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Hello,

It’s not a common sight to see a weathered, heavily chipped Tau battlesuits among the clean, high-tech ones. This time, with the emergence of the new Stormsurge battlesuit, we’ve tried some weathering upon the big (and the suit is a massive one indeed!). Take a look at the model – visit our gallery as well.












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I wish I could afford to pay you guys to do my mechanicus army. Amazing work

Niiiiice.

Whats with people putting the glowy effect on the bolts anyway? I can understand on vents and gunbarrels but why the bolts?

More importantly... the drivers of these suits must be terrible... they JUST came out and look at the condition they're in?

You guys over at Awaken Realms really confuse me sometimes.

In most of your studio's posts I just stopped responding because the airbrush jobs are so bad that I it's all I can really focus on - the problem is that when offered up as constructive criticism such posts are quickly brushed with the line "Well it's what the customer wanted".

After not too long I just stopped offering criticism because well, it's really not that big a deal to me - It's your studio after all and if customers continue to trade their money for your efforts than... well more power too you.

What has me so confused now is that - specifically with this model, your studio demonstrates a real, genuine skill. The base colors, the subtle edge highlights, the weathering, and even the cleaning of the mold lines are done quite well. It's like you spent a great amount of time and effort into creating the 'core' of the model, and then handed it over to an eight-year-old with an airbrush. It isn't even that airbrushes in general are bad, but the way it has been used on this model is just awful. As a previous poster already said - giving the impression that some heat or energy is being released from a vent or grill is a fine place to use airbrushes for a smooth color transition or effect. But why would a large metal rivet or bolt just 'glow' or be painted to mimic that affect?

As much as that destroys the 'character' of the model by making it obviously out of key with its own parts, I could still overlook it and maybe even write it off as artistic license... if it were done well.

But it's not. It just adds to my confusion. The airbrushing on this model is off center - like the artist 'missed' when spraying a specific part. It often bleeds over on other parts that don't make sense, or is just clearly 'outside the lines'. And it really stands out because the rest of the model is so well painted.

I like it's heavily weathered look. Good solid work!

Kahnawake

That weathering and lighting looks amazing!

Superb job on the suit and weathering! It really looks like it's been in a long fight.

Really don't understand the blue or the placement of it, why would those glow, and why would the glow darken the areas around it like it does there? The suit is pale.

The weathering is really awesome. The OSL doesn't make any sense, as others have said. The warheads are also a missed opportunity to pick out additional detail.

I think it looks fantastic. I never understand the comments of people attacking your OSL. You do a lot of it, some people dig it. Some don't. But when people start talking about how it's 'bad' the first thing I think is that I'd love to see what they're painting as an example of better.

I'd hire you guys in a split second to paint for me if I was going to spend the money. Also love your sculpts and ideas for the game you're producing.

I really like this one, some of your schemes are hit and miss for me, this is one of my favorites done by you guys. I like this osl, like I said some others just look off to me, but I like the contrasts in this one and that you made non-lighting surfaces into lights.

Overall, with all the battle damage and the lava base, it makes tau look really aggressive. Sometimes they can look like they're just trying to look cool...

raoiley wrote:
I think it looks fantastic. I never understand the comments of people attacking your OSL. You do a lot of it, some people dig it. Some don't. But when people start talking about how it's 'bad' the first thing I think is that I'd love to see what they're painting as an example of better.

I'd hire you guys in a split second to paint for me if I was going to spend the money. Also love your sculpts and ideas for the game you're producing.

It's not a matter of being better than the people putting this up, it's a matter of taste. Their OSL for a lot of people is over done, and poorly placed. You can have that opinion without being an outstanding award winning painter.

I agree with what a few people have said, the base painting and weathering of the suit is fantastic, and some of the OSL is well placed and well done. The issue is not execution, but rather construction of the paintjob and placement of the OSL that is not as well done as the rest of the model.

And you're absolutely entitled to that opinion. I'm a sucker for glowy stuff and it would have to look light a night light before I think it's too much. But when people in this thread have called it "awful"? Like I said, let's see money where the mouth is.

I'm not annoyed with people expressing distaste, but I think there's a difference. This battlesuit is entirely fictional and done at the whim of the artist. Which of us is the authority to say "no, that shouldn't light up?"

I will continue to click when you post updates from the studio. Love what I see! Only OSL I've ever thought was overdone was the neon green on some of the chaos. And that was just because I hated the colour combination lol. Also, let's get more updates on that titan thread!

