Help a beginner, stormcast paintscheme and rust effect

[Attackmack]

Im just starting out painting. Not for the first time "ever" but more or less for the first time with a serious intention of getting it good (or rather good ENOUGH).

 

Ive decided to sacrifice a unit of liberators to practice on and test out various techniques and paintschemes and the first try is with silvery armor and beige color.

Aside from struggling with keeping paint on its intended places and getting even coats ive also come to realize that the miniature feel very cluttered. I dont know if its because of the colors ive chosen or simply because im not very good at it.

I also initially wanted the armor very rusty and tattered, not even the steel of heaven can escape the indifferent passing of time! But as i applied the rust the clutter of the model became even more noticable. I might have overdone the rust a bit but it was almost as if applying less rust made the model feel more cluttered...

 

Im attaching a picture of the two models, the left one without rust applied, and hope there are some good tips trix and pointers as to what I could to to have the model dirty and broken down but still not looking like a lump of molten crayons (the left model is not as cluttered but feel to sterile and "clean" for the kind of thing im hoping to achieve).

edit:

Excuse the bad quality of the picture, neither do I own a good camera or the skills to use it

[Routasydän]

If you wanna learn to paint Id say watch the GW vids on tube, warhammertv.

There are tons of tips and tricks on every longer vid that even someone like me, who has painted for like 17 years, pics up some new things from most of the videos.

What kind of rust are you looking for? Like the kinda orange rust with some shinier metla showing trough a little or more like something dark and stained with perhaps some verdigris etc?

 

[Attackmack]

Ive been looking through some of them, mostely those dealing with the various colors im using.

Among them the ryza and corrosion technicals i used for the rust above. Initially I was looking for a very heavy intrusive form of rust, like layers of rust and mold had built upon eachother on top of the armor. More or less the entire armor would be covered. Being sigmarite I reckon it wouldnt really break down but its outer layer, the paint and such the various hosts use as their identity would.

But seeing the end result im not so sure anymore. I might try doing the other model but with much less rust and see how it looks.

[Vasshpit]

Did you dry brush rust?

Also , cool idea with the crackle paint.

I'm also working on some liberators too.

One thing you might try on future models is sub assembly.

For instance, assemble just legs and torso and paint these.

You can reach areas easier and helps control the overall look a bit more. Them when done, assemble the whole model.

[Soulsmith]

If you want really deeply penetrated, old rust, I would advise painting up from a brown base coat instead of a metallic, drybrushing and stippling oranges, and edge it in a silver metallic like leadbelcher, add scratches.

Is the crackle on purpose?

In terms on making sure your models get even coats, make sure you've got the paint thinned a little before applying, and to quote everyone's favourite fella, several thin coats.

You could also try simply doing spot rust on the left variant. Maybe go check out some nurgle plogs on other sites, be in AoS or 40K. 

[Attackmack]

Right, thanks for the advice guys.

I did paint these subassembled with the shields separated. CUrrently doing two with the shields glued on already and on these models they arent that much of an issue tbh.

Yes the crackling on the shields and shoulders are intentional though I put on bit of a thick coat, its supposed to look like cracked paint and not clay

Im thinning my paints and using a wet palette but im still learning how much to thin what paints and for what purposes.

[Mohojoe]

3 minutes ago, Attackmack said:

Right, thanks for the advice guys.

I did paint these subassembled with the shields separated. CUrrently doing two with the shields glued on already and on these models they arent that much of an issue tbh.

Yes the crackling on the shields and shoulders are intentional though I put on bit of a thick coat, its supposed to look like cracked paint and not clay

Im thinning my paints and using a wet palette but im still learning how much to thin what paints and for what purposes.

I actually really like the crackle effect on the shield to simulate old leather. I think to make it look better you need a strong wash to darken the oeverall colour, maybe some drybrushing over the top and a better colour for the hammer decoration of the shield to make it stand out. Possibly a stronger metallic colour and less overall rust. I really like the design though, great work.

[Routasydän]

When thinning down paints just slowly add more and more water, keep it smooth but not watery. Its kinda easy to figure out the right amounts if youre not in a hurry

I feel I use alot more water than Duncan on the GW vids, so I wouldnt take everything what he says to heart but then again, suppose my painting style is different to his. Just make sure youre paints arent running or anything. 

[Attackmack]

8 hours ago, Mohojoe said:

I actually really like the crackle effect on the shield to simulate old leather. I think to make it look better you need a strong wash to darken the oeverall colour, maybe some drybrushing over the top and a better colour for the hammer decoration of the shield to make it stand out. Possibly a stronger metallic colour and less overall rust. I really like the design though, great work.

 

Thats nice of you to say, I also like the effect purely from how it looks but the intended result was not what I had aimed for

You are probably right about the coloring and washes but as im just starting out my range of colors and such are pretty limited.

I do have most tools and even an airbrush that helps me prime models but colors and shades are only the ones suggested by the "how to paint" guides for stormcasts plus a few additional ones for details and trying out some other colors.

