Painting has been going a lot faster than I expected- 1 or 2 drybrushing coats per day has my first tactical squad's basic coloring done in 3 days. I settled on a bone/red/black color scheme and making the army a successor chapter of the Blood Angels. I'm not 100% sold on how it looks, so I wanted to post a few pics and get feedback before I finish painting my first squad.
Had the chance to play a few small games last Wednesday with Rob, it was great fun, and I'm surprised that they went pretty smoothly considering I'm almost a decade (and 2 editions) behind. This was highly educational for me, as I really didn't know ANYTHING about the strengths and weaknesses of various weapons and units.
The first game I realized why Rob's unit of wraithguard have 12" range after he summarily vaporized an entire squad of space marines in a single volley! Needless to say I rushed into melee and hoped for the best after that. I'm very happy with how my captain did with the dual lightning claws... I converted him for the coolness factor before I knew what exactly they did in combat :-P
All in all, a great start to the escalation league, with Rob beating me out on victory points by a narrow margin- next time I'll bring more power fists ;-)
I like that picture of the battle, I remember Trent's old modular trenches! Lots of fun.
ReplyDeleteTwo things about your marines; the paint looks a little rough and the yellow/red isn't quite gelling.
Quite a few things can cause rough paint. Anything from poor quality paint, old paint or paint that has partially dried. Sometimes the primer is to blame, stay away from Armory primer, it puts a sandy finish on everything it touches. Another possibility is the drybrushing. As the paint accumulates it begins to form textures and this is emphasized by pushing drying-sticky paint around on the model. You can water down the paint a little before you drybrush, I know it's counter intuitive but adding just a little (I mean a little) water will help. Another option is to leave more paint on the brush so it goes on with more liquid and less solid. You're already way better than most people I see drybrushing, so I have no doubt you'll figure it out. (Of course if you like the texture, or don't care, then you're golden!)
Right now I think your yellow and your red are fighting for attention. They're both bright, so if one can darken down a little they will mesh nicely. Maybe add a little purple to your red to darken it and add a shade of yellow's complementary color. More browns are also an option, as is lining the area between the black and red. (with either brown or a dark purple.) Again, I'm sure you'll get there quickly.
You were spot on Reuben, darkening the red on the shoulder and kneepad made the model look a ton better! The painting tips are greatly appreciated, thanks for pointing me in the right direction =)
ReplyDeleteI am actually using armory primer, I was hoping that wasn't what was causing the roughness... what would you recommend?
I've had good luck with GW's chaos black, but it isn't a primer so I don't know the long term effects it will have. It might not bond as well as an actual primer, but it goes on smooth and silky. I've heard good things about Army Painter brand and it's nice that they make primer in colors other than black, white and grey. I've had luck using cheap Krylon black primer also, but it's been a while. You might try this article or search for others: http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2009/11/hobby-primer-101-whats-in-can-man.html
ReplyDeleteBtw, pictures of the new paint!
Modular trenches for the win! You know - I was still cleaning foam out of the house 3 years after I made them... I should make more!
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