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.