Warhammer Underworlds Garrek's Reavers pt2.

With the Knights complete it's back to Garrek's Reavers and when last we looked at them in December I was unsure about the bases. My conclusion was to just block out the colours and then I might have an idea how to deal with the 'sand'. And so now you can see what my concept is...

Yep, they're all red. Given it's Khorne I just wanted them to be red-skinned, which obviously makes their armour and clothes an issue as usually they're the red things. However, a quick view of RobPaintsModels video helped me to just use Incubi Darkness on the fabrics, while the armour was always going to be glossy black.

I added copper in places just for something different instead of my bronze and silver as all the pointy sharp bits.

All the skulls got picked out, although there were some jawbones I missed - watch out for those. The realisation was then NOT to do anything with the 'sand'. I'll be making the grand glossy, like it's Shadeglass and the sandy areas will remain that colour just matt. Adding in another patch of colour would have just been more distracting.

After a purple wash to shade all the red skintones [and to tie it into the other purples on the base] I then highlighted all the skin with Khorne Red and then Valejo Bloody Red. I also threw in some purple wash on his hair, again to connect everything together.

This guy has just had his face highlighted with Khorne Red + Bloody Red. The rest of his body is just at the Khorne Red stage, which looks pretty good anyway, I could have stopped here! Strong and Dark Tone washes were applied to all the metallics.

All the Khorne Red highlights are done.

And all the Bloody Red Highlights are done too.

I went back in with more purple wash in places to add greater depth and increase contrast. I picked out some fake musculature too. Eyes were picked out in yellow and some of the teeth were painted in brown - y'know dental hygiene isn't high on their list of priorities.

A also did Dark Reaper highlights on all the clothing and picked out the armour plates with Incubi Darkness, but only on the sharpest points. I also did a first black coat on all the base rims.

And that's the last of my WiP pics. further highlights and details were picked out, varnishes [matt and gloss] and lashings of Tamiya Clear Red X-27 and you'll see it all when I finally take some TO DONE! pics.

Warhammer Underworlds Garrek's Reavers pt1.

I took these pictures at the end of September, that seems so long ago now. I wanted to further explore what I'd done with the Stormcast but more fantastical. The bases got a rough pale blue base.

I then applied a fair bit of purple shade and also green glazes to make it quite ethereal.

Here's a close up of the shading.

I then drybrushed the base to pick out some highlights, might have lost some of that range of colour.

And now I'm stuck as I can't decide what colour to do the piles of sand/dust on the bases. Brown seems so dull, glossy black? Or yellow? maybe I should paint the skulls so there's more context. 

I've an interesting take on the rest of the colour scheme, perhaps I should block those in too for the full effect before I pick the colour?

Warhammer Underworlds Shadespire Steelhearts Champions - almost there

With the preliminary basing of one Knight out of the way I felt sated enough I could try and move these closer to completion. I did all the obsidian weaponry and highlighted the leather on hilts and kilts.

I also did the obligatory glowing eyes with some dubious results. Then I added some battle-damage to the armour which I was even less pleased about. It doesn't look quite as bad in this picture but I thought it was too harsh and spoiled the prisitine look.

But these guys will have been in Shadespire for eons, brand new armour isn't an option so with one damaged and two undamaged I had a choice - fix the damaged one or push on through with the other two...

And I went for damage, this time with Skavenblight Dinge and used a sponge for more randomness. I think it was the right decision, although the execution was better this time it was still not quite right. however, better to try and fail [slightly] than to take the easy route.

I also added the [other] obligatory verdigris on the armour, some extra highlights and a little white stripe on his cloak.

Now to varnish and they're done!

Warhammer Underworlds Shadespire Steelhearts Champions - highlights

I'm starting to lay down highlights now on the grey. On the one hand that's really enjoyable, wet blending is quite rewarding in a way, although I'm probably not being as careful with the blends as I ought. To cap it all I was using a white craft acrylic that was thinning particularly well with water, which made the blending much more difficult.

On the other hand the effort/time spent doing it is beginning to move these from my 'muse' to something that I'm bored of, this is in part because I'm getting flashback to space marine armour. Particularly the thighs end up unrewarding... I might also mention I washed the purple to add some shading, except I mustn't have cleaned the brush thoroughly after the last thing I used it on - Warplock Bronze. So now the cloak is a little contaminated with bronze particles throughout...

I also shaded/highlighted the parchment scrolls. All the black needs to be done too - weapons and leather followed by the brown leather on the kilt and weapon handles, should I have gone with a different colour to reduce the palette?

Need to get these done!

Warhammer Underworlds Shadespire Steelhearts Champions - base/coating

I continue to avoid painting my Dark Shroud and instead invest more time in Steelhearts Champions
following this basing tutorial from RobPaintsModels I stippled on the greens and yellow for the moss, again a little brighter than Rob's but c'est la vie.

Rhinox Hide got added for the dirt and then a Stonewall Grey final drybrush just bleached a lot of vibrancy from it. In particular the purple and green washes seemed to have disappeared.

So I added some more purple, taking particular care to shade around the feet and underneath, not a shadow as such but that will help frame the models on the base.

