Gaze of the Medusa, Morathi, Queen of the Druchi W.I.P

This is my latest completed W.I.P; Morathi, Queen of the Dark Elves. Of all the Druchii special characters, Morathi is my favourite. I've even written an article on how I use her on the table top: 

 Gaze of the Medusa: Morathi in the 8th

I wanted something closer to the artwork found in the Dark Elf rule book. I'm a big fan of the original sculpt, except I don't like the pegasus (in my opinion, it is a little sub par and unbalances the dynamic of the miniature greatly). I took harpies from the Warmaster range and I converted some sprites from the Wood Elf plastic kits to create the malevolent spirits haunting the Witch Queen. The crackling magical energy was created with off cuts of metal that are created when you drill into a metal model. I wanted Morathi's hair to look like it was writing with magical currents, so I created a press mould and sculpted more locks to give the model extra movement and dynamism.

I plan on using a cool, moody palette of colours inspired by  Malekith85's Golden Daemon winning entry. 

LilLoser

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Tools of the trade; Gunk, your miracle acrylic supplement!

"Gunk" is a self made solution to aid the thinning and lengthening of the working life of acrylic paint.  If prefer to use a palette, this stuff will become your next best friend. Do you have a problem keeping your paints from drying out before you've finished using them? Do you have a problem with your paint separating when you thin it with water? This is the solution for you.

Ingredients:

Filtered or boiled water.

Flow Improver

Acrylic Fluid Retarder or Slow Drying Medium

Bottle to contain solution. 

The quantities of the above vary from person to person, but a good rule of thumb is: 5 parts water, 4 parts flow improver and 1 part drying retarder (Anne Foerster's recipe).  I prefer to have my solution slightly stronger; I like to think of it like squash syrup which can be diluted, so I tend to use more 6 parts drying retarder and 2/3 parts drying retarder.


How to use?

Once this solution has been made, simply add a drop or two or it to your paint and away you go. Hopefully, you should find the transitions between shades will be smoother and that the paint on the palette will be useable for longer.

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Tools of the Trade: Paint Brand Comparison Part 1; Games Workshop

Hello everyone, and welcome to the first of a series of articles exploring different paint brands that we can use to paint our miniatures with. These articles are by no means conclusive, but were written with the intention to evoke debate and a rolling discussion on the various merits or shortcomings of each range. Any feedback or personal experience would be highly appreciated.

First up, the one of the biggest hitters on the block; Games Workshop's range of Citadel Paints

Overview 


Price; £2 for 12ml pots

The Citadel line of acrylic paints is probably what we all started using when we first entered the hobby.

This may explain why these are unfairly stymied by some painters as a beginner paint, or a lesser acrylic paint; this is not the case. Games Workshop's range of acrylic paints are of good quality that are widely available and quite easy to get on the high street. However, these paints fall down in two areas; price when compared with other brands, and current pot design (even though the above picture is out of date, the current pot design still has the same problems).

Advantages

This range has a good choice of colours (70 paints in total including the foundation, washes and metallic range) and the paint itself is of good quality. The paint has a good consistency, good pigmentation and can be thinned with water alone. The range of acrylic paints are suitable for use in an airbrush, and I haven't noticed any adverse effects when additives are used. Where this line really shines is through their line of washes and foundation paints.

The foundation range is highly pigmented to offer one coat coverage. Although this statement is slightly boastful, and untrue depending on the underlaying colour, these paints offer excellent coverage with thin coats. A must for low opacity colours like red and yellow if you intend to use a dark undercoat.

The line of washes act as ready made 'juices' (used to subtly change the hue of colour) that leave a slightly satin finish when used. These are of an excellent quality and open up a whole new way of painting miniatures to every level of modeler. It is possible to paint very effective miniatures with a simple, neat basecoat and two to three layers of wash. Painting armies has never been so easy with this line of paints. Try picking up devlan mud to experiment and you'll relaise why this colour is the most popular in most people's collection of paints.

