RuneBrush Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 A while ago, I decided that I was going to make a concerted effort and create a dedicated Golden Demon entry for 2020, my past attempts/success has pretty much been me grabbing models that I've previously painted and having a punt! After a bit of pondering I've also decided that I'm going to show WIP photos of this as I'm going - no "top secret" project for me, my entry will either be good enough to win a demon or it won't. So after a few false starts, the decision was taken that my entry would be a Kharadron Ironclad docked at a Skyport. Rather than go for the traditional "large model" category, I've instead decided to go for the "diorama" category. This gives me loads of scope to actually build something a lot more impressive than a scenic base. I'm now about a month into the build and almost got the basic construction completed! Here's it mocked together: And here we are having screwed and glued stuff in place The brackets that the wooden shelter sits on were scratch built Plenty more pictures up on Twitter/Instagram too! The "backing board" is actually part of a cheap cube bookshelf which measures 300mm in all directions. I've deliberately confined everything so that it doesn't overhang and placed it on a slight angle to give the illusion that the skyport continues off in other directions. The bottom will also be covered in clouds made from toy stuffing with patches of colour airbrushed in. I'm actually a little further forward than I've a picture for too. The gap where the wall meets the floor has been covered by plasticard strip that looks a bit like a skirting board and the right-hand edge has been sanded back as it was slightly longer than it needed to be. The steps have also been cut at an angle and fixed in place. Although very tiny, it's attention to details like this that could well make the difference between making the cut or not. Next up I need to tackle actually how I'm going to secure the Ironclad and then create a bridge that connects one of the doors on the side of the ship to the door/gap within the silo. No idea what I'm actually going to do on this! Colour wise, I'm leaning towards Barak Thyngg for the Ironclad (so a funky red and off-white scheme). I've not yet decided on the skyport colours - that will likely require me sitting down with a greyscale version of the setup and playing in Photoshop. Happy to answer any questions or listen to suggestions! 6 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughwyeth Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 Oh wow this looks great! Can't wait to see what you do 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kramer Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 You Go Girl! Excited to see the progress. Maybe post a link to your insta in the post as well? Found, and followed you there. Keep up the good work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arnied3 Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 This looks and sounds awesome. I will be living through you for this! Followed as well. Best of luck!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorax Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 Wow! Already off to a beautiful start. I cannot wait to see what you come up with. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuneBrush Posted February 17, 2020 Author Share Posted February 17, 2020 Couple of updates from my post last week. First off I've managed to create a bridge and work out how to fix the Ironclad. Sadly I've not been able to attach it purely from the side and going to have to use a couple of pieces of acrylic rod to keep it stable. Not going to lie, it's not really what I wanted, however the practical part of my brain had to win on this as I wasn't prepared to dismantle what I'd done and this will need to be transported up to Birmingham in a car (and then carried). There are going to be chains from the end of the bridge attaching it to the silo (the chains are on order) and I'm also going to attach a fuel pump from the silo to the main Endrin - but that can't be done until the actual Ironclad is glued in place. Saturday wasn't the most productive of days, however I did have a play in Photoshop with colour schemes: Spoiler And some messing around with the walls and silo Sunday was a lot more productive - somewhere, somebody was smiling on me as I managed to dodge the wind and the rain for just long enough to get some undercoat onto some pieces! This meant that I was able to paint up the "inner silo" piece that sits behind the hole in the top section of the silo. I also know that 90% of this is going to be hidden from view... Getting this largely done will mean that I can actually make progress on some of the other pieces. I'm going to go back and try and add some more colour into the metallics as looking at them in the cold light of day, they're quite flat. I think a dark green added into the shadows of the pipes will help to add some depth to them. I need to think about what to add to the silver as I'm deliberately steering away from browns/rust (those Duardin aren't going to let things rust!) The silo itself got a light dusting of undercoat so that I could spot any blemishes (and there are some). One of the challenges I've found with the sector mechanicus scenery is that the models aren't quite as sharp as a regular miniature. What I mean by this is that because the pieces are large they're prone to a little bit of warping, so the edges don't join together as cleanly as you'd like. It's nothing that can't be fixed with some putty/filler and fine sandpaper, but a light dusting of undercoat highlights the areas that need attention. 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kramer Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 Such a weird thing to be impressed by but how on earth did you get that red as clean on there as you did? Large surfaces always end up a bit smudgy for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zilberfrid Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 Kharadron with Admech terrain was on my mind before I had my first skyvessel, but between idea and execution lies so much. I really love this project! