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@YB: Thank you! IM pleased with the weathering myself. Honestly Ive never actually fully painted a vehicle before (I have 2 trukks that are maybe half finished?), and weathering them even in this comparatively "light" regard was an altogether new experience for me. Mostly I was worried Id muck it up!!\

@Gits: Thanks a lot, Gits! I have to say your Mantis Warriors have been a huge inspiration to me during this project. I really want this army to look good next to yours and the other Wardens, and your airbrushing advice has been invaluable!
The final colors I ended up with worked out perfect. Especially finding that oil wash technique- That really helped the overall "cold" feel of the gray (Not to mention a TON of shading!).
I bet you totally could do the gun discoloration. Ive no doubt on that! For me it was a few passes with the airbrush, moving closer to the tip as I changed color from Chestnut Ink, to purple ink, to blue ink (all watered down considerably). Theoretically could do the same with the washes, starting from Gryphonne Sepia, then Leviathan Purple, then Asurmen Blue.

@Dr H: Welcome to the Log! And thanks! Try not to die when you see some of my older work in this thread- Between my painting/modeling ADD and the breaks in progress in some projects, my skills were rather unrefined, now that I look back at it
Enjoy your read!

@WM: Good! Glad ya like that one best as its the one you're probably gonna see the most on the tabletop! As to the Blade, you can tell a little bit in real life that its a decal (the paper resulted in a slightly thicker decal than silk screening), but really you have to look quite close at it!

@Ignatius: Thanks! I'm glad the effect turned out so well And I hear ya on wishing for more gems- those and capes are the modeling equivalent of dessert for me- I LOVE painting them!!! Should have some Eldar on my plate after these Scorpions move out- Lots to be had there!
For a printer you could always steal a friends, or even go to a copy shop and have it printed out there. Here in the stated Kinkos only charges like a buck or two per sheet for stuff like that in color!
And initially, the hatch was sealed shut, but WM decided he wanted interior done and the hatch removable (to run as a Rhino, ya see!). I had no objections- its the complexities and intricacies of these details that makes me love these models! Heck I even painted the screen on my Ork Big Mek's Shokk Attack Gun all nice and pretty.... before realizing it was a detail that would be hidden after assembly


Alright! So the guys are all done, save for a bit of varnish:

The Apothecary:


And Sgt. Legless!


Finished pics and Squad Shot tomorrow!

"My parents went to the Badab War and all they got me was this lousy shoulder pad!!"

"You think THATS bad- My parents brought me back a leg!"

All done!

Apothecary:



And the objective marker:





All together now: (I need a bigger lightbox! )


Next up: Another Razor and squad!
Thanks for reading!

Just stunning Ramos! Wow!

Aww yeah. 1/3 of the way there! Gunna have a sharp looking Adepticon army.

Thanks!! And absolutely WM: That's the plan!

Next squad is on the table and has been cleaned and partially assembled.



Soon as I get my filter set up, these guys'll get primer!

Grays are done and ready to wash-



Actually surprised how quick its going!

Sick of grey yet?

Eh. I think Ive got a box of termies left in me then Ill be tired of it

Bummer there are 7 of then then No tank though!

Much deserved break from them when it's over though. Hope we see some red ork action, and whatever of the multitude of other projects started. Definitely want to get more zombies, we are playing almost every week, and the expansion is dropping next week on kickstarter. Everyone tends to fight over the painted survivors, and they aren't even the best ones in game

Noooooooooo!!! Thats 2 too many!!


Hahaha Really awesome to hear about the gaming- i really gotta get another game in. Hell I gotta buy the game!
Then again.... that'd mean more minis for me to paint xD
I think I might get to the survivors I have here soon- theyve been staring at me for a while now... At least then you'll have 6 survivors to fight over!


As to some red ork action... Remember this guy?










Sure its not Ork per se, but Ill be using it as one!
Decided to paint him for cormadepanda's Hero Contest. After all, whats more heroic than a brainwashed giant alien cockroach controlled by a trio of sentient mushrooms!?

Buy a copy before you go to japan, by the time you come back, they will all be painted!

Why are the Grots green? Are they counts as Kans or Deffdreads? Can't remember.

Haha thats true, thats true... Would give me a nice bit of "culture" to share too

As to the grots being green, I felt that was the better look. I didnt like how red Grots looked, so in lieu of that, I airbrushed a bit of a brownish red as their final skin color- bringing them into the palette, but still retaining a little bit of "pop" that they need.
Heh... actually kinda looks like they're sunburned, come to think of it
Plus, the green stands out from the red carapace. Red grots would have blended in.

And this guy joins the Meka-Fexes as counts-as Dreads. Why is a dread piloted by grots? Who knows!

