Field Report: Storm Eagles Army Profile

Since I posted a look at my own army yesterday, I thought I would direct the community to one of those armies that helped inspire me over the years.  Grimteef has always been a source of inspiration for me, and his work always touches on a note of subtly or goes over the top with incredible detail.  With his Storm Eagles army, it's all about the colors subtly playing off each other to build a beautiful composition with each model.  So where can you get a good look at his army you ask?  What corner of the internet could such a wealth of imagery be held?  Why, in the DakkaDakka.com Army Profiles article section of course!  Head over to Grimteef's Storm Eagles army profile for a bunch more photos of this fantastic army.

The Army Profiles section on Dakka holds a lot of great work.  If you're looking for inspiration on a new force, it's a good spot to stop by and browse!

Showcase: Sons of Medusa

With a trip up to the Games-Workshop Bunker in Bowie, MD the other day, I took a few minutes off to my own on an empty table toward the back to get a few shots of my Sons of Medusa as they stand today.  The army has come a long way since my first steps into creating a hardly known army from the depths of the Rogue Trader days.  Now, it's become a sort of legacy project that will see me into many more years of modeling and painting. 

Field Report: Zorcons Imperial Dwelling

Digging around the web I was drawn into the blog Zorcon's Word by a thumbnail of what looked to be a great example of mixing homemade terrain and store bought 40k panels.  The thumbnail shot didn't lead me astray either, as when I clicked and got a close look, I found a fantastic looking building with functionality and design in mind. 

The building comes apart, and there are places for models to stand along the stairway that doesn't look out of place in the slightest!  The use of space between the Cities of Death panels is just right and adds a much needed respite from the over-detailing that is usually prevalent in the kits.  The balsa looks fantastic and makes good use of layering to create an almost ornate look.  And at first I thought it was moulding panel cut to size! 

Be sure you head over to Zorcon's Word and check out what he's up to with this building, along with some more shots of the thing pulled apart. 

I love finding terrain around the web.  It's usually one of the first things I look to when it comes to casual browsing.  It also makes me want to break out the bigger tools and get working on a table and terrain set of my own!

On The Table: Little Princess

Some time ago, I posted a quick WIP shot of this model/mini-diorama in it's primed state.  But the months passed by and nothing ever came of it as it began collecting dust on my shelves.  Well thanks to my need to paint different things from time to time, I pulled it down from the shelf and plopped it down on my hobby table and put in a little time on the piece.

Reinforcements: Assault Terminator

To help me get things mocked out for my squad of assault terminators, I decided to go ahead with a single model from the group and paint him up fully.  The big reason was to test the idea I had for my lightning claws.  I wanted them to fit the rest of the close combat weapons in the army but keep them interesting enough to catch your eye. 

In the end, I went with my typical washing method for metallics using Badab Black over a chainmail base color and touched them back up to add depth with another hit of chainmail.  Then I went back in with Devlin Mud along the knuckles and attachment points for the claws.  I went back into the blades and added thinned glazes of Chaos Black to add a shade along the blade, fading it out to the points.  I took chainmail and added scratches to the blades and other spots on the claws. 

Thanks to the shoulder ring, I had to do the chapter badge 100% freehand.  Not exactly fun times, but it's always a good exercise!  And speaking of the trophy ring, I'm extremely satisfied with how it came out!

Now it's on to the next four models from the squad that I have plans to get done all at once via batch painting.  Stay tuned, as I hope to them done sometime in the next week! 

Open Discussion: How much airbrush?

As time trudges along and more and more painters around the world are finding the beauty of the airbrush, I have started seeing more and more wargaming models that put the wonderful tool to good use.  Some of the more pronounced of these examples make a serious use of the airbrush to go far beyond the simple base coating or even just a quick zenithal highlight.  They task their brush with actual highlights, added armor detailing and weapon effects.  I've seen many object source lighting examples done with an airbrush all around the web as well. 

