Various 40k models: critique wanted

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**corpuschain**

Hi folks,

Here are some of what I consider to be my best painted, recent models, where I've tried hard, and in photos where I think you can see detail fairly clearly.
Please take a look at as many models as you like and offer some critique. I've hit a bit of a plateau recently with my technique and would like to move to the next level, particularly when it comes to fine details.
What could I have done to make these models better?
I want to get better and my aim is to produce realistic looking but clean effects on my models (so I'm not interested in going for the super-highlighted "comic book" style or the 'everything is rusty and dirty' style).
I use only brushes and am not interested in airbrushing.

My pronouns: they/them/their

Inquisitor Lord Coteaz

Spoiler:

Blood Slaughterer

Spoiler:

Bloodthirster

Spoiler:

Lord of Contagion

Spoiler:

Dark Angels Interrogator-Chaplain

Spoiler:

Renegade Hydra

Spoiler:

Lord of Khorne

Spoiler:

Tervigon

Spoiler:

Daemon Prince (Ogroid Thaumatage)

Spoiler:

**CREEEEEEEEED**

Some of the models look a little flat in places, or they are too flat in their contrast, like the Ogroid's back, where the swirls seem very sudden.

**corpuschain**

CREEEEEEEEED wrote:
Some of the models look a little flat in places, or they are too flat in their contrast, like the Ogroid's back, where the swirls seem very sudden.

I'm not sure I get what you mean. Do you mean the skin would look better with a greater contrast between light and shade?
That said, the swirls should look sudden because I took them to be tattoos and so they should look painted on.

**mrhappyface**

Some nice clean paintjobs there. Only criticism I'd have, as a fellow Khorne player, is about the criminal lack of Blood for the Blood God on these models, the Blood Slaughterer especially needs a good long bath in blood!

**corpuschain**

mrhappyface wrote:
Some nice clean paintjobs there. Only criticism I'd have, as a fellow Khorne player, is about the criminal lack of Blood for the Blood God on these models, the Blood Slaughterer especially needs a good long bath in blood!

Hahaha

**Perkustin**

They look great! The Tervigon and Death Guard commander are my personal fave. The Dark Angels chaplain is maybe the weakest in my eyes.

Also some truly excellent photos, i really wish i could take'em half that well.

**An Actual Englishman**

The models are great, no question.

This isn't true for all of the models, but for some I think the paint is a little thick (I can' see the 'strokes' ever so slightly) and as has been said - to meet what you're trying to achieve I think you should have less of a contrast between your shades.

Take the Interrogator Chaplain for example, I think the cloak and other cloth bits are a bit too harsh in their transition. Perhaps add another shade layer of deeper green before the black.

Have you tried wet blending on any of the models? It is perfect to achieve; "my aim is to produce realistic looking but clean effects on my models".

The models are beautiful by the way, please don't take this critique as a negative.

**corpuschain**

Perkustin wrote:They look great! The Tervigon and Death Guard commander are my personal fave. The Dark Angels chaplain is maybe the weakest in my eyes.

Also some truly excellent photos, i really wish i could take'em half that well.

Interesting that you thing the chaplain is weakest (I had another model in mind as the weakest). What is it about the model that makes you say that? Please speek freely!

An LED lightbox for £10 and an iPhone are all I have. They made my pictures look a lot better without too much technique.

An Actual Englishman wrote:The models are great, no question.

This isn't true for all of the models, but for some I think the paint is a little thick (I can' see the 'strokes' ever so slightly) and as has been said - to meet what you're trying to achieve I think you should have less of a contrast between your shades.

Take the Interrogator Chaplain for example, I think the cloak and other cloth bits are a bit too harsh in their transition. Perhaps add another shade layer of deeper green before the black.

Have you tried wet blending on any of the models? It is perfect to achieve; "my aim is to produce realistic looking but clean effects on my models".

The models are beautiful by the way, please don't take this critique as a negative.

Thanks. I get the point about shading now. I usually do wet blend (if I understand wet blending right). I pretty much use the technique I use for acrylic paintings, which is to put both the light and dark colours on at the same time, then blending them together while they are still wet. I think I need some acrylic retardant to help with this, as the paint dries a bit too quickly for this to always be possible. That's wet blending, right?
Well, sometimes I do that, but if I cannot be bothered, I just wash and highlight. I suppose I'm a bit lazy sometimes. I'm doing blending more now though. I'm working on Horus atm and I think his cloak is blended a lot better than these models. See image below:

**An Actual Englishman**

Thanks. I get the point about shading now. I usually do wet blend (if I understand wet blending right). I pretty much use the technique I use for acrylic paintings, which is to put both the light and dark colours on at the same time, then blending them together while they are still wet. I think I need some acrylic retardant to help with this, as the paint dries a bit too quickly for this to always be possible. That's wet blending, right?
Well, sometimes I do that, but if I cannot be bothered, I just wash and highlight. I suppose I'm a bit lazy sometimes. I'm doing blending more now though. I'm working on Horus atm and I think his cloak is blended a lot better than these models. See image below:

**corpuschain**

Yeah, I hear you! I am normally quite good at critiquing my work, but I have plateaued a bit recently, so it's good to hear other people's thoughts. Even if I was already thinking what you said, the fact it's now in the open means that people will be expecting me to post some better models in future (or at least I imagine that's what they're thinking), and that thought is enough to motivate me to up my game a bit.

So thank you so much for your help (and to everyone else too).

Any further comments will be welcomed!

**White Fang**

I actually disagree. I think that the dark areas on your cloak are needed and fine the way they are. You could, however, use a bit more gradation between the high/low points and I would even venture to make the brightest points (reds on your Horus model for example) even brighter, in order to really pop! The Horus model overall is quite dark and cold, so having a bright red cape will really draw your eye to it. Otherwise, it could be easily overlooked on a table top, and that's not what you want with such an important piece.

Just my 2 cents.

**Perkustin**

I think the Crozius looks a little odd, the silver highlight doesn't quite work, also the face looks a bit untidy as do the metallics on the whole (i feel you on that one, i HATE doing metallics). On a more subjective note i don't like the really bright bone fringes.

**John Prins**

I'd say you don't highlight the hard edges of your models enough, but that is very much a style issue, not a painting skill issue.

I will agree with CREED that the models need more contrast to better define the shape. The Tervigon's green just looks washed, and the Ogriod Thaumaturge really lacks for definition. Overall, you tend towards flatter and/or more pastel colors, which doesn't help in this regard, though your color choices are entirely your own.

For cloth, I'm not a big fan of wet blending, as it's hard to pull off just right. I prefer to shade, put the original color over the raised areas, then use either edge highlights or thin down lighter paint with medium and progressively layer up the color.