The scorpions are turning out great Ramos. The orks still crack me up. I always wonder though, why are the orks red and the grots still green? Shouldn't they be red too?

Ice doesn't believe in reading, turns out.

Ha! I don't know how I missed that. Please ignore my previous statement.

Never! Henceforth you shall be branded as He-Who-Does-Not-Read, and shall face a lifetime of scorn and ridicule, as well as many non-reading related misfortunes!!




I flat coated the models today after letting the oil wash dry for a few days, just in case any oil paint was still a little wet. Ill continue along and paint in their details, but in the mean time I decided to write up a tutorial for the oil washing technique. As far as I know few, if any, people have shown this technique or used it in this fashion. I really like how it turned out so I thought I'd spread the word on what I think is a really neat technique.

====================================

This method is similar to a common weathering technique for tanks, in which an oil wash is applied over a finished model that has previously been glossed. This makes the wash sink to crevasses, leaving the majority of the tank or model undisturbed. Excess wash is easily cleaned from flat surfaces, resulting in an unaltered base color and darkened panel lines.

By skipping the gloss, we can alter the behavior of the wash and make it act as a filter. In other terms, it acts very similar to the Citadel "Shade" paints, giving an overall color to the model rather than just the recesses.
This turns the technique from a finishing/weathering system to an intermediary process- best used to tone down or blend together color layers.

Like from this:



To this:



Note how the wash not only shades the model's recesses, but in fact tints the model as a whole.


So why use an oil wash?
=> Its inexpensive, as you actually use only a little paint and thinner.
=> Sinks into recesses: Low surface tension of the thinner means you wont get puddles of wash or "rings" around details.
=> Easy to adjust and clean up: Its very easy to adjust the intensity of the wash, even on the model. The oil paint dries slowly, allowing you to move it around with a brush dipped in clean thinner!
=> Tints the whole model- In this case, it darkens a bright gray to a charcoal color.


You will need:
=> Mineral Spirits
=> Artists-grade oil paint*- I used Blick Artists' Color Ivory Black.
=> A medium-sized soft brush (This brush should ONLY be used for oil paints. They should not be used for acrylics afterwards.)
=> something to mix the wash in, like a medicine cup
=> a flat varnish- I use Testors Dullcote

*Note* Though a little more expensive, using Artist-grade paints (opposed to Student-grade paints) results in a better looking wash, as the pigment is much more concentrated and is much more finely ground. A big tube of black ran me about 5$ online, and will last a long, long time.



Making the wash

In the bottom of the medicine cup, give yourself a small (about half-pea to pea-sized) amount of your paint.


Then, with your brush, mix in 10-15 mL of clean mineral spirits, ensuring that you break up all the big lumps of paint. I find that stirring, then letting the wash rest for a minute or two, then stirring again lets the paint dissolve better than simply stirring alone.
After mixing, test out your wash on a white paper or a napkin. You want something that isn't so much black as it is a dark gray, and you absolutely do not want chunks in your wash! This step requires a little personal tweaking, if you want it lighter, mix in more spirits. Darker, add more paint.




To apply it, simply brush it on, stirring up the paint a little every time you dip your brush. It isnt so much a solution as a suspension (hooray chemistry), and much of the pigment falls to the bottom. The mineral spirits will tend to run towards recesses as you paint it on. I find that a dabbing motion applies the wash best, then a stroke or two evens out the color.

Be careful not to apply too much at once- the wash is VERY thin and excess wash will quickly flow to the lowest point on the model, oftentimes your hands and desk.
Also, you do not want to scrub the model with the brush. Doing so may remove the layers of paint beneath it, ruining your finish. Use light strokes, and try not to go over the same area multiple times before the mineral spirits evaporate.

After applying, you should end up with a model that is shaded like so:



But you're not done yet!!
Look closely at the recesses and flat panels, and check for flecks of pigment, or areas that have a mottled appearance to them.



This is where bits of pigment fell out of solution and stuck. This is easy to fix, even if the wash has already dried. Simply dab at the area with a brush dipped in clean mineral spirits (or even the wash) and the pigment specks will disappear.

Now let this dry for a couple days. Yes, that's right. Days.
Oil paints have an incredibly long drying time, and under no circumstances do you want to paint over wet oils or mineral spirits with acrylics. Giving the wash a long time to dry ensures that any residual paint or solvent will evaporate.

Finally, spray your model with a flat varnish (this acts as a protective barrier between the oil paint and future acrylic layers), and you're set to continue painting!

I have not tried this with colored oil paints, but I imagine the method could be adapted to similar purpose. For example, you could deepen the red color of armor by using a dark red oil wash.
======

So there's my first tutorial, and I hope it serves you well. Feel free to ask questions.
Good luck, and happy painting!

