Field Report: Red Scorpion Space Marine Bike

Master of the Forge shows up a sleek Space Marine bike conversion for a Red Scorpion Captain.  The basic GW bikes are so blocky, I really like the stretched, faster look of this conversion.

With all of the cool, new toys in the SM Codex, I feel like the bikes get overlooked.  I think there's a ton of potential there for some interesting conversions.

Got an article you'd like to see featured here on TPC?  Send us a link at ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com and we'll see about getting it up! 

On The Table: Marines Exemplar Scouting Force

Poor Obiwan Sherlock Clousseau; he's getting no time on the painting desk these days because friendly local game store BattleForge Games is running a painting challenge.  The goal is to paint up a 500 point force in a month and use that force in a tournament at the conclusion of the thirty days.

There's little fluff about the Marines Exemplar so I cheated and changed their color scheme.  After painting a whole bunch of Black Templars (most of them also in 30 days), I wanted something that would have a little more contrast and visual appeal than black armor with red arms.

I trimmed out the shoulder pads, kneepads, chest eagles and veteran's helmets in Bleached Bone over 50-50 Bleached Bone/Calthan Brown over a base of Calthan Brown.  The reds are Mechrite Red, Go Fasta Red with a hint of Solar Macharius Orange for a highlight.  The shading on the red is Vallejo Game Color Dark Fleshtone, which is a nice dark brown-red.  The bases will be brown, so even though the scheme is a simple red/black/white, everything is tinted a little brown for a warmer, richer color.

But now back to work!  There are only 6 days left and I've got these twenty plus a Rhino and Drop Pod to finish.

Have questions? We've got answers! We want to help! If you want to see something covered here on TPC, let us know at ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com or on our Twitter or Facebook page!

Friday Quick Tip: Angels Vermillion

Today LBursley runs us through painting an Angels Vermillion Space Marine.  A visually striking hard highlight style that some out there might consider when you move forward with a new army for the (somewhat) recent Blood Angels Codex.  Give the video a watch, take what you will from it, gain knowledge, paint better, have fun!



Have questions? We've got answers! We want to help! If you want to see something covered here on TPC, let us know at ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com or on our Twitter or Facebook page!

Field Report: Looted Wagon

Big D over at Hogs of War has a fantastic inside-out Ork Looted Wagon weathered with a Dremel and plenty of Mig powders.  As I'm in the market for a Looted Wagon for BoLSCon (and I love me some inside out armor weathering), I might just have to completely steal this idea.  Part 1 can be found here.

Got an article you'd like to see featured here on TPC?  Send us a link at ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com and we'll see about getting it up! 

Field Report: Praetorian Ogryn Squad

Col. Gravis really outdoes himself when it comes to those pith headed meat shields!  Check out this really awesome set of Ogryn converted to fit the prim and proper stylings of the Praetorian!  See the whole squad here!

Got an article you'd like to see featured here on TPC?  Send us a link at ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com and we'll see about getting it up! 

On the Table: Space Hulk Angels Sanguine

I always knew these models were cool, but damn they look good when based and placed together.  This is the first set of 5 for my Space Hulk set that will see double duty as Angels Sanguine for 40k.  The bases are magnetized for easy and quick removal for either mission.  Expect a tip on how I went about this come Friday! If you didn't see the latest articles from this project, be sure to check out the Reinforcements here.

Anyone else just getting around to their Space Hulk set?  Or am I the only one who has procrastinated this long?  Tell your tale, share some links, show some pictures!

Reinforcements: Angels Sanguine Terminator

When I originally ordered my Space Hulk set, I had no idea when or how I'd go about getting the models painted.  After receiving the box though, I quickly thought of one of my favorite color schemes, The Angels Sanguine.  My decision was made.  Now, where to find some time...Classes have kept me quite busy, and I'd been using what little free time I did have on a few other projects.  Since classes are now officially finished for the semester though, I've been able to finish my first Angel of Death.

I used zenith styled highlights, both with my airbrush and bristles.  The breakdown of this can be found here for those interested.

The black was painted without using a true black base color.  Instead I went with VMC German Grey as the base, highlighted with Codex Grey by glazing the color on subtly according to the facing, the higher and more in line with the 'light source' the more highlighting was applied.  This was then washed down and shaded using Badab Black.

Once base colors were finished, metals were applied with Chainmail and washed with Gryphonne Sepia or Badab Black according to what finish I wanted.  See this set of articles for a bit more on how I go about metals.

