Saturday, 16 April 2011

Blood Angels

First stage highlighting is done. I started with white primer, then a base coat of Scab Red. I was going for a really deep, rich red so a quick wash of black gives a nice base for deep shadows, before I patched up the Scab Red with two thin, even coats on raised areas.

Lessons learned: I didn't realise how badly I cleaned these guys up until I was painting them and found lots of mould lines, so I need to get some decent files and take more time on that. Jump packs should be painted separately, they're a pain in the ass attached. I'm tempted to do the same for heads.

The big lesson today is learning and adapting to my style. I was trying to apply the base coat as I've seen others do it in videos and tutorials - carefully, with several thin layers. But it's just not me. I hate base coating, I'm too impatient and my hands aren't steady enough. I haven't got the money for an airbrush or spraygun just now, and I only have so much time to spend painting. The thinned paint is a no brainer (about 1:2 water to paint) but instead of carefully laying it down one area at a time I used a big old drybrush and slapped it on fast. It means some clean up later but it lets me get a good, even base coat down quick and get on with the fun stuff.

Apologies for the photos, I'm still learning the quirks of this camera. Any tips on that front would be appreciated.





Sunday, 10 April 2011

Let's give this blogging thing a go, shall we?

My story: been gaming since I was a wee lad. No longer so wee, and I'm not playing much but I love painting and converting miniatures and I'm trying to make more time for it in the hopes of improvement. FYI, I'm also a traditional artist, I paint in oils and acrylic, and I sculpt with polymer clay. Still a student, but also working toward improvement...

The idea here is to share my work, learn and improve, and maybe help others to improve along the way. If I can score a few commissions that would be awesome, but one thing at a time. If you should happen to stumble through, and have advice or questions about painting lil plastic dudes (or blogging about it) please drop something in the comments box.

My current project is a small Blood Angel jump pack force. I've also got Tyranids and Nurgle marines on the backburner, and I'm keen to get into some Cryx silliness when time and money permit.

Up soon: Blood Angel assault squad WIP shots.