Painting Malifaux - An old Project Resurrected...

Some of you may remember my intention to do a Rasputina crew themed more towards the 'cannibal' part of the cults practices...and then after acquiring one of pretty much everything that I needed...I got distracted by something else...

I had various excuses prepared amongst which was "not sure how to do ice but keep the theme 'dark'..." which was working fine until my partner decided to create me one, lol. She's gone light on the blood with this one as I don't think the Golems actually eat their victims...

This is what she came up with using the M2E plastic Ice Golem as a 'proof of concept'. My only problem now is going to be to replicate it...I wonder if she'd be open to some commission work, lol.

Editors Note - I've had several enquiries about the paints used on this model so I've edited in a brief painting guide at the bottom...

As requested here's a very brief guide to the paints used...

First the model was under-coated with Chaos Black spray (Games Workshop) and then a lighter coat of Skull White spray (also Games Workshop) to give a head start to the highlighting process.

She then used German Grey (Vallejo) as a base colour, then a dry brush of Ash Grey (Army Painter), then a blue ink wash (Vallejo), highlight with the Ash Grey again then extreme highlight with white and finally she made a turquoise wash but only applied it to certain areas (you should be able to see where on the pictures).

Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.

Guest Post - Nigel Bartlett's 'The Sky Raiders' Painting Guide

Some time ago a talented local painter by the name of Nigel Bartlett did a painting guide for me on his wonderful Craftworld Mymeara paint scheme and now he's kindly done me another one.

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Painting the Sky Raiders.

The Sky Raiders are an Eldar corsair fleet with strong links to the Kabals of Commorrgah.  In Imperial Armour 11, they are represented with steel-blue colours and a distinctive dark grey jagged disruptive pattern.

I tried a few attempts at painting these and eventually managed to get a blend of colours that I was happy with.  I will try to share my technique here with you. I am assuming you have a basic technique down and are familiar with some of the terminology I’ll use.

Paints needed.

The colours needed are:

Vallejo.

Game colour - 72102 Steel Grey

Game colour - 72095 Glacier Blue

Model colour - 70943 Grey Blue

Model colour - 70901 Pastel Blue

Model Colour - 70862 Black Grey

Oil Paints.

Lamp black

Prussian Blue

Other materials.

Lahmian Medium

Vallejo Game Glaze Medium

Johnsons Klear or Gloss Varnish

Tamiya semi-gloss clear varnish

Primer.

Easy choice? Well actually, no.  Black primer tends to dull the subsequent colours, white makes them too bright.  The answer I found was Halfords grey automotive primer.  You could, of course use Tamiya (a personal favourite of mine); they have various, including two shades of grey.  The darker works best in this case.

Pre-shade.

Optional, I actually think it works wells a means to achieve some pre-shading to the recesses before applying the first layer. Black is the obvious choice here if you use the grey primer or a reverse which means zenithal highlighting.

Zenithal highlighting is a technique developed by the talented Spanish scale model community (along with chipping, weathering, use of pigments etc) over a decade ago to accentuate light and shade.  This can be done in a complex manner over 5 or 6 thin layers using a light grey or white over the black with a brush or if you have an airbrush, it takes seconds with one or two applications.

Sprayed from a 45 degree angle from above the model you will catch the raised and prominent areas that would normally catch light, leaving the black in the recesses.  The effect is effective looking shading.

Base coat.

The thing to remember as you’ve gone to the effort of pre-shading is to thin your paints and apply them in thin layers.  Patience is required unless you have access to an airbrush I which case the whole process is that much quicker.

The first layer is Steel Grey.  Apply it evenly but take care to leave some of the black undercoat in the recesses.  On figures, this is less important (mainly as Guardian Defender models are so small) but on vehicles, its pretty important.

Once you’ve built up a nice solid colour with some shading its time to apply the first layer. 

1st Layer.

Grey-Blue is the next colour to be applied.  Again this colour needs to be applied on the raised areas of a vehicle, careful to leave some of the previous colour showing in the shaded areas.  The aim here is to build up a gradient of colour that gets progressively lighter towards the raised areas where light would catch.

2nd Layer.

Pastel-Blue is next.  As per the last layer, the same principle applies but you need to be more sparing with this colour, concentrating on the raised details like sensor nodes and the edges of the vehicle.  By now you should clearly be able to see the colour build and notice some nice contrast between the layers.

