Vermintide, Skaven skitterings

[gonzilla]

Hey there Warseer,

New member hopefully dont make to much of a hash of the post as its my first time attempting to photograph my mini's

Ive been collecting GW mini's on and off since I was around 13 (live in South Africa so only time to buy models was when visiting family in England). Been on a break from the hobby for about 4 years as my collection was in storage and wasnt really feeling the game after a nerf to my precious chaos space marines
Have recently bought my first house and therefore having room again for all my models and gear I felt the bug to paint some shiney new kits start to bite.

Always been a fan of the Skaven, their fluff, art and general asthetic. Had only played them in Mordheim tho. Big fan of the new models, so bought myself a IoB box set and some paints on a trip up to joburg for business. Have built up the bases got the models cleaned and sprayed but have found myself stuck on a colour scheme. Been trying different ways of painting browns and whites on some test models which i havnt been that happy with tbh. Now have pretty much decided on what im going to try out.
Another thing I had figured out how to do was stripping mini's. With my mordheim metal models removed of their old heavy drybrush/ink style I seemed to enjoy when I was 15, and being shiney clean metal again. Its time to see what it all looks like together.

Have attached pics of the standard bearer/wizard looking dude as well as the first couple of bases painted up. Cant find a method for painting the swamp water that im happy with though.
Appologies for crappy quality of pics but cell phone camera is all I have access to atm.

The skaven is basically just blocked out in colours currently to get some feedback on the general scheme. Not quite what it will look like at the end, am off to start the highlighting now. Will post an update when the sun's up enough to get some decent light for the photo's.

[gonzilla]

Have finished shading and highlighting the model. Not entirely happy with the pants, the last highlights are maybe too light and blend in to much with the skin tones.

Would appreciate as much CnC as possible on the tones and colour choices of the model.
Might go back and add a coat of devlan mud on some parts to tone down the brightness on the pants etc. My first attempt at painting weathered brass as well as my first mini painted in 4 years quite rusty haha. Gonna wait on some feedback on the colour scheme before I start on my IoB clanrats as I tend to keep a very small pallet for my armies.

Any opinions?

[gonzilla]

*nevously taps steam-microphone*
ahem... rough crowd tonight

just flew into town and boy are my palequin-bearers arms tired!

*crickets chirp*

Anyway still not entirely sure on my colour scheme and with no feedback yet I've tried to hold off on painting the clanrats.
Not quite sold on the bleached bone highlight on the leggings or with the fact that im keeping the skin a warm white instead of the normal flesh coloured tones of others.
Also considering if the turquoise eye should be fluff-correct red as there is probley enough turquoise on the models

Instead I've completed the rest of the bases for the unit

Wanted a swampy theme with lots of slate, fallen tiber + roots, a few bones and water! something I've never tried before.
Tests havnt gone well painting it though

They were looking a little bare so a search through my bits box yeilded a pair of mushrooms from the old night goblin sprues.
My sculpting skills arn't much but the mushrooms were pretty easy to copy with greenstuff and look quite cool when spread around the bases.

Gonna be using the 1992 squigs and squig herders as unit fillers in my skaven slave unit (squigs have always had a special place in my heart) so the fungus theme seems to be taking over! Shroom crazy ratmen!

Speaking of the rats. have started messing around with the metals and laying some basecoats down but am hanging back on doing the colours that I'm having reservations about.
So last chance to let me know if I should change anything colour wise before I get stuck in

[Student]

I think your colour scheme is fine. I've worried that the bleach bone leggins that I've painted on my Tileans looks too much like skin but I think it is like yours and just different enough to work. I think the bases your making look great they'll make your army really distinctive.

[Mace1982]

Sorry about the lack of comments it's a shame really as your colour scheme looks very ratty lol. I'll keep an eye on this one :-)


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[VenomBlood]

Eshin sorceror looks quite mordheimish. I like when numerous shades of brown present in colour theme. It just looks right.

