Dark Eldar Diorama – The second Scourge part 6

The hair and mask are finished. I've introduced a few more orange/red tones into the hair here and there and added a little more selective highlighting. The blue tones in the hair will help make the red look redder by providing contrast.

1. Base colour/coat
2. Shading wash
3. Highlighting
4. Final touches

The breakdown above shows the main stages I tend to consider when I paint a mini. Stage four the 'final touches' is a strange one in some ways. If things have gone well in the earlier stages it may involve almost no work to finish things off but sometimes this final stage is the most involved of all. It may be a process of going back in to the earlier work and tidying up or refining what's been done. It might in some cases be the adding of a special effect or correcting a problem that becomes apparent as the work nears completion. It's during this stage that the paint job comes together and starts to work ... or not. The ever-present danger is one of going too far and spoiling the earlier work with these later adjustments. One of the most important lessons a painter learns is when to stop and move on.

For the moment I'm very happy with the hair and mask. It's possible that I might need to adjust them in relation to later work but that will need to be considered at the appropriate time.