Val Kraihe Dark Elf Assassin W.I.P

Val Kraihe 'The Crow' Assassin

Studying one of the thousand aspects of Khaine the child only now remembered as the crow has become an outcast in the fraternity of assassins.

While meditating on the Khaineth Zarrid (a death blow that shatters the spinal column) a crow entered her enumerations and  posed the assassin a riddle.

The child assassin, unable offer a response, barred her throat for restitution. When she awoke from her trance the child assassin found a pair of knives resting in her lap, but had lost her voice to the fled crow.

Ever devorced from her elvish anima, the assassin has taken on bestial aspects. Her silence has been replaced with a hideous squawk. Her feet have become elongated ending in talons. Her back has become bent, a low sloping gait replacing her race's usual elegance.

Rejected by her peers and mutilated by her masters, the crow occupies highest spires of Naggarond maddened by the riddle of the crow.

Read More

Tools of the Trade: Paint Brand Comparison Part 2; Vallejo

Vallejo

Vallejo produce three ranges of acrylic paints each of which has been specifically designed for military modeling, fantasy miniatures and the use with an airbrush. The Vallejo range is huge; model colour boasts a range of 220 colours, the model game colour range has 119 and the model air range has 110 (including mediums, varnishes and primers). This is a vast and vibrant range that is continually expanding and developing. With the proliferation of airbrushes throughout the painting community, coupled with the wide availability of these paints, Vallejo is often the next range of paints people try after Games Workshop; so lets have a look at what's out there. 

Model Colour

Price: £1.50 for a 17ml eye dropper pot

This is the largest of the lines with 220 different shades of paint available. These are advertised as acrylic vinyl colour; which means they offer excellent coverage and can be diluted very thinly for the use of layering. Looking over the paint range and comparing them with Citadel's, we can see that there quite a few dull, unsaturated colours (lots of mud and grey in the label descriptions) as these were designed to be used with historical military modeling kits. The nice people at Vallejo have also put together special colour sets (such as WWII German Cam) that makes re-creating historical colour palettes very easy.

These paints are excellent when you wish to create a more realistic colour palette for your miniatures and can offer a level of authenticity that may escape other ranges.

Game Colour

Price: £1.50 for a 17ml eye dropper pot

Whereas Model Colour has been designed to re-create historical colour palettes, the Game colour range offer a range of highly saturated colours for fantasy miniatures. These paints are highly pigmented and are a little thicker than its Model Colour equivalent. These paints feel like they have been designed for one-coat-coverage (although they cannot be used like Games Workshop's foundation range) and layer highlighting when you do not wish to blend the colours. These paints are slightly thicker because the pigment is acrylic resin rather than vinyl. This means that the colours will adhere to plastic and metal a little better, and will be more resistant to the wear and tear of wargaming.

Kabalite warrior from the Dark Heart. Instead of smooth transitional highlight on the armour, the 'eavy metal team have edge highlighted the armour plates to emphasize the sculpted lines of the miniature. 

If you were to purchase these paints I would highly recommend you create some gunk to help you with transitional blends dilute and help blend colours together more smoothly. 

Model Air

Price: £1.50 for a 17ml eye dropper pot

This range has been designed to the use with an airbrush but can just as easily be used to paint miniatures like normal paint. These paints are very thin, the pigment has been ground much finer than other acrylic paints to stop paint particles obstructing the nozzle. The formula of this paint contains acrylic resin, giving all the protective qualities of game colour but without the drawback of thick paint. These are easy to mix and can be diluted further with other additives. This range also supplies metallic and varnishes to be used with an airbrush.   

Advantages of Vallejo.

These paints are very easy to get hold of online and should be available in most model railway, craft or model shops. The range is huge and offers an excellent array of supporting additives to be explored. The paint is inexpensive, of good quality, and you get a lot for what you buy.

One of the strongest advantages this range has over its competitors is the eye dropper style paint pots. When the paints are used only a minimum amount of paint comes into contact with the air and so extends the working life of the paint. For those who use an airbrush using the eyedropper is much easier to keep track of quantities and is much easier to squeeze into the receptacle.

When shaken properly, this paint can be thinned down to a good degree for layering using just water. It is also very responsive to the range of additives and mediums that Vallejo sell.

For me, the metallic air range is the real highlight of the entire range. The metal pigment has been ground very finely and offers excellent coverage with outrageously thin coats. I would however, advise against the Model Colour range of metallic as they are quite thick and hard to thin evenly. 

