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so how do you paint ash does anyone one have any good instuctions on how to?
i would like to try and get a grey to white ash like right frim the fire looking
can anyone help me

Wait, as in like the flakes of ash or just an ash-stained effect?

im making magma nids having thier exoskeleton being magma and carapace so like a top ashy effect. got any advice as long as it'll look kool

Tamiya makes dry pigments that would probably do the job? ...they have a blackish 'soot' and greyish 'mud' color that would easily pass for ash.

That still doesn't really narrow it down, Shiny

But Gunz' suggestion of dry pigments would work nicely. Alternatively, using elmer's glue to lightly attach something with a very light grit(salt or sugar? perhaps) to the carapace, and then using a heavily, heavily watered down light grey as a wash might work.

possibley what colors should i use? in terms of reapers paints or GW paints.

Astronomicon Grey, Codex Grey, and Dheneb Stone, along with Charadon Granite would work great.

and how would you go about painting them in terms of directions?

Honestly, I can't really think of the slightest way.

I'd think just drybrushing the shades on, from darkest to lightest would work great.

In that case, it'd be Charadon Granite->Codex Grey->Astronomicon Grey->Dheneb Stone, in that order.

Or maybe paint it like how they give tutorials on painting bone? Leave small traces of the darkest shade showing towards the bottom?

hmm possibley ill try asking around other sites and stuff.

but if any one has any more input on how to paint ash then all suggestions will be taken into consideration

shinyhelmetman wrote:so how do you paint ash does anyone one have any good instuctions on how to?
i would like to try and get a grey to white ash like right frim the fire looking
can anyone help me

Google an image of the ash color you like , it'll be easier to work from.

Is this the kind of effect?
If so, Kanluwen's list of paints sounds about right. Just add pure black and white to it.
Just drybrush(properly) up through the colours and stop when it's light enough.
Simple!

You might want to consider gloss varnishing the magma before you paint the exoskeleton.

Hope it helps.

that could probly work ill try and see also i saw somthing today in my architecture class and was wondering if anyone would suggest it
if you rub vigorasly lead on sand paper then flik it the grafite comes off in clumpy looking way and wondering of that would look cool.

As a way of having ash on the model? I dunno. It'd look, most likely, like pencil shavings on a model.
But all seriousness, try making a small, controlled fire and tossing a beetle in it. You should get some ideas from there

hmm... would throughing agaunt in the fire be like through a beetle in thier?

no, a gaunt would melt

Although a crazy idea might be...

With a decent fire going, throw some paper in and let it burn up. Wait till the fire dies down, then get as much of the ash as you can from it and go nuts. You SHOULD be able to grind up the ash into a kind of weathering powder, and apply it basically by drybrushing it on.

sound good wat hadhesive shoud i use,
(i do own a fire place so this would be possible)

If you're turning it into a weathering powder, you won't have to glue it on. It basically functions as its own pigmentation.

A cheaper alternative (in the long run) to weathering powder is Dry pastels. If you get a pretty big set it will be about $40 or so (More $ if you want a REALLY wide variety) but you'll have a very wide selection of colors and shades and they will last a very long time.

You just sand a bit off the stick as needed.

Also, Michael's has been having huge sales recently on everything so they are definitely worth a look.

NO! We have decided! Fire must be used to appease the Hive Mind!


But yeah. Dry pastels aren't a bad idea either.

Take some paper that has been shredded into very tiny pieces and use it like you would flock on the carapace of your 'nids. This should make it look as if pieces are flaking off and will give you a nice texture to paint over too.

hmm i think i have an idea for that maby take base coat the carapace black take some postit notes after the carapace is dried rip them close to the skticky end and dry brush a grey to white shade on different sections

You can actually buy a liquid mask that is applied via brushes for the same effect.

where would i find this liquid mask?

This sounds like it's going to be 'Bugs of the Damned!'

Just remember, xenos are purged by flame!

its magma nids.
they normal nids cursed by hell to destroy all living. They send thier hive fleet ships of a burning mass and send pods forming massive volcanoes till they erupt swarming the planet with fire and ash burning and devourering any form of life.

I just drybrush from dark up to light. I'm lazy like that though.

www.squadron.com has it, you're looking for "liquid mask" by either Tamiya or Vallejo

I recommend something you can apply in thin layers for that "cracked" effect, like hardened tissue paper.

the liquid mask ill keep in mind and i perfur to not put tissue paper on my models since that can peel off and such i think ill go from dark to light dry brushing
buy i would like some kind of wheathering so maby put a snow like effect as white ash