Thanks a lot for the comments so far. Glad you like him.
Ferny wrote:I'm not 100% sold on the base though - it isn't bad at all but it's very plain IMO.
Couldn't agree more.
solith wrote:Firstly (and most importantly) I think your pictures are a bit too dark and the model is suffering from that. Can you add some more lights? Or simply edit the pictures to increase the brightness.
Here I tried taking a few more. They are brighter but it came at the cost of depth as I don't have a light box. Still think the red is too dark? It's only highlighted up to Evil Sunz Scarlet.
solith wrote:I think making the metals more weathered would also improve things, but I've never done that and I have no idea how to make them look weathered. The rest of the model looks fairly clean however so I'd make the metals look old rather than making them look rusty/dirty; I think some consistency is important here.
My thought exactly - not too keen on a rusty look. I think it would look odd. I hope someone will be able to showe me in the right direction here.
About the bases I will have to see what my local game sore offers but do you think something like the citadel dead grass would work? I am not too keen on tufts as it will get pretty expensive fast. http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catal ... od1390185a
Visit my plog at [url]http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=43542[/url]
Silflor makes some really reasonably-priced tufts. I bought their small'ish container of late summer Buffalo Grass for $8 USD and I've based 2500 points of High Elves with some left over. (This was with only 1 or 2 tufts per base.)
Pictures of my army:
[url]http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=48337&start=0[/url]
Nyeave wrote:Here I tried taking a few more. They are brighter but it came at the cost of depth as I don't have a light box. Still think the red is too dark? It's only highlighted up to Evil Sunz Scarlet.
In these pictures it looks just right, so I guess it all depends on how it looks in real life compared to all the pictures.
If you ever get a cardboard box the right size, make a light box. They can be really easy and super cheap to make. The bigger problem is lighting them, but if you're using desk lamps to light your photographs I'd use a light box.
Nyeave wrote:About the bases I will have to see what my local game sore offers but do you think something like the citadel dead grass would work?
I think that colour for grass would be very good - it's eye catching enough to make your bases look better, but a bright green would just look wrong. Dead grass for dead troops!
So I think I am getting closer. Added some grass to the base and improved it loads I think. The light yellow color has the added effect of contrasting very well with the rest of the model I believe. I am not really content with the steel though. As there are quite a lot of armor on some of the other models I plan to paint I would like it to pop a little. Right now its probably the least eye catching part of the model. What do you think? I toyed with the idea of giving all the weapons a a magical green tinge, but I think it will look weird on top of the rest. All suggestions are still welcome!
On another note. I entered my Tyrion model into a painting competition at my local game store. Unfortunatly the picture taken of the poor guy is very out of focus. Think I lost the competition right there even though I honestly believe he is the best contestant
Visit my plog at [url]http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=43542[/url]
Indeed back luck on the competition! Your model is really well painted so you deserve the win.
The grass certainly adds a lot to the model.
For the metals, how about giving them relatively bright highlights? The black pieces of armour on Mireadur's Black Orcs shows an example of this to explain what I mean, but instead of using black for the main body of the metal you could use a dark silver - then add much lighter silver to highlight it.
You could also go for non-silver metal. Take your undead right back to the bronze age and give them bronze metals across the army! Or you could use a coloured metal - perhaps blue or green. I don't think GW do any coloured metallic paints but other companies might. (Coloured metal being different from glowing metal in that the colour is a metallic colour rather than a non-metallic colour)
Thanks for all the ideas guys. In the end I just lightened up the metal by layering all the way up to ironbreaker instead. Made it a lot more visible which was what I wanted. I tried the black metal with light highlights Solith but it looked far too similar to the black cloth. At least this way if I ever find a good way to weather the weapons I can always go back and do it again.
Visit my plog at [url]http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=43542[/url]
sand base needs some lighter brown drybrush. try very light mournfang and then graveyard drybrushes. the model itself is pretty good.
For the dwarfs, there was only this. Hammerson met Grombrindal’s gaze, and the White Dwarf nodded slowly. If it must be done, let it be done well. Whether they were dead or alive, that was the only way dwarfs knew how to do anything.
