The Third Scourge - Finished!

Well it's been a bit of a bumpy trip but the third Scourge is finished! I needed to do a little filling on the join between the wings and the body and a few tiny tweaks to the paint job once I could see the whole thing in one piece.

This mini has been a real test of endurance for me. It's the first time I've ever painted more than one of the same thing for a project and I struggled to keep my focus and enthusiasm. The biggest thing I found to be an issue was a strong feeling of "been there, done that and now I want to paint something different". I think I'm best suited to painting one off character minis as my interest moves on much more quickly than my painting so I'm always looking to the next project. 

Having said that I'm pleased I stuck it out as I'm very happy with the result. The Dark Eldar diorama is finally ready to be assembled from all the elements I've been preparing over the last two years. 

It's make or break time for the Dark Eldar diorama!

Painting the Third Scourge Part 8

This last weekend I made progress painting the wings for my final scourge. The outside surfaces are done and I've added the tattoo designs to the inside.

Freehand decoration is an enjoyable challenge but even a relatively simple single colour design can seem a bit daunting. I prefer to mark up my design before I start to paint and in this instance I used a soft (3B) pencil sharpened to a very fine point. The trick is to go very lightly and put a few discreet marks on the mini at key point of the design. You can then join up these marks to sketch out the guide lines for your design. At this stage it's not a very pretty sight!

Next I fill in the design. I use a very dilute mix ( GW Asurmen Blue & Rakarth Flesh) for this and the result is inevitably patchy looking but thats' OK at this stage.

Now I build up the density of the tattoo by stippling on more colour. This enables me to even out the colour density while achieving a dotty texture that matches the wing surface.

Now it's time to cover up those pencil lines where they still show. Because of the stipple texture this is a lot easier to do than it would be over a flat colour. With the pencil lines gone the edges of the design really pop. 

At this stage it's time for any fine tuning/adjustment of the shading.

Almost done ... so close!

Shiny & New!

I'm usually very good at resisting the urge to buy lots of new minis. I've learn't the hard way that my attention and enthusiasm will most likely have moved on by the time I'm ready to start a new project.
However now and again something come out that I just can't say no to and this time I've been tempted by the latest release from crooked dice.

I can feel a new Dr Who themed diorama coming on!

I like the slightly simplified cartoony feel of these minis. It suits my painting style well and provides the opportunity to add painted detail.

Coming soon... finished Scourge wings!