[Shnerg]

I think that looks very 'ratty'. Nice job.

[Mr. Ultra]

The mushrooms are a bit night goblin-ish, but I love the colour scheme, very original. Keep the good work!

[Gharnukk]

I can see how the mushrooms fit in with Skaven. Somewhere in all tunnels and caves beneath the old world there must be mushrooms

[pointyteeth]

I really like the basing! The mushrooms add a lot of character. The icon on the dude's staff looks great, the green verdigris turned out really well.

[Boss Kap'n Genral Sir]

Where did you get the mushsrooms!?!? I need some!!!

[Lord Dan]

Cool scheme. Very original colors and basing.

[gonzilla]

Thanks so much for the feedback and positive comments guys. Really helps with the motivation to push on and keep posting

The first 5 clanrats are approximately 60% complete at this moment. Should be able to post finished pictures tommorrow or sunday depending how much work I get done on them.

Mace1982: As a new user to the site it seems my posts still require admin approval so by the time the posts were going up the thread was only getting bumped to 2-3rd page so thanks for getting it on the first!

Mr Ultra: True! mushrooms have traditionally been the domain of the night goblins, its actually where I got the first 2 to copy.
That said I like the interest they bring to the bases and have decided to run with the theme.
My slave units will incorporate quite a few classic Night Goblins as well as their sentient fungi companions the squigs.

Half of my inspiration for this comes from playing quite a bit of Dwarf Fortress (free ascii dwarven city/mine sim) where you visit the Cave Systems there is actually an entire ecosystem with Mushroom forests and such.
If not enough people get that reference then think Zangamarsh from WoW but in a giant underground cave.


Gharnukk: Exactly! Can see the skaven having to compete with the subterreanian night goblins in these massive underground cave systems, fighting in narrow tunnels and for control of long lost dwarven highways beneath the world.
Slaves harvesting mushrooms for food and timber. Clanrats taking goblin herders as slaves to capture the squigs that inhabit the mushroom forests. Squigs have no loyalty and after being on the recieving end of a pack being let loose into a tighly packed tunnel I could imagine the skaven learned that whats good for the goose is good for the gander! (really I'll think of any excuse to paint squigs)

Boss Kap'n Genral Sir: Two of the mushrooms come from the old multipart plastic Night Goblin sprues.
The rest of them where sculpted myself from greenstuff. My skills are completely rudimentary with the stuff but they are really easy to do. They are too small to make a proper tutorial with my cellphone camera but I've put one together for you in MSpaint

Hope your able to get something out of this. Sorry for the large image.

Disclaimer: I am not a master sculpter. This is only the way I make mushrooms, its probably not the best or most efficient but it works for me I'm putting it up in the hopes that it will help someone else because if I can make them anyone can!



Step 1: Take a piece of copper wire (your stem) and stick a ball of greenstuff on the end (your mushroom cap). Pinch the top with your index finger and thumb and put your other thumb nail at the bottom to make a flat base. Do this in a circular motion until you have a cone shape on your wire.

Step 2: While this is still wet continue with your pinching hand and tease the top of the cone out a bit. A slight spin or two while holding the top should work.

Step 3: Using your thumb nail on the base smooth out the edges slightly to thin out the base so it looks like the picture. The cap of your mushroom is now complete. Let It dry before moving onto the next step.

Step 4: With your cap dry roll out a thin snake of greenstuff and wrap it around your copper wire stem, push this out along the bottom of the cap until it makes a smooth transition from the highest point at the stem to the lowest point at the edge of the cap.

Step 5: While this is still wet use a thin blade and cut radial lines like bicycle spokes around the bottom of the cap you just prepared. The more the merrier, go absolutely line crazy! Once your happy with how the bottom looks let it dry before proceeding to the next step.

Step 6: Roll another snake out of greenstuff alot thinner than your last one, wrap this around your copper wire and move it till under the bottom of your cap. Smooth and tighten it up till it looks similar to the picture. (the top down view would be a small circle just above the large circle below the cap) Can be quite fiddely to get right so let it dry before moving to the last step.

