Painting a 35pt Circle Force

Coming back to the Wolves of Orboros after a hiatus, and trying on some new techniques to stay motivated...

1. Remember these are one-wound models. Paint them as such. Don't obsess.
2. Cleaned off the painting table of all models except the WoO.
3. Morbid Angel and lots of other moody metal helps motivate for Circle.

So, the goal is to complete a 35pt Circle force in short order. It's the most common point level I end up playing against friends and what not. So, with out further ado, here's the list, along with what's completed.

Morvahna the Autumnblade (*6pts) -- painted
* Gorax (4pts) -- painted
* Woldwatcher (5pts) -- painted
* Warpwolf Stalker (10pts)
* Woldwarden (9pts) -- painted
Shifting Stones (2pts) -- painted
Wolves of Orboros (Leader and 9 Grunts) (6pts) -- in progress
* Wolf of Orboros Officer & Standard (2pts) -- in progress
War Wolf (1pts)
War Wolf (1pts)
War Wolf (1pts)

So that's 25 points to have this list all painted up. Wish me luck!

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Now playing: Morbid Angel - Sworn to the Black

Consistency, consistency, consistency - Cygnar military scheme

I like to keep track of stuff. I know I don't post a lot of pictures; none lately, in fact. But ultimately, I come back to this blog time and time again EVERY time I start a painting project. With no further ado, my scheme template for my Cygnar from here on out. It all gets used somewhere, more than likely.

[main color]:[shadow]:[highlight]

Military Green
[P3 Traitor Green]:[GW Badab Black or Devlan Mud]:[Base + RMS Leather White]

Military Gray
[P3 Ironhull Gray + Morrow White]:[GW Badab Black]:[Base + more white]

Military Brown
[VGC Charred Brown]:[GW Devlan Mud]:[Base + RMS Leather White]

Leathers
[VGC Beasty Brown]:[GW Devlan Mud]:[Base + RMS Leather White]

Armor/Machine bits direct
[VGC Gunmetal Metal]:[GW Badab Black]:[Base + RMS Honed Steel]

Armor/Machine dry brushed
[RMS Honed Steel]:[none]:[RMS Polished Silver]

Gold direct
[VGC Tinny Tin + VMC Brass]:[GW Devlan Mud]:[Base + more brass]

Gold dry brushed
[VGC Tinny Tin + VMC Brass]:[none]:[Base + more brass]

Blue accent
[P3 Cygnar Blue Highlight]:[GW Asurmen Blue]:[Base + P3 Morrow White]

And that's it... hair and skin is extra, and done on a model-by-model basis, using some basic skin tone recipe. This will keep things nice and documented for me.

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Now playing: Shadows Fall - In Effigy
via FoxyTunes

Something's gotta give...

I gotta get this painter's block cleared and start pumping out models in a quickness. Here is an option for a 35pt paint-and-play list; includes a couple painted models, and a bunch of unpainted.

Commander Coleman Stryker (-6pts)
^Lancer (6pts)
^Ol' Rowdy (9pts)
^Squire (2pts)
Stormblade Infantry (Leader and 5 Grunts) (5pts)
Stormblade Infantry Officer & Standard (3pts)
^^Stormclad (10pts)
Captain Arlan Strangewayes (2pts)
Journeyman Warcaster (3pts)
Stormsmith Stormcaller (1pts)

Stryker, Lancer, Stormsmith, and Junior are painted; stormblades are WIP... the rest should be fun though, given my new Cygnar scheme I'm developing. Let's see what happens... see if I can get inspired to keep going after I finish my Defender.
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Now playing: Front 242 - Headhunter (V1.0)
via FoxyTunes

What's missing?

I realized that I am in serious need of photographic documentation for these projects I've worked on. Time to borrow and play around with the new camera my mom isn't using. Cheaper than buying my own for now...

Stay tuned...