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuneBrush Posted February 20, 2020 Author Share Posted February 20, 2020 1 hour ago, Kramer said: Such a weird thing to be impressed by but how on earth did you get that red as clean on there as you did? Large surfaces always end up a bit smudgy for me. Simple answer is an airbrush and build up lots of thin layers. This is actually only 3 colours, basecoat of Word Bearer Red, layer of Evil Sun Scarlet and then Flesh Tearer Red (a Contrast paint) just to boost the shadows a bit. That lot is then sealed with a satin varnish which helps to pull everything together and flatten it out. Here's what it looked like before I varnished and painted the rest of it: 1 hour ago, zilberfrid said: Kharadron with Admech terrain was on my mind before I had my first skyvessel, but between idea and execution lies so much. I really love this project! Thanks! I'd say half the battle is cherry picking terrain pieces that don't have things that couldn't exist (primarily display screens) as little bits like that really poke your subconscious eye! 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammer49 Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 Great start to your project! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuneBrush Posted February 21, 2020 Author Share Posted February 21, 2020 Bucking the trend here and posting a non-weekly WIP! Had a bit of a play last night with the colours & technique I'm intending to use on the Endrin's on the Ironclad. It's gone a little grainy as the plastic isn't the best (the spray can didn't bind into it like a normal plastic), plus I was breaking in some new drybrushes, but I'm pretty happy with the result. Took me about an hour and a half to do this, but will need to go more slowly on the actual endrin so that I properly build up the layers. One thing I have discovered is that it doesn't photograph very well - plus there wasn't really enough nooks and crannies to really show the darker shadow colours. Thoughts? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammer49 Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 Could you make the highlights brighter to make up for the lack of the darker colours. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuneBrush Posted February 25, 2020 Author Share Posted February 25, 2020 You've a Tuesday update this week as I had yesterday off and tried to avoid going on the computer too much (the disadvantage of using a computer for 40+ hours of your day job means you really don't want to do the same on time off!) Happy to say that the base gold colours are down on the Endrin's and overall fairly happy. This really doesn't photograph well either - especially when it's dark outside! I have pushed the shadows using a brown-blue colour which has really helped to add some depth. I've also put the highlights on the smaller Endrin although that was after I took the photograph. With hindsight I actually think the next step is to pick out all of the details in different colours because one thing I find is that metallic highlights have a tendency to very easily rub off as you handle it and there isn't any way to paint any of the Kharadron boats without handling it all of the time! 23 hours ago, hammer49 said: Could you make the highlights brighter to make up for the lack of the darker colours. I think I was at a bit of a disadvantage by using something as smooth as I did for my test piece. The actual Endrin came out a lot better with more depth in the shadows - plus I'm edge highlighting it which helps to just boost that contrast. The Endrins also have the benefit that they have panels and hatches that can be picked out in different colours, so should just help to break it all up 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuneBrush Posted March 9, 2020 Author Share Posted March 9, 2020 Time for an update and two week's worth as well. The past fortnight I've focused on moving the Ironclad further forward. This is for a few reasons. Firstly if I run out of time, the Ironclad could be entered on it's own, secondly I'm waiting for some pieces for the port which ideally I want before I start painting certain pieces and lastly the weather has been awful so getting outside to undercoat the port would have been troublesome to say the least! First up we have the decking of the Ironclad. I did a bit of experimentation on this as I wanted to achieve a clean but worn finish. Ultimately this will be continued throughout the scene with only minor dust and dirt visible - rust is going to be pretty much non-existent as rust ultimately would lead to break down and then things falling from the sky. Next up I've got the main colours onto the hull of the Ironclad. These were done primarily using various airbrushed layers and lots and lots of masking. I think I spent almost as much time masking off as I did airbrushing. The red got some highlights on as well round areas such as the doors etc. Once finished each layer got a light coating of Vallejo Metal Color Gloss Varnish. This basically soaks into the very thin layers of paint from the airbrush to give them a bit of solidity and meant that a misplaced finger wasn't going to deposit grease anywhere. I've now started working on the details, picking out the various pipes and nuts with silver ready for washing. Once again the varnish means I can actually handle the Ironclad without as much fear I'm going to mess it up. You still need to be careful, but it's more making sure you're aware when using anything with a hard edge (e.g. the ferrule of a brush or your fingernail) than greasy fingers. Once I've finished the details (including washing and highlighting), I'll give the boat another coat of gloss varnish. This will then allow me to apply some enamel washes to represent rain and day to day grime. The normally pulls everything together and hides some of the more scrappy/awkward areas such as the black line that separates the colours (it's always tricky to get a good sharp line along here because things like varnish kill some of the sharp corners) I also need to try and source some appropriate Dwarf rune transfers for the ship name (I think you get some nice ones in the Bloodbowl Dwarf team) 3 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lysandestolpe Posted March 10, 2020 Share Posted March 10, 2020 Looking great dude. Can't wait to see more 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammer49 Posted March 10, 2020 Share Posted March 10, 2020 Fantastic work so far 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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