3rd Layer.

Glacier-Blue is the final colour.  This is used to accentuate the extreme edges and the very top of the raised details.  Be careful here as less is more.  This colour can cause dry tip on the needle of the airbrush, a little flow aid will help here.

Glaze Medium.

I use a little drop of glaze medium mixed with each of layers, it helps smooth the layers and helps the transition of colour.

Wash.

I use an oil paint wash to help bring out details and to wash through the panel lines to add definition.  Take your time here as the results are more than worth it.

I mix Lamp Black and Prussian Blue with a generous amount of good quality white spirit.  I recommend Artists White Spirit as it gives off very little odour.  Mix them together until you have a wash consistency.

You will need to apply a gloss varnish over the hull.  A couple of layers will provide a nice glossy surface which will break the surface tension and allow the oil paint wash to flow freely.  For this I use Johnsons Klear.  You can of course use an acrylic gloss varnish like ‘Ardcoat. 

Once this is dry, take an old brush, load it with the oil wash and dab it gently on the areas where you need to wash.  Panel lines, sensor nodes etc.  You will see that the oil wash runs freely into the grooves and settles around raised details.  Leave it to dry for an hour (a hairdryer will reduce this to a minute).  Once it it dry, take a q-tip soaked in a little clean white spirit and use it clean up and spills, overflow or mistakes.  Once this process is complete and the white spirit has dried, seal the washes in with a coat of matte varnish over the whole of the glossed area.

Disruptive camo pattern.

The Sky Raiders have a distinctive jagged stripe pattern over the grey blue main colour.  To achieve this is very simple.  You need Vallejo Black-Grey and thin it down with Lahmian Medium and a drop of water.  Take a brush with a nice fine point on it (A size 1 to 0 will do) and get some paint on it.  Rub the brush gently on your palette to remove excess paint and be careful to maintain the point.  Simply paint the stripes on in the desired place (I used the colour plates from IA11 as a reference point).  Make sure the jagged stripes are nice and bold, this may require a little touching up or a second layer even.  Once dry, the model will be ready to receive decals followed by a couple of coats of semi-gloss varnish.

Underside and weapons.

Use the same colour as the jagged pattern.  Highlight with a lighter grey.

Spirit/Way stones.

These are green.  I like an Emerald colour, highlighted by mixing in a little bone colour each layer.

I hope this has been of some use, please leave any feedback or questions you may have.

Nigel Bartlett

August 2014

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Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.

Guest Article - Craftworld Mymeara Painting Guide

An excellent local painter (Nigel Bartlett) has written this handy guide to how he painted these amazing Forge World and Warhammer 40K models. Hopefully this will be the first of many such articles...I'll try to get him to take more pictures next time...

I'm sure he'd love to hear your feedback in the comments section.

Craftworld Mymeara – Painting Guide.

I remember seeing Phil Stutcinskas’ magnificent Eldar Phantom Titan a couple of years ago and thinking what a fantastic colour scheme Forge World had used to represent the new Craftworld, Mymeara.
About nine months after this I went to one of the Forge World master-classes at Warhammer World to learn techniques for painting walkers, Eldar and Orks.  Phil and Mark Bedford were the guys demonstrating the various methods and I had a chat with Phil about the Mymeara colours.

Having tried and failed to get it right, I eventually cracked it and have settled on the following:

Primer.

I use Tamiya light grey or Army Painter white.  Once this has dried properly, using an airbrush, randomly spray a mottled pattern using black paint.  The idea behind this is to achieve a subtle mottled pattern that is visible due to the translucent nature of the paints used.
NOTE:  Before applying the primer, make sure you have painted the pilot and cockpit.  The cockpit canopy needs to be firmly glued in place before painting commences.

Cockpit Canopy.

Mymeara vehicles have a purple tint to the cockpit glass (or clear Wraithbone if we are going to be picky!). To achieve this, you will need to cut some good quality masking tape out around the panels on the cockpit canopy.  Once this is in place, take a 1:1 mix of Tamiya Clear Red and Tamiya clear blue (adjust the ratio if you need to), thin it down with 8 drops of Tamiya X-20a thinners and spray an initial coat on the INSIDE of the cockpit canopy.  Allow to dry for a few minutes before applying subsequent layers to get the level of tint you want.  Too much and you will just get an opaque effect.  Depend on your preference.

