Contestants!

Ok, we had a total of 3 entries to the contest.

The winner of this contest will get the AOBR Captain model, and I'll paint it to their army's scheme.

Below are the "favorite model" from each army (posted in no particular order). You can click on the image to see a picture of the whole army.

There is a new poll on the left. Please vote for who you think should get the AOBR Captain.

Contestant 1 (Blood Angels - his HQ are in white):


Contestant 2 (Unknown Marine Chapter):


Contestant 3 (Imperial Fists):


I've left the identities of the contestants out, though nothing's stopping any of you from making your case in the comments. It's all fair game.

The poll closes at midnight(PST) of Friday, 5/7.

Step-By-Step Epidemius

With bonus Beast of Nurgle!

Step 1: Basecoat
Same with my Skulltaker, all my daemons are based on cork/lava.

Step 2: Calthan Brown
As a basecoat for the ground.

Step 3: Bubonic Brown
Lightly drybrushed over the cork, to bring some texture to it.

Step 4: Iyanden Darksun
This will serve as a basecoat for the lava.

Step 5: Fiery Orange / Golden Yellow
This is a wet blend. First, lay down the Fiery Orange. Next, start leaving blobs of Golden Yellow in the still wet Fiery Orange. Next, use your brush to drag the orange around, creating "currents" and bubbles.

Step 6: Dheneb Stone
Basecoat this on all things fleshy and bone. For the Beast, that's the whole model.

Step 6: Skull White
I've been having a lot of success with this 3-step flesh effect. The White is lightly drybrushed over the Dheneb Stone. This is the highlight, and will show through under the wash.

Step 7: Ogryn Flesh
Make it heavy, get it all over the fleshy bits.

Step 8: Thraka Green
Now we need some green in there. They are Nurgle after all. As far as choosing where to put the green, I went with extremeties (toes, fingers, etc) and along creases/folds in the skin. I wanted this to look gangrenous.

Step 9: Iyanden Darksun
Epidemius doesn't have this kind of area, but the Beast does. I based in yellow the area where the skin had been pulled back. Yellow, because I wanted it to look like especially diseased subcutaneous fat, which tends to be yellowish. We'll wash it in Red to make it look a bit bloody, but there's another thing that will be washed in red, so let's do that first...

Step 10: Skull White
This is for all those little bumps along the skin. I want them to look like blisters, zits and boils. Hit them with the white. Also, on Epidemius, the maggots on his stomach and his eye.

Step 11: Baal Red
Four things are happening here. First, tongues. Second, get this thick in that open skin area on the Beast of Nurgle. Third, around the zits and boils, to make them look aggravated. Lastly, and you see this mostly on Epidemius, on joints. The red will make his knees, knuckles, elbows, etc look puffy and inflamed - a hallmark of chronically sick/diseased peoples.

Step 12: Scorpion Green
In a lot of those areas you probably hit with Thraka Green, you'll see some details that look like straight-up-slime. I touched up those areas with Scorpion Green to really bring them out. Also, some stipling on Epidemius' chest, as I started to realize he'd apparently vomited on himself (amazing the details you pick up only as you paint). I found a few slime areas that had not been previously picked out with Thraka green on Epidemius (in the throne) and based them in Scorpion Green as well.

Step 13: Thraka Green
This was for those aformentioned areas on Epidemius' throne.

Step 14: Dheneb Stone
With all this wash hullaballoo, some got on the areas that are bone, so this is to go back over those areas to start the bone process.

Step 15: Devlan Mud
On all the bone.

Step 16:Bleached Bone
This is a drybrush effect. We want to bring some of the color back, but not undo what the Devlan Mud brought out in the cracks/crevices.

Step 17: Skull White
This is an even lighter drybrush, along edges, points, and skull faces.

Step 18: Gryphonne Sepia
Mostly along the bases of the bone areas, where there is still some Devlan Mud. Try to stay away from the areas where you applied the Skull White. At this point, the Beast of Nurgle is done. The rest of this tutorial will be focusing just on Epidemius.

Step 19: Graveyard Earth
Basecoat for the wooden throne and the wooden sword handle.

Step 20: Bleached Bone
This is a light drybrush over the wooden throne and sword handle, to bring out the grain and the edges.

Step 21: Devlan Mud
Also for the wooden throne and sword handle.

