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.

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen,

I'm painting a new torunament army and figured I'd share the updates with Dakkaites. I've always loved Eldar, but the figure range wasn't up to other stuff and a new eldar army was in the backburner for years. Well the figure range is now one of the best GW has ever done.

I decided I wanted something bright and different (also playing wise) to my other armies. So a vibrant, highly individual and mobile army to follow.




Cheers,

-m

I love the Farseers Jetbike!

Great stuff man, look forward to seeing more.

...and the Autarch, I had to split the post so that the post doesn't go super wide. I guess I'm not dakkaeditor compatible

That yellow's nice and rich.

And no one's Dakka Editor compatible.

I like the far seer hugely, but the autarch is a little less impressive; I think it's just too much yellow, and the face mask bugs me a little. Even so, both of these are miles better than anything that I could do. I look forward to the rest of the army!
cheers

They look real good, nice work with the yellow, i know it's a hard color to work with sometimes

I wouldn't normally critique models this well painted, but I just think you've got the skill to get more out of them.

First off, I'd have to see them in person to really be sure, but I think you can get more out of the yellow. This is most evident on the Autarch.

On the Farseer, the color selection is great, the trim is great both in color choice and in the simple but effective pattern, and because there's a lot of contrast, he really pops. The only place I see an issue is the cloak, where it folds over in back (might be a hood). There's a heavy crease here I'd like to see picked out more. I like the trick of the Farseer not being on his bike, but instead having it on his base. I'm surprised I've never seen it before, it's a clever way to model wargear and still use a nice GW model.

On the Autarch, you've got a few places, his sword arm bicep being one, where the shading pops. It goes down into a chestnut brown sort of color, and that works well, I think. I'd like to see a bit more of that around other armor plates, maybe the bottom sides of the thigh plates, the left hand, etc... I also think you've missed a chance by making the wings all black. It fits your color scheme, but I've always liked Hawk wings to have some dimension to them. As I said, you've got the skill to really showcase there, so it's a waste not to. I'm not sure what color you could add and still keep your theme, but since you already pick colors better than I do, I'm sure you can come up with something.

These look to be finished models, so I wouldn't even change them, but for future models, I'd consider trying to set the yellow off a bit more with your shading.

I disagree with Phryxis - don't change these (or future) models, they're beautiful!

Not EVERYTHING has to have 10 coats of subtle highlighting, shading, etc. to look really good - and these minis prove it. Seriously, they're gorgeous as is. It gets pretty tiring to see minis painted like they're the Sistine Chapel. Sometimes less is more. Keep up the good work.

First: New Migs army?? Sweet!!

Second: Are these two eldar WIP? The farseer less so, but the autarch looks not quite done (maybe because he isn't?). The wings, some of his straps, etc just look untouched ... That said, especially nice metal, and you use it in cool places too, like on the farseer's head rune and the autarch wings & headcrest.

Third: Very cool to see the 'seer not necessarily riding his nigh-mandatory ride, but where is it attached to the base/'seer?

Fourth: Great stuff thus far, looking forward to more!

- Boss Salvage

As others have said, great models!

However, I agree that the Autarch isn't as good as the Farseer. Too many large sections of yellow for me. Maybe it needs to be shaded more? Or possibly do the undersuit a different color, leaving the armor plates yeloow.

i'd offer you a trophy for beeing able to use yellows like that.beautiful

Interesting comments. This following is not directly related to the army in question but the hobby/art in general and some of the other *hush hush* pieces I'm working for.

I've grown tired of the usual, almost "lining" like way of shading/bringing out the detail in armour plates etc. It kills the painting out of painting into a technique exercise. I want the yellow to be sublime, smooth and very bright. With each army, gang, showcase thingy, whateva... I always try something new. I reinvent my approach in some way, even if it means giving up tested techniques. When I do armies I want to enjoy the process, and after an army of white/silver true scale marines, brown lining eldar armour plates wasn't going to be my cup of tea.

I see this hobby as much as (or more) a medium to exercise one's vision rather than to impress with a set of skills. I hope that miniature art evolves from at times banal execution of each and every detail into strong, more impressive pieces. More art, less engineering of colour application. I think Blanche is a creative genius and a terrific painter - many great miniature artists never get his approach and dislike his style. Paul Dainton is my favourite artist, does it take away from him that he never ever paints the feet of anything? Or that the focus areas get the attention, and other areas much less so... it actually works better. Can this approach ever work in 3D?? I believe yes, but not just yet and maybe never in the eyes of masses. Does this mean you don't need the skills/technique, no, just that some day we will see something different that will revolutionize the blending/freehand arms race that at times is the GD scene. Is miniature painting art? Yes and no. Art is art and everything else is everything else.

Like I said that wasn't entirely related to the army in question, but might shed some light into how it turns out, as I intend to spend the time building and painting and then sharing, rather than explaining in writing and detail what I've done.

As for the army in question I agree, much more diversity and contrast will be in the nature of the units to follow. The Autarch is the most yellow fig, a fitting commander of a yellow Eldar army.

So I agree about the Autarch. The army is going to have a lot black and white markings, so not as monotone yellow, but he was the first fig I did and somehow I liked him simple, there's so much subtle eldar design, plates and gems and what not that the models easily become a visual mess. I really wanted the focus to be the helmet/face/shoulder area.

In the spirit of art and design I then decided to do the opposite with the Farseer. The rest of the army being something between should lead into a neat whole?

A buddy of mine did a similar idea as your Farseer. It was for his Dark Eldar Lord who was standing next to his bike. Great idea on how to represent the Farseer and Jetbike combo. I've got that exact Farseer waiting for the same treatment in my own army. Thanks for posting.

I have no particular artistic background, so I might not be understanding the full meaning of your comments, but I think I follow you here. I do find painting minis to generally be about "process" or "technique." I'm not sure, though, how it can go any other way... You still are trying to simulate depth and dimension that doesn't scale down to the size of the model. It's still all the same techniques...

To put it another way, if you want the Autarch to look like he does, you don't want to have deeper shading as I suggested, that's fine... But that's just a decision, it doesn't mean you won't still use various techniques, right? You still have to paint depth into the armor... It's just a matter of how much depth you paint in, what colors you choose...

Perhaps that's why I'm still a couple steps behind where you're at skillwise... I do get the sense that the very best miniatures painters are actually doing a painting of, say, an Autarch, on a 3d canvas shaped like an Autarch. I'm still just running through various processes I've mastered, knowing that the result will accomplish a given effect.

Actually Phryxis, I interpreted Migs statement a different way. I think he's saying he loses the "fun" or "joy" of painting when all he is concerned with is the technical nature of applying the paint so as to look technically good. In this way it almost becomes work, and then tedious, and then no fun to paint anymore.

Its a difference in philosophy.

Posted By migsula on 01/05/2007 12:54 PM
  With each army, gang, showcase thingy, whateva... I always try something new. I reinvent my approach in some way, even if it means giving up tested techniques.

Well that's one of the reasons why I'm such a fan of your work.  I love what you did with your Wood Elf army (the source lighting work on your high born with great sword was fantastic and unique).

I know you were clear that that post wasn't intended to be directly about this army, but  I'll still place my comments about your pictures in this post

The Farseer:

The gold is my favourite part of this miniature by far.  The free hand on the banner and lining on the bike is fantastically neet and well done.  Unlike the yellow, I love the way you've done the bone.

The yellow is too light for my personal tastes, but the biggest flaw, I think, is the lack of depth.  Of course that's the problem with nearly every yellow miniature I see.  I"m not sure if you've seen them, but one of the B&C mods has a fantastic Marines Malevolent army.  This is his homepage, although the best pics are on his blog on B&C.  flesheaters.net/

I think the black, bone and yellow are poor complements to each other, at least the three are in combination.  I normally like bone and black as primary colours, but with a bright yellow it doesn't work for me.  I think if you added some more highlights to the black and yellows it might help. 

My biggest suggestion for this model would be to make the jetbike's seat black.

The Autarch:

As others have said, and you've defended, they yellow is a bit overpowering here.  Even if you're really dead-set on keeping him mostly yellow, I still think you could make the following areas black or even bone:
-the sash
-the joints
-the straps
-the beard
-the air-intakes on his helm

And, if it were me I'd change the area under the armourplates to a different colour to break the model up a bit more.

Again, a great model, but I'd be remiss not to offer some constructive crit.

They both look amazing as they are, but maybe if you reversed the color of the Autach's helmet, (Bone helmet with yellow face plate) you could add more color contrast without breaking the effect of having his armor completely yellow?

Or you could leave it how it is.

Love them both.

Your answer to the mounted Farseer has been very helpful. While contemplating the easiest way to represent this, I never thought of this. Truely a great idea and easily the best mounted Seer I've seen. I think it's safe to say that this will not be the last time we see this conversion. Thanks for the inspiration.

Mig's it nice to see someone have an artistic perspective to mini painting. Not too many have that. Everything's become so formulaic.

The Autarch looks dipped. Not that there's anything wrong with that, and it's ten times better than anything I could do, but something is lost because of it. Especially the feet.

Don't get me wrong, Migs, I'm a fan from waaay back. I just like these least of all, I guess.

Posted By whitedragon on 01/05/2007 3:28 PM
Actually Phryxis, I interpreted Migs statement a different way. I think he's saying he loses the "fun" or "joy" of painting when all he is concerned with is the technical nature of applying the paint so as to look technically good. In this way it almost becomes work, and then tedious, and then no fun to paint anymore.

Its a difference in philosophy.

Exactly so

no more politics from me, just pics

I really like the farseer but, as others have said, I think your other models are just too yellow. I feel that the autarch and the war-walker are simply too monotone. I think that had you mixed in a bit more bone and black into the over-all scheme of the walker, it would have come out a bit better.

Don't get me wrong though, they're still nice models.

The War-Walkers weathering is great, and the base has a great porcelain effect.

They are growing on me.

wow, great looking Warwalker How sturdy is it though, with just 1 foot on the ground? I'd be scared of breaking it off

I really like the new warwalkers. Once I get my guard out of the way I will prolly be getting back into Eldar, but I'm planning to strip and repaint a lot of my old stuff. I think the warwalkers are pretty much the only thing I'd be buying..

I love the yellow effects here, Migs.

I dont often like things colored in yellow, but really, these look good. They do have the appearance of looking somewhat washed, but there is nothing wrong with that.

Al liberal amount of washes for yellow are an effective way to make yellow a feasible, non arduous color to do.

Migsula's eldar are the R. Kelly of craftworld Hardanth.

Oh, I cannot comment in a Migs thread without saying yet again, I hate you. The day I stop hating you is the day your work sucks.

Um, comparing a yellow paint job to R. Kelly is just wrong, Hellfury.

So is loving you, Malfred. But I dont hear you complaining.

How about I say you have inspired me to paint something completely yellow in the future . I stepped away from all yellow with my Imp Fists, going instead for mostly grey with yellow helmets and such, for a gritty sorta pre-heresy-ish realistic even look maybe. I was afraid that all yellow would look too....yellow.

But your yellow eldar rock. Maybe I'll paint my lysander completely yellow or something, or do yellow eldar next.