They look a lot like my skellies! What I can recommend is to add a bit of corrosive rust to the metal, it add's a nice blue contrast to the model, otherwise well done!
I am pleased to announce that Tyrion actually won the competition. Very happy to reel in a win with the first model I ever submit to a competition only 2 years after I started painting
Oh and more updates coming up soon. I am currently working on a Griffon Noble that might be submitted to next months competition. Just need to work a bit more on the cat part of it before you get a look, as I tried shading with a wash and it looks horrible!!
Visit my plog at [url]http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=43542[/url]
One idea to consider on models like these is to get a few Weathering Powders and start working them in. They can do great things to add some really nice and natural effect to a model, particularly one that is...well....weathered.
Secret Weapon and Vallejo make them. I like both brands.
[quote]Tethlis: "Most GW female sculpts tend to look like a surly transgender woman of the night, and it would be nice to avoid that if possible."[/quote]
Ptolemy wrote:One idea to consider on models like these is to get a few Weathering Powders and start working them in. They can do great things to add some really nice and natural effect to a model, particularly one that is...well....weathered.
Secret Weapon and Vallejo make them. I like both brands.
Thanks I'll look into it. I am still not satisfied with the metals so something has to be done...
Visit my plog at [url]http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=43542[/url]
It's well done, but I think you need a slightly more grimy look for the bone. Your shield looks nicely worn, but the bone looks a bit too clean and new for it. It might be an idea to discolour it a little, or go brighter on the other colours so they match up.
Antheron wrote:It's well done, but I think you need a slightly more grimy look for the bone. Your shield looks nicely worn, but the bone looks a bit too clean and new for it. It might be an idea to discolour it a little, or go brighter on the other colours so they match up.
I see what you mean, but I am pretty happy with the way the bone looks at the moment. First of all I believe it will look quite striking on the table. And second I think it fits with the idea I had of a rain washed, clean picked bone.
Visit my plog at [url]http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=43542[/url]
Antheron wrote:I think that's fair enough. Are you going for reasonably recently killed enemies, rather than ancient war dead?
In order for them to be skeletons, they'd have to have been dead for hundreds of years, otherwise they'd be the zombies. On that basis, I would make the steel rusted and maybe put puddles throughout the unit bases (to represent rain washed?)
Regards,
Brad
------------------------------------------------------
[url=http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=53518&start=0]Visit The Nexs-Files Conversion/Painting Log[/url]
NexS wrote:
In order for them to be skeletons, they'd have to have been dead for hundreds of years, otherwise they'd be the zombies. On that basis, I would make the steel rusted and maybe put puddles throughout the unit bases (to represent rain washed?)
Is that according to Warhammer Lore, or just an observation? Skeletons can be become skeletons very quickly in certain environments, or when scavenged.
Physical observation. How long does it take for flesh and organs to rot away from the bone?
Even if necromancers could speed up the rotting process, they'd probably be better off simply raising it as a zombie and moving onto the next one - cheaper and more time efficient (coming from the necromancer's point of view)
As far as scavangers go(say, crows or ravens). They would be picking at the corpse, so i imagine it would be a mix of rotting flesh and exposed bone/internal organs. Again, looks like a zombie, not a skeleton.
edit:
Just done a little research. They reckon the flesh takes about a year to decompose, perhaps that may help in deciding how degraded cloth and helmets may need to be!
Regards,
Brad
------------------------------------------------------
[url=http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=53518&start=0]Visit The Nexs-Files Conversion/Painting Log[/url]
As the winner of last months painting challenge I get to choose this months theme and I am thinking of choosing a monster and enter this chap (better pictures will come once he is finished). So far I am quite pleased with him but I have run into trouble with his banner. I figured, if I want him to stand out in the competition, I need to do something extra to the banner (at the moment its just base coated dark blue but that can be changed) but I have completely run out of ideas. So any of you have an idea that will fit with the overall look of the model and the army itself? Keep in kind I am not going to paint it white
Visit my plog at [url]http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=43542[/url]
Three options come to mind. Firstly you used red as an accent on the archers, so you could reasonably use that. Secondly a light grey as an accent to the white you've used. Lastly a different shade of blue, or the fang would work well.