After the metals, it was time for the gems.  I used VMC Purple VMC Black and VMC White to create a spectrum of color on my wet palette (Buy: Masterson Sta-Wet Palette Seal), this was applied in the usual fashion for gems with consideration for the light source.  I'll need to get a tip together for this some day, but there are so many out there already!

The purity seals parchment was painted with VMC Ivory to a solid finish.  The text was done using Bestial Brown and then the entire thing was then washed down with Gryphonne Sepia.  The wax was painted with VMC Flat Red and highlighted with a light mix of Flat Red and White, this was glazed slightly to tone the highlight back down with Flat Red.

The base was added by chopping up a bunch of plasticard and lining an outline of the models attached base on a 40mm round base, then trimming the excess.  The model is secured by putting a magnet in the base of he model and gluing one to the underside of the round base.  Expect an article in the near future on this one!

The base was painted Boltgun Metal, then using pigments from AwesomePaintjob.com, I added the rusting.  I mixed the pigments with VMC Matt Medium and applied it heavily all over.  I started with the deep brown pigment and then when dry I applied the orange rust color in the same way by stippling it on heavily.  Then going back in with a drybrush of Boltgun Metal, I hit the edges of the sections and gave them a worn away look.  To finish the base, I painted the rim Black.

I'm really looking forward to getting more of these guys finished.  I can't wait to have a fully painted set for Space Hulk, but it's quite a ways off!  I've already modeled the next of the set and hope to get started soon!  I might even find the time to take a few extra photos of the a few more steps along the way!  Stay tuned!  

Field Report: Cadian Tutorial

Stahly sent this article along recently and I really dig the final look.  Be sure to check it out.

If you've got an article you'd like to get some more traffic to, send a link along to ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com.  We really love to highlight the best new tutorials and tips around the web! 

Friday Quick Tip: Airbrushed Highlights/Zenithal Highlighting

An airbrush is great for a lot of different things.  Base coats are just the beginning of a long laundry list of different uses that you can put this fantastic tool to effective use.  One such technique I've recently began to use with a variety of models I've worked on has been zenithal highlights.

Zenithal highlights break down to omni-directional light sourcing.  It's less intense than Object Sourced Lighting, but gives a nice natural feel to your highlights without much sacrifice in time when you've gained an understanding of the overall intent.

When starting off you need to pick your lighting direction.  Find a dynamic angle that works for the piece.  In this case, I've gone with a slightly in front of the model spot and about 6 inches up and off the piece.  The model was primed with Krylon white primer, and I then used my airbrush to go in and add the shading from the underside with VMC Black.  This pre-shading changes the hue slightly of our base colors and will help down the road some in respect to washes and depth.  You can also create a very nice mood depending on the amount of drama you're setting for the 'scene'.  You could likely get much the same effect as I have here using black and white spray primers with a bit more of a controlled spray and careful attention to your angles.

Going back in with my airbrush I've sprayed the base color red, in this case VMC Carmine Red, to the areas I'm working with.  This was applied to all of the red areas with no adherence to a certain angle, just getting the base layer down in quick fashion by using my airbrush.  The real benefit to using an airbrush over hand brushing your base layer on is the speed and smoothness.  Colors that would have taken an hour to paint by hand and get smooth, take minutes. 

Going back to my lighting angle, I airbrushed on my first highlight, VMC Flat Red.  Maintaining my zenithal angle for this step is crucial to getting the look right.  You might feel inclined to dig in and start highlighting everything on the piece, but you'd quickly ruin the effect.  Stick to the angle and you'll be able to brush in variations in hue and wash other areas down later.

After your airbrushed highlight, you can go back in and settle other areas with their base colors.  For my Angels Sanguine, this means making the color scheme split with VMC German Grey.

As I said above, you can begin to create more variation in the piece with washes and paint by going into recessed areas and toning the colors down as they need it.  I used Thraka Green and Gryphonne Sepia to get the higher armor plates to stand out more.  Careful application is the name of the game here, don't go overboard and be sure to water them down some as you're using them.  Highlights were added sparingly along armor edges and joins and were also kept low key to allow the lighting effect to work.  The black areas were washed down as well with Badab Black carefully applied to create different tones in the armor.  It was then brush highlighted to mimic the lighting effects.

