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So, this weekend, I discovered the limits of my talent when it comes to painting!

The Celestant-Prime of the Stormcasts appears at first glance like many other GW models. First you think it is going to be a hell of job with all sorts of detailing needed, but then when you break it down into its components, it is actually quite easy. In the case of the Celestant-Prime, you might think wings, body, swirly bits at the bottom.

Turns out the first impression is the right one on this model!



It is not that this is a difficult model per se, it is just that I can see it would benefit from someone with just a tad more talent than I possess. Specifically, when it comes to the cloak detail on the back;



I started doing well with the shading and highlighting on the red, but the wheels started coming off with the white and gold detailing. The swirly bits (the orrery) could have done with a bit more skill and expertise as well.

I don’t think I have done badly here. It is just someone else could have done things a bit better, is all…

Painting notes here: https://ttgamingdiary.wordpress.com/2015/10/13/the-limit-of-talent/

I wouldn't concern myself with how well someone else could do it, that way lies madness. There's ALWAYS going to be someone better than you. The key is to improve with each model and do better than your last model.

Having said that, your model looks great! I would shade the interior parts of the white on the "wings" a bit to make the outer parts look more glowing. Maybe a bit of gray or light blue watered down?

The only other thing I see is you might neaten up around the washed areas that have bled into the red on the cloak. Maybe with a darker red towards the recesses then the basecoat color on the raised areas.

Seconded. There will always be work we can look at that will make our own attempts feel thoroughly inadequate, just like one could paint a portrait and then see a Van Gough or Da Vinci and feel similarly unskilled...

but that is all nonsense, frankly! That mini looks great, and is definitely something you should feel proud to put down on the table! If you feel that there's some more you can do on it then by all means do it, but under no circumstances should you consider the current result poor!

If you want to shade the white, I find a 1:2:1 mix of a mid-bluey-grey, Lahmian Medium and water gives a nice thin wash that you can apply directly to the recesses and get some good contrast.

 SlaveToDorkness wrote:


Having said that, your model looks great! I would shade the interior parts of the white on the "wings" a bit to make the outer parts look more glowing. Maybe a bit of gray or light blue watered down?

The wings are meant to radiate light so they wouldn't have shadows on them. I like the way the wings are done as the whole thing looks like its glowing.

I haven't bought this model yet and I don't know if I will as it seems very intimidating. Super grats on your effort dude, much better than I could have done.

Nerm86 wrote:

 SlaveToDorkness wrote:


Having said that, your model looks great! I would shade the interior parts of the white on the "wings" a bit to make the outer parts look more glowing. Maybe a bit of gray or light blue watered down?

The wings are meant to radiate light so they wouldn't have shadows on them. I like the way the wings are done as the whole thing looks like its glowing.

Eavy Metal begs to differ...

I prefer MongooseMatts version personally

It's an impressive piece of work to me, either way.

That's really nice. Brilliant work

D

F'n A... that is cool

Nerm86 wrote:


The wings are meant to radiate light so they wouldn't have shadows on them.

Officially, this is exactly the effect I was going for.

Unofficially, I tried shading the wings on the Prosecutors and got into a bit of a pickle. They just looked really scrappy. In the end, I just went over them again in pure, bright white and went with the 'wings of energy' excuse.

Nerm86 wrote:

I haven't bought this model yet and I don't know if I will as it seems very intimidating. Super grats on your effort dude, much better than I could have done.

Honestly, if I can do it, then anyone can