If you use the blue or grey, try painting on a rune of the other colour. It should break up the block of colour just enough to tie things together.
Antheron's idea of red would stand out quite a lot and it's the idea I like the most. I think the colour choice depends on how much you want people's attention drawn to the banner.
If you want to paint it blue, perhaps add some freehand? Nothing to overshadow the large rune, but some smaller designs/details/etc could be good perhaps?
As mentioned I am going to enter a Noble on Griffon for next month’s painting competition where I have chosen the category to be “Monsters”. Below are a few pictures of it from different angles and as I would like to scrape in a win again I very much need your fair criticism. I know I need to do something to the lance tip as it is just too boring at the moment and I can see from the last close up that I definitely need to tidy up a few things on the Noble and lance.
I tried a lot of different settings when I took the pictures but I am not used to taking close ups of such a large model so these are the best I could do. Most of them shows pretty accurately how the model looks in reality but the transitions on the Griffons body are a lot smoother than they appear on the pics. Shame because I am actually rather proud of that part
So please tell me what you think. What is good, what is bad, what needs fixing.
Visit my plog at [url]http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=43542[/url]
I really like the Griffon, the eyes are great and I like the grey body.
Did you consider doing any markings on the body? Stripes/spots etc? I think it looks good as is, just curious!
I really like the cloak, did you consider some freehand for it?
Well done for painting this a) so quickly and b) fully assembled!
I had to snip the prince off and glue him back on as it was just too fiddly for me to get in about.
Follow me on Twitter! @NiallJC1984
A Skaven Army Diary: [url=http://s6.zetaboards.com/The_UnderEmpire/topic/8904892/1/#new]All Tunnels Lead to Skavenblight[/url]
A High Elf Army Diary: [url=http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=49666]The Glittering Host[/url]
I really like the Griffon, the eyes are great and I like the grey body.
Did you consider doing any markings on the body? Stripes/spots etc? I think it looks good as is, just curious!
I really like the cloak, did you consider some freehand for it?
Well done for painting this a) so quickly and b) fully assembled!
I had to snip the prince off and glue him back on as it was just too fiddly for me to get in about.
I did consider markings. My first though was to paint it as a white tiger but after looking around the net for images I found that most of them looked like zebras...
I did consider some NMM gold free hand on the border of the cloak but I got cold feet - might go and do it anyway
And I must admit I didnt paint it assembled. I painted every part by itself (except a few layers and highlights) and glued it together afterwards. I think I glued the head to the body before priming but that was it. The wings are magnetized and can be taken off for easier transport.
Visit my plog at [url]http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=43542[/url]
...I really wish I'd magnetized mine! Might try and carefully remove the wings to do just that.
Follow me on Twitter! @NiallJC1984
A Skaven Army Diary: [url=http://s6.zetaboards.com/The_UnderEmpire/topic/8904892/1/#new]All Tunnels Lead to Skavenblight[/url]
A High Elf Army Diary: [url=http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=49666]The Glittering Host[/url]
Finally think I nailed the color scheme on the test model. I am not sure the lighting around the eyes look exactly how I want it to but not sure how to improve it. The look however is what I wanted. I got in the green that I said from the beginning I would like to contrast the red and it gave them a more magical feel while also enhancing the way the weapons look. This has the added effect that I might be able to use the same green colors on the Lords in a way that I seems like they are holding the entire army together.
Visit my plog at [url]http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=43542[/url]
I like the skeleton. The green adds a nice finishing touch and as you say it contrasts nicely with the red.
I have no idea if this is a good idea or not, but did you consider painting the eye sockets with a very light/bright green instead of the dark colour they are now?
On the one hand it could really sell the 'glowing eyes' thing (because it would look more like there is a source of the glowing) and it would draw attention.
On the other hand it could easily look garish or cartoonish and could ruin the model entirely.