The azure host

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ceeprime
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The azure host

#1 Post by ceeprime »

Hi everyone!

Two years ago, I won the GW's Armies on Parade, with my high elves. But since I didn't like my painting scheme, I stripped them and stared anew. But those last years I painted less than 10 minis...
So this year I'm entering the Armies on Parade competition again, so to keep motivated and get advices I'm going to show you the progression of my army.

So, first my LSG Champion
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My GE - which are spirit creatures
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And an unit filler for my LSGs
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And of course: forgive me for my english :wink:
Last edited by ceeprime on Wed Dec 17, 2014 11:40 am, edited 3 times in total.
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RE.Lee
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Re: Summer painting log

#2 Post by RE.Lee »

Looking great, very neat details. Whats the fluff behind the spider? :)

Congratulations on the exams and have a fruitful summer (Peripignan is a lovely location to spend it, too <jealous>)
cheers, Lee

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ceeprime
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Re: Summer painting log - High elves

#3 Post by ceeprime »

My army is focused (well was until the new armybook) a lot on magic.
So I thought that the mages could summon creatures made of magic during battle. Maybe like Harry Potter's patronum in some way...
solith
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Re: Summer painting log - High elves

#4 Post by solith »

Very nice painting. I especially like the star on the Seaguard champion's sash, it's subtle but it's a really nice touch!
[url=http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=44644]My painting log[/url]
[url=http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=51340]My battle reports[/url]
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Tzineris
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Re: Summer painting log - High elves

#5 Post by Tzineris »

Very nice paintjob and unique idea for the eagles! =D>
My High elven painting project http:[url]http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=44391[/url]
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ceeprime
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Re: Summer painting log - High elves

#6 Post by ceeprime »

Thanks guys :wink:

Here are a few conversions from my IoB set:

So first my Eltharion, he isn't glued yet I still have to remove the mold lines:
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I just took off the original head, took a white lion's one, and the top part of an eldar elmet. The sword he has is also from an eldar sprue.

And a musician for my Reavers
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ceeprime
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Re: Summer painting log - High elves

#7 Post by ceeprime »

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Finished my life/beast mage...

And started this guy...
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Sorry for the pics but it's quite cloudy today...
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ceeprime
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Re: Tear of Isha - Armies on Parade

#8 Post by ceeprime »

Finished my Lord
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I painted a swordmasters unit.

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Also started this guy.

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Last edited by ceeprime on Thu May 29, 2014 4:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Sirio
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Re: Tear of Isha - Armies on Parade

#9 Post by Sirio »

Paiinting looks really nice and promising! :)

I don't know what the fluff for this army is, really curious to hear about the story behind it. Some stone-magic cursed maybe? :idea:
Apart from the spider (which I honestly can't place anywhere in a HE army) and the GE (which is quite old and not as good looking as what else's on the market, try this way better http://www.shieldwolfminiatures.com/ind ... d=20&sl=EN ), I overall find the army -and painting- excellent.

The sword masters are simply superb, the fire phoenix looks very "hot" (once the spray job is put aside and use the brush to put the final touches) and will act as a great centerpiece. :D

How many models in total are you going to paint?
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ceeprime
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Re: The azure host

#10 Post by ceeprime »

I didn't paint for a long (emphasis on long) time. However I kept buying miniatures. I've got now more than 10000pts in my army, even if most of them are characters, there's still a lot of models... So I decided not buy anything at GW (even if I won't be able to resist) until I paint half of my high elf army.
In order to keep motivated I thought I could post progress pictures.

So here's my prince/noble on griffon
The pictures are not really great but I'll post goot pictures once it's finished

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ArcaneSnow
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Re: The azure host

#11 Post by ArcaneSnow »

Your work looks really good. love your griffon conversion and that custom base.
Check out my High Elves R3K Plog! It's super picture heavy though... You've been warned..
tinkertee
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Re: The azure host

#12 Post by tinkertee »

relly vibrant colors on that phoenix! digging it!
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ceeprime
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Re: The azure host

#13 Post by ceeprime »

Thank you guys for your kind comments :wink:

I didn't feel like painting my griffon these last days, however I managed to paint a fire mage and worked a bit on my Alarielle that I started few weeks ago.