One advantage that I think hasn't been mentioned is the heritage this line of paint has through the 'eavy metal studio. I don't think any other line of paints made for miniature wargaming (niche market as it is) has the depth or breadth of material available to explain what can be done with the product. I've grown up alongside 'eavy metal painting articles, and I owe a lot of my current painting style to messieurs McVey and Blanche.

Engrimm Van Horstmann's paint paint scheme is typical of 'eavy metal's style; bright, direct and clean.

Disadvantages

Ultimately, you feel like you are paying for a brand name rather than an improved quality of paint. On average, when compared with other acrylic paints in the market, you tend to pay more for less paint wrapped in a duff pot. The availability of this product isn't so much of an issue either with the internet hosting a wide array and variety of products.

The biggest drawback of Games Workshop's range is the pot design. I absolutely hate it. Unless you want your paints to dry out within six to eight months of use, you must use this product with a palette; something which the pot design was designed to do away with. The amount of paint exposed to the air when you open the lid means these paints have a low life expectancy (especially in with blood red).


Conclusion

If you are interested in exploring the world of miniature painting (and if you have read this article on a little known niche blog, then i'll assume you are) and you have found out there are other paint brands out there, don't throw away your Citadel paints away quite yet. Games Workshop's paints offer good quality, for a good price, but there are more economical ways to spend your money.

These paints lend themselves well to a clear, direct and bright paint schemes, typical of the well established 'eavy metal style.

Useful resources:

Games Workshop's 'eavy metal online articles  (Unfortunately Games Workshop have taken down all their online article resources. Let's hope they are just re-tolling this and not scraping it altogether.)

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In the Shadow of Mighty Wings; Finished Sangunius Sculpt.

Merry Christmas everyone. For a festive treat, I've been lavishing my attention on the Sanguinius sculpt i've been working on. This will be the last W.I.P shoot for the Primarch, the next entry will be the painted, final version. Below are a few images that I have used to inspire and inform me during the process of creating the IX Legion's Primarch.

Angelicus By the wonderful Aenerion the faithful.

Sangunius by Emma V.

Sangunius by Moorkasaur

I want to say a huge thank to you everyone who has commented, enjoyed, hated, informed and debated this miniature. I especially wish to thank the people who provided the pictures above, you filled in the inevitable gaps left by the official artwork produced by Games Workshop. The list of credits for the artists above is not complete, and i'd appreciate any information people can send me. 

And finally a huge and unreserved high-five-fuck-yeah end of year christmas thank you to all the visitors and subscribers of this blog. I appreciate all the support and I hope to continue in similar vein next year.

Now, does Sangunius have blonde or black hair? 

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The Divine Swordwind; An Eldar Apocalypse Host

I painted the majority of this army in a week from start to finish. Working through a wall of green scropions was an endurance test (made a lot easier by my airbrush). I indulged myself with the Shadow Specters taking a long time to consider the best scheme to highlight these fabulous sculpts.

LilLoser

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Brothers beyond the Veil; Biel Tan Wraithlords

These Wraithlords are a part of a Biel Tan commission, and I like to think that in life they were brothers. Perhaps these guys are the Phil and Grant Mitchell of the afterlife?

I added a few freehand designs to break up the large flat surfaces of the miniatures. 

LilLoser

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A swarm of Scorpions; apocalypse formation

A selection of scorpions and scouts from the apocalypse formation painted for a commission. 

LilLoser

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Commission: Ogre Butcher.

Ogre butcher commission. Client want me to fill in the gut and bulk the model out a bit. I didn't want to compromise the muscular brute vibe the Ogre range has, so I made sure that he retained the look of a powerful monster. I sculpted this using a mixture of green stuff and pro create (my first time using this; loved it). The model was then given a wash of Vallejo plastic putty to smooth over any gaps (that's why he looks like he's covered in toothpaste).

LilLoser

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Shadow Spectres

What fantastic miniatures these are! I tried to paint these as if they are constructed of light, using purple, green and blue washes to build up, what I think it, an interesting white armour. 

LilLoser

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