Leave, vines, shading and highlighting the soil and the purple areas. I also painted the armour Stonewall Grey - completely covering up all that lovely zenithal pre-shading.

What I didn't realise was that thinning you paints meant tiny paint spatter flecks all over the bases! Bearing in mind I have spots all over my Red Planet BASES! you'd think I'd be down with tha but NO! I did a quick purple was over the top of it. They're not completely covered, you can still see some texture and it's even more purple but it's the best of a bad job.

The purple elements are really bright and glossy because the paint is really cheap from a stationers. I'm confident washes and varnish will knock it back though.

I keep referring to Rob's guide to painting the Champions but I'm also making my own changes. Metallics follow my own recipe - it's my signature now even if his way was easier, quicker and an opportunity to try something different...

I had painted the helmet bronze too, but switched back to white as he was too gilded. Waepons are black, they'll be Obsidian blades as I like the idea it looks like they're carved out of the Flyreslayers! 😀 

Some more highlights on the gold, then shade it back and highlight again. Pin shading has been done on the armour, so a tidy up with Stonewall Grey and then white.

Purples should be a lot fun too but that's something new, it already looks like it's tying the model into the base. It's almost like I planned it all this way!

Warhammer Underworlds Shadespire Steelhearts Champions - basing

This is quite an insightful little post about me I think. Recent posts [in particular the last one!] showed how I sensibly thought to use the delay in starting my Knights to crack on with the Dark Shroud but it's failing to ignite my passion to push on and get it done. I'm doing little bits, perhaps I might reach a tipping point? I also pointed out how the Primaris Marines are a bit 'big' for me and I'm on record as not a huge fan of painting power armour. Yet I find myself suddenly enthused at painting Steelhearts Champions from Shadespire!?

I'd managed to snag a copy of the game for just £27 on ebay, all models built [so no Big Build required 😃, but then no stamp either ☹️]. I'd been looking around on YouTube and found this basing tutorial from RobPaintsModels which is pretty cool and I thought I might get something more akin to what I'd hoped to achieve with the Fyreslayers [although I do still like what I did do]. So started with a black primer, then a grey prime on the base and a zenithal white spray on the models. Then I did a Valejo Stonewall Grey coat on the stones, adding some Citadel Skavenblight Dinge for darker more textured effect. This was then drybrushed white for definition [as per the tutorial]. I don;t normally drybrush, a bit of wetbrush perhaps but this was powder puff drybrushing which actually works on 'stone'.

Army Painter Strong Tone wash next.

Next up is a mix of purple and green shades. I actually don't have a green shade, just a green glaze so in for a penny. And I've since discovered Drakenhof Nightshade is blue, NOT purple!

I'm thinking this is beginning to deviate a bit from Rob's tutorial now, doesn't seem to be as dark [that'll be because it's supposed to be blue and a green shade, not a glaze!] but I am pleased with the results so far and can't wait to crack on with the rest of it.

I think the key thing here is I have a plan, even if it's not following it perfectly I know what I'm doing next and decisions are being left to someone else [mostly]. To that end I'll be following Rob's tutorial on how to paint them, hence the white, although I'll probably be painting over it all anyway.

Warhammer Underworlds Shadespire Chosen Axes - Where they were @ now they're TO DONE!

You'll be aware I finished these just before the Hobby Season finished and then immediately started again...? Nevemind. Obviously I didn't have chance to share their WiP so here's where they were @ before they got TO DONE!

I'd put the orange onto the hair and after the sepia wash started applying highlights to their follicles.

I think it was one or two sets at this stage at which I would add a second or third.

The aged bronze was looking OK, I was still going to apply a little patina - cos that's what I do.

I then decided to do the skin on one of them - Incubi Darkness, Dark Reaper, then highlights with Dark Reaper:Turquoise and then white spotlights. Yellow eyes, a bit like 40k Salamanders [but obviously not red]

Still think I could have tried a bit more colour, more turquoise, but as a test it did give me the opportunity to do that on the other three. I'm not sure they're consistent but skin tones are different anyway so it dodn't have to be perfect.

Meanwhile Google Assistant created this B/W version of one of the above pics which I thought looked cool too.

So yeah, I cracked on with them and will try and get some TO DONE! pics to share with you next.

Warhammer Underworlds Shadespire Chosen Axes - Where they're @

When last I updated my Shadespire detour I had done the bases, but it was time to look at metallics... oh metallics my twisted friend. Of course I could look at NMM, like Liam [and many others] but I'm even less inclined to go down that route.

Whatevs, Warplock Bronze, Balthasar Gold, Retributor Gold and then 50:50 Valejo Gold and Gun Metal highlights later. I also picked out the loon cloths and orange hair/beards - as per the standard but that's where I then deviate.

These guys are going to remain completely black skinned, like polished coal or obsidian 'dragon glass'. The standard caucassion ginger Fyreslayers are ten a penny on ebay, I had to do something to differentiate/alienate potential customers.

I've sepia washed all the basecoated bits, have some highlights to do and then it's back in on the skin, basecoating black before I start their highlights too. Slightly unlikely to meet the end of Season deadline now but you never know...?