The question at hand lies in the aesthetics inherent with airbrushing the majority of a model.  The finish feels softer in many cases.  Transitions more subtle, but at the same time noticeable as being airbrushed depending on the space.  There is a balancing act between brush and airbrush that many examples I've seen that are on the heavier end of either side.  Some use their airbrush for very simple tasks.  Others for as complex a task as they can possibly control.  There are others still that try to strike that balance between the speed of an airbrush and the look of the brush.  In the end, it's all up to the viewers, customers, or painters aesthetic choice.  How you perceive and enjoy a look of the finished model is what is most important. 

So lets have it.  How much airbrush do you like on your wargaming models?  Do you like more for something like a vehicle than say an infantry model?  Armor verses cloth?  The floor is yours. 

Army Surplus: Commissar

$35+shipping

I've been meaning to go back through some of the various one off models I've done in the past and put them up for sale.  Today, I've found a perfect jumping off point to get things started.  The model today was painted up as a contest entry for the Dakka Painting Challenge:  Old School.  I had an old Imperial Guard model laying and thanks to my (at the time) recent reading of a one Ciaphas Cain's escapades, I ran with the idea of a commissar.

He has since sat in my cases and hasn't seen much of the light of day.  So, with that I have decided to try and find him a caring home!  If you're interested in picking him up, and have a Paypal account, shoot me an e-mail at ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com.

I'll likely have a few more of these in the coming weeks as I dig around through my cases.  So stay tuned, and if you see something you're interested in, be sure to get in touch!

Field Report: Volomir's Blog

Trolling around through From the Warp's blogroll's, I stumbled across a great blog full of amazing shots of a ton of great models.  It's called Volomir's Blog, run appropriately by a modeler/painter called Volomir.  He's an amazing painter and I've only just skimmed the surface of the blog which has a huge backlog of entries!  From his own WIP shots and finished work to a lot of great competition models from the various contests he's attended/judged, the blog screams inspiration from every corner. 

The photo above is just the latest from Volomir's painting station, and an amazing sample to start with!  So what are you waiting for?  Get over there, subscribe and get your inspired on! 

On The Table: Assault Terminators WIP

Things with my latest batch of terminators have taken a bit of a slow start.  The modeling went extremely quick and well paced, but once they were primed and ready to catch paint, things began to slow down to a near halt.  All of this was of course around the same time I picked up a new Xbox game.  I'm not proud of it, but I've been spending far too much time digging in with Halo: Reach this last week!  It's been some time since I really got into a video game, so it's only natural I'd take a little more time to really give one a full run.

The terminators did however catch some work over the last few days.  Not a lot, and not even a lot of time spent, but the slow plod of progress makes finding traction easier.  The airbrushing happened earlier last week, along with a few extra marines I had in white primer.  I always make sure to have something 'extra' when I go to airbrush, just in case I mix too much paint.  It's always nice to get a few more models started, even if they won't find paint table time for a while, they'll go that much faster when they do.

Yesterday, I was out at the Olney, MD Games-Workshop to kill some time and talk shop, and brought along my stuff to see if I could get anything done.  Thankfully, I was able to actually get work going on one of the terminators.  I decided to move ahead with a single model to help me map out the lightning claws for the rest of the squad.  The majority of the armor is done, and next up will be metallic areas, then details.  I hope to get this one finished soon and then quickly get to work on the rest of the squad.

So stay with me through my divided attention!  I'm wrestling with a few ideas to get things back on track here on TPC and hope to get back to putting up more tips and ideas. 

Contest: Secret Weapon

Our friend MisterJustin is putting on a running contest at a variety of gaming conventions and it's as easy as wearing a t-shirt!  If you're planning to attend a convention, check out the contest and see if you might have a chance at winning something while you're there!  You can find everything you need to know here on Secret Weapons blog. 

It might be coming time for TPC to run it's own contest again!  If you have an idea for a contest, leave a comment!  Painting?  Conversion?  Scavenger hunt?  Themed?  I want to know what you guys think!