Very nice tutorial, Ramos. i've heard the oil wash mentioned several times, but ths is the best description i've seen. Thanks!

Good ol brother Testie making another appearance. Gunna have to get him in a squad at some point.

Like the tutorial. I'm with YB. Haven't seen it in great detail, especially as a shade, before.

Everything is looking good as usual, nice to see you starting up some tutorials too, don't know if I missed it but if you haven't already you should try submitting it to the actual tutorials section.

Also jeez you loyalists with the apothecaries carrying everything on one arm, some people need to look to fabulous bill, I mean err fabius bile for a hands free solution!

Awesome looking Red Scorpions!

Great tutorial too, are you using odorless mineral spirits?

I went out and got all the stuff for oil washing, opened up the mineral spirits and almost doubled over.

I might be allergic to them, or just possibly really sensitive to heavy solvents (mine is the non-odorless variety).

I'm considering trying rubbing alcohol as an alternative thinner, any experience with that?

@YB and WM: Thanks! Glad I could help! (And WM: Testie'll definitely be in a squad.... maybe we'll promote him to Sergeant, eh? )

@Ignatius: Thanks a bunch- and I'll definitely be submitting it to the articles. Just gotta figure out the system!
And its not all just on one arm! We use the backpack too!.... well.... a little...

@More Dakka: Thanks! And yes I use OMS. I guess I'm kinda used to solvents and stuff- it doesn't bother me all that much.

As to using alcohol, I've never used it to dilute oils. did a quick google search, and couldn't find anything either way. Id recommend experimenting before using it on models (I will definitely try it, myself), and I would really only use the absolute highest concentration of alcohol possible (as close to 99% as you can).
My only issue with using rubbing alcohol would be the water content. Chemically, alcohol is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs water from the air readily. This means that no matter what, you're going to be mixing a little water into the paint as well, which as far as I know is bad news for oils.

I dont know of any other thinners, unfortunately- if OMS is giving you issues, Turpentine would only be worse.
Sorry I cant be much more help in this regard :/ I will let you know how tests go when I get to em!



No progress today. Got an email from the JET Program (program for teaching English in Japan) last night with the ID numbers of all applicants who got an interview. I wasn't on it.
So I'm in a bit of a slump after hearing that... Cant get in the mood to paint so its all just sitting there...
Sorry guys, but it'll be a few days before more updates.

Take some personal time Ramos, get your ducks in a row. WE appreciate you and know you're worth the wait!

Bummer to hear. Don't get to discouraged, we've all been there. I spent a good 5 months looking after a promotion turned into getting fired. Never know what opportunities will come and go. Seems like when you just get used to hearing no is when you'll get a yes.

Take some time, regroup, and get back out there. I know you have a supportive family, even if they give you a hard time.

Oh, man, sorry to hear that, Ramos. WM's right: don't be discouraged. I can tell you, too, that there are many opportunities to teach English in Japan. JET is a nice program, but if you really want to go to Japan, take a look for some other programs.

But, yeah, take some time off and relax. We really do appreciate you.

Those gakker waffles!

Ramos, just give me a name and an address. We'll fix this, DAKKA STYLE!

Follow up with them, find out why you did not make the cut, prep for the next session.

Thanks guys... I appreciate it.

I know its not the end of the world... Im not that crazy (yet, anyways)... But it just really sucks, you know? Especially how much I put into their application. Damn thing had to have weighed 20 pounds... And all the prep work like FBI background checks, Full physical, that damned essay! All in all I was at least hoping for the interview Just bummed me out that I didn't even get that. Add that to the hundred or so applications I've sent in elsewhere to no avail, and it really killed me.
I'm definitely making it a point to follow up with them- just need to wait till April to do so, according to their site. I'm hoping I can get some concrete answers rather than general "oh well look at your essay, make sure your paperwork was in order, blah blah..."

Ill be looking for other programs, for sure YB, as well as other options to really polish my next application. Problem is that in the mean time I need to look for a real job ><'


I suppose the silver lining to this is that I can keep taking commissions. Wont need to worry about moving any time soon and wont need to worry about getting stuff to and from Japan... I don't have to worry about the financial struggle of moving either- Ill have a whole other year to build up a "Japan Fund."
Then I've got Kingdom Death: Monster minis to look forward to in November (right around the time the application for next year's JET comes available, actually), as well as a couple other Kickstarter things in the coming months.


I'm gonna try to relax and recuperate over the next couple of days and get this whole business off my mind. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to the brush later in the week...
Thanks again guys... I really mean it. You're all really awesome!

Feel free to shoot me any future essays or resumes. Had a few classes on what to do to make them good.