 

6 hours ago, Routasydän said:

When thinning down paints just slowly add more and more water, keep it smooth but not watery. Its kinda easy to figure out the right amounts if youre not in a hurry

I feel I use alot more water than Duncan on the GW vids, so I wouldnt take everything what he says to heart but then again, suppose my painting style is different to his. Just make sure youre paints arent running or anything. 

 

Some paints feel very thin by themselves while others need a lot of water even though they are in the same range! I find that I sometimes mix it too much and have to add more paint and then more water again and end up with a big blob of paint when all I needed was a drop. The wet palette really help by letting me "keep" the paint at least for a while

 

Back when I was young I used to play undead and painting skeletons have always been something ive enjoyed so naturally I also wanted to try painting the stormcasts to look like they are clad in bone. I know its all sigmarite but im sure the world of AoS has room for stormcasts clad in bone as well!

This one is not finished yet but ill throw up a pic in the process:

 

I ran into a problem with the blue cloth as Im unsure how to make it look worn and tattered without cluttering it. The blue just stands out too much. But the rust effects on this one came out much much better then on the previous model, i didnt do as much and I also think it fits the colors better.

 

edit: Added new pic after base was added

[cb_rex]

This looks really cool, I'd say the bone armour and rusted metal is spot on here, but I agree the blue stands out far too much.  Something like a brown or grey would tie in nicely with the armour maybe the eyes being blue would look cool.  Keep up the good work!

[Mohojoe]

Just now, cb_rex said:

This looks really cool, I'd say the bone armour and rusted metal is spot on here, but I agree the blue stands out far too much.  Something like a brown or grey would tie in nicely with the armour maybe the eyes being blue would look cool.  Keep up the good work!

Gonna echo this statement, looks great, the blue is too much though. My suggestion would be a faded black through to grey. I realllly like this colour scheme. Good effort!

[Attackmack]

26 minutes ago, cb_rex said:

This looks really cool, I'd say the bone armour and rusted metal is spot on here, but I agree the blue stands out far too much.  Something like a brown or grey would tie in nicely with the armour maybe the eyes being blue would look cool.  Keep up the good work!

 

Thanks!

Grey would probably fit it well but im unsure what nyance and what colors to go with. Have you got any suggestions?

 

23 minutes ago, Mohojoe said:

Gonna echo this statement, looks great, the blue is too much though. My suggestion would be a faded black through to grey. I realllly like this colour scheme. Good effort!

Thank you!

I might try progressively highlighting from black to a lighter grey by mixing black and white. I do like the bit of color the blue adds and to be fair its not as aggressive in reality, the camera flash makes it really hurt the eyes! That said, its still too much or at least too bright and "clean".

It quickly gets overwhelming when going on the net looking for tutorials for things as rust or wear n tear and similar. There are countless tutorials on all subjects that I dont even know where to start!

[Cordova]

The 3rd mini looks a lot better   I would consider highlighting the sharp edges of the rusted areas of the shield with some silver, as they'd naturally attract impacts which would cut through the rust.

 

1 hour ago, Attackmack said:

I ran into a problem with the blue cloth as Im unsure how to make it look worn and tattered without cluttering it.

Try highlighting it by adding grey, instead of a lighter blue or white, or alternatively, reapply the base-coat it with a bit of grey in it to desaturate is (think washed denim).

[Attackmack]

2 hours ago, Cordova said:

The 3rd mini looks a lot better   I would consider highlighting the sharp edges of the rusted areas of the shield with some silver, as they'd naturally attract impacts which would cut through the rust.

 

Try highlighting it by adding grey, instead of a lighter blue or white, or alternatively, reapply the base-coat it with a bit of grey in it to desaturate is (think washed denim).

 

I did actually highlight some of the edges with silver but mainly on the hammer's "hitting end"  Ill go over the mini again and see if I can carefully add a bit more to the shield.

When you say "reapply the basecoat" do you mean to highlight with the basecoat color or simply redo the basecoat? 

[Cordova]

 

2 hours ago, Attackmack said:

I did actually highlight some of the edges with silver but mainly on the hammer's "hitting end"  Ill go over the mini again and see if I can carefully add a bit more to the shield.

Ah, just caught that (isn't overly prominent due to the model's pose ... doh!).  You just want the left "hard-edge" of the shield, and probably the rivet ... it'll just give it a bit of "lift"/definition.

 

2 hours ago, Attackmack said:

When you say "reapply the basecoat" do you mean to highlight with the basecoat color or simply redo the basecoat? 

I was meaning if highlighting by adding grey didn't work, consider giving it a re-do, from a less saturated starting point - adding the grey will make it a less striking colour (I was going with a mental image of worn denim), which you'll then highlight by adding a light grey (e.g. Ulthuan), which should give it a nice "worn" look (I did something like this with my ancient Skeleton Archers, with Enchanted Blue and Elf Grey ... 4th Ed WHFB ...).

 

[Attackmack]

 

 

 

Ok here are the three variations.

I think I like the middle one (brown) the best, if I can just make it with more precision and detail I think it fits great.

I also saw some amazing stormcast painted in white with bright red details, Schindler's List style, and it looks amazing. I dont have any range or reds in my inventory though so I cant try it tonight but will probably do later this week.

