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Hi there...

I am new to 40K and miniatures in general... I have always liked the 40K art I see about the Internet and have wandered in and out of GW shops for years... Anyway I decided t ogive it a go..

So far I am not considering playing... though I plan to build a army that dose conform to codex so i can use it if i wish...

Anyway... I was hoping you guys could comment or advise me on some painting tips... remember this is my first ever ... be nice
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Stage 1

The BOX!!! Ok... I really like the art of Chaos.. as well as the whole back story. Still I was nervous about attempting Chaos Mariens and stuff as they seam to have tons of stuff all over them, that looked really fiddly to paint for a beginner.. So I chose Bloodletters.. as they wer basicly just red... so I thought it might be easier to start there.. and learn shading, and blending.



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Stage 2

I hand painted a coat of Undercoat Black that came with my citadel starter painting kit. I was worried about the detail getting all covered up as the paint looked pretty thick, so I watered it down and applied it in 2 coats.



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Stage 3

Ok this is my first attempt at colour. Now I only had the citadel starter painting kit and a couple of paints I picked off the rack when in the store.. and this is my first go.. mainly for learning technique... So do not be to harsh.

• I did a coat of "Mechrite Red" as the base colour.. as you can see it is very patchy and way to much black is showing though... I defiantly should have done 2 coats of this.. Still I was trying to leave some black in the deep crevices and thought the other coats would cover this up.. witch they didn't
• Then I did some highlights on it using "Blood Red"
• Then some more highlights using "Blazing Orange"
• Then did a "wash" using "Baal Red"
• Then did a "wash" using "Deven Mud"
• Did some more high lights with "blood red"
• Did some "dry brushing" with white.

As you can see it is a bit of a mess... Basically i do not think i have ever recovered from not having done the 2 coats of the base colour... no matter what I do I can not seam to get it to look red.. it is always a muddy orange colour. Also as I only have a full white, and no yellowish paints really (just some "leather" looking ones I can not do the teeth or anything.

I think I will play with this more to work out techniques but next time try using a white base coat instead of a black one.... so everything is brighter, then use a darker "wash" to colour the crevices?



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Comments and Advise Welcome!

hey, he doesn't look half bad!

For the bone-scale, I'd get Bleached Bone at the very least; possible Bestial Brown as well.

As for your red, it doesn't look too bad. I'd definitely do 2 coats of Mechrite Red next time, then drybrush (you can find TONS of tutorials on drybrushing if you're unsure about the term) Blood Red over that, then do, IMO, a black wash (never much cared for doing special color washes save for human skin and the odd metallic), then (if the wash is a bit dark) another Blood Red drybrush, followed by a very light Fiery Orange highlight (focusing mostly on the bumps on the skin of the Bloodletter). The Black wash will get that rich dark you wanted, and the fiery orange, used sparingly, will really make the brights *pop*

For the bones/teeth/horns I would paint Bestial Brown as a base, then drybrush the Bleached Bone on over that, leaving the area near the skin darker, then drybrush skull white over that, again, leaving the last color showing near the edge. It'll leave most of the horn white, while still showing the darker browns, especially near the edge. This whole process will likely take 2 coats of each color as well, possibly 3; the lighter the color, the more likely it is that you'll need multiple coats.

What is your current plan for their sword?

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***2008 Moderator of the Year***

heh.. u make it sound so easy


Well i am not 100% sure yet. I know I want to try and get something that looks otherworldly, rather than a metal looking sword.. Though i want to avoid green and that... if i can swign it I would like it to look like a flame sword... maybe all black with yellowish / red high lights... As the entire 1st model is really for me to learn what ever i do will be using "blending" technique i have read about .. and try to smoothly blend dark to light from the hilt to the tip.. . .

*chuckles* everything is easy, you just gotta break it down and be patient; I'm sure it'll work fine for you!

As for the swords, if you do go with the flame idea I suggest looking at some older GW Articles about making flames out of Green Stuff and the like; it would give your swords the shape for flames, which you could then paint to make look really nifty! It'll be a somewhat more challenging project, but the reward of well painted models and the adoration and envy of everyone else in a game store is well worth it!

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***2008 Moderator of the Year***

What is green stuff?

Green Stuff is the name that most people use for the Epoxy Putty that Games Workshop makes; it's called that because the 2 parts that you mix together are yellow and blue, and when mixed they make green (duh!). It's used for modeling. Here's a picture:

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***2008 Moderator of the Year***

I have done more "stuff" to that original model... It is much more like what I was thinking in my head.. as a really blood red.. kind of thing now. I am looking at tutorials on varnishes as I want it to look wet.. as if they are actually weeping blood though there skin constantly. It remains to be seen if I can replicate this look on the other models as I have basically been practicing by "erasing it all" with a new base coat then having another go. So it is not like I can 100% do the same paint order or anything.

I tried my had at mixing.. . . I used a mix of Skull White, Mechrite Red and Iyanden Darksun (my only yellowish paint) to do the highlights this time.. I think it looks way better than the dry brushed skull white on the face or the Blazing Orange ... you saw in the 1st photos. As once I used Blazzing Orange originaly to do the highlights... I had no were to go to do the edges to pop out the detail... I think mixing my own paint got around this.

I also tried "blending" as in after i had the blood red look on the skin I would paint a thickish stripe of blazing orange on the muscle then wipe the brush and quickly try and push the paint down the muscles into the crevice. Then Highlight again with my mixed paint I spoke of b4.. I think this looks pretty good.. but the blending itself is not that well done... still in the shots I tried to get the left arm in full focus as i think it looks the best of the entire model.

Oh.. I also tried "glazing" as after the blending and highlighting the model looks a little orange/pink... so I got scab red (as my dark red) watered it down and painted a coat all over it. I did this twice.. and it basically muted the highlights nicely. If only I had a nice bright yellow I could probably call it quits on this skin test completely and try everything on a fresh model from scratch.

The Glaze was weird though... It "felt" like painting a "wash".. I am thinking i might have made it to weak. I think it would be better to test this on something larger and flat... when my new paints arrive with the yellows, purples and the metallics.. I will use this "glaze" idea to try and get a cool "flame" gradient on the sword.. I think that will be a good place to practice it.

your "glazing" idea is exactly what a wash is; it's very useful. What you want to do for the sword is probably "layering" which uses watered down paints, but not so diluted as to actually be a wash; it takes a lot of coats of paint (because each coat is so thin), but creates a very smooth color gradation. As for "varnish"; to get a little sheen on your model I suggest using a spray finish. "Painter's Touch" spray paint is reasonably priced, has a respectable matte finish that leaves a little sheen on the model, and will help protect it from the gradual wear and tear that models got over time.

Good job on the model so far! I like the highlighting and washes, good choice for colors as well. I'm very interested in seeing how you paint the rest of the bits and finish him up!

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***2008 Moderator of the Year***

Well that is it for my first model... and on to teh 2nd!!! Ok the trick here was to try and improve lol.... comments welcome. The bottom 2 pics on the image above is the based coated version of the one below... I uses a base coat over a white ... last time I painted directly over black.

I like 'em. In general, I'd go for slightly darker "scale" areas (back and arms) and slightly lighter "skin" areas (belly/chest and inner thighs), maintaining the fish/lizard motif they have going. Other then that, I'd like to see what you do for their bases!

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***2008 Moderator of the Year***