Cygnar Knight Scheme

[hidarezan]

Greetings!

Fresh recruit of the Swan here, and am experiencing the joys and pains of painting for the first time!

Unfortunately, i am stuck in the color scheme department, and it has mainly to do why i chose Cygnar in the first place.

I had wanted to have a knight-based army ever since way back and was a big deciding factor for me in picking up the game (at first i wanted to play Menoth, but the Cygnar fluff got its hooks on me).

I have Stormblades, the Battlebox and others that i want to paint up in a medeival knight motif. But that's all that i have: a "want". I have no real idea what a good knight color scheme might work.

Should i replace the blue of the Stormblade's armor with White? Or Metallic Silver? (I have plenty Menoth White coz i thought then i'd be getting Menoth then). I just know that if i stick to Cygnar's blue (and i like the studio scheme, really, but that wasn't the reason why i chose Cygnar) i would probably not enjoy the figs as much.

Anybody have any good knight color scheme that could work for Cygnar?

[Remonis]

When I think of knights I think of gray armor with a tabard. So, perhaps go with a light gray, moving to white highlights.

The problem I see with having all the armor being an actual metallic color is that it will be hard on the eyes and difficult to shade well. At least if I were painting it.

But, maybe you can find inspiration here, with the sword knights.

[Gdufner]

Any color you want workd for Cygnar! I think most of us will say, find a color you love and go from there! I am doing my Cryx is Ultramarine Blue, I justloved the color when I first saw it. *Shrug* You bought them, you get to pick them!

[asoka]

You've probably already done this to some extent, but I'd highly recommend looking throu these forums and other online miniature showcase sites (like coolminiornot.com).

Just look at the color schemes used. Look at more than just Cygnar, too. you never know what will strike a chord with you. If you can find old copies of No Quarter, they have alot of articles with paint scheme guides.

Also, think thematic, but be willing and able to change things around on an individual model. If you get really attached to a metal scheme, what do you do when you have a unit with very little metal, for instance. think of the common threads of color that will bind the whole thing together into a visually cohesive force. That alone will cover alot of the learning mistakes you'll undoubtedly make.

[Gentlesamurai]

My cygnar theme is desert. Some tan browns with blue and yellows for trim. Someday I'll get some pics posted.

I'd suggest picking what region/environment your army is stationed in and go from there.

Good luck

[asoka]

I'd suggest picking what region/environment your army is stationed in and go from there.

That's an excellent suggestion! Figure out even the briefest bit of fluff for your planned army, desert based, snow based, etc. Maybe even some unit markings or whatnot.

Awesome tips.

[BENDER]

If you have loads of white paint knocking around why not try a knights templar scheme? White base with red detailing on the swans and tabards.

[-Q-]

Absolutely go bare metal for the armor, you will be glad you did. I've never liked the idea of painted armor myself and always thought that units like Stormblades, and just about every other Cygnar unit really should be painted in bare metal. It doesn't have to be hard to paint, undercoat black, drybrush or paint tin-bitz, then drybrush or paint a silvery metal of choice depending on how bright vs gritty you want to go finish with a wash of PP armor wash or a dark GW ink (and maybe another hit with your shiny metal depending on the look you want). Do all of your straps and pouches in leather, paint a medium brown, wash with brown, flesh wash, or chestnut ink.
From there is where you start to add the personality... choose your theme colors and use them on any cloth. You might also want to choose a similar theme color for your electricity/magic, for example if you're going with blue capes and coats then choose the lightest brightest blue, if you're going with green then use a bright neon green. That will help unify models that don't have any cloth but have electric/magic components compared to say, using the traditional light blue for electricity with green cloth.
There may be models that don't have a natural place for either your cloth or electricity/magic colors but keeping the metals and leathers the same the units should still "feel" right when used in the force.
Lastly, what I do in such schemes is add cloth to some models like unit leaders and 'jacks. If you're no good with sculpting you can find a good assortment of tabbard and cape bitz from the PP Online Store or many plastic GW kits like Chaos Warriors and Wood Elves. If you're not good at sculpting then just glue the cloth bitz on so they look like they're coming from under a shoulderpad or belt or whatever. That will allow you to just cut the top shape relatively flat to fit in place without having to use GreenStuff to sculpt on a connection.

[TsavongLah]

If you have loads of white paint knocking around why not try a knights templar scheme? White base with red detailing on the swans and tabards.

That's a brilliant idea. Knights Templar are awesome.



I almost wish I hadn't just finished basecoating my Stormblades. Ah well, there's always the Precursor Knights...

[Malfunction]

I think I would stay with the blue to keep it tied into Cygnar.

This scheme might work well for you. Forget that it is Menoth.

[Khazore]

Wow, Malfunction, thats a nice model. I like colour scheme for Menoth, it works.

[hidarezan]

Wow, awsome tips guys! Yeah, i guess when we buy our figures, we can really go crazy with the schemes! Just worried if the color harmony and whatnots would mesh together.

Yeah, on the fence about using silver (thanks for the detailed ideas, Q!) on the armor or just go white. Am leaning heavily on the Sword Knights for inspiration, as well, but i find that not all models have the blue cloth on its sculp. the cloth being a good platform for cygnar's unifying color: blue.

in short, if i paint the Stormknights armor metal or white, there seems to be no other area to paint in another unifying color, since the Swordknight sculp only shows armor plating over armor plating, with no cloth sculp. And then there are the jacks, which are really metal plates all through out.

Hehehe hope i that didn't sound an_l. just thinking out loud, and as confusing the process is, i'm loving every moment of it!

Here's are silver/metallic scheme i found all over the place:


absolutely love how the metal and blue mesh so well with this one. the detailed trimming is beyond my skill, however, but dang is it one awsome color scheme (for me).


Hah! Another menoth


just imagining how the armor would look as white as opposed to the current light blue scheme

[Wolf Master]

You could always unify them by painting the undersuit, Cygnus, and buckler the same color you use for your army.

[Khador247]

Here is the scheme for my now lame Sword Knights. Oh how they miss their MKI glory.

[gaminguy]

Wow, Malfunction, thats a nice model. I like colour scheme for Menoth, it works.

Yeah, that's a darn sharp model.

[squidstudios]

For a traditional medieval knight scheme, I'd go for a bright, polished metal look. Add some brass here and there and, instead of having a single unifying color for the whole army, maybe have each unit (or imagined division) have their own highlight color. That way the unifying color for the whole army will be the polished steel look plus however you'd paint the Cygnus on all of them. Each unit stands out because it has hints of red or blue or green or purple or white or whatever, based on the "Sacred Order of the Fluff" that you assign them.

(And Cynar would be a cool army to paint this way, I thnk. Likely cooler than Menoth.)

Maybe something like this: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...eval_armor.jpg

[Malfunction]

Yeah, that's a darn sharp model.

Wow, Malfunction, thats a nice model. I like colour scheme for Menoth, it works.

Thanks guys. Took me a while to figure out how to paint him up. Glad the way he came out. I didn't know if I would be able to pull off the NMM.

[DangerMouse]

Here are some of mine, in the blue and white theme army:

Stormtrooper style Seige:


Caine (blue and white)


Metal/Blue Stormblades:




-DM

[hidarezan]

That IS one sharply painted Menoth fig hehehe. Thanks for the pics and to Q and squid for detailed ideas on the knightly color schemes =)

@danger: so shiny plates does work too for the 'blades! thanks!