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 Viterbi wrote:
They look nice all ranked up, also I would fear all those little spears when trying to get them out of the cabinet

Reminds me of conversations I’ve had with kids at the FLGS. “Wouldn’t it be neat to sharpen all the speartips?” No, no it would not. Can you really call yourself a wargamer unless you’ve pulled a miniature weapon out of your own arm? Even with the blunt tips.

Yeah, at least one of those spears has in fact drawn blood, though mostly its just a tangle hazard.

Started in on the next batch of rats, trying to get most of the veterans special weapons done. Also started the challenge models for the month--a trio of wizards and their secretary. Not as much done this week as I wanted, but enh, got time:


Plan is another green snake I think, though considering black, Badger being badger, and a Hooded Crow because I've got the Battlefeild Band stuck in my head.

Another week down.
Made Some progress on the challenge models:

Probably shoud have done the fur work first, but instead did some wash-and highlight after blocking. Not really happy with it, too many tide rings and too start a transition on the lightest color, and I think I jumped a few too many tones because I didn't want to have to reproduce a mix--very visible in the close ups.


May go back over it again with a bit more thinned base color and/or wash. I was really having issues with getting it thin enough to be translucent, but not so runny as to go into all the crevices--a wet pallet might help, but finding room for it in the work area is iffy. (Could also mix in a bit of matte medium, but trying to rely on that less, for time and wastage reasons.) I'm also thinking I may also be trying to overwork things, or at least run well before I've got walking down, trying a bit more highlighting and contrast than will not look busy, especially given my level of (lack of) control. Still a lot to go, haven't even started washing anything but the cloth and ribbons.

Did a little more on the rats, but not much to look at, so just a brief check in there:

Really do need to get around to giving that one plasma gunner a knife...

We'll see where we get to next week.

Painting comp entry is already looking on a good way in my eyes, love the badger fur! And good to know that the bird is sanctioned with all that purity seals all over him

Yeah, not quite sure what Oathsworn was going for there--the snake has a fair few as well! I'm just assuming they're his shinys, and the other three just humor him.

Starting to feel like I'm making progress, if not as much as I'd like.
Wizards:


Did a little wash to the badger fur, may do a drybrush of white and dark grey. Also did the greens and reds which I'm somewhat more happy with than the blues. Still need to do the snake's belly scales, probably a yellow wash, and the main body of the crow, probably with soft tone and a linen white drybrush (and of course, the black feathers.)

Rats are getting close as well:


Far from my best job, but mostly just needs fur and smock cleanups, and then highlighting up the guns and smocks-also probably should do the eyes at some point, probably before declaring the fur done.

Hopefully can haul them to done by next sunday, especially as I've only got one week after that for slip on the challenge models!

Badger looks so at ease with his pipe. Maybe put some cotton wool (don't know if this is the right english term) for a smoke effect.
Very nice eyes on snake and crow.

Well, technically calling the wizards done, though I may go back and add some smoke like you suggested, Vitterbi. May also try to go and neaten things up or try to punch them up a bit more...somehow, but not sure where to go with them.
Also experimenting with GIMP for collages:


The rats still kinda have hit a motivation deficit--I want to finish them, but even sitting in front of them with the paints, just kinda bleahing out at actually doing the painting. That said, they're pretty close, and hoping I can squeeze them to done if not tomorrow, then at least over the next week.



Still need eyes, weapon highlights, and shading and highlighting the smocks (and then basing). We'll see what we get to.

Looking good! If I may suggest a little detail that may be a quick win for the Badger and the Crow it's their "toe nails". Doing them off-white or some dark yellow/beige may be a nice and simple highlight. Otherwise they look great and very characterful!

Yeah, trying to balance "actual claws of crows and baders are black" with "this blends in with my prefered stone base and the lower legs." May try kicking them up some tones like you say. Already decided the feathers on the raven needed a little purple, so they contrasted the scales of their feet.

Or, you could take the nails in the opposite direction. What about toning the lowlights of the nails with a blue or a purple? It might differentiate from the grey without losing the black of them. In theory it seems like a good idea . . .

Great work so far, though.