Overall this is a really useful technique that many out there can make good use of.  Don't have an airbrush?  Try careful use of spray cans instead.  The idea is also possible using regular bristles, but will take longer to accomplish.  If you have a one off piece or are just looking for a new way to add some mood to your latest figures, I highly suggest you give this one a try.

Have some insight that I might have missed?  Share your experiences with this technique in the comments!  Knowledge is power!

On the Table: ACES Rules and Photos

Here are the rules for those interested in the game I've created.  It's built for simplicity and ease of play. I was more interested in keeping the instructions to a single page than making deep and involved rules.  More a kids game than a hardcore tabletop game!  There is still enough depth of strategy to keep things interesting.  It's also easily expandable so in the future, should I find reason to create expansions for the base game, it won't be an issue!  I'll also get the game pieces scanned and will post them here for those who want to give it a go. 

ACES

ACES is a game of air to air combat pitting opponents against each other in a vicious fight for control of the skies. 

HOW TO PLAY:

1.       CHOOSE SIDES – Will you fight for the glory of the Motherland or take up arms in defense of your way of life?  One side takes Red, One side takes Blue.

2.      CREATE THE AIRSPACE – Set up the battlefield by laying the tiles to create a rectangle. 

3.      DEPLOY – Each side deploys along a short edge, place your aircraft as you see fit along the board edge.

4.      ROLL OFF – To see who goes first, each side rolls a die, the side with the higher roll goes first.

5.      FIGHT! – See below for the turn sequence and victory conditions

TURN SEQUENCE:

I.                   ROLL – To start your turn, roll 2 Dice, this will determine the distance you can move or shoot this turn.

II.                MOVE or SHOOT – You may move or shoot with a single aircraft, the distance of both is determined by the roll you made at the beginning of your turn.  Declare which you will do before moving or shooting.

a.      To MOVE, move your aircraft into an adjacent square, the higher you roll, the more squares you may move.  You may move in any direction.  Face your aircraft in any direction after you are finished moving.

b.      To SHOOT, count out squares directly in front of your aircraft in the direction of the enemy aircraft, if they are within range, you have taken a shot.  Roll a Die and on a 4, 5, or 6 you have shot the enemy aircraft from the sky.

III.             END OF TURN – Your turn is complete. it is now your Opponents turn.

VICTORY!  - Once all of your opponents aircraft are shot for the sky, you have won!

Feel free to leave comments and questions, I'd love to shore up any areas that need it and will edit as necessary should an appropriate change need to be made! Expect scans in the near future. Stay tuned!

On the Table: ACES

So as some may know, I'm currently attending classes to attain an Art degree, this is my first year, and am taking a lot of basic courses for my foundation.  My last project for Two-Dimensional Design was to create a game.  Here is what I came up with:

I made extensive use of my airbrush and learned a good amount about the importance of stencils this early on when working on a flat surface.

The box was a $5 wooden cigar box I found in the unfinished section at the local crafts shop.

Overall, I'm really happy with how everything came out.  It was a great exercise in airbrush use and it really sped the entire project up.  The only things not airbrushed were the latitude/longitude lines which were applied using a sharpie thin point marker.

Play is about as simple as I could make it for a single page of text instructions.  It allows for a bit of strategic depth without getting cumbersome and slowing down the game, while also allowing for expansion rules to easily integrate.  

I hope to get some of the things I've learned from this into a tips and tutorials for the future!  

Field Report: More Blending

I never get enough blending articles.  Here Jens at Brusthralls goes through the technique.  I used to be completely intimidated by blending.  My first attempts were terrible, but not that I've tried it several time and tried several different techniques I've come across a technique that works for me, and actually works.  Not that I get good results each time, but at least I've got my starting point for more practice.  And lots more practice is needed to get results like the above.

If you've got a tutorial or a tip you've posted or seen recently, we want to know about it.  Send 'em to ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com

On The Table: Space Marine Jump Chaplain

Friendly local Game Store BattleForge Games is having a 500 point "Scouting Force" painting contest, so I decided this would be a good chance to start on my Marines Exemplar, which will be replacing my Novamarines.  (I just can't bring myself to paint a whole army with a quartered paint scheme.  Sorry, the Novas are a no go.)

First up for the scouting force is their HQ: Chaplain Salvatore.  Salvatore still needs work on his metallics and base, but at least I got a good start on him before the Tac Marines arrive to crowd my table.

