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.

So, after alot of work my wife and I have created the first few models of a new Space Marine Chapter. The Illuminae! Be gentle, I have done my best on these the librarian alone took me 6 hours

Give your models a wash. Since you used so lgiht colours give it a light wash. Or just the mud wash. Right now they look too bright.

If you want to paint something nicely you need take weeks on it. An average paint job for me is about 4 hours per model.

I gave them a wash in badab black, im afraid if I wash the gold bits they wont pop as well, I really want to gold to shine bright.

 Rysgame wrote:
I gave them a wash in badab black, im afraid if I wash the gold bits they wont pop as well, I really want to gold to shine bright.

Give the gold a wash of seraphim sepia, then a highlight, it will look right, trust me.

Okay, but otherwise what do you think?

Not bad. Definite possibility here. Do as suggested: Wash the gold with sepia and the rest with black, and you're well on your way to some rockin' models.

I already washed them with badab black, so just re wash and add sepia?

Nah, didn't spot it in your good photo. Just the sepia (help tone down the brilliant gold)

Okay, thanks for your help man!

It's certainly not bad for a first, not at all, however just look up some methods such as the proper ways to wash, as yours seems to have bunched in the wrong areas, and dry brush highlighting. Also what many people like to do is prime them with a white or black then water down the paints, this works nicely. I prefer to prime then apply coats thinner paint coats, i use Americana not GW. Also if you don't get the color depth you want on the first coat don't be afraid to go again.Honestly all you need is better paint coats, this means getting all the pain in the butt white areas, drybushed highlights on that dark armor and better wash methods and you're set but good for a first model.

Your models would look so much better without those mould lines.

Doing washes properly can be scary. Nobody wants to see all that hard work lost by covering it up with a wash. So often new painters don't use enough or aren't applying it in the right areas.

You just have to bite the bullet and really seriously fill all those white areas between your paint colours with a dark wash.

You may lose some of your colour by doing this, but thats ok. You will be painting over the highlights again anyway! The best thing is, now your models will have depth.

You have done really well at "staying inside the lines", your paint is neat and I can't see much out of place. So I know this is hard to do, but grab that black wash and just swipe it everywhere you think needs it!

You also got some of the tones well - the skin tone is nice, the book pages look like paper so there is promise there. You just need to grit your teeth and go for it.

It will look horrible to you the first time you do it, it will look like you have ruined it, made it too black etc. But be patient, go back over your exposed areas with the original colour, do a little drybrushing to highlight raised areas and you won't believe the difference.

Good luck!