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Well guys and gals as it wouldn't let me write a paragraph then add the new pics here is the revised model.

I kept with the fenrisian grey but washed with agrax earth shade. I think the final result has turned out more true to the studio minis but with the dirty look they didn't bother with lol.

You have several spots where the wash pooled and dried on the flat surfaces of the armor and left splotches of black. Use the corner of a paper towel to soak those random puddles up before they dry.

You could also try a Paynes Grey wash instead of the Nuln Oil. It's essentially a really dark blue-grey that avoids some of the issues with a black wash making things muddy.

Go back and add some highlights after the wash. Nothing too bright or extreme that gets rid of the "gritty" look that you've got, just something to add another layer of depth.

Drill out the gun barrel.

Add some extra color to the chainsword to keep it from looking like a grey-black blob. Even some sparse edge highlights on the various parts will make a difference there.

Minor final details like script on the purity seal and on the scollwork on the chest plate really add that finishing touch.

Don't forget the base.

helotaxi wrote:
You have several spots where the wash pooled and dried on the flat surfaces of the armor and left splotches of black. Use the corner of a paper towel to soak those random puddles up before they dry.

You could also try a Paynes Grey wash instead of the Nuln Oil. It's essentially a really dark blue-grey that avoids some of the issues with a black wash making things muddy.

Go back and add some highlights after the wash. Nothing too bright or extreme that gets rid of the "gritty" look that you've got, just something to add another layer of depth.

Drill out the gun barrel.

Add some extra color to the chainsword to keep it from looking like a grey-black blob. Even some sparse edge highlights on the various parts will make a difference there.

Minor final details like script on the purity seal and on the scollwork on the chest plate really add that finishing touch.

Don't forget the base.

Pretty much what he said lol.

Good job on the model so far!

Next time though, eithe rpost this in the modelling forum, or finish the base first. I've seen mods actually lock down/move threads on stunning models because the base wasn't done yet.

It is in the forum rules at the top of this forum though too!

I like the gritty look.

Cheers for the advice and critique people.

After the debacle with the Fenris grey and a heavy wash of nuln oil I think I've had an epiphany........... how do you think tunderhawk blue with a less heavy wash would work?

Cakie wrote:
Cheers for the advice and critique people.

After the debacle with the Fenris grey and a heavy wash of nuln oil I think I've had an epiphany........... how do you think tunderhawk blue with a less heavy wash would work?

Honestly, I only wash colors that I consider too bright (I.E. rainbow colors, red, yellow, orange, etc) Darker armor colors I just stick to highlights and no wash. But then again I paint templars and there isn't much you can do with black basecoat marines.

I like the look of your guy, but I prefer my own way of painting SW: Abaddon Black basecoat, Mechanicum Standard Grey coat, Nuln Oil wash, Space Wolves Grey drybrush (no idea what this is in the now paints) and you're done PM me, I'll send you a pic or something if you're interested ;3

I think the wash effectively grimes him up which is great. It's a good departure from the studio scheme, but you definitely know it's a SW.

In addition to the pointers others have given, make sure to hit all the trim on his armor. A lot of them have more ornate trim around the upper thigh at the hip joint, and around the ankle. Helps break up the grey.

Making the chainswords less plain is a challenge I face too. I've started painting patterns on the flat part of the blade, I also paint the 'hilt' a different color from the blade.

Yeah I don't like the pretty shiney blue they paint them these days, I was aiming for the " i've been in the field for bloody ages and I'm not getting naked in front of these guys on wash day" look.

What do you think of the thunder hawk blue idea?

Personally, I don't think it looks particularly SW-ish. I wouldn't necessarily think SW if I saw them. Your current scheme is much better in my opinion.

Their armor is supposed to be 'wolf grey'. So, to me that means grey. I use a medium-dark grey for base, neutral or a little more pale for mid and something like astronomicon for highlights. It's a bit truer of a grey, and a slightly thinned Nuln oil wash or thinned Agrax Earthshade was makes for decent grime.

Your current scheme is something I would call definitely grey, while still paying homage to the studio look, or the older aesthetic. It's almost like what the studio scheme would look like if they had successfully made it more grimdark as was their intention.


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Furthermore, thinning the wash a bit with water, rather than splashing it on straight from the pot will help it flow better, avoiding some of the puddling, and provide a softer, more natural grime, a dark brown works well too. I use something similar to Agrax Earthshade for general grime and dirt for scale models. I've not seen many do it to 40k minis, though I'm sure some do. Grime is rarely just black, though the Nuln Oil does achieve that look well.

 Brian Templar wrote:

Cakie wrote:
Cheers for the advice and critique people.