What's on your painting table this weekend?

Friday Quick Tip: Armor Inside Out

This concept for this project began quite a while ago, back when I borrowed a primed white Land Raider Crusader (previously destined for my Novamarines army) for my Black Templars.  My BTs are snow themed, but without vehicles.  BushidoRedPanda (also owner of a winter-themed BT army) looked at the white LRC with my Black Templars and jokingly asked if the LRC was sporting snow camo.  The seed was sewn.

Inspired by Grey_Death's winter whitewash article, and the comment about multiple colored chips by Juahn F'rann, I set out to add another layer of weathering and see if I could get a good weathered base by combining layers of liquid mask.

I also realize not everyone is on the airbrush bandwagon, so I wanted to do this whole tank with spray paints as a quick and simple alternative.

Once again the star of the show: the masking fluid.  This was my first time using the stuff, and I found the long skinny pieces of foam are great for dipping into the bottle.  Be sure not to load up too much fluid, that foam will soak up a lot if you let it.  I dipped and then dabbed off excess on a paper towel.  The stick foam also works well with the multiple layers technique since you can just tear off the fluid-encrusted tip when it dries out.  (I tried pulling the latex mask out of the foam, but that is an exercise in futility.)

Over the white primer I did a quick coat of Krylon in a nice rust color and Colorplace (cheap Walmart brand) grey just to cover the white primer.

And then I dabbed and brushed with the foam until I got good coverage around the bottom of the tank.  This is a lot more rust than normal because I plan to do a big layer of mud on the skirt to match the rest of my army (that are all knee-deep in mud).

Once the mask is dry, the whole tank gets a quick spray of Chaos Black...

... and then a little more mask, this time focusing on areas where the whitewash would wear off from use.

At this stage I wasn't sure how good my whitewash was going to cover, so I hedged and did a light top-down spray of white Tamiya Fine Surface primer to give a little help covering the black.

To get a nice mopped-on whitewash effect, I used my pickup brush (brush I use to take paint from the pot to the palette) like a mop: pick up a big glob, splash it down on the model and them rub and smear it around until you need more paint.  Normally people complain about chalky white paint, but for this whitewash I chose the chalkiest white I could find.  I mixed 1 part Coat D'Arms white with 5 parts craft white paint and 1 part light brown craft paint.  I wanted a slightly off-white color, so if you have a nice off-white craft paint that would probably work just as well.  I then thinned down the mix to the consistency of milk; it was runny, but thick enough to not run down the sides of the model.

Now comes the hardest part of the process: removing all the latex mask.  While using this technique with an airbrush and thin base coat calls for a gentle touch to carefully remove the mask and preserve the base color, using sprays calls for more serious tools.  At this point the LRC has 5 layers of paint: white primer, grey/rust base, black second base, white spray, white brush-on-- not including the two layers of mask in there!  So after gingerly picking at the mask with my fingernail and a toothpick, I broke out the toothbrush and started scrubbing this thing.  But once the mask (or at least a majority of it) was removed, I was quite pleased with the results.

This last step is the most time-consuming, but the other steps of masking and spraying don't take much time.  Most of the time is spent waiting for the layers to dry, so you can easily work on a squad or other project while you work on the tank.

Next time I'd like to try a more colorful weathering layer.  This time I plan on using some rust pigments for a better look on the rust spray but I could have easily sponged on a nice rust effect as the first layer and even added some grey primer chipping on the upper portions of the tank for more depth once all the mask is removed.  Overall I'm happy how it turned out, and pleased to see you can get good results with liquid masking using only readily-available spray paints.

Got a Quick Tip or want to see one of our Quick Tips written into an in-depth article?  Shoot us an email at ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com and we'll be happy to oblige!

Army Surplus: Lysander

LBursley has recently put his latest character up for sale for those interested!  Check out AwesomePaintjob's Online Store/Painted Models section for more on how to snag him.

From Les on painting Lysander:


The model was painted with all Vallejo Paints.  Airbrushed primer, basecoat, shading, and highlighting.  The base is from the APJ 40mm Concrete Massacre line and has flocking from Scenic Express and GF9.  Pigments were also used on the base to simulate pulverized concrete using APJ Cinder Block Grey pigment.  The black was done differently from what I usually do and was highlighted with a single coat of Scorched Brown.  This made the metal area look almost like an ancient iron cast.  Source lighting coming from the left side of his face from green LED's in the suit.  This model was made to play with so it has 3 coats of matte varnish.

