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DV8, Valten looks great! I love the hammers especially, and the stripey trousers are a classic touch.

wow, that was quick. I like the fine art painterly style too, with the more visible brush strokes. I've always wanted to try doing a model like that, but my OCD always kicks in and I spend hours smoothing all the transitions anyway.

Very cool challenge, and I'd like to join in if it's still possible?!

I begun working on a suitable model earlier this May. None other than the good old Ikit Claw! So here's a few WIP pics, the last ones taken this morning.

Man, fast work on Valten DV8!

Progress shot...



Couple more layers to go on the robes and 'armour/mask' combo. Blue eyes will not be blue, likely gold or silver. Still debating sword and furs. Furs I'm thinking I might attempt a cheetahs spot pattern, but in tiger orange.

And just to add to the retro-goodness I decided he needed an old-school familiar...

Pariah Press wrote:DV8, Valten looks great! I love the hammers especially, and the stripey trousers are a classic touch.

Thanks! Yea when I started the piece I was in a striped pants mood and I wanted to inject a little more color into the piece, so it was fun to do! There's a bit of Prince Adams in the colors...kinda wish I'd made the pants purple and lavender...

queen_annes_revenge wrote:wow, that was quick. I like the fine art painterly style too, with the more visible brush strokes. I've always wanted to try doing a model like that, but my OCD always kicks in and I spend hours smoothing all the transitions anyway.

Thanks QAR! Yea I've honestly been in love with a much quicker, more textural style lately. I can do smooth blends, but it takes much longer and I lose interest in it so quickly. I do need to work on polishing up my NMM more though, especially on blades. Sometimes I'm too rough and liberal with the texture.

Your Chaos Dwarves are looking good too! Can't wait to see the set!

monkeytroll wrote:Man, fast work on Valten DV8!

(Un)fortunately I am stuck at home and not working, so I have plenty of time to hobby. At least my pile of shame is shrinking rapidly!

I'll be painting these figures up as a combat squad.



They're old, but they're not super old. So to increase the retro factor the plan is to paint them with these paints (which are super old)...

...and to follow the painting guide in this pamphlet (which is so old it's probably a historical document by now).

Looking good so far everyone! Loving the old school vibes.

Some progress done. Been base coating all the different parts.
It has been really slow so far, so I'm not even sure I'll get this finished before the end of the month




I'm a bit sad that I don't have any unpainted old school models around for this one.
Those that I have, have been painted some 15 years ago and I don't want to repaint my first miniatures.

My younger self did not appreciate them that much, so some of them were sold a decade ago. Stupid me.

 Turaxa wrote:
I'll be painting these figures up as a combat squad.

Spoiler:

They're old, but they're not super old. So to increase the retro factor the plan is to paint them with these paints (which are super old)...

...and to follow the painting guide in this pamphlet (which is so old it's probably a historical document by now).

Some lovely stuff already, I'm slowly chipping away on my priests, still laying down the base colors.

 Nevelon wrote:
I still reference that book from time to time. Classic. Also still have a lot of the old pots in active use.

I was really impressed that the the pots I unearthed were still useable. With one exception they were good as new. Nice RTB01s by the way.

I thought I had the right colours to paint my marines as retro Blood Angels, but it turned out I didn't and my attempt to substitute some of the colours went awry. Then I discovered that I did have the right colours to paint them as retro Space Wolves.

Below is a WIP picture together with the picture from the Space Marine Painting Guide that I am using as a reference.


Strangely, the guide recommends drybrushing the armoured parts of the model with the highlight colour, but on a helmeted marine that's the whole model. The result, after two coats and enough paint wiped off the brush for a third, is a bit like weathering, or a winter camo wash. Kind of chalky, and nothing like the reference image which doesn't actually look drybrushed. Still, I'm happy enough with the figure so far to continue it.

The guide images never look like what a model painted using the advice looks like, because they aren't painted the same way. They're painted with many layers using feathering, blending and edge highlighting. not drybrushing.

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
The guide images never look like what a model painted using the advice looks like, because they aren't painted the same way. They're painted with many layers using feathering, blending and edge highlighting. not drybrushing.

Painting guides of that era were also notorious for simple 3 step procedures.

1 - Prime
2 - Basecoat
3 - Golden Demon

With not a whole lot of detail between the steps.

Haha if only it were that simple! Even now the guides are only very basic beginner steps. You're best finding amazing painters who's style you like and see if they do tutorials.

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
Haha if only it were that simple! Even now the guides are only very basic beginner steps. You're best finding amazing painters who's style you like and see if they do tutorials.