Honestly, I only wash colors that I consider too bright (I.E. rainbow colors, red, yellow, orange, etc) Darker armor colors I just stick to highlights and no wash. But then again I paint templars and there isn't much you can do with black basecoat marines.

For me fenris grey is to bright, I think they look too pristine as if they have just joined the battle. I think I'll paint 1 thunder hawk blue and see how it goes.


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 Badger_Bhoy wrote:
Personally, I don't think it looks particularly SW-ish. I wouldn't necessarily think SW if I saw them. Your current scheme is much better in my opinion.

Their armor is supposed to be 'wolf grey'. So, to me that means grey. I use a medium-dark grey for base, neutral or a little more pale for mid and something like astronomicon for highlights. It's a bit truer of a grey, and a slightly thinned Nuln oil wash or thinned Agrax Earthshade was makes for decent grime.

Your current scheme is something I would call definitely grey, while still paying homage to the studio look, or the older aesthetic. It's almost like what the studio scheme would look like if they had successfully made it more grimdark as was their intention.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Furthermore, thinning the wash a bit with water, rather than splashing it on straight from the pot will help it flow better, avoiding some of the puddling, and provide a softer, more natural grime, a dark brown works well too. I use something similar to Agrax Earthshade for general grime and dirt for scale models. I've not seen many do it to 40k minis, though I'm sure some do. Grime is rarely just black, though the Nuln Oil does achieve that look well.

Cheers dude, really appreciate the compliment. As I said at the troop I'm an ex green skin so its all a little daunting as you can throw what you like at them and they look orky and grimy so puddles are almost a must lol.

I was thinking thunder hawk blue with a nuln oil wash in the joints and agrax for the rest with either fenris or a light grey high light. What do you reckon?

As I said, I don't think Thunderhawk Blue is particularly Space Wolfy.

Cheers dude, I'll ignore the voices in my head and give it another bash and avoid puddles and give him a bit more glitz lol

Agh, been to the Image Tutorial, won't let me post bloody images ._.


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My own Space Wolf concotion

Pahahaha!!!!!! Well looks like I'll have to imagine them then lol


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OK dude he is pretty gnarly. Nice looking fur too

Cheers, the scheme is really easy He took me like, 20 minutes to do ^_^ (not including drying time)

I like the dark and gritty look. I did my wolves in a similar way but used Shadow Grey as my base color.

i think you might ned to water your ink down, as although it looks nice, it also looks heavy. i tried inking mine and just didnt like the darker colour. so instead i inked the recesses on certain parts of the armour and highlighted where the ink dried,

its very little effort and they look pretty good!

I really like that first guy. He's awesome. Where'd you get his shoulder pads? Did you GS his beard or is that head from something else? Just awesome!

The top guy is my skyclaw wolf guard. Hes in mk 3 iron armour from forge world and his face and axe are from the thunderwolves box. I wanted him to look really pissed as he fly's (or rather falls) into combat.

Mr HT wrote:
i think you might ned to water your ink down, as although it looks nice, it also looks heavy. i tried inking mine and just didnt like the darker colour. so instead i inked the recesses on certain parts of the armour and highlighted where the ink dried,

its very little effort and they look pretty good!

cheers for the hints dude, I've had a crack with your high lihjt idea and its worked, its a little subtle on red and yellow but as you said its simple and effective.

I tested a couple things out for a few wolves I did. If you like the coloration of the wolf guard terminators, try a blue wash, then highlight or dry brush space wolf grey over it. It's really close to the color or the pic.

I also second thinning the wash if you don't like the grimey or oil slick look. 50% wash, 25% water, 25% lahmian medium (or just 50% water).

I tried a blue wash before I painted him up but wasn't happy with the finish so dumped him in fairy power spray and started again.

I've attacked another 1( added more pics this morning) But used agrax earthshade over the fenrisian grey.

Looks pretty good. Wash is patchy but much better. Looks like some heavy grunge caked on after a bitter confrontation.

 Badger_Bhoy wrote:
Looks pretty good. Wash is patchy but much better. Looks like some heavy grunge caked on after a bitter confrontation.

Cheers dude. I was going for patchy lol. I was thinking that dirt never sticks in a uniform pattern.

Loving everything about this guy bar the chainsword. The stripes don't seem necessay and i'm not a fan of blood on blades (may make eceptions for Khorne, or orks or something).

 stargasm wrote:
Loving everything about this guy bar the chainsword. The stripes don't seem necessay and i'm not a fan of blood on blades (may make eceptions for Khorne, or orks or something).

I've been toying with ways of making the chainswords look a little less drab, the black and silver just seems a little plain.