Dax's fantasy painting log

[dax]

Thanks all comments much appreciated

It took me years to find a way of painting human skin that I liked the look of and GW keep dropping the colours I need.
I'm set for a few years as I've put a lot of foundation colours aside and I've managed to replicate them fairly closely with the current colours should they run out.

You'll need Tallarn Flesh, Calthan Brown, Purple Ink, Vallejo Elf Skintone, Vallejo Ivory, Druchii Violet, Reikland Fleshshade

Vallejo Game colour Voilet Ink works just as well as the old Purple Ink
Calthan Brown can be created by mixing 1 part Mournfang Brown with 2 parts Gorthor Brown
Tallarn Flesh can be created using 2 parts Vallejo Heavy Skintone with 1 part Cadian Flesh and 1 part Bugman's Glow.

I work from a white undercoat but the results should be similar from black.

Basecoat 2 or 3 thinned coats of Tallarn Flesh
Shade mix - 1 part Tallarn Flesh, 1 part Purple Ink, 1.5 parts Calthan Brown
Thin out some Tallarn flesh with water. Apply the shade mix to the recesses and while its still wet use the thinned tallarn flesh to blend the shade mix into the Tallarn flesh basecoat.
You will need to work it back and forth to get a smooth transition from the shade to the flesh colour.
Thin some Druchii Voilet and paint - don't wash into the recesses and along the transitions to further smooth the colour transition.
Do this with some Reikland flesh wash as well. The more subtle shades you can get in the better it will look thats why I often added blue, purple, green and flesh washes to metals as well.
Next add Vallejo Elf skintone to Tallarn flesh - keep it thin your looking at about a 2 to 1 mix Tallarn to Elf. Apply this to the skin on the more raised areas and try to blend it into the basecoat as it approaches the shaded areas
add another part Elf skintone to the mix and repeat.
Next add Ivory to the mix and apply to only the most raised areas that would naturally catch the light. Keep adding Ivory until your final highlight is pure Ivory.
Sometimes I'll added a little white as a very final highlight if I think it needs it.

And thats it simples

[Dark Apostle]

Lastly for now here is a mock up of a Demigryph Knight on a War Altar/Hurricannum Horse. This is just held together with blu tac to give an idea of how they look



I think it's a good fit and it looks like there will be no new knights for a while and I just can't bring myself to use the current ones. I have enough bits to make 12 of these I've spent the last week on ebay and various bits sites building up a collection.

So you are the one who's won all the auctions for the horses over the last few weeks - I guess your wallet is simply a bit fatter than mine :-)
Good to know though that the conversion works! I have planned for the exact same approach, but am actually a bit worried about the horses poses - they are very similar, I would have prefered at least one of the heads to be a bitt more raised, and I think it looks a bit strange that the horses are pacing (is that the correct word; I mean the way their legs are posed, where both left legs are in a forward position while both right legs are in a backward position, if that makes any sense).

The rest of your models are just stunning! I'm glad if my warrior priest inspired your conversions, and I must admit to being a bit jealous of your sculpting and painting skills. The two wizards are just amazing, in particular the hood-thing with the comet tails on the bright wizard. I will surely keep an eye on this thread!

[Superdan21]

the knight is amazing, i'm really glad someone else has done them, i was thinking of doing the same conversion but cost put me off, plus i'm hopeful that there will be re-enforcments at some point meaning new knights but we shall see mainly i'm just glad to see what they would have looked like can't wait to see a completed unit, keep up the good work, again your blog is awesome painting and modelling can't wait to see more

[dax]

Thanks Dark Apostle you have provided me with some great inspiration as well I'm always looking over your log. My wallet is a lot lighter alright all in they cost about €10 per knight to put together but I'm done now so it will just be someone else buying them all up. The 2 horses have different poses one has the right leg raised one has the left leg raised they are a bit static I'll admit and the heads are the same but it's better than the alternatives if I keep the lances raised it's not so much of an issue. The Bright wizards collar was just a happy accident more than anything I planned.

Superdan21 much as I'd like new knights the fact that the old ones have been put in the new battalion does not bode well for new knights any time soon. It also seems so far that unlike 40k, fantasy gets one big release and then no further waves. Maybe Warhammer Forge may do something but thats likely to be just as expensive.

