Wrath of a Mediocre Painter

[Obeisance]

So I've been playing Cryx for over a year now. The Nightmare Empire is a lot of fun. But with the upcoming Journeyman league in my area, I decided it was time for a change. I had intended on actually waiting for the league to start.. but my enthusiasm got the better of me.

I struggled to find a scheme I liked, for weeks. I trawled the internet like a whale sifts the water for krill, eventually finding a scheme I liked.. and gave it a shot, tweaking it a bit. Took me several attempts to make it work.