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ceeprime
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Re: The azure host

#14 Post by ceeprime »

One of my new year's resolutions this year, is to effectively plan the painting of my army. I took everything i could find out of boxes and cases and put it on the table. And this is the result:

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I didn't know if I should be happy or scared, because there are about 450 miniatures and this is going to take a looong time to paint.
Here's the list for those who are curious :

3x Alarielle (OOP)
Alarielle
Tyrion (OOP)
2x Tyrion
Teclis (OOP)
Teclis
Alith Anar
Eltharion the blind
Eltharion wannabe on hippogriff
Aenur
Selafyn
Imrik (OOP)
Imrik
Caradryan
Khoril (OOP)

Loremaster of Hoeth
Anointed of Asuryan
2x Handmaidens of the everqueen
Prince on dragon
Griffon noble (IoB)
5x Mounted nobles
7x nobles
2x Mounted mages
10x Mages
Sea Helm

90x Archers
100x Lothern seaguard
20x Silver helms
10x Reavers

35x White lions
10x Phoenix guard
10x Dragon Princes
45x Swordmasters
2x Tiranoc chariots
6x Shadow warriors

4x RBT's
Flamespyre phoenix
Half a dozen Great Eagles
35x Sisters of Avelorn (OOP)


There's a unit of 21 archers with musician and a loremaster on my workplace that are being painted at the moment. I think I can aim to paint about 20 miniatures a month and double that number if I'm not lazy or have if I don't have too much work :)


Happy new year, best wishes !
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ceeprime
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Re: The azure host

#15 Post by ceeprime »

Many things happened since I last posted, but few minis were painted !
Free time and motivation are quite rare for me nowadays... However, now that WFB is dead, I've got very few things to buy to complete my elf army, which means that achieving the 100% painted seem, difficult, but doable.
My new year resolution was to paint or draw everyday, which I (mostly) managed to do until now, let's hope I can keep going on !
But enough smalltalk and let me show you the few miniatures I've painted during that two-year gap.

First let's start with some objective markers I've assembled and painted this week, it's so fresh you can even see the PVA glue which hans't cured yet !

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Selafyn of the Anulii mountains
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Lokhir Stoneheart which will be used as a Nagarythe Seahelm
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A few minis I think also look great
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Now let's talk about the important stuff : this is what I am currently working on :
I've got about 30-40 wip white lions with two Khoril(s), which will be wearing black fur and one shadow warrior which has to match the other ones.
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Finally, and maybe the most important thing is this little diorama that I'll be entering a contest with at my local warhammer store. I did't want to do it at first, but I was so happy with the BSB that I decided to assemble and paint the rest.

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Prince of Spires
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Re: The azure host

#16 Post by Prince of Spires »

There are some great models in there. Thanks for putting up the pictures. I love the old school models you have.

The objective markers are great. Very thematic and HE. They'll look great on a battlefield.

What do you have left to paint / assemble?

Rod
For Nagarythe: Come to the dark side.
PS: Bring cookies!

Check out my plog
Painting progress, done/in progress/in box: 167/33/91

Check my writing blog for stories on the Prince of Spires and other pieces of fiction.
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Re: The azure host

#17 Post by SpellArcher »

Welcome back ceeprime.
ceeprime wrote: now that WFB is dead
That remains to be seen!

:)
ceeprime wrote:But enough smalltalk and let me show you the few miniatures I've painted during that two-year gap.
Really nice work, especially the terrain.
ceeprime wrote:I was so happy with the BSB
Beautiful.
Prince of Spires wrote:I love the old school models you have.
+1

We don't see the 4th edition Tiranoc Charioteer very often!
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RE.Lee
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Re: The azure host

#18 Post by RE.Lee »

Great job on those!

The war council guys are very thematic =D>
cheers, Lee

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Vermis
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Re: The azure host

#19 Post by Vermis »

Brilliant showcase. :)
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ceeprime
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Re: The azure host

#20 Post by ceeprime »

Thanks a lot for the kind comments !!
Prince of Spires wrote: What do you have left to paint / assemble?
Rod
I try not to think about that: my excel file says I've got more than 500 minis to assemble and/or paint. I'm working through that slowly but steadily. I just can't put my whole army on display like I did in a previous post, but you can have a quick glance on what is currently undercoated and waits to be painted (phone pics because there isn't important stuff to see)

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Prince of Spires
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Re: The azure host

#21 Post by Prince of Spires »

ceeprime wrote:I try not to think about that: my excel file says I've got more than 500 minis to assemble and/or paint.
:shock:

That's a lot of mini's. I already thought I had a lot of models left when I had 150+ left todo. I don't even own 500 models I think... Then again, I might very well have had that many left if my wife wouldn't ask me each purchase if I really needed more models.

great pictures (the items in them at least ;) ). An impressive collection still to do. But they can already be used in game, which is a good start I always find. And assembled is better then still in box.