Random: Space Marine Painting WIP

Last night I decided today I would dust off my paints and actually work on a new canvas I found last night hiding in my hobby room.  Today, I got to it as I decided to go with a 40k themed piece just to play and have fun!  It's a simple enough composition with a marine at the high ready with his bolter and a very warm background. 

So far, I've gone in with a deep blue for the main color of the marines armor and just blocked everything out.  Trust me that this isn't anywhere near finished!  I just had to get everything mocked out where I wanted it and began thinking about how the final product is going to look with the reflections and coloring of some highlight spots.  There is still a ton more depth coming to the piece and I foresee a few more days spent on this one getting things just right.

The marines color should be almost ambiguous by the time I'm finished with him as the blue will really just become the shading of the armor where the red/yellow should take the highlight placements and transitions in between from there!  So stay tuned for what I hope will be a final photo of this fun little project finished!

I love painting, and I don't get to do it enough!  These smaller, one off paintings really help me learn a lot while letting me do whatever it is that I feel like at the time!  Oh and this will be for sale when it's done! 

TPC Random: Prints

Falcon Wood Cut Print

Printmaking was a class I wasn't really certain of what I was getting into when I signed up.  I had a basic understanding of what it would be, and I even knew about some of the processes used in it, but what I didn't realize, was just how much I would love it.  From my first linoleum cut, I knew I loved this new way of image making and it became a new found passion that would take over a lot of my time for months to come.  While not having the chance to try my hand at every type of printmaking process, I was able to learn the basics, and I did my best to take advantage of my class time and create as much work as possible.

On The Table: Terminators and More

Just a small update on the Terminators from earlier this week today. Not a ton of work done, but I think showing additional WIP shots helps keep me motivated as well as show how the added details turned out in terms of smoothness and integration to the models.  Plus I get to share a 'little' hint at what the next project will be once these bad boys are off the hobby table.

Campaign Ops: Rocky Planets I

Our friend Pesmerga has been working on new planets again and with that comes new additions to what will continue to be a running series of new campaign supplements here on The Painting Corps.  The newest planet is a rocky heap, one that is just right for a mining operation or a far flung cold dead planetary body in the far reaches of the solar system.  With six colors, this set makes itself viable for a variety of roles within your campaigns. 

The files are available in JPG, PSD, and a ZIP to download them all.  This set is a good starter for those wanting to edit the planets for various other uses.  Those of you without a lot of photo editor knowledge, don't fret, we've got more planet packs planned for future releases! 

To download Rocky Planet 1, just follow this link!

Be sure to get check the Campaign Ops tag for the other planet set!  I hope these find those of you in the middle of creating a campaign well!  And if you've got any good ideas for other useful campaign basics, please feel free to share! 

On The Table: SoM Assault Terminators

I love to add high value units to my armies.  One of the most expensive of those for the Space Marines is a full squad of terminators, and thankfully, they also just happen to be one of the most effective.  I just recently finished up a good amount of points in my Thunderhammer squad and my Lysander count as, Proetus.  To give myself some additional options, not to mention another squad, I'm going forward with a squad of lightning claw termies.  And thanks to all of the work I did on Proetus, I'm finding myself working on little additional details to each model.

TPC Random: RISD Drawings

Last Fall, I was lucky enough to find myself in a transfer portfolio course that would help to build and develop my work in a way that would help me gain acceptance by a four year school.  Our first project were the Rhode Island School of Design drawings, a required set of drawings that any applicant to that school must create and actually send in with their applications!  I personally had no plans on even applying to the school, but knew this would give me a great place to showcase some of my talents at a level I'd yet pushed myself to achieve.