Wolves of Orboros

Starting in on my Wolves of Orboros. Here's the idea so far, that I'm using on a test model:

Priming
*Prime with Duplicolor Sandable Primer Hot Rod Black
*Prime from top-down, and a little on the sides with Bright Touch Light Grey primer
*Wash the entire model with GW Badab Black
*NOTE: touch-ups can be done with VGC Cold Grey or VMC Black Grey

Base Coat
*Spear haft - GAFA Raw Umber
*Blade/pommel/armor - VMC Bronze/VMC Tinny Tin - 2:1
*Gloves, boots, leather bindings/wrappings - VGC Beasty Brown
*Clothe bindings on chest - RMS Deep Ocean

Shading
*Fur/clothing - wash with GW Badab Black as needed
*Leathers/clothing/armor/weapon - wash with GW Devlan Mud
*Clothe bindings - wash with original color/P3 Coal Black/VMC Matte Medium

Highlighting
*Fur - heavy dry brush of VGC Cold Grey
*Fur, pt 2 - lighter dry brush VGC Gold Grey & RMS Leather White
*Fur, pt 3 - straight RMS Leather White
*Weapon & armor - highlight with base mix
*Weapon & armor, pt2 - mix in VMC Oily Steel
*Leathers - highlight with base color
*Clothe bindings - highlight with base color
*Clothe bindings, pt 2 - mix in RMS Leather White

Detailing
*Belt buckles with RMS Honed Steel

Basing
*Standard Circle-style basing; for test model, just paint colors in for now.

Progress report

I finished Commander Stryker, following the standards for my Cygnar, and finishing up my first battlebox (after what five years?). And after some initial doubts he turned out rather well. Not able to get any pictures up here right now, since I no longer have a camera. Also, not sure what to paint next. Thinking about a number of things...

1. Steelhead Halberdiers (using a fast approach with spray paint/washes)
2. Kaya the Wildborne & 2 Argus (to try finishing up another battlebox)
3. Gorten Grundback, 2 Gunners, and a Driller (for another WM battlebox)
   

Thoughts?

Circle Resumes - I'M BACK!!!

Out with the Trollbloods, in with more Circle (and Cygnar, Mercs, & Minons for that matter). Decided to start trading off stuff to focus on the armies I will play and enjoy the most; have a lot of great trades in the works as I look to unload all my Trolls. If anyone reading this wants to know what I have left, leave me a comment here.

That said, the method I developed for speed-painting my Trolls should help me finish off some Circle units. Much of my Circle (and Mercs) have been primed with Dupli-color Sandable Primer in Hot Rod Gray, a pretty dark grey. I've also picked up a can of Bright Touch Light Gray, that turned out to be sandable too. First, a test model...

1. Prime with Bright Touch Light Gray.
2. Fill in bare metal with VGC Cold Grey mixed with hint of VMC Silvergrey.
3. Wash with GW Badab Black wash.

We'll see how that works and from there, apply it to my Circle Wolves of Orboros units. Starting as so...

1. Prime with either Duplicolor Sandable Primer Hot Rod Black or Hot Rod Grey.
2. Fill in bare metal with either P3 Great Coat Grey or P3 Ironhull Grey.
3. Prime from top-down only with Bright Touch Light Grey primer.
4. Wash with GW Badab Black wash.
5. Detail metals, skins, and a deep ocean highlight, per normal circle painting patterns.

Should speed things up considerably. ^_^

Gaming Pieces - Trollbloods

I'm never gonna paint all the models I own; I know that now and can accept it. Taking a page out of Franzoni's book, I give you... gaming pieces! These are one-color models, with a heavy wash to bring out the details, great for getting some color on the table.

1. Begin with a black primed Trollblood model. Mount it with poster tack onto a small wood block. Touch up anywhere the primer missed or rubbed off. Get a nice solid coat of black.
2. Holding the block, and using a can of Duplicolor Sandable White Primer, held directly at the top of the model, begin spraying back and forth, right to left. Meanwhile, rotate the model front to back, along it's front arc, about 45* each direction (forward and backward - for a total of 90*). Yes, the model's movement and the can's movement will be perpendicular to each other. This will create a strong highlight. Allow to dry.
3. Take a can of Design Master Floral Paint Robin's Egg, and begin spraying the same way, from above. But this time rotate a total of 180*; from directly above to directly level, but don't rotate up underneath the model. This creates a nice gradiant from blue-over-white, to blue-over-black, to straight black. You may have to rotate the model around a bit to get the sides; avoid the underside of the model!
4. Mix up a batch of wash using GW Asurmen Blue, a drop or two of VMC Matte Medium, and a touch of water. Give the entire model a healthy wash, including the base. Be sure to avoid large pools and use the wash to darken in the deep recesses. As it dries, add more to reenforce the shading. Use a BIG brush; it helps speed things up so you can move the pools around before the drying rings develop. Overall, a smoother outcome.
5. Repaint the lip of the base only with VGC Black. Paint front arc markings using P3 Trollblood Base. It should match almost exactly. Wash it over with the blue wash just to even it out.
6. Coat with varnish - either gloss, then matte; or just matte. These are simple pieces after all.