Still wanna here peoples thoughts though. I think the latest attempt is the one that can give the best sense of the cloth and ornaments being "worn". The grey could probably be more grey and the entire paintjob done with more detail but it does give the effect of paint and dyes having been rubbed off.

 

[Rogue Explorator]

That is starting to look real nice. I particularly like that use of technical color, with your permission, I might have to imitate that at some point.

I think it is awesome you are willing to experiment so much just starting out and think it will really pay of for you, both in awesome miniatures and technical experience you otherwhise may not have developed quite so.

 

This hobby gives people a lot of creative space and I often find the plogs and posts where people really explore that to be the most engaging, while I find armies I know to be painted to an outstanding standart still somehow lacking, when they just reproduce a studio color scheme. But I am digressing here.

[Mohojoe]

2 hours ago, Attackmack said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like the final picture the most. After seeing the mini in a few angles though i think you may need to consider adding some trim to the armour or a few separately coloured panels to break up the colour scheme a bit. Perhaps grey again or even metal trim. It might look fine when its all finished but i think such a large block of colour will need some Breaking up.

Anyway, just my two cents, 

Great work as always fella, keep it up

[Attackmack]

19 minutes ago, Rogue Explorator said:

That is starting to look real nice. I particularly like that use of technical color, with your permission, I might have to imitate that at some point.

I think it is awesome you are willing to experiment so much just starting out and think it will really pay of for you, both in awesome miniatures and technical experience you otherwhise may not have developed quite so.

 

This hobby gives people a lot of creative space and I often find the plogs and posts where people really explore that to be the most engaging, while I find armies I know to be painted to an outstanding standart still somehow lacking, when they just reproduce a studio color scheme. But I am digressing here.

 

No permission needed, everyone learns from everyone and id be more then happy if anything I do inspire someone else to do the same or similar!

My previous painting experience have always been about producing table ready miniatures as fast as possible. Usually resulting in minis that would have been better of left unpainted

But this time I want to give it time and patience with hopes of producing a set of miniatures I can put on the table without being embarrassed about it. Experimenting can be frustrating when results dont match expectations, and even more so when it could but is hindered by skill. 

 

13 minutes ago, Mohojoe said:

I like the final picture the most. After seeing the mini in a few angles though i think you may need to consider adding some trim to the armour or a few separately coloured panels to break up the colour scheme a bit. Perhaps grey again or even metal trim. It might look fine when its all finished but i think such a large block of colour will need some Breaking up.

Anyway, just my two cents, 

Great work as always fella, keep it up

You are spot on with that, watching the model at the pictures and especially the backside of it it feels a little lacking. First of all I realized I had not painted the areas between the armor joints. It will get either a black with drybrush or a darker wash to shade it down and break the uniform bone color.

Im also looking at what parts I could trim somehow to give it a bit more details. I dont want to make a lot of it, and I need to stick to parts that are easily painted since I just cant do the finer details.

The prime models will get the one shoulderpad entirely in metal (with some rust) so that will do nicely for it but im leaving that for the primes only.

 

Thanks for the feedback, its appreciated and its great to get new ideas and approaches.

[Routasydän]

Something like a dark red could work on the cloth parts too

Im really liking the bone coloured armor, seems like it simply just washed but it looks ace. The crackle effect works nicely too, especially on the shield. And that rust and the sludge thats pouring onto the bony shield looks neat too.

 

[Kramer]

18 hours ago, Routasydän said:

Something like a dark red could work on the cloth parts too

 

Or maybe a deep purple. Both are very regal colours that can support a lighter colour well. 

[Attackmack]

10 hours ago, Kramer said:

Or maybe a deep purple. Both are very regal colours that can support a lighter colour well. 

 

Purple IS the colour of death in manu cultures

Or so I heard at least. Im looking to get a few additional colors come weekend, reds are on the list and I might look for some purple as well.

[Kramer]

2 hours ago, Attackmack said:

 

Purple IS the colour of death in manu cultures

Or so I heard at least. Im looking to get a few additional colors come weekend, reds are on the list and I might look for some purple as well.

Really? Never heard that. Curious to know which cultures that would be. 

 

Edit: Google says: Purple is the color of mourning or death in many cultures (U.K., Italy, Thailand, Brazil). Never knew that, thanks!

[Attackmack]

2 minutes ago, Kramer said:

Really? Never heard that. Curious to know which cultures that would be. 

Whatever article mentioned it never got into details but it said that purple is commonly associated with death and mourning in many cultures around the world. I wonder if the "Purple Heart" medal spans from this idea?

Nagash wears purple doesnt he?

[Kramer]

15 minutes ago, Attackmack said:

I wonder if the "Purple Heart" medal spans from this idea?

Good call. Might just well be. 

In Britain, purple is sometimes associated with mourning. In Victorian times, close relatives wore black for the first year following a death ("deep mourning") , and then replaced it with purple or dark green trimmed with black. This is rarely practised today. (Wikipedia knowledge, but sounds about right, logical at least)