Vejut wrote:
Yeah, trying to balance "actual claws of crows and baders are black" with "this blends in with my prefered stone base and the lower legs." May try kicking them up some tones like you say. Already decided the feathers on the raven needed a little purple, so they contrasted the scales of their feet.

See, I did not know that, you learn something every day

Oh, yes, the badger manicure problem... My first recipe was "paint them black, let it almost dry then draw a thin white or off-white line starting from the tip of the claw". This makes sort-of-very limited wet blending and still imitates the shininess effect.

But if You'd try some more unconventional schemes, I'll be watching from the bush.

Can't say these grey stone bases are too blending with an array of greys on miniatures. Plus - You can always add a cast shadow to them...

Anyway, good progress - and do keep thinking of them rats.

Great job on the badger, and nice work on the birdman's crystal. Really tight highlights.

Thanks, all of you for the help and compliments. Kinda did a little of both, washing purple and highlighting white. It looks...ok. Don't"t have pictures because my phone is having screen and access issues, and its how I take most of these pics. Replacement is ordered, but may miss a weekend update. I'll probably post my challenge final pics from the DSLR here though.

That said, midweek update because I pushed through and got the rats done. Lotta flaws if I look close, but not terrible as a group, I think. Played with some prebraided craft wire wrapped around a paintbrush for barbed wire, not sure how it came out.

I really like your space rats. They look like they are fun to paint and play.

Also, I only just realized that your are photographing on your painting table rather than on a cool post-apoc gaming mat!

Good looking squad. I think the barbed wire is effective; especially it's use as a tail.

I like the one called "Sauce".

JoshinJapan: thanks! They were a nice breather and pretty fun paint wise. Play, enh, haven't done that since 5th ed-ish.

Don qui Hotep: not sure where the barb wire tail is? Think it might be the guy in the center but his tail is actually behind that. Glad the wire reads Ok!

DjJazzy Jeff: I remember I had a reason for naming him that, and I really wish I remembered it now!

And a quick weekend update, mostly just getting things ready for the next set of rats, though I may be overloading myself a bit.

Some more shotgunners, and a heavy flamer:


What hopefully should be the rest of the lasguns to bring me up to 6 squads, though I still have a fair few plague monk bodies so I could go up to 7 or 8 squads (especially since IIRC, modern veteran squads require a pistol armed guy as the leader, no more rolling the commander out with a lasgun or shotgun like the rest of the bullet-stoppers:


Some sergeants to lead the veterans, partially painted from probably 5-6 years back (formerly earmarked as my platoon commander officers, but I've got enough random Skaven characters and am unlikely enough to use more than 2 or 3 platoon commands that I feel OK demoting them):


And finally, as I was rooting around to find these guys, I figured I would pull this Leman Russ Vanquisher out of the foam and move it to the display cabinet, with its original, about as old as the ex-officers paintjob (only one that actually got fully painted, I think!):



Dunno why I keep fitting my vanquishers with the triple bolters, I know they really should pack all AT weapons, but...meh. Not like I'm likely to hit the feild with these anyways!

Progress looks good.

My-my, does the Vanguisher look dated, bolters or no bolters. I know it is just a Russ underneath everything, but... Not to break You dedication an momentum, just a personal lament here. Tinted metal on tracks and white undercoat may make it look brighter, though. Will be watching closely.

Vejut wrote:
Don qui Hotep: not sure where the barb wire tail is? Think it might be the guy in the center but his tail is actually behind that. Glad the wire reads Ok!

Yes, I see now - it looked like one of the rats had had his tail replaced!

Wirecat wrote:
Progress looks good.

My-my, does the Vanguisher look dated, bolters or no bolters. I know it is just a Russ underneath everything, but... Not to break You dedication an momentum, just a personal lament here. Tinted metal on tracks and white undercoat may make it look brighter, though. Will be watching closely.

Well, that's about as far as that one's going--literally just pulled him out of the foam its been stored in. I figured it looked "good enough", and it'd be nice to keep a few of these guys I actually finished in their original colors. It's a bit dated, but want to do a few (already converted, and admittedly as old as that one and the rats!) after I finish all the new rats that I hope will look a bit more up to my current standards.

Don: If i do more of them, it's not a terrible idea!

Vejut wrote:

Wirecat wrote:
Progress looks good.

