painting the blue a go. Don't stress making them look bad, I try new techniques that I have NO idea if i can make them work all the time and even if it doesn't you take something away from it. Key is just diving in and getting your hands dirty.

 

That said, you really only need to look at the new custodes or 9/10 of every stormcast model i've ever seen to see that a pure gold scheme can work. All that matters is that your pumped with what you chose.

[Herald of Magnus]

OK So, I tried the blue idea out and it hasn't worked. However in spraying them gold and applying a couple washes (flesh shade and then earth shade) it gave me another idea. Well they look almost like they're made out of sandstone and I kind of liked the idea of them being almost "statues" so to speak. So I wanted to keep this armour colour under the idea of statues, because they remind me of the Sphinx etc, which obviously is inkeeping with their Egyptian theme.

 

However they are monochrome as of now, I'm unsure as to how I can pick out some of the detail while keeping them looking very statue-esque. If somebody has any ideas or the like that'd be great, here's some pics, sorry they're not great quality but it's late where I am and I'll be heading to bed soon, if better pics are needed I'll get them up tomorrow:

 

http://imgur.com/a/GSQjV

 

 

(Sorry I couldn't figure out how to upload them directly.)
 

[Kinstryfe]

Two approaches:

 

1. Have you tried painting some trim blue, going for a sort of opposite from the traditional look? Could still look very TSons while minimizing the blue.

2. Right now, from the pic, it still looks like (admittedly well shaded) gold. You CAN get a nice metallic look by applying multiple shades lightly to tint the metallic, or can dull it with more dark shades. You could maybe get a dark blue that way. The main problem I foresee is the yellow tinting it. Someone else may need to provide the recipe, but maybe go for a verdigis effect? I think sandstone may require a solid paint, rather than a shade to achieve.

2.1. If going sandstone, you want to build up somewhat roughly and almost dapple from beiges to almost white (I always avoid white white though). Now sandstone rub ribs with gold trim would look pretty cool.

 

Good luck finding a technique that works for you.

[Herald of Magnus]

I think I'm going to follow number 1 of what you said bud, I'm a bit afraid of what you mentioned in 2.1 and don't fully understand what you mean in 2 to be honest. Did you mean light shades of yellow or blue over the gold(?)

 

If I was a good painter it'd be awesome to make it look like they're statues coming to life, like gaining their colour etc. Ah well, I think I'll do them mostly gold and then go over the trims etc with blue. However there's so much trim it seems like this could take forever and I just know I'm going to mess up the gold now. There's also the fact that this seems like it might take years to go for and I'm worried the blue might seem quite contrasting to the rest? Along with the fact I feel if I do some of the trim blue I'll have to do it all blue to make it fit, which will take a while, but yeah..

 

It's terrible having all these ideas and not knowing where to go with them.

[Kinstryfe]

To kind of explain, as an example, I'm currently painting some metallic purple Emperors Children. I do it by painting them leadbelcher highlighted with stormhost silver, then applying 3 layers of Druchii Violet shade. The end result is purple with the metallic effect showing through. It can also be done on trim, etc, but takes a teeny brush point and very very steady hand.

 

The good and bad here is that the TSons models are beautiful, but are also very elaborate, making them look a bit harder to paint than some other flavors of Marine. Hopefully you'll find something that works though.

[Herald of Magnus]

Aaaah I get you, so you're saying that I could use essentially, if I was going for a metallic blue lets say-  Drakenhof Nightshade, a blue wash, over the parts I want to be tinted blue and build a couple layers up. Or if I wanted to go for the more sandstone look essentially a yellow wash instead. It might have a very odd look on the gold but could work and then the trim's gold would definitely stand out a lot more? 

 

Not too sure what blue wash on gold might create. Just worried about experimenting cause as you said, the models are very beautiful and elaborate but it just makes me worried about messing them up! 

[Redking]

If you thin down the blue and only use a little paint at a time, you could probably still follow the tutorial. With a this paint, you can generally use your thumb to wipe the paint off from any mistakes. It's also easier to fix any mistakes with a thin paint. You will need to use 2-3 thin coats.

[Herald of Magnus]

Hey there! Thanks for the reply! To be honest I'm kind of doing that. I decided to go for it, to stop worrying and try to make them look as good as I can. So I'm working the blue onto them slowly. So far I've done all their legs and thigh pieces I need to do arms, chest and head with blur. Then I have to work on the other colours!

 

Boy it's exhausting but they're looking really good in my opinion. There's a link here, the pictures aren't so great I'm afraid also this was yesterday but more than this has been done!

 

https://imgur.com/a/UIHLq

[Redking]

Looks good.  The hard part will be getting behind the bolter.  For future squads, consider leaving the bolter off and painting it separate.  If you want to play with them while painting, you can pin them on with some poster putty.

 

Makes me want to start putting together the Thousand Sons that are sitting in my closet.  But I need to finish my Primaris first.

 

Good luck

[BadgersinHills]

Looking nice!  I suggest you have a clean, wet brush on hand to act as an eraser for when you make a mistake. 

Edited July 5, 2017 by Ashenwyte

[WarriorFish]

I can vouch for Duncan's method for Thousand Sons. Once you refine your method/colours it's not too much work and even painting the blue (or purple in my case) bits isn't too hard. How good it looks seems to exceed the effort put in to me so it's well worth it in my opinion

[Herald of Magnus]

Wow, thanks for all the replies guys! I do seem to be getting a bit better at it and it's getting there. I'll take a picture of the little army so you can have a judge for yourselves, I still haven't done much more than my last post but yeah.