 En Excelsis wrote:
You guys over at Awaken Realms really confuse me sometimes.

In most of your studio's posts I just stopped responding because the airbrush jobs are so bad that I it's all I can really focus on - the problem is that when offered up as constructive criticism such posts are quickly brushed with the line "Well it's what the customer wanted".

After not too long I just stopped offering criticism because well, it's really not that big a deal to me - It's your studio after all and if customers continue to trade their money for your efforts than... well more power too you.

What has me so confused now is that - specifically with this model, your studio demonstrates a real, genuine skill. The base colors, the subtle edge highlights, the weathering, and even the cleaning of the mold lines are done quite well. It's like you spent a great amount of time and effort into creating the 'core' of the model, and then handed it over to an eight-year-old with an airbrush. It isn't even that airbrushes in general are bad, but the way it has been used on this model is just awful. As a previous poster already said - giving the impression that some heat or energy is being released from a vent or grill is a fine place to use airbrushes for a smooth color transition or effect. But why would a large metal rivet or bolt just 'glow' or be painted to mimic that affect?

As much as that destroys the 'character' of the model by making it obviously out of key with its own parts, I could still overlook it and maybe even write it off as artistic license... if it were done well.

But it's not. It just adds to my confusion. The airbrushing on this model is off center - like the artist 'missed' when spraying a specific part. It often bleeds over on other parts that don't make sense, or is just clearly 'outside the lines'. And it really stands out because the rest of the model is so well painted.

This. This model is kind of sad, it's a pretty good paint job that's ruined by terrible OSL.

raoiley wrote:
I think it looks fantastic. I never understand the comments of people attacking your OSL. You do a lot of it, some people dig it. Some don't. But when people start talking about how it's 'bad' the first thing I think is that I'd love to see what they're painting as an example of better.

It's because OSL is one thing that can be objectively bad when looking at a model that has it. There is a way to do it right and there is a way to do it wrong; this model has it done wrong.

Really, it's not even object source lighting... it's just random paint sprayed on the model. It's a shame too because the model is wonderful outside of that.

Very nice paintjob. But for the greater good, the maintenance crew should be executed.

What's really sad is that this is the same company that is painting this amazing Warlord titan. So they should really know better!

 En Excelsis wrote:
You guys over at Awaken Realms really confuse me sometimes.

In most of your studio's posts I just stopped responding because the airbrush jobs are so bad that I it's all I can really focus on - the problem is that when offered up as constructive criticism such posts are quickly brushed with the line "Well it's what the customer wanted".

After not too long I just stopped offering criticism because well, it's really not that big a deal to me - It's your studio after all and if customers continue to trade their money for your efforts than... well more power too you.

What has me so confused now is that - specifically with this model, your studio demonstrates a real, genuine skill. The base colors, the subtle edge highlights, the weathering, and even the cleaning of the mold lines are done quite well. It's like you spent a great amount of time and effort into creating the 'core' of the model, and then handed it over to an eight-year-old with an airbrush. It isn't even that airbrushes in general are bad, but the way it has been used on this model is just awful. As a previous poster already said - giving the impression that some heat or energy is being released from a vent or grill is a fine place to use airbrushes for a smooth color transition or effect. But why would a large metal rivet or bolt just 'glow' or be painted to mimic that affect?

As much as that destroys the 'character' of the model by making it obviously out of key with its own parts, I could still overlook it and maybe even write it off as artistic license... if it were done well.

But it's not. It just adds to my confusion. The airbrushing on this model is off center - like the artist 'missed' when spraying a specific part. It often bleeds over on other parts that don't make sense, or is just clearly 'outside the lines'. And it really stands out because the rest of the model is so well painted.

To respond to the opinion (a constructive one and well described, thank you!) - and opinions sharing a similar point of view.

When we as a studio started to paint, this was the effect that was present on the first models done (as it's the artistic taste of the founder painter) and it was the effect that people liked - and what also corresponded to the economic aspect, as they were buying and ordering those - so the studio continued to do work like this, as it was something that people wanted to see (and have on their models).

And as for the Warlord Titan - as a studio, we can produce a diversity of what is able to be done by the brush and airbrush as well. If anyone wish to have an army/model done, can specify what he prefer to see on the models. We had questions about the models with heavy OSL work (as customer loved this kind of effect - a personal taste - and saw this executed on the models we've done) as well as questions for not using OSL at all (as it was in the Cadian army. Or ask for something other, like freehands on Warlord.