My-my, does the Vanguisher look dated, bolters or no bolters. I know it is just a Russ underneath everything, but... Not to break You dedication an momentum, just a personal lament here. Tinted metal on tracks and white undercoat may make it look brighter, though. Will be watching closely.

Well, that's about as far as that one's going--literally just pulled him out of the foam its been stored in. I figured it looked "good enough", and it'd be nice to keep a few of these guys I actually finished in their original colors. It's a bit dated, but want to do a few (already converted, and admittedly as old as that one and the rats!) after I finish all the new rats that I hope will look a bit more up to my current standards.

Don: If i do more of them, it's not a terrible idea!

Are you planning an army? You certainly have enough character models to make a go of it! Cool Leman Russ variant also, thanks for sharing.

Its less "planning" and more "finally getting around to painting", at least for large chunks of it. I've got about a company, company and a half of Russ variants, enough chimera to carry the veteran squads here, some odds and sods Hellhounds and Salamanders and the like, and probably two platoons plus significant special and heavy weapons squad supports in foam in a tupperware bucket in a back room--a decent few of them are painted, but to the rather low standard seen above. That said, my brain is trying to convince me to expand it a bit once I've got more of it painted, and a decent bit of it needs repairs or touchup.

Well, was holding out to try to have more progress, but its time for an update. First up: I've managed to keep up more or less weekly updates on this thread for a full year now! Its been helpful as motivation during a few points as well, especially around the end of last year. Managed to get 146 models done since starting, though I'm kinda short on energy to pull them out for a fancy progress shot. I probably won't keep that pace up next year, aiming for more like 72, but I do hope to move to doing more stuff like tanks and chariots that I've kinda been putting off in favor of getting raw model count pace down (and also because the last couple big projects on the dragons have been motivation killers)

As for what actually I've gotten done this week:
Didn't quite get done the block colors on the rats, sadly. They're close--just eyes, straps, and then cleanup (so, so much cleanup...) but not quite there.



Did the metal trim on my heavy weapons terminator:


And then started in on the month's challenge models, Fenris the Doom Reaver from Privateer press, in mounted and unmounted versions. Only just started blocking here, but still, progress is being made.


Proooobably need to spend more of my hobby time actually painting instead of on the idiot box, and tone down the number of projects, but still, making progress on a good bit of stuff, and on track for my 144 model goal for the year, so we'll see what happens this week.

Congrats on making the regular updates! And love the heavy flamer rat, it looks really menacing.

Thanks Vitterbi, and yes, that guy makes a dandy flamer. Sad I don't have more to fill out one for each squad or some command groups.

Been somewhat demotivated this week, so not much progress, and of course started more "I don't feel like working on whats already here" projects, like I needed more.
Fenris's horse fell off his pins, annoyingly, and his rider keeps spinning on the cork and losing paint, so mostly set them aside this week:


Instead, took the Tethru harbinger of thoth I primed last month, and started in on him. Actually all the way to shading and highlights, though I really needed to have not glued on the back banner--getting in on his back and cartouche is really annoying. I'm kind of mixed on his skirt and skin--in person I don't think it looks too bad, but the ever critical eye of the camera says its still a bit sharp on the color transitions.

Also not really sure what to do with the text scrolls by his neck. Thinking soft tone with electric blue lettering, but not sure it will contrast enough.
Did some minor skin cleanup and eye painting on the cat great weapon unit--still some ways to go there though:

Of course, don't think I even touched the rats. I did however, start yet another project--assembled a bomber flight for Areonautica Imperialis--got it assembled, turrets magnetized, and priming down. Not sure I'm getting as smooth a tone as I'd like with this russian green primer, and not sure where the colors are going from here, except maybe purple camo?

We'll see how we feel this week.

The camera always lies!

And I know the feeling of suddenly switching to other stuff, but in your case that looks good Harbinger is a nice sculpt and paintjob!

Nice work on the Tethru harbinger. I always liked their look. They, Basti, and Khemru were interesting from a game perspective, because they were more support Harbingers than straight combat-harbingers, like you get with the Heru or the Sebeki.

Your love of blue and cold greys is highly infectious, did anyone told You that yet? Good stuff, Vejut.