Disadvantages of Vallejo

Bottles are well designed but not perfect. Paint will dry in the nozzle and this will lead you to just apply more pressure on the bottle, thus causing a mini-explosion of paint on your palette; very annoying. However, these clogs are easy to clean out with a straightened out paper clip.

There is no agitator for a paint that has a reputation for separating into medium and pigment in bottle. I would recommend buying agitators for the Model Colour and Game Colour ranges, but this would bump the price up. Taking the cost of agitators into account, each paint would cost about 4p more (but these can be re-used over successive generations of paint that you buy).

Game colour really needs more than water to thin it. It's incredibly thick and is best suited for layering without too many transitional stages (look at the dark eldar range painted by 'eavy metal for an example of extreme edge highlighting). This line does not lend itself well to subtle tonal changes and will be frustrating to use for many people. The separation in the bottle, and clogging in the nozzle are also pronounced in the Game Colour range.

The Model air range suffers from the same problem as the rest of the vallejo range; the colours easily sperate and need plenty of shaking. However, because of the thin consistency of the paint, these problems aren't a big deal (two or three shakes will normally be enough to mix the paint). It could be argued that another disadvantage of the range is that you're paying for diluted paint; something that you can learn to do yourself with regular acrylic paint. For the way I paint (thin layering) these paints are ideal to use straight out of the bottle, but some may not like the consistency of this and would prefer to thin the paint themselves.

Other products in the Vallejo paint range:

Liquid Gold

Price: £3.20 for a 35 ml. plastic pot with a childproof cap.

This is an alcohol based paint that uses metallic pigment mixed with resin to produce a much more vibrant finish. This next bit is important if you wish to use these paints:

"The colours can be mixed with one another and dry almost instantly. They can be overpainted or varnished almost immediately. The specific weight of the pigment causes the formation of sediment at the base of the container, and paint should be thoroughly shaken or stirred before use. If it were necessary to dilute the colours further, only 96% pure alcohol should be added to avoid oxidation."

In my opinion, these paints are unparalleled in their finish of true metallic metals. They require a little more effort to use, and ideally, you would need a more robust style of paint brush (those used for oil painting and are designed for the rigors of cleaning with turpentine or spirits). For the tiny amount of extra effort you put into the preparation of these paints you get an incredibly vibrant and strong metallic finish. These paints work excellently with citadel's range of washes.

The alcohol used to dilute this paint is isopropanol, or rubbing alcohol. It can be bought quite cheaply from your local chemist or online. Please beware that this alcohol is extremely flammable and so are the Liquid gold paints themselves. Be careful in their use and storage.

Washes

Price: £2.00 for a 17ml eye dropper pot

I have not used these, so I cannot pass on an honest opinion about them. I've read that they handle very much like much like Games Workshop's range of washes.



Vallejo Extra Opaque


Price: £1.79 for a 17ml eye dropper pot


I have not used these, so I cannot pass on an honest opinion about them. I've read that they handle very much like much like Games Workshop's range of Foundation paints.

Additives

Vallejo also produce aerosols, varnishes, brush cleaners, drying retarder etc. There is a lot to play with here for the miniature painter. These offer good value for money and are an excellent resource for people who are just starting to explore wider world of fine art with acrylic paints.

The full line of auxiliaries can be found here:

http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/gb/auxiliaries-model-paints.html

Pigments

These pigments help produce very realistic mud and rust effects. They can be sealed with matt or glaze medium. The full range can be found here.

Conclusion

Vallejo offer an unbelievably diverse range of good quality paints, at a cheap price. If you are only used to Games Workshop's range of paints, pick up a couple of pots of Vallejo paint to try them out. I have not tired the range of washes or extra pigmented paints but I have read that they are quite similar to Games Workshop's wash and foundation ranges. This is not the finest example of acrylic paints on the market, but in terms of price, availability, range and quality, the Vallejo range offers an excellent resource for the miniature painter.


Links related to this article.


For a discussion on paint agitators

Home made paint agitators

Where to buy paint agitators? 

Generalsplatton's review of Vallejo and Reaper Master Series acrylic paints 1, 2

Vallejo to Games Workshop Citadel paint comparison chart

Read More

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

Read More

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.

Read More

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.)

Read More

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? 

Read More