Pilot.
Turquoise armour highlighted with blue (see colours used in the next section).

Vehicle hulls, Carapace and Body Armour.

Base-coat.
For the first coat of colour I use a Turquoise.  Falcon Turquoise from Vallejo is great, Hawk Turquoise from Citadel is also good (I prefer dropper bottles for less hassle). Army painter also produce a Turquoise in a dropper bottle which looks great but I have yet to use it.  Thin the turquoise appropriately with airbrush thinners and add a drop of glaze medium. Apply in a consistent coat allowing the primer to show through, just.  You are seeking a gradual fade of colours during the later stages.

Underside.
Mymeara vehicles have a main contrast colour which is white.  For this I use German Winter white from Vallejo’s Panzer range.  Spray it over a white primer if possible (I find it best to paint the vehicles in sub-assemblies unless its Forge World then you need masking tape).  It is a creamy off-white which you can highlight/shade if you wish.  Personally I don’t bother as you never see the underside of grav tanks anyway.

First Highlight.
For the first highlight I use Temple Guard Blue from Citadel.  This is brighter bluey-turquoise that blends over the basecoat in a very subtle and effective way.  Apply it in the areas where light is most likely to reflect, raised areas of vehicle hulls, sensor nodes (Often confused with gem stones) and the corners and outer edges of the vehicle.  For mesh armour I spray at a 45 degree angle catching the edges of shoulder pads, thigh pads etc.  It is important to let some of the original basecoat show through.

Second Highlight
For this I use Sky Blue from Vallejo but you can also use Ice Blue from Citadel.  This is used on the raised areas to give further definition to the first highlight. Always make sure that the layer beneath shows through.

Third Layer.
I use Frosty blue (Need to check that name) from Vallejo or you can use Bharroth blue from Citadel.  This is for the very extreme highlighted areas as described in the previous two stages.  Use sparingly!

Shading.
Mymeara vehicles ‘fade down’ towards the rear.  This is achieved by carefully applied layers of Orkhide shade.  I have yet to find a green that matches this from another manufacturer but if someone has an idea, I’d love to hear it.  My stocks are low!  This colour can be added in as many or as little layers as you want in order to get the right shading.  Personally I use more the further back on the vehicle I go.

Panel Lines and Sensor Nodes.
Once all the paint work is dry, spray the model(s) with a gloss varnish.  I use Johnsons Klear of Daler & Rowney gloss.  Be sure to let this dry thoroughly or you will ruin your previous paint work.  This performs two functions, one it protects the paint work and two it reduces surface tension which allows the application of washes to be that much easier.  Once its dry I use an oil paint wash to add definition to the panel lines and round the sensor nodes.

Mix Prussian blue with Lamp black on a 1:1 basis.  Thin this down to a wash consistency with good quality white spirit (I recommend artists White Spirit – it has less odour). Take a detail brush and load it with wash (not too much now!) and gently dab it on a panel line.  You will see that the oil wash runs around the grooves and depressed areas (the base of sensor nodes) with no effort at all.  Any excess wash or mistakes can be cleaned up later using a Q-tip soaked in a little, clean white spirit.

Mymeara World Icons.
The Mymeara craftworld has very distinct markings; they can be bought from Forge World as part of their Eldar decal sheet.  Choose where you want to place them.  The area will already be glossed from the previous stage.  Cut the decal out, soak it in some warm water and absorb any excess up by resting it on a paper towel. Gently slide the decal into place using a soft brush and a drop of water.dab the decal on gently using a damp paper towel.  I apply a thin coat or two of Micro-set solution to firmly hold the decal in place and give it that painted look.

Weapons.
Weapons are white, again using the Panzer winter white.  You could highlight with pure white, I don’t bother.  On most weapons there is usually a black band. Just mask the area off and paint it black.  For Mymeara I usually use NATO black from Tamiya but any black will do.

Spirit Stone.
Each vehicle and Eldar figure will have a Way stone or Spirit stone.  These are purple.  I use a dark purple and work it up to a lighter purple using a little bleached bone.  In each phase I use a little gloss varnish. Liche purple is great with Warlock purple.

Engines.
I use Tamiya NATO black.  Make sure they are matte.  Highlight with a neutral grey.

