Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I'm painting bases for my Mad Alchemist-themed CSM army, as I just finished painting the first 12 models in my unit of Cultists. I picked up some Waterworks bases from Forgecraft for this purpose: http://www.forgecraftgames.com/product-category/battlefield-bases/round-bases/waterworks-round/

However, I am painting the water as radioactive slime. I decided on a green color and I want to go bright fluorescent - the green gives some color variation to my army, whose main color scheme is alternating purples and reds.

I need some help either deciding on which version to go with, or some advice on how to achieve the effect that I want. Essentially, I want a bright green that looks wet. On to the pics (with not the best lighting)!

This first pic is a close-up of one of the cultists, for color comparison.



This next pic shows a base of fluorescent yellow from Vallejo, which is a tip I got from some great people in another thread!



The next is where I need help. The first image is a single layer of fluorescent green (also from Vallejo) over the yellow. The second is a single layer of Tamiya Light Green over the yellow.





Finally, here are three pics of all three bases with the example Cultist lined up for comparison. Left is yellow base, middle is Tamiya, right is fluo green Vallejo.







As you can see, the middle (Tamiya) is a more muted green, but does look more wet and shiny.

What I want is for the slime to look wet, which is achieved with the Tamiya as it is a gloss paint. However, I like how bright the Vallejo fluo green is, and I'd like the best of both worlds. I also have some UHU glue and initially intended to use some of that with the Tamiya, but it doesn't look very bright in testing. I haven't tested the UHU with the Vallejo fluo green yet, and I don't know if it will look wet enough. Also, I don't care about obscuring the details of the base if I can get the right effect with the paints/glues.

Finally, I know next to nothing about glazes. If I use the fluo green from Vallejo and paint a green glaze over it, will it look more wet? If so, does anyone have any tips on how to make your own glazes and/or advice on which is the best green glaze to buy?

I feel like you did your layers in the reverse order that I would have done. I would start with your green base colors and then maybe give it a dark green wash to shade in the depth. Let that dry completely then drybrush the green pretty heavy and then drybush the yellow lighter. Finish with a coat of gloss.

Regardless of what my process would have been. I like the depth of color you're getting with the Tamiya but I like the brightness of the Vallejo. I think I slightly favor the Vallejo, though.

Hmmm... well, most of the advice I was getting in the other thread said that fluorescent green goes best over a fluo yellow base. As for the green wash, I thought about doing that but anticipated that it would be too dark for what I was going for.

As for the final gloss coat, is there a particular one that you recommend?

I'd use all three, not all slime is the same. But that's just me.

 Bobaram wrote:
I'd use all three, not all slime is the same. But that's just me.

Well I know for sure that I don't want to use the yellow by itself. I guess I would be open to using both greens, but if I could get the glossy look on the fluo green Vallejo, that would probably be ideal. This list has an Imperial Bastion fortification that I'm converting to look like an alchemist's lab, and Fabius Bile is my HQ unit. So all the slime is, from a fluff perspective, supposed to be coming from the same source (the lab) and so I think it makes sense to have it all look the same.

I personally like the Vallejo solution. They're all nice though to be honest.

I prefer the more muted Tamiya slime. It looks less cartoonish and in my opinion more realistic for poisoned/radioactive waste. I also agree with JWMarines and would recommend you try out another slime starting with green and working towards yellow. That might give you what you're looking for.

The second one looks best in my opinion. But could be improved with some source lighting with the slime as your light source, always imagine radioactive slime glowing

 Tangent wrote:
if I could get the glossy look on the fluo green Vallejo, that would probably be ideal.

Just hit it with some gloss varnish. There are dozens upon dozens to choose from, many of which are quite easy to get. Grab a bottle from your Vallejo dealer, hit up an art and/or craft store, pick up some acrylic floor polish at the supermarket... Gloss coats aren't particularly finicky, in my experience - I've used several, both brush-on and aerosol, and have yet to encounter any problems.

3rd one looks like the best to me.

I like the last one the best. The one all the way to the right in the comparison shots. If I was doing radioactive stuf that's the color I'd be going for. Nicely done on everything so far as well.

I'd take what's behind door #3

Have you tried mixing them?
Maybe you can get the best of both worlds.

Thanks for all the input, guys! As for mixing, I thought about it but I haven't tried it, mainly because I like the bright AND the shiny. So I figured, if I mix the bright with not-as-bright, then the brightness will dim. And if I mix the shiny with the not-as-shiny, then the shininess will dim.

But yesterday I think I stumbled upon the answer! I mixed UHU glue with the fluo green and it gives the shine and keeps the brightness! It also provides a slight thickness to it as well. I'll post a picture when they're done!

Left or right. The left looks more yellow, the right looks more green. Maybe a basecoat of the right, with a highlight coat of the left?

Good on you for trying this out, not everyone has the cash to spend to try out oddball colors like fluorescent shades.

Turn this into an article for the Dakka article section.

--Chris
www.chrisvalera.com

If you want to make it look like it is glowing, base with the FL yellow, drybrush with a mix of the yellow and the FL green. Follow with a very light drybrush of the FL green and then coat with clear gloss.

To make it glow from the inside/bottom you need to start with the brightest color and drybrush toward darker colors.


A few Nurgle ships for BFG with this technique done on a very small scale. Click on the pic then enlarge the pic in photobucket to get a very large version.

Those definitely look like they're glowing, and I kinda wish I had done that now... but my bases are essentially finished! I have to put a couple of final touches, but they're more-or-less done. And good idea about the article - I may just do that!

As promised - pics! I've posted a few finished pics of the bases themselves, followed by some squad pics after I mounted the models. This is my first attempt with OSL and I think it went pretty well. The only one that I'm not so happy with is the squad leader.

In case anyone is wondering about my painting process for the squad through the OSL... I mounted the models on their supplied slotted bases and fully painted them. Then I fully painted the scenic bases. The I clipped the models off of their original bases and used an airbrush to apply the OSL effect. Once I had each model OSLed to satisfaction, I mounted them onto the radioactive bases. The color for the OSL is Vallejo's Model Air Light Camo Green (I tried Pale Green first but it was too... pale).

On with the pics! The smaller bases are 25mm and the larger are 40mm. Let me know what you think. And THANKS A TON for all of the input (both in this thread and the other)!!!

Looking good! Though, the one thing I can see that you're missing is 4 or so shelled reptiles that may or may not have been mutated by radioactivity and now fight crime and eat pizza...

Like the green slime, but it looks like they are walking on giant bars of chocolate.

JWMarines wrote:Looking good! Though, the one thing I can see that you're missing is 4 or so shelled reptiles that may or may not have been mutated by radioactivity and now fight crime and eat pizza...

Ha! That's true...

Aeroroot wrote:Like the green slime, but it looks like they are walking on giant bars of chocolate.

Hey, it does look like chocolate! That's not what I was going for... but I'll take it! Hahaha! I was trying to make a kind-of dark red brick look. Maybe it will gel more when I get my alchemist's lab painted up. Or maybe it will just look like the lab is made of chocolate.