Be sure to check out the other products Les has over on AwesomePaintjob.com as well!  We should see some new videos from him soon as well, stay tuned!

Field Report: Ork Skin Tutorial

Androsch at Tower of Heroes shares a fantastic Ork Skin tutorial.  And as a bonus, we get excellent shots of his wet palette while painting.

Hey, that looks like my wet palette, so maybe I'm doing something right?  (It might be a miracle.)

If you've got a tutorial or a tip you've posted or seen recently, we want to know about it.  Send 'em to ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com

Field Report: Wood Box Bunkers

Ranger Bob at Mordian 95th Rifles has a write up for an Imperial bunker made from a cheap craft store wooden box.  He's even kept the removable roof for when the bunker gets breached.

Hard to believe this is how it started; but a few coffee stirrers, dowels, textured paint and Super Sculpey and you've got a great bunker for not a lot of cash.

If you've got a tutorial or a tip you've posted or seen recently, we want to know about it.  Send 'em to ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com

Field Report: Eldar Guardian Tutorial

Stahly sent along a link for a fantastic tutorial he's put together for Eldar Guardians of the 'red' persuasion.  I really enjoy the clean colors and sharp highlights.  Odd coming from a grime and grit kind of guy like myself isn't it?  Head over and check it out.

If you've got a tutorial or a tip you've posted or seen recently, we want to know about it.  Send your links to ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com

Field Report: Fur Roof?

The Mothership is back with a very interesting method for making a fantastic thatch roof.  Yes, that's a piece of teddy bear fur, available at fabric stores or from slaughtering your own teddies.  It sounds a little bizarre, but looks fantastic and has a really great texture when complete.

Links!  We want em!  Send your links for great articles around the web to ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com!

Friday Quick Tip: Freehand Hints

Here are a few freehand hints from my fantastic class at Adepticon taught by James and Cathy Wappel.  I've always been a little weary of freehand designs because I haven't had much success for with them.  The main reason I didn't have success was planning and practice.

The tip that helped me the most, especially with more complex designs, is to first draw out a few samples to get an idea of what you want to do.  I experimented with different versions of the shield pattern from the Wappel's class: squared, counter-swirls, etc.  Plan the design and plan how it will fit on the surface of your model, being sure to account for curves and details.  In this case there's a nub in the middle of the shield I had to work around.  It wasn't too difficult to work with in the design phase, but when painting sometimes that nub would be right where I wanted my brush to be.

Once you get an idea for a design you like, start drawing it at (or near) scale so that you can practice the movement your brush will make when you paint the design.  As you can see in the sketches above, I had trouble getting the directions of the curl right in a few instances.  By practicing the design on paper before you put paint to model, you reduce the chance of an "oops" ruining your day.

After you've mastered (or at least practiced it plenty of times) on the smaller scale, time to put it down on the model.  You can either trace the pattern lightly with a pencil or use thin line of watered down Chaos Black.  I've found the black works better for me since it gets my hands thinking about painting thin, controlled lines.

When selecting a model or spot for a freehand design, don't chose an area or a model with excessive detail.  Large flat areas like cloaks work well because there's no surface texture.  A cloak with a scale texture detail will be much more difficult to paint a design on, but you can paint a scale freehand on any flat cloak.

And finally here's a great tip for when things go awry: If you mess up, you've just created a perfect spot for weathering, battle damage or a bit of gore.  On the shield above you'll notice the bottom right curl doesn't quite come al the way down to the bottom of the shield.  A little bit of blood pooling and the mistake is a lot less noticeable.

Got a Quick Tip or want to see one of our Quick Tips written into an in-depth article?  Shoot us an email at ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com and we'll be happy to oblige!

Army Surplus: Eldar Wave Serpent and Dire Avengers

Something a little different today, I'm clearing out some Army Surplus and hoping to find these Dire Avengers and Wave Serpent a new home.  They are up for sale on eBay.

I painted these guys way back when the new Eldar Codex came out, right after I retired from amateur auto racing and started getting back into 40k and painting more seriously.  They have been a staple in my Eldar army for a long time, but now I've got some urban-colored Avengers and really want to start on some "Urban Avengers", so hopefully a missing squad will provide some motivation.

