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Yep it's on a space marine but it's for a mantic enforcer.

The base colours are black, dry brushed through greys and russ grey dry brushed up as well.

Not sure which colour to do the base, desert or tarmac.

I'll also add accents of colour, blue, yellow, red depending on unit type.

Its a bit of a jump to imagine ot on the other model but what do we think?

Not sure if I should got satin or matt for the finish either


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Not sure if I should got satin or matt for the finish either

King of hard to tell how it would end up looking on the Mantic mini, as I'm not that familiar with them... but... and I mean this in the nicest possible way, but I kind of looks like a mini that has been painted and then stripped.

What I mean by this is that it really doesn't look like it has any painting done to it because of the similarities of the colours, and the lack of contrasting colours. This could be down to the fact that it's on a space marine though.

Prehaps try something a bit unusual with it, like a purple wash?

All comments good or bad are accepted and I can see what you mean.

Anyhow heres the wip base colours at this stage, going to wash tomorrow now.

Not sure If I should do the leg armour in grey as well? And with the base, would it look daft wih a tuft of grass?

I like how it's coming. Grey leg armor with more red accents will look great. As far as grass, think about where these guys are fighting. Envision a place, actual terrain. If there's grass, add grass, if not, don't.

It's usually obvious when someone adds grass or something just to add something. I think it looks better if you've a clear idea in mind.

You see it looks better already,being on the actually mini. The red accents really lift the miniature. Would be real interesting to see what it looks like when finished.

Thanks, grey thighs it is!

Not sure anymore about dry brushing the whole thing like on the test model anymore, a couple tips of what to do after washing would be great!

I'm very indecisive with this one after getting into a rut wih my Space marines.

Looking good dude. I agree with the other guys, def grey thighs and more red. After the was I would give a little battle damage and highlight. Don't want to over kill on a model that looks this good already.

You need to be very careful with your dry brushing. Doing it over such a (relatively) large area can leave you with a powdery finish, i.e. your test mini. Try knocking back the highlights around the edges with a glaze.This will blur the interface between the colours and give a smoother looking finish.

M4cr0dutch, by knocking back the highlights do you mean not dry brushing but rather painting a line down the edge of the armour?

Which glaze would work for this blue/grey? Not ised them before.

ids1984 wrote:
M4cr0dutch, by knocking back the highlights do you mean not dry brushing but rather painting a line down the edge of the armour?

Which glaze would work for this blue/grey? Not ised them before.

No, though I can suggest a similar method that would work even better.

Let's start with your method first. You are starting with a dark base and adding depth by drybrushing lighter and lighter shades over the top. Where two colours meet you end up with a powdery effect. Have a close look at your test mini and you will see it. Now, when you dry brush a sharp piece of detail, you don't see this because there is enough pigment in the brush to cover that edge. Over a large surface area though, like a shoulder pad or flat piece of armour, it can really stick out.

One way of reducing the effect would be to add a glaze where the two colours meet, blurring the join. So lets say your last colour was a dark grey. You drybrush Russ Grey over the top, which is lighter. You make a 1:1 mix of the dark grey and the Russ Grey and water it down significantly. It should flow a little slower than a wash (there are tutorials for doing this all over the place). Paint this glaze where the two greys meet carefully and allow it to dry before moving the miniature. Again, if the mix is thin enough, this only takes seconds. Don't blow on it or try to dry with a hair dryer, you will push it where you don't want it. As this glaze is making the highlight colour a little darker in that region, you are "knocking it back". If the glaze doesn't knock it back far enough, you just add another coat. I can't stress enough, it needs to be thinned properly for this to work, as the whole method relies on transparency, i.e. you want the colours underneath to show; you don't want to just paint over the join.

A different method completely would be to start with a middle grey, using darker washes to add depth, with only one or two drybrushing steps to add highlights. Even then, if you want the mini to look its best, you will want to blend those layers in properly.

Hope this helps. There are heaps of painters on this forum that know much (much) more about this stuff than me, so hit the search button and look up some techniques. I had similar troubles with my Deathwing terminators about 10 years ago, before I started looking at other methods.

Good luck!

Right ok, think I get what you mean:

Base in russ grey
Wash with nuln oil
Dry brush with russ grey a little over the edge
Dry brush with ferisian grey a little less
Dry brush with ethiam grey just on the edge
Glaze over the dry brushed bit with a mix of the greys watered down

What would another method be I'm getting all confised now!

Hey all a bit of an update, painted the legs in only other bit I may is his nappy (lol).

Looks great! I love these models!

I'd recommend using some dark grey to help pick out the detail of the black parts, if you're planning on leaving them black.

Man I wish I new more wargamers, and ones that played multiple games. I miss out on stuff like this!

Sorry champ, I didn't mean to confuse you. A glaze is just like a wash. Instead of letting it pool in the recesses of the model like a wash, you spread it over the surface to change whatever colour you have there. I am just suggesting you use a glaze to neaten up any rough edges in your dry brushing.

So...

1) Base in black
2) Dry brush your darkest grey
3) Mix black and darkest grey and water down to a wash/glaze.
4) Paint the glaze where the black and the dark grey meet.
5) Wait for it to dry.
6) Dry brush your next grey further to the edge.

It's just one strategy. Try it on one of your test minis some day and get it to work for you. It will improve the look of your dry brushing and add another skill to your repertoire.

Cheers!