Step 22: Boltgun metal
Base all the poles and metal bits along his throne. Don't forget the sword.

Step 23: Shining Gold
For the bell as well as his arm bracelet and hourglass frame.

Step 24: Mithril Silver
This is my new favorite way to highlight gold. Lightly drybrushed along anything gold.

Step 25: Devlan Mud
Heavily coat anything metal.

Step 26: Fortress Grey
This is for the hourglass itself.

Step 27: Snot Green
This is for the sand (slime?) in the hourglass.

Step 28: Thraka Green
This was placed sporadically along the metal bits, to show Nurgle's corrupting power.

Step 29: Scorpion Green
Again to pick out those slimy areas along the metal. I realize afterwards that a few of these steps could have been consolidated, but I wanted to show you the full thought process. A lot of these details didn't become apparent until after the painting process had already begun.

Step 30: Macharius Solar Orange
Very, very lightly drybrushed over various (iron) metal bits like the sword. This will look like rust. Try to stay on flat areas, and not on edges. Typically rusty items keep their color along edges where they're likely to strike against something.

Step 31: Charadon Granite
We're moving along to the only details left: the banners. This is for the left one.

Step 32: Fortress Grey
Drybrushed along the banner.

Step 33: Chaos Black
This was used for a chaos star on the grey banner. You don't need to be neat - it's chaos.

Step 34: Devlan Mud
To finish off that same banner. I am actually going for a faded look in both of these, to make them look very worn and old. If you want something more vibrant and/or high-contrast, you may want to do the design after the wash (and in yellow or green instead of black).

Step 35: Bubonic Brown
This banner will be Nurgle-specific.

Step 36: Goblin Green
For the Nurgle-balls.

Step 37: Thraka Green / Baal Red
I splattered these two colors on the banner to make it look bloody and dirty.

Step 38: Devlan Mud
I made it heavier along the end/edges to make it look more worn and filthy. The original logo is barely seen, and looks very faded. That's how I like it for Nurgle.

Step 39: 'Ardcoat
This finishing touch was put only on areas that are wet - vomit, slime, etc. It gives it just one added dimension of gross and ensures that my wife will never play Nurgle.


Well, there we have it. Putrid, filthy and rotten. Awesome.

Let me know what you think about it all.

Contest!

I've never held a contest before, so this will be interesting.

First thing's first, let's talk about the prize. It's nothing huge, but still:

The model itself is the captain from the Assault on Black Reach boxed Set. The real value here is that I will paint it for you.

Here's what you do to enter: Email me two pictures, one of a collection of your current SM army. The other of your favorite model within that army. My email is MasterDarksol@gmail.com

In about a week or so, I'll post the entries along with a poll to determine the winner.

I will paint the model to match the winner's army, as well as post a Step-By-Step on how it was done, before shipping it off to you.

So, hop to it! Send in your pics!

Speaking of Painting Space Wolves...

I had just posted my Step-By-Step on Space Wolves yesterday, but wanted to share some other painting methods I've seen for painting SW over on the Space Wolves blog.

The first one is Adam's:

You can read the full tutorial here. It's interesting to me because it's an actual grey base (Adeptus, then Fortress) instead of the more bluish grey you see from GW.

The second one is Dave's:

You can read Dave's tutorial here. His is a similar though slightly different take on the actual grey, going from an Astronomicon-Fenris mix to a Codex Grey highlight ... complete with some weathering!

Both great tutorials, check them out.

Step-By-Step Space Wolves

I just put up the Black Legion Step-By-Step, and I spent this weekend painting some Ultramarines ... but you know it's just not enough of a Power-Armoured sausage-fest around here. Let's paint some Space Wolves! :D

Step 1: Basecoat
This is a SW Runepriest. I made a small conversion before starting this. The metal mini comes with a plasma pistol. Since you can't both shoot a pistol AND use a shooting attack psychic power, I decided to give him a Bolt Pistol off the SW sprue.

Step 2: Shadow Grey / Space Wolves Grey
This technique was described on the GW site shortly after the new codex hit. I'm trying it out. The mix is 50/50.

Step 3: Devlan Mud
This was only put in the cracks/crevices of the armour.

Step 4: Space Wolves Grey
Edge and lined the armour. It's a 3 step process, and not too tedious.