This is also the start of a new weekly feature called Army Surplus.  Have you got some fully-painted models you are looking to sell or already have listed on an auction site?  Send us a link, description and a few pics to ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com.  Each week we'll pick a few we receive and post them to the site.  If you write a little description on the colors or techniques used that improves your chances of getting featured.

Field Report: Pre-Heresy Monstrosity

I never really got into the whole "Pre-Heresy" thing, but this counts-as Summoned Greater Demon by BushidoRedPanda is just fantastic.  He fashioned the best from a Penitent Engine and the brown stuff is leather cord.  Interesting, I'll have to try that the next time I need some flexible tubing.

Links!  We want em!  Send your links for great articles around the web to ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com!

Field Report: Eldar Pathfinders Explained

President Evil has a great squad of Eldar Pathfinders and bonus accompanying tactica on display over at Special Cases.  I especially love the mud at the bottom of the cloak and the freehand designs.  He also goes in-depth into his technique including his wet palette setup.

Links!  We want em!  Send your links for great articles around the web to ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com!

On The Table: Aircraft Carrier and Angels Sanguine

I wasn't lying.

It's random, but it's fun.  I picked up a wood puzzle at Micheal's about two weeks back and had a day of assembling it about a week ago.  Still a bit to go on the Carrier proper, but a ton of little aircraft to throw some paint on with the airbrush.  Nothing too serious, just a bunch of airbrush work.  

I've finally started painting my Space Hulk terminators as well.  Angels Sanguine has always been my favorite Blood Angels color scheme and I've had a good time with this guy so far.  All of the above I did in one sitting.  Red was a cinch with the airbrush.  I went back in with washes (greens and browns) to add depth.  The black was done by hand and actually doesn't use much true black at all, it's all very dark greys and some black washes.  A lot of stuff to do still, but I think he's looking pretty good so far.  Oh and the base?  He's magnetized.  Just picked up the Blood Angels Codex to see what if any plans I might have for these guys when they're all done! 

Hopefully you'll see more from me as I find some free time once classes are over!  Keep painting, learn new things, and if you've got an idea for something you would like to see us cover, send us a line at ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com! 

Reinforcements: Obiwan Sherlock Clousseau, Part 1

So the secret was short-lived, thanks to keen-eyed reader Saint_Lupus, but here's my take on the famous Inquisitor Obiwan Sherlock Clousseau.

Let me first start by saying that I have an irrational fear of painting faces.  I always prefer helmeted models and my normal faces are lucky to have a little wash with no eyes.  While I've read and tried a lot of different approaches for eyes, I'm always afraid of the crazy-eyes or cross-eyed look.  And since I'm afraid of painting faces, I usually save it for last and end up with an otherwise good model ruined.

So for this model I was going to face my fears and paint the face and eyes first.  If it doesn't work out, I'll just strip the paint and prime him again.  No worries.

Starting off with a coat of Tallarn Flesh.  Forgive the camera work here, because of his wide-brimmed hat his face is pretty difficult to photograph without everything being over-exposed.

Next, thinned Hormagaunt Purple for shading the recesses.

Then start working up the highlights with 50-50 Tallarn Flesh and Bleached Bone and then a Bleached Bone highlight on the nose, chin and cheek bones.  I also hit the teeth with bleached bone.

Next I dab a little big of Delvin Mud in the eye sockets.  I always picture Inquisitors as sunken, but wild-eyed and gaunt individuals, so I tried to make him pretty grim looking.  I also put down some white for the eyes.

Now is the tense time for me: the eyes.  I started with a dab of green in the middle of the white and then put down a tiny dot of black in the center of the green.  The green is really dark, so you can barely tell in person, let alone in these bad pics.

Then I went back and cleaned up and smoothed out some of the highlights and added a little bit of white to his teeth and a little bit more Delvin Mud around his eye sockets.  Keep in mind I am thinning down the Delvin Mud before I apply it os as not to get too dark each time.

Phew!  The most stressful part of this model (for me) is done.  And it doesn't look completely terrible, so I can take a sigh of relief and take a break.

You can see in this final picture I also started blocking out the gear on his chest and his hair.  Since he's got a lot of detail- leather straps, pouches, bottles, flowing locks of hair and sweet sideburns, I wanted to make sense of it a little before I started on the hat and shirt.  I've found that putting a little base coat helps me to explore all the fine details and plan what I'm going to do next.  But next is the hair and shirt, so look for those in Part 2.