The key is that when something that is to someone's tastes and when something is not in the tastes of the other ones, those who like the effect will more likely order something (and this will result in producing more stuff done in that way, what will result in a broadervision of the certain style that is becoming a kind of the trademark). We were doing this kind of effect from the beginning and it met the expectations (and indeed, those are in most cases within the customer's demand!), so we're continuing with the effect that made us recognizable. Of course, we encourage the people to bring out their personal views - if they include OSL or not.

And it's not that we don't like to hear people's voice when they are expressing that those effects are not in their tastes. We're reading those and observing how the models are liked (or not) - and draw conclusions. If we're keeping a trend for something that for some of you is without your taste, we're doing it for reasons - and those are mostly influenced by the customer demand and the studio's former experience. Of course, if anyone states that he'd not like to see the OSL (or OSL done in a certain manner), we'll adjust this demand on the project.

See, this isn't really about personal taste of OSL vs. no OSL. The problem isn't that you have OSL, it's that your OSL is simply terrible work. It's sloppy, it doesn't line up with light sources, and it's just not what good OSL is supposed to look like. if someone did this on a model I commissioned I'd consider it unacceptable and demand a replacement or refund. Defending it as "personal taste" makes about as much sense as having someone point out a puddle of glue on a model and saying that "our customers like it when we glue their models together, so we continue to use glue".

Every customer in the process of commission is receiving a serie of photo samples to have insight in the painting process and provide his feedback - so the situation when someone just receive the miniatures that are not approved beforehand is non-existent. Before being packed and send, the models are photographed (and not only as a whole army, but the squads separately, and from several angles), that allows customer to see the details of the models and how is everything looking like. (or when buying the pre-painted models on ebay, they see the models photographed in the same manner, and can ask for more photos).

This is also a matter of taste - the customers approving this approach to OSL are liking this effect, while for other people it may appear as bad example of it. Everything is within the range of control of customer.

I think it's overall a well painted model. The OSL doesn't 'ruin' the model for me.

That said, were I a paying customer given a choice, I would request a different OSL technique to be applied.
For myself I find it odd that on larger objects giving off illumination it is painted as though the glow originates from a part of that object, as opposed to the object as a whole. Also the vents and grills which are painted to be giving off energy are done in a similar way. If they are venting wouldn't the light be bursting from within as opposed to streaked though the middle?

Everything else about the paintjob is superb. The OSL on the smaller objects still looks good for the most part. I especially love the extreme weathering. You've got it somehow giving off that 'ancient' vibe some people strive for on their imperial models.

Looking forward to progress on the Warlord Titan and future projects

Stop over doing the feth ass osl! I'm sure you do it to wow people but wtf not everywhere. If only minuscule detail calls for osl then do that n call it a day. That's y i feel my bloodthirster was painted better than urs, I only put osl on the base due to the fire. Btw what kind of base is that? Lava or Mars iron earth

Andredre wrote:
Btw what kind of base is that? Lava or Mars iron earth

The base is painted as lava one.

In defense of the model's glowy effects...

I think the way to appreciate it is that they're just airbrushed glowy bits, not OSL. True OSL is really tricky, and not just a matter of "spray blue paint here" (because blue light doesn't just make whatever it hits blue, not to mention that there is zero effort on the part of the painter to make the glowy bits cast light on any part of the model other than what's just around it). I don't think any sane painter would make that many artificial light sources for a commission anyways, because it would be super hard to make it convincing.

So anyways, that gets to the whole point of the model and such... these guys paint commissions, and to make a living, you are constrained to doing something cool given the time and money people are willing to spend, right? I mean, it's going to be a rough ride spending 300 hours on a titan if your client only wants to pay for 20. If someone says they like glowy bits, but they're just happy with the bits glowing, and don't want to pay for a lot of extra time to cast beautiful lighting on other parts of the model, then that's what you give them, right? I have no idea what the purchaser's budget is, but assuming that they're not paying an extraordinary amount for a display model, I think this looks great for a tabletop centerpiece as a gaming model, and most people would be happy with it in their army.

It looks fantastic! Great job guys.

Besides putting OSL on parts that aren't lights it looks good. I like the weathered look.