 

I was thinking for my next thousand sons about actually spraying them and then painting them almost completely apart before gluing them, I'm aware paint on the contact points for glue can affect it but I can file them bits off (and I generally use super glue not plastic so that works well). I'm definitely going to keep more gold on them than in the traditional Thousand Sons paint scheme I think, the gold I've got there is a colour I'm really happy with. I'm thinking of doing the robes a bone-like cream colour maybe? It'd tie them back into my Magnus that my brother is painting up since he has golden weapon/thigh armour (he wears no armour other than that) and then obviously the bone colour I mentioned for horns and then the thousand sons blue will be there of course... 

 

SO yeah... I think I should probably start some kind of project log to keep track but it's been slow progress due to work :) Thanks again guys.

[WarriorFish]

WIP topics increase your motivation and are great places to get help and ideas so they're well worth doing Mine is in my sig, where I've been working on bits and bobs and also probably going to end up with the more traditional Sons tabard colour of white or bone. I've separated the model into legs, torso/arms, head and backpack - a little more laborious but much easier to get at all the detail for it If I can follow Duncan's scheme for good results anyone can

[Bloody Legionnaire]

What exactly are you having issues with when it comes to painting the blue? There isn't necessarily a whole lot of mystery in being a good painter (especially since it's table top standard you're after). Learning how to thin your paints and let all coats completely dry before attempting subsequent coats is really the trick. 

 

From experience using spray paint on models that you plan to paint first and then assemble is generally a bad idea and is actually more work than it's worth IMO. If you're using an airbrush that's a completely different story and is much easier to do. The glue that will end up being your best friend if you really want to try that out is going to be Testor or Model Masters liquid cement. It comes with a brush applicator which really helps control where and how much glue you apply. 4

 

 

Edit: The kind of brushes you use makes a huge difference as well. I started with Army Painter brushes after reading they were better than GWs and honestly they were just ok. I finally got a couple Windsor & Newton brushes and let me tell you it is a night and day difference. When you have a quality brush the tip holds up in ways you can't imagine until you've actually used on. They also have much better spring and hold paint better than other brushes do. A good quality set of brush will absolutely have a noticeable impact for any painter. 

Edited July 8, 2017 by Big Bad Wolf

[Dantay VI]

I actually prefer a hybrid method for doing the gold.

 

I base coat the armour, no washes, then I do all my gold and silver trim..... This lets m get messy, bu also allows me to get all the fine details to pop.

 

Then I com back in and do the armour with washes and highlights

 

Hidden Content

 

20170228_194212 by Danny Taylor, on Flickr

 

20170228_194236 by Danny Taylor, on Flickr

 

20170228_194244 by Danny Taylor, on Flickr

 

 

To this:

 

Hidden Content

 

20170305_204151 by Danny Taylor, on Flickr

 

20170305_204207 by Danny Taylor, on Flickr

 

20170305_204217 by Danny Taylor, on Flickr

 

20170305_204245 by Danny Taylor, on Flickr

 

[BadgersinHills]

I actually prefer a hybrid method for doing the gold.

 

I base coat the armour, no washes, then I do all my gold and silver trim..... This lets m get messy, bu also allows me to get all the fine details to pop.

 

Then I com back in and do the armour with washes and highlights

 

Hidden Content

 

20170228_194212 by Danny Taylor, on Flickr

 

20170228_194236 by Danny Taylor, on Flickr

 

20170228_194244 by Danny Taylor, on Flickr

 

 

To this:

 

Hidden Content

 

20170305_204151 by Danny Taylor, on Flickr

 

20170305_204207 by Danny Taylor, on Flickr

 

20170305_204217 by Danny Taylor, on Flickr

 

20170305_204245 by Danny Taylor, on Flickr

 

Thousand Sons have far too much trim for this technique to be viable, in my opinion. Spraying gold saves one a lot of effort as compared to picking it all out with a brush.

[Herald of Magnus]

So, I'm not going to do a WIP thread yet, but I'm happy with all the replies so: 

 

Big Bad Wolf: The difficulty I was having was the ability to apply the blue neatly so that it looks decent at tabletop standard. I know all the little hints and tricks. Honestly I was just scared of doing them. I've got further into them and am now having much more fun painting them! What you've said about brushes is true and I need to pick up more. The GW ones I'm using just keep splaying and are making it impossible to paint the blue between the gold without it being really messy. I'm struggling with these! I didn't want to blame my tools but I wasn't too sure what to do! 

 

 

Wolf_Priest_Dantay. : Well, well, look at the Wolves coming in and offering help! ;) I appreciate it and your model looks awesome at the end! However as Ashenwyte said, there is a looot of trim. I'm slowly getting there with technique anyway, It's taken me a long time to get to where I am with what I've got so far though. They're taking forever to paint...

 

 

I have some imgur links here with pictures of how they're looking right now, again they're still works in progress but I'm slowly working on the blue. Every now and then I check back in this thread and the amount of replies gives me inspiration to keep going. I've done the legs and arms on the most of the rubric marines, got to do the chest and head in blue. Then I've got to do the detail and the cloths... Then my termies are next... Not all of these pictures are great due to natural lighting in my house being difficult to comeby but I got a lot of pictures and tried my best :)

 

 

https://imgur.com/a/8OLP0

[AgentOrange]

Have you thought about doing a reverse wash?  It would help with something like this if you're having difficulty neatly painting the trim.

 

http://goodguydangunpla.blogspot.com/2013/07/painting-sleeves-detail-on-sinanju.html