TJ here to ask for your opinions on a paint scheme I am working on for my World Eaters. I have free handed skulls and Khorne symbols on the larger surfaces. Right now only half the model has the new paint scheme applied to the red parts of the armor and most of the details are better visible in the photos below.
So the greave (leg armor) is a good example of the skulls. The skulls are painted by basing the model in Mephiston Red, then I paint the area where a skull will go Khorne Red, then I will start working the shaded areas of what will become a skull using Wildrider Red, then I highlight with a PP orange that I don't have labeled.
After that, I wash the area in Bloodletter Glaze, then highlight with Wildrider and the PP orange. As you can see on the axe and the helmet, I just build up highlights using those colors in areas where no freehand is present.
The breastplate also has skulls painted on it.
Please keep in mind the Brass and other colors/ whole areas of the model are not finished at all.
I have to thank Kraut Scientist for telling me to just go for it when it comes to choosing to do a Khorne detachment. I was wishy washy on it, but once I had another person pushing me, I gathered my resolve. This freehand is something I chose for two reasons.
The first is that I have a terrible background with freehand painting and have always been frustrated with it. This is how I will teach myself, by carefully trying not to ruin some complex, expensive conversions (because I am secretly a Slaaneshi masochist).
The second reason is simple; I don't want to have the same Khorne guys as anybody else. I figure if this is well received, then I will continue it and build my skill with the 8 zerks, then progress to bigger things, like Daemon Angron or a Lord of Skulls Berzerker Knight Titan, where I can combine experience with much larger spaces.
This last shot is just to show you where some of the free hand I have done falls. The reds in this photo are off, making everything look darker and un-highlighted, but It does make a lot of work visible.
At the end of the day, I just want to see what you guys think and what you would think of this pattern (or a similar pattern like cracked lava, khorne symbols ect) spread over a detachment. Is it cool, is it OTT, good, bad, ugly? Let me know what you think.
The freehand is an awesome idea, admittedly the chest is better than the leg but with practice you'll quickly get it down to perfection! It's nice because it doesn't immediately scream at you but when you look closer you see the level of detail, and it also lends the armour a kind of sinister demonic aspect which is definitely a good thing! This would be really challenging on larger models but I'm sure you, of anyone, can pull it off. Great conversion as well, keep it up :D
ReplyDeleteThanks, the chest represents the most recent skulls and the leg represents the very first ones (yeah, my very first one ever was on the model, don't ask me why), but it does seem that practice is making it come along better.
DeleteYou fool! You asked for opinions on the internet?! Duck and cover! DUCK AND COVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI think you have don a good job and being a painting snob I can honestly say there is no such thing as OTT :)
Luckily, the readers here are pretty awesome. Any other place would have me wading through troll dung, but I have come to trust you guys and haven't really been let down.
DeleteI appreciate the feedback and I think I plan to run another WIP up as I finish the armor to see what people think and whether it is at least palatable on a squad level.
Having recently embarked on a free hand experiment, I am impressed by your work. I would even go so far as leave it just on the one leg as it really adds some interest to the model. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteI am going back and forth with the whole model vs half model concept as we speak.
DeleteMy vote is for half (if that helps)
DeleteI like it. It is subtle enough to not scream in your face but adds a whole new depth to the model. I look forward to seeing it finished :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Naf. I actually use a lot of reds in the shading too to keep the overall tone subtle, which actually took more effort than I thought it would.
DeleteI think it's an awesome idea, but it should be used sparingly -- well, maybe not sparingly, but not on every surface: I remember a Khornate force in the 6th edition big rulebook that used a similar effect, but had the daemonic faces on every single surface, and it ended up looking overly busy. So I'd limit the freehands to one or two instances per model, I think.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing is that I think the planet on the pauldron and belt would look better without the green continents. Maybe this is just a pet peeve of mine, but I don't think blue and green go together all that well in this instance -- I think it would look cooler to go for a blue/slight turquoise on the planet, and either have some highlights to pick out the continents or to paint them in the same brass as the metal trim.
Apart from those minor gripes, it looks like you're off to a killer start!
I think the rulebook model with the faces was Dave's but the colors were what I liked on that model and it was an inspiration for this. The other influence was the biker champion from Hortwerth's daemonbomb khorne bikers.
DeleteI am going to test the world colors soon. I will look at metallic variation ... though I am one of those folks who isn't opposed the the current colors. I have just never really seen an alternative.
I do agree on limiting the freehand. I think I will go nuts on this guy to see where it goes, then play from there. The detaiks of the model go a long way toward limiting the amount of potential freehand surface, so I want to go extreme on this model and then bring it to its final concept on another squad member, but I agree with you.
At the end of the day, I am happy with what I have seen of this model in my collection next to my stuff I am excited to go this this period of discovery.
Looks amazing to me, TJ! Really sets your troops apart from other armies.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteFantastic work. It took me a minute to notice, and when I did, you got an instant wow from me.
ReplyDeleteOne immediate suggestion...make sure to tone the metals WAY down. If you want the skulls to stand out, you are going to need to make their highlights more substantial then the metals. I tend to look at the metals first, then search for the skulls afterwords. I know you aren't done the metals yet, just thought you'd like that bit of critique. Keep up the great work!
I agree with you the old metallics I had there are bright. The metallics on the helmet are more true to the finished product. I am glad I got the WOW out of you though!
DeleteLooks good; though I admit I initially clicked over confusion about why Berserkers got free armour on their hands... "free hand armour" haha
ReplyDeleteGood catch man. After I finish this model I plan to write a stage drama about puns. It'll be a play on words.
DeleteYou've already made the note that he chest skulls are the newest, while the leg is the first. You can tell you got more confident and sure of your skills as you worked.
ReplyDeleteKrautScientist made an excellent point in that Less is More when it comes to freehand. Mix up the locations on each figure to make the interest all the more and you're solid, man :)
I think that you're doing great!
Thanks, Tim.
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