Step 5: Charadon Granite
SW guns/equipment tend to be black, so the pistol's getting the granite.

Step 6: Codex Grey
Not only am I edging the pistol, but I've hit the little stone trinket around his neck and covered all fur pelts with it.

Step 7: Skull White
This was drybrushed over the fur pelts and the stone trinket.

Step 8: Boltgun Metal

Step 9: Badab Black
With this I washed the metal, the granite gun casing, the trinket and the pelts.

Step 10: Shining Gold
Lots of lovely gold details

Step 11: Mithril Silver
I'm trying out a new technique I saw online. I drybrushed the gold bits with Mithril Silver. It'll give them a tarnished look. Awesome.

Step 12: Dheneb Stone
All bone, the pelt "skins" and flesh get hit with Dheneb Stone first.

Step 13: Skull White
Two things going on here. First, the flesh (face) was drybrushed in Skull White. This will give us some natural highlighting underneath the wash. Second, I drybrushed the fur pelts again. We're going to hit that with a Devlan Mud wash to bring a bit of variety to the fur.

Step 14: Vermin Brown
This color has been renamed to Vermin Brown, but is still in production. I've based all leather bits with it.

Step 15: Vermin Brown / Bleached Bone
The mix is 50/50. This was drybrushed over the leather bits.

Step 16: Devlan Mud
Ok, this was washed over the leather, the bone bits, the gold, and sporadically through the pelts. I did not wash the entire pelts, so they looked more interesting.

Step 17: Bleached Bone
Drybrushed over all bone

Step 18: Skull White
Drybrushed even lighter over the bone

Step 19: Gryphonne Sepia
Strategically washed on the bone. hit the areas where you still see the Devlan Mud, stay away from the areas that were drybrushed Skull White. Also, this was used liberally on the pelt "skin."

Step 20: Ogryn Flesh
in the face.

Step 21: Fortress Grey
Cover his hair.

Step 22: Skull White
Lightly drybrushed over the hair.

Step 23: Badab Black
Also for the hair.

Step 24: Mechrite Red
I used this on the grenades, but also on his shoulderpad. My wolves are in Harald Deathwolf's company.

Step 25: Iyanden Darksun
I couldn't really find any guideline for what markings go on the right shoulderpad for a Runepriest. The only things I had to go by were in the color section where there was a model or two with yellow on both shoulderpads. I knew the left was for Ragnar, but I went with it anyways.

Step 26: Boltgun Metal
For the runes on his shoulderpad

Step 27: Devlan Mud
Mostly used along the edges of the shoulderpad, and around the runes.

Step 28: Blood Red
Ok, I need to warn you about this. I had this awesome vision in my head that the runes on his Force Weapon would look like they were glowing hot. Hint: it didn't come out right. I'll show you what I did, but I don't think it worked and will be revisiting this at some other point. I'm thinking more orange.

Step 29: Sunburst Yellow

Step 30: Skull White

Step 31: Sunburst Yellow
... because I already thought it looked wrong. I somehow thought bringing out some more yellow would fix it. How? Magic, I don't know. I feel that it's important to share with you guys the things that work as well as the things that don't. You'll get to see for yourself and not make the same mistake. ...also, posting my failures online is a great way to keep my ego in check. :D

Step 32: Chaos Black
Here I'm working on the logo. Break this down, it's just a series of lines. The first line I place is from the nose to the fang. Straight, slanted, and near the middle of the pad. Second line curves from the nose to the corner of the pad. Next, another line branching out from the last one, making the forehead and ear. Bottom jaw, then neck. All the rest is fill in. Easy-peasy.

... I wish I took pictures of each line, now that I think about it. I'll do that for next time, it's really not as complex as it looks.

Step 33: Mechrite Red
Important thing to remember: if you feel a line was placed wrong, just whip out the base color and "erase" it. This was a dot for the eye.

Step 34: Skull White
For the star he's eating. Nomnomnom.

Step 35: Codex Grey
I'm moving on to the base here, so this is for that rock he's standing on.

Step 36: Skull white
This covers the base, and was drybrushed on the rock.

Step 37: Snow!
Sprinkled on a layer of glue, then shaken off.

Step 38: More glue!
As with sand, I'll cover the snow with a layer of watered down glue after it dries.


There we are! Deathwolf's Great Company from start to finish!