Reinforcements: Rothir the Psychopath

His big, he's bad, and he's completely out of his mind insane.  The Khorne Lord on Juggernaut is easily my favorite model in the entire Games-Workshop range.  It's brooding, it's menacing, it's beastly.  The model is everything I've imagined a warrior of Khorne (also my favorite of the four Chaos gods) should be.  When this model came out, I had to have it, and that need turned into an entire Warriors of Chaos force!  Of course, I'm still working on the army, but this landmark model makes me want to get more finished up so I can finally field him!

I approached this model knowing I wanted a good amount of contrast between the juggernaut and the lord.  To help push the brooding hardly restrained killer look, I wanted to make him much darker than how Games-Workshop presents their version of the model.  The clean look falls in line with the rest of the force and reinforces the pose which is almost regal. 

The base colors were done using an airbrush, then highlighted with with the airbrush as well.  To see the models airbrush breakdown, be sure to check out the WIP shot of him.  The lords armor caught a wash of Badab Black and just a touch in some spots for the juggernaut.  The armor was then glazed selectively on ground-ward facing plates and a few areas for shadows with Black.  The lord caught the majority of this to add a lot of depth.  The armor was highlighted back up a little in spots by brush.  Sorry about not having colors for you here.  I did this some months back!  Be sure to check out the WIP above for a better look at the initial colors, you might be able to reverse engineer it!

The metals were done with a simple metallic washed with Babab Black for the silvers and Gryphonne Sepia for gold/bronze.  The weapon was glazed with Black adding a sense of sky/earth. 

The cloak was painted with Bestial Brown, drybrushed with Snakebite Leather and final drybrush highlight of Bleached Bone.  This was all toned back down with a heavy Devlin Mud wash. 

Leathers followed the standard scheme for my Warriors of Chaos, Black, edge highlighted with Bestial Brown and a final, thinner edge of Snakebite Leather. 

I'm really quite happy with this model.  I had a lot of fun with the paint job, even if it was spread out a lot over a long period of time.  It's going to make a great centerpiece to my force once it's all finished up! 

If you want to see more of this force, be sure you check out the Warriors of Chaos tag.  I really love this army, if only as a diversion to my usual 40k armies from time to time.

Open Discussion: Resin

Not to open a full out can of worms today with all of the Finecast talk, but it's hard to get around the topic right now with the internet being so abuzz with talk about the new move to resin by Games-Workshop.  Even RealGenius has posted a few of his first thoughts after picking up a model.  But this open forum won't be just about Finecast.  I want to talk about resin in general.  The things you like about it, the things you hate.  What are your best techniques for dealing with pits, warps and miscasts. 

From my own experience, I've only dealt with a handful of resin models and products.  The first of those being Forgeworld models.  The first of those being my Sons of Medusa Venerable Dreadnought Perseus.  I knew it was a different material to what I had been used to for so long when I bought the model, but I had hoped to be able to get away with many of the same methods I had been using up to that point.  In the end, that's exactly what happened.  I didn't find myself completely out of my element, the only change being that I had to give my models a short bath!  I used a sturdy super glue, cross hatched contact points, and generally went about things the exact same way as with metal models, with a touch more hold time for things to make a good connection when gluing.  The benefits of working with resin for me is the ability to cut, chop and convert an otherwise impossibly hard to work with metal model.  There won't be any more power drill head removals just waiting to glance off if it caught wrong and plunge into my wrist sending me screaming all the way to the hospital.  No slipping hobby knives punching their way through my thumb and leaving me with the odd bandage that's hard to explain to people outside of the hobby. 

This won't be the end of my work with metal models though.  I have a huge backlog.  I want to play new games that still produce metal pieces.  There is a ton of second hand stuff out there.  But I won't be going out of my way to buy the metal piece instead, especially when there is a conversion in mind.  More resin is only good for my hobby, which is why I see myself buying more Forgeworld every year! 

I want to hear your thoughts on working with resin!  Leave a comment, reply to someone with helpful links you've had stored away, or just put up your awesome links all on their own!  Share your knowledge and ask questions if you're new to the medium!  The floor is yours Corpsmen!