Rod
For Nagarythe: Come to the dark side.
PS: Bring cookies!

Check out my plog
Painting progress, done/in progress/in box: 167/33/91

Check my writing blog for stories on the Prince of Spires and other pieces of fiction.
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Re: The azure host

#22 Post by ceeprime »

So no fancy pictures this week because I had an issue with my undercoat...
Everything that was metal thrown into acetone, I'll try to work with the plastics, but I'm not very optimistic...
Here's a Wip picture that shows the grainy effect if you look closely (look at the sword) :

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Nonetheless I was able to make some progress by working on the heraldry of my archer units, tell me what you guys think about these sketches :

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SpellArcher
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Re: The azure host

#23 Post by SpellArcher »

Seriously dude, that owl is freehand?

:shock:
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ceeprime
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Re: The azure host

#24 Post by ceeprime »

SpellArcher wrote:Seriously dude, that owl is freehand?
:shock:
Yes it is, and thanks I guess ! :D
Freehanding isn't that complicated, if you take a bit of time and effort. When I covered as store manager at my local GW store, i ran a freehand masterclass, and a lot of people were surprised with what they could actually do.

I couldn't resist doing something even though I had the issue with my undercoat. What I did is work on some unfinished business.

First of all my bolt throwers are now almost finished

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I also was afraid of painting my last shadow warrior because of the color of the cape which is a particular mix of greys and blues, but I think I got it right !

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Finally this is my griffon prince from the 8th Ed box that I had to glue back on its stand. I had to sculpt the top with milliput before emptying half a tube of glue :roll:

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Prince of Spires
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Re: The azure host

#25 Post by Prince of Spires »

SpellArcher wrote:Seriously dude, that owl is freehand?

:shock:
+1

It looks amazing. If you have any tips to share I could sure use some...

A shame about the undercoating. It's a pain to have to strip the miniatures and start over. What did you use for undercoat? For stripping plastic models I've read people having succes with Dettol (though that never worked for me) or Simple Green (which I think is a kind of basic green soap).

As for what I think about the sketches, they're all above my skill level in freehand painting. But I like all. If I had to pick my least favourite it would be the puffins one. Mainly because it doesn't feel manly (for lack of a better word) enough for a combat unit. You would expect fearsome, strong creatures on banners, not cute cuddly ones.

Rod
For Nagarythe: Come to the dark side.
PS: Bring cookies!

Check out my plog
Painting progress, done/in progress/in box: 167/33/91

Check my writing blog for stories on the Prince of Spires and other pieces of fiction.
SpellArcher
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Re: The azure host

#26 Post by SpellArcher »

ceeprime wrote:Freehanding isn't that complicated, if you take a bit of time and effort. When I covered as store manager at my local GW store, i ran a freehand masterclass, and a lot of people were surprised with what they could actually do.
You are of course right ceeprime and I'm pretty much one of those people. I use freehand often enough and to a level that doesn't detract from the rest of my work. But that owl crosses the line into art.
ceeprime wrote:First of all my bolt throwers are now almost finished
I'm a big fan of this basing style but I've not seen it on High Elves before. It works well. Are those the straight 4th edition engines or are they converted?
Prince of Spires wrote:But I like all.
+1

I have the old Jes Goodwin sketchbook and these are pleasantly reminiscent.
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ceeprime
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Re: The azure host

#27 Post by ceeprime »

Prince of Spires wrote: A shame about the undercoating. It's a pain to have to strip the miniatures and start over. What did you use for undercoat?
GW New black primer whatever it is called, then GW Adeptus Standard Grey, and some GW white primer, I think the white primer messed it all up...
But I think I'll switch to Scalecolor spraypaint.... If the quality of their primer is as good as their paint, it should be the best !
Prince of Spires wrote: For stripping plastic models I've read people having succes with Dettol (though that never worked for me) or Simple Green (which I think is a kind of basic green soap).
For metal I use acetone, for plastic I use brake fluid, but I think some of them do not work well with plastic, you might have to dig into that...
SpellArcher wrote:Are those the straight 4th edition engines or are they converted?
Yes 100% 4th ed awesomeness !
SpellArcher wrote: I have the old Jes Goodwin sketchbook and these are pleasantly reminiscent.
I like to see WFB HE as a greek inspired faction, therefore I don't really like the asian feeling Jes Goodwin has given to the elves... However, he is a great source of inspiration for me. Actually, the round eagle thing comes straight from the Eldar Codex :wink:


As for the freehands perhaps I could make a tutorial, or at least step-by-step pics if I find the courage...