Step 7: Wrap some greenstuff around the copper wire to thicken the stem. Roll it out until your happy with the shape. And your done!

Basing: I use the rest of the copperwire to attach the mushrooms using a hole drilled into the base.even once the stem is dry I find the copper inside allows you to bend it into a realistic shape when placing it on your base. Once its in place a dab of superglue where the copper comes through the bottom of the base keeps it in place and the rest of the copper wire can be snipped (to make more mushrooms!)

Sizes:

Depending on the size of mushroom you need some of the steps are unnecessary. The picture above demonstrates this (tho they are the worst of the bunch as I used the prettier ones on the bases already)
Far left: the smallest, I only go up to step 3.
Middle two: medium, I skip step 7 as the copper is thick enough to act as the stem
Two on right: larger, this is a complete mushroom following all the steps.

And thats how I make mushrooms! Hope you enjoyed this and get some use out of it.



Thanks again to everyone who took the time to comment. Appreciate your feedback immensely

[gonzilla]

Well burned some midnight oil last night and the first 5 clanrats are all but done.

Of course it would be raining today so I'm really struggling to get any decent photo's. Will post the full update sometime tomorrow if the sun behaves.

Till then a teaser image as I'm quite happy with how they turned out and wanted to show you all




I call the one on the left Charlie Brownrat, wasnt intentional but its one of those once you see it you cant get it out your mind things. (not really to blantant from this angle but the dags carry on around his belt.)

Let me know what you think!

[Lord Dan]

Looking great. The verdigris effect game out very nicely on the armor, and I like that you're using the same color on the robes to tie the models together.

I just noticed that you've cleverly placed their feet to make it look like they're stepping on things like dead bodies and climbing up rocks. Well done!

[Student]

I'll second that the verdigris looks good. I look forward to more pictures.

[Mace1982]

Your welcome for the bump up to front page news, the newly updated models are looking very cool indeed, loving the way you tie it all in :-) keep it up.

Mace


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=53.502238,-1.333585

[Sicarius the 2nd]

fantastic start to a skaven log, love the basing theme your doing, and quite like the verdigris effect, may have a go myself?!
Andy

[gonzilla]

So the sun finally showed its face today which meant I could play with my borrowed camera. Still learning how to take a decent shot but they are looking pretty close to the real deal at the moment

Without further ado, my first rank of clanrats!











The bases arn't complete as I dont have a hobby store in my hometown so no watereffect/glosscoat for the water and no static grass either. Will be heading to a city at the end of the month for a friends wedding so will buy then. Not sure if I should do white spots on the mushrooms or not?

The arms are presticked on (think you call it blutac) and will be glued when the unit is finished so that they rank up correctly.

With the sun out was finally able to spray the next rank with their undercoat. Still the fact that the Battlefield 3 AND Diablo 3 beta are both happening and I have my paws on keys for each is not helping my progress

Lord Dan
Thanks for the kind words, glad you like the scheme. Tend to paint using a limited pallete (mainly because I struggle to get hold of paints and have quite a limited selection)

Student
Thanks man, not quite sure its the best technique for a horde army but I'm not in any rush I guess. As to more pics, ask and you shall receive!

Mace1982
Seems I can now post freely! Still thanks for stopping by and dropping a comment.

Sicarius the 2nd
Thanks for the feedback man, helps me from slacking to much! The verdigris is a pretty easy effect and quite effective give it a shot!

I'm happy with how they came out, my first attempts at weathered metals and freehand as well. Not entirely sure on my freehand tho to be honest.
Went a little snap happy so have individual photos but tried to hold myself back for your sakes

All comments are welcome so let me know what you think!

[Student]

They look great. I particularly like the plates on the sort loincloth bit with the plates on the clanrat second from the left in top picture. The metal and the verdigris are vreally good.