I envy people starting the hobby these days. So many more resources out there to help them.

So, after (ahem) experimenting with three different color schemes, I stripped four of the six models down to the primer and started them over. It's halfway through the month, and this is how far I've come. Not sure I'm gonna finish in time...

 Pariah Press wrote:
So, after (ahem) experimenting with three different color schemes, I stripped four of the six models down to the primer and started them over. It's halfway through the month, and this is how far I've come. Not sure I'm gonna finish in time...

You've set yourself up for one heck of a challenge with these models. Maybe cut your entry down to one set rather than two?]

I'm thinking these guys are about finished:



Any suggestions?

Well my cork chippings turned up so I made
Some goblin green flock, I have so much now that I think
it will be used on my next eldar project

queen_annes_revenge wrote:The guide images never look like what a model painted using the advice looks like, because they aren't painted the same way. They're painted with many layers using feathering, blending and edge highlighting. not drybrushing.

That's what I suspected. I think the Blood Angels in that guide actually do follow the techniques it suggests, but like you say with a lot more going on than the bare bones approach described. I might try the techniques recommended for the Blood Angels again with Space Wolf colours, but first I need to show my brushes some TLC since they're old and forking terribly.

Nevelon wrote:
Painting guides of that era were also notorious for simple 3 step procedures.

1 - Prime
2 - Basecoat
3 - Golden Demon

With not a whole lot of detail between the steps.

Too true.

JoshInJapan wrote:
I'm thinking these guys are about finished:

Spoiler:

Any suggestions?

Other than "They're awesome, paint more"? If I was nitpicking, in the big gallery image the contrast between the base and highlight on the palamino centaur's hair looks a little harsh in places, and the bracelets the cyclops centaur is wearing kind of blend in with its skin colour. Other than that, they're great, and I like the way the colour schemes make them look like coherent creatures rather than human(oid)s spliced with horses.

WIP on Aekold Helbrass;



Definitely not a scheme that photographs well, but I'm pleased with the way it's progressing.

Some cracking stuff so far! All these retro schemes and minis capturing a wonderful nostalgia, it's like a potted history of the hobby's evolution over the years.

Need a better camera to see all the feathering. Still a WIP but we're getting there.

 JoshInJapan wrote:

 Pariah Press wrote:
So, after (ahem) experimenting with three different color schemes, I stripped four of the six models down to the primer and started them over. It's halfway through the month, and this is how far I've come. Not sure I'm gonna finish in time...

You've set yourself up for one heck of a challenge with these models. Maybe cut your entry down to one set rather than two?]

That's good advice. I'll concentrate on getting half of them done by the deadline.

This weekends progress. I have attempted some diamonds, pretty happy with the power sword pony tail one but will probably go back to quartered for the others.

So, work has jumped up on me this month and I'm only just getting round to some proper painting. I was going to paint a squad of 2nd ed fire dragons (I still might) and I had two different possible schemes in mind, but I'm worried I'm running out of time. I'm now wondering if some dire avengers, or even just the exarch might be quicker/easier.

My intention was to do fire dragons so they resemble as closely as possible the classic 2nd ed codex cover, or do something more funky with black and red shading, but like I say, I'm a slow painter at the best of times, maybe dire avengers or just the exarch would be better at this point. If I just do the exarch, I'll again try to get it as close to the 2nd ed codex art as possible.

What do people think? Proof pics for all options added.

No conversion from me this time, due to a time shortage.....

I'm going to try out contrast paints on this vicious little fellow:

Calling them done;



If anyone has any tips on how to photograph metallics well, I'd really appreciate hearing them. Can not get an image that does them justice at all. I'll keep trying though.

I don't know about metalics specifically, but I find photographing against a dark background gives better results than white.

Nice work on those classic Chaos dudes.

@JamesY they look fantastic! Love the stripes on the horns, is that part of the sculpt or is it freehanded on?

@Freya loving the space wolf, too, that blending on the handle of his staff really pops!

@JamieShred Those harlequins are also looking great, gotta love the classic harly sculpts. Plus I have a huge soft spot for any eldar.

@joshinjapan cheers, I'll give it a try

@cancelledapocalypse cheers, sorcerer on the left the horns are twisted, so the detail is there. On Aekold Helbrass, they are perfectly smooth, so the details are painted on.

Very nice JamesY Great job with the line work on Aekold's horns.

Only tip I have I using a lightbox or something to diffuse the light so you can get a clear light whilst cutting down the reflection - but that doesn't seem to be your issue.