Yesterday these guys came in the mail, their shields and quivers are missing but at least I got them.
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I managed to finish the RBTs and my shadow warrios which were actually missing a couple gems, I'll post nicer pics this weekend, setup does take some time...
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I'm trying to finish all the minis I started painting because it's starting to annoy me. I'll start with these archers (started january 2015) , I'll finish my griffon (started december 2014) and my unreleased mage (started a couple days ago :lol: ), and I hope to post fancy pics of these guys in the first week of April !
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Re: The azure host

#28 Post by Shannar, Sealord »

I do have some spare shields for those shadow warriors, and maybe a quiver or two. If you are interested in working something out I can dig them out.
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Re: The azure host

#29 Post by Prince of Spires »

The shadow warriors are a great find. Congrats on them. And you can always trust Shannar to come up with some spare bits for older models :) I'm curious what his collection and bits box looks like...

I've had the white GW primer mess up a few models for me too. Same grainy effect. I'm guessing it's due to some combination of not shaking well enough and air humidity or temperature. Something like that at least. Good luck getting all the started mini's done. Going from the pictures of your collection, it's going to be a bit of work :) I like the unreleased mage. He looks very punk. And thanks for sharing all the pics.

Rod
For Nagarythe: Come to the dark side.
PS: Bring cookies!

Check out my plog
Painting progress, done/in progress/in box: 167/33/91

Check my writing blog for stories on the Prince of Spires and other pieces of fiction.
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Re: The azure host

#30 Post by Vermis »

Prince of Spires wrote: It looks amazing. If you have any tips to share I could sure use some...
I think there's a tutorial online...

(The less sweary version :P )
If I had to pick my least favourite it would be the puffins one. Mainly because it doesn't feel manly (for lack of a better word) enough for a combat unit. You would expect fearsome, strong creatures on banners, not cute cuddly ones.
Mine'll be covered in hearts, so I can't entirely get behind you. :lol:

Moreover, there's a lot of old - or just non-western - cultural beliefs about fairly innocuous birds. Cormorants used to be associated with the devil; owls in Japan weren't Athenian symbols of wisdom but harbingers of death; geese were considered and eaten as fish because it was thought they grew from goose barnacles; thanks to a quick websearch, apparently even puffins gave scholars headaches over whether they were fish or fowl. In that way they could be seen to be creatures of two worlds, and that seems enough to give them some mystical 'crossing over' symbolism.

And I'll encourage you to look up the coat-of-arms of the municipality of Værøy in Norway, and the reason for it. :D
ceeprime wrote:GW New black primer whatever it is called, then GW Adeptus Standard Grey, and some GW white primer, I think the white primer messed it all up...
But I think I'll switch to Scalecolor spraypaint.... If the quality of their primer is as good as their paint, it should be the best !
Graduating on from most GW hobby products is rarely a bad move. Ironically, some of the cheaper spray primers - automotive primers - get a lot of praise, which I can add to. I guess they have to get it right because cars are a bit more trouble to strip or fix than minis. :)
Prince of Spires wrote: For stripping plastic models I've read people having succes with Dettol (though that never worked for me) or Simple Green (which I think is a kind of basic green soap).
For metal I use acetone, for plastic I use brake fluid, but I think some of them do not work well with plastic, you might have to dig into that...
Some of the most consistent results - if not the best - I've had are with isopropyl alcohol. I get it in litre tins from Maplin in the UK - an electronics chain that sells it for cleaning electronic components. Under best conditions you can watch the paint wrinkle and lift away from the mini in minutes, and it's perfectly fine with plastic. (Made finecast go like a limp noodle, though) I'd say it has some trouble with primer, but then I've never used a stripper that hasn't, and it's usually reduced to a thin layer anyway.

Don't like dettol. It works okay but you have to put in too much care to prevent it turning the paint into a sticky mess. And it stinks!
Yesterday these guys came in the mail, their shields and quivers are missing but at least I got them.
Nice!

A wee bit before my time. What shields did they originally come with?

Nice work on everything else, too. :)
Last edited by Vermis on Thu Mar 16, 2017 9:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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