Varnish.
Finally, to complete the model, tie the colours together and soften any visible edges where the decals were applied, a couple of light coats of Tamiya semi-gloss works wonders.  DO NOT remove the masking tape on the cockpit canopy until you have sprayed and it is dry!

Well, that’s how I go about painting Mymeara.  They really stand out on the gaming table, unlike other Eldar craft worlds; this blend of colours fade into each other seamlessly and are bright and vibrant without being too showy.

Do let me know if you have questions or if I can give you any tips.

Happy painting!

Nigel.

M2E Rasputina Painting Guide - Part 1 - The Icy Bits

I had several requests about the colours and techniques used on my better halves Rasputina crew so I got her to list them for me in some kind of logical order.

1) First they were base coated black and then given a lighter base coat of white which left some of the black showing through in the deeper recesses. Both of these coats were done using Army Painter spray paint though she also uses Games Workshop ones...just not in this case...

2) Then the model was painted all over with a wash made from Army Painters 'Deep Blue' followed by a mix of Blue and Green wash (actual washes this time..she uses the Vallejo ones) or if you don't have actual washes a very watered down Hawk Turquoise will apparently do (It's an old Games Workshop paint but there's probably a modern equivalent).

3) Lightly dry-brush again with 'Deep Blue' and highlight with 'Ice Blue' (again it's an old GW one but there's bound to be equivalents) on the raised areas and use the same colour as a dry-brush on the larger areas to soften the colour a bit.

4) Highlight on top of that with white. You will then need to paint vertical wobbly lines as can be seen on the Ice Golem...a good example is circled on the below picture...

5) To add additional depth dry-brush the middle parts with the same 'Hawk Turquoise' mentioned earlier (or whichever equivalent you've discovered). Again the rock on the Ice Golems arm is a good example. Make sure this is only put where it's been done on the pictures rather than all over as this will remove the effect of depth rather than enhancing it.

6) You should now have a wonderful ice-like effect...hopefully...

At some point there will be a 'Part 2' to this article covering the none icy parts...as soon as I can get my other half to write it all down for me that is...

Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.

Von Schill Crew - Painting Guide Request.

I don't generally do painting guides for two very good reasons. Firstly I don't consider myself a good enough painter to have any skills that the average painter doesn't already possess and secondly...no-one generally asks me too, lol.

I was however asked how I did these...it's an embarrassingly simple paint scheme...

After the usual mould line and flash removal I fixed them to the bases and used PVA to cover the bases in some sand. I use a few different grades of sand mixed together so when I base stuff I get a variety of textures which in turn gives a more realistic look.

I then under-coated the models with Army Painter Matte Black and once that had dried I gave them a second coat but this time with white. The second coat was done more thinly and this effectively starts the highlighting process as well as making points of detail more obvious.

Games Workshops Chaos Black and Skull White work just as well.

I first painted the areas of material (trousers, cloaks, etc.) with P3's 'Greatcoat Grey' before giving the whole model a wash of Army Painter's 'Dark Tone' Ink.

I highly recommend all of these Ink Washes these as they coat very nicely. The Dark Tone is an excellent replacement for the no longer available GW 'Badab Black' Wash (Their new replacement isn't even close in colour imo) and Strong Tone is to all intents and purposes identical to Devlan Mud (also no longer available) once it dries. After that I highlighted (fairly extremely) with the original colour (Greatcoat Grey). If you like your models brighter then by all means highlight with a lighter colour.

I then painted the eyes a nice bright red for which I used Games Workshop 'Blood Red' and then darkened down with a tiny dab of Dark Tone. It's hard to see on the pictures but after that I lightly dry-brushed Games Workshop Chainmail (no idea what the current equivalent is) on any metal surfaces...

...then any bits of the model not painted grey got a slightly watered down second layer of Dark Tone.

That's basically it for the models. The base was painted brown, dry-brushed with a lighter brown and then had some grass tufts added to it and then rim was painted Adeptus Battlegrey.

The only model with skin showing (Von Schill) had the skin painted in Vallejo Dark Sand which was then washed with Soft Tone.

If you wanted to add more depth you can just keep adding layers of wash followed by highlights, followed by more wash for as many layers as you deem necessary. As I've been doing these as weekly projects I tend to stop at what you'd call 'table-top' standard but if you have more time then lucky you, lol.

Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.