Voila! Done... they're not technically fully-painted, but they look nice and are a heck of a lot better than just having primed or, even worse, bare metal miniatures on the table. My test model - a Fell Caller - took about an hour. I didn't even wait for everything to dry at each level before moving on. Works like a charm! WARNING: Individual models look kinda "meh", but as the collection grows, the sense of unity and function works terrific! They really look good.

Let me know what you think. I'll post some pics when I have a bunch done - probably the battlebox with the Fell Caller. Feed back is welcome and needed!

By The Book - Cygnar: Prime

I think I want to try and paint the models I own from way back. To do that, I'm going "by the book", meaning I'll begin with Prime and work my way through to Legends, painting whatever Cygnar and Merc models I encounter along the way, in the order they appear in the book.

That means, since pCaine and pHaley are already painted, we get pStryker. I'll also take this opportunity to go back, in order, and paint front arc markings on completed models. So, to follow my standard routine, we begin with base colors...

Base Coat
*Armor - base the metals in VGC Gunmetal Metal.
*Vented plates - plates with holes get a 1:2 of VGC Tinny Tin and VMC Brass.
*Sword - base the sword in RMS Honed Steel.
*Leathers - base the leather pants and some arm areas in VGC Beasty Brown.
*Jacket - base the coat in 1:1 P3 Ironhull Grey and P3 Morrow White.
*Inner jacket - base with P3 Ironhull Grey
*Jacket trim - base with P3 Cygnar Blue Base.
*Armor highlight - gets P3 Cygnar Blue Base.
*Skin - base the face in a 1:1 mix of VMC Cork Brown and VGC Elf Skintone.
*Hair - base the hair in VGC Charred Brown.
*Hair - base with 2:1:1 mix of VMC Orange Brown, VGC Orange Fire, & VGC Bloody Red. Leave an edge of brown near the hair line.

Shading
*Armor, jacket, inner jacket, sword, and hair get a wash of GW Badab Black.
*Vented plates, leathers, and skin get a wash of GW Devlan Mud.
*Jacket trim and armor highlights get a wash of GW Asurmen Blue.
*Hair gets a wash of VGC Beasty Brown and GAFA Burnt Sienna.
*Hair gets a 1:1 mix of VGC Gory Red and GAFA Raw Umber painted into deep recesses.

Highlighting
*Hair gets rehighlighted with the base orange, then orange mixed with RMS Creamy Ivory.
*Begin highlights by reclaiming areas with base colors.
*Jacket trim and armor highlight get a 1:1 P3 Cygnar Base and Cygnar Highlight.

Wet Blending for Simple Armor Plates

...and other large surface areas. This comes from DangerMouse, a super prolific and talented painter, often featuring his work on the PP Modeling and Painting forum. His water bases are amazing!

1) Lay down the base coat color (let this dry i do all the base coat at one time)
2) Mix base color with a touch of highlight (in this case about 5 drops of base and one of white)
-at this point a also normally make 3 more mixes of: about 5 to 2 and 50/50
3) Paint the mix on where the highlighting is needed one one plate
4) Wet blend with base cat back into the dark areas (the spots where base coat is showing)
5) Blend 5 to 1 for first highlight area
6) Blend 5 to 2 for the next
7) Blend 50/50 for bright spots, edges and that sort of thing

I also work form ether the top down or the bottom up on the jack that way my lighting stays consistent . Also the mixes are not set at 5 to 1, 5 to 2, and 50/50 i mix them until they look right and give a nice some flow from base color to bright.

Wanted this preserved, so I wouldn't forget it. It's basically the process I had to accidentally discover as I painted my Grundback Blaster. Thanks again, DM! Colonel K says - well done!


EDIT: @Airport... my definition of blending. Hmmm.... Instead of thinning my paints with water, I use drying retardant, flow improver, and distilled water, in a roughly 1:1:2 ratio. A drop or two in my paint on the palette helps keep the paint workable longer.

For the Gun Bunnies below, I would paint the upper third in the first highlight color, and while wet, use a clean brush to pull the color down in streaks into the middle third. Sometimes, I'd need to add a little base color back in and swirl it while it dries. The goal is a smooth gradiant without obviously lines.

Repeat the process with the second highlight, but only cover the top quarter of the area. Blend in with some of the first highlight color. Swirl it, mix it, "blend" it - just play around so it looks right.

The final highlight is more stark, IMO, and usually a little less subtle in the blending. I try to retain a smooth transition without an obvious line, but the distance it takes to go from highlight to next color darker is a much narrower area.