[Superdan21]

ah fair enough, i hadn't heard what was going to be in the new battalion yet, i may have to do the same for my future unit of knights in that case been working on just jazzing up the old ones issue lies with the horses imo, i may grab some of the cart pulling horses but its annoying they aren't different poses, well food for thought at least :P

[Dark Apostle]

Thanks Dark Apostle you have provided me with some great inspiration as well I'm always looking over your log. My wallet is a lot lighter alright all in they cost about €10 per knight to put together but I'm done now so it will just be someone else buying them all up. The 2 horses have different poses one has the right leg raised one has the left leg raised they are a bit static I'll admit and the heads are the same but it's better than the alternatives if I keep the lances raised it's not so much of an issue. The Bright wizards collar was just a happy accident more than anything I planned.

Anything is better than the pony knights we get from GW :-) About the horses poses - I meant that on the same horse both legs on the same side seem to move forward in the same motion - pacing - which to my understnding would not work in a charge since it makes the rider rock heavily from side to side.

I also must mention your standard bearer - simply stunning, great idea, great execution! Keep it up!

[dax]

Ah yes now I see what your saying as I say keep the lances raised and you get more of a preparing to charge effect the Demigryph knights lances aren't really designed to be horizontal to the ground anyway what with the pendant and the arm position.

Attached is a picture of a Wagon Horse next to the general's horse - very close size wise. The general's horse has slightly bulkier barding. The heads can be swapped but both need work to make them fit the other horse body properly. I also ordered a Knights champions horse head but it's very small by comparison so that idea is gone. I have no war pomies to compare these to.

[dax]

One Horse done (9 to go)



Bit more work than I thought and learned a fair bit for the next one. Still hate sculpting chainmail. I swapped the skull on the head for a spare spear tip and wreath to add more variation to the horses.

[Dark Apostle]

Looking great!

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[Lord Azoth]

in lve with your work..your conversions are amazing..

[azhagmorglum]

Really inspiring stuff, and I don't even collect or play Empire. The death heads are an awesome concept, and your clever use of bits and great painting has materialized into an awesome unit.

[dax]

Got a bit side tracked over the weekend so no new Empire stuff yet.

Having just invested in Zombicide it got me thinking about the other board games I have sitting around unpainted so I dug out Space Hulk and set myself a bit of a painting challenge. I haven't really had a proper chance to test the new paints as my Empire army has a fairly set paint scheme and doesn't require any of the new paints - yet.

The challenge being to paint the dead terminator using only the new GW paints or current lines from other manufacturers and to do as little mixing of colours as possible.



I have to say I'm very impressed by the new paints they are for the most part an improvement over the previous range. Abaddon Black is useless as I've already posted previously so I've gone back to Vallejo Model colour Black. Cadian Fleshtone and Dawnstone also suffer from the same problem as the black being that they are far to thin and watery.

Now I must say first off I hate painting Red but the new paints have made it easier to achieve a consistent finish as they go on much better than the previous reds. The Red is basecoated with Mephiston Red, Shaded with a mix of 3 to 1 Biel Tan Green/Khorne Red and then some Waywatcher Green. Glazed all over with Bloodletter. Highlights with Evil Sunz, Wild Rider Red, Squig Orange, Ratskin Flesh, Cadian Fleshtone and finally Kislev Flesh. No mixes (other than the shade) just thinned the colurs a little with Lahmian medium.

The metals are as good as if not better than their predecessors. I wasn't sure about Gehanna's Gold but having used it I'm happy to say it's a great colour to work with. The Golds are Basecoat Balthassar Gold, Wash Agrax earthshade, a little Vallejo smoke ink in the deepest recesses and a little Druchii Voilet here and there, reapply Balthassar Gold then Gehanna's Gold, Highlight 50/50 Gehenna's Gold/P3 Radiant Platinum, Radiant Platinum. I used Radiant platinum rather than Runefang steel as it has a slight gold tint even though it's bright silver.

I like that Ceramite White and White Scar are slightly different shades so it's now possible to highlight a white with another white.

Anyway that's my thoughts on the new paints if I'm a bit slow to update the Empire stuff it's probably because I have more Space Hulk stuff on the go.

[Wulf]

Its been along time since I posted on warseer but this I just have to comment!
Some really nice stuff in this thread!
The militia in particular looks awesome. Very creative posing and use of bitz.
very inspirational - I just might have to get my own Empire project rolling again.
Keep it up!

[Juicy21]

Loved it every part of it!!

[Corvinus]

Fantastic thread! You've got some serious modelling and painting skills.

[Dino]

Really like the empire stuff. Keep them coming.

[Catalip]

Amazing thread! such detailed paintjob! kepp the good work

[Boreas_NL]

Just popping in to say thank you for inspiring me to make my own version of 'The Death's Heads' (even though they are nowhere near as cool as yours)...

Looking forward to your next (preferably Empire related) update!