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Hey all,

Having trouble getting started with my Cold One Knights! Need help with the early steps on the scaly skin. I am shooting for the book scheme with Catachan up to highest highlight of Camo Green. In the book picture, the deepest shade of the scaly skin is very dark.

I primed grey (for the whole project), basecoated the scaly skin in Charandon Granite. Did another wet coat of Charandon and Catachan Green. This is where I had problems - I tried washing with Devlan Mud/Badab Black mix and it didn't get it nearly dark enough to establish the initial shade. My plan was to wash it dark after the base coat, do some fairly wet drybrushing to bring it back up to Catachan/Camo, then pick out individual scales on the upper part of the body for the final highlights on the scaly skin.

Suggestions? The one I did where I washed it Devlan/Badab then drybrushed Catachan looks pretty blah, no contrast at all.

- Blackbone

Have you got/can you get your hands on a copy of WD 345?
There is a Dreadlord masterclass that has good steps for painting cold ones.

This could help...

You probably want a black/dark angels green mix for your wash. The colours you are using are muted (a bit grey or brown). DA green is more saturated, and when mixed with black will give you a richer tone (more saturated) that'll contrast better with the muted mid tone of catachan green.

Thanks very much for the pics, appreciate it especially b/c I don't have that WD issue.

I have been adding black to the wash and it is working a little bit better. I guess I will have to hand paint most of the scales instead of drybrushing.

I usually try to have a big interest point on each model, so I guess I'll have to bring focus to the Cold Ones' faces and the riders themselves.

- Blackbone

Did some work this weekend on 'em and had to kind of change my plan.

I wanted to deepest recesses of the scales very dark, so I went back and basecoated them with Charandon/Black 2:1 mix. I then did a little drybrushing with Catachan Green to bring it back up a little bit, but took it very easy on this step so I didn't accidentally get any in the recesses.

I then started highlighting individual scales (gag) with Catachan/Camo Green 1:1 mix. That is where I ended this weekend.

This week I will be continuing to highlight up to Camo Green, then Camo/Rotting Flesh 2:1.

At the end I will wash with Devlan Mud, let dry, then wash with Leviathan Purple.

I am excited to get to the part where I black out the mouth, bony extrusions, claws, armor, etc. so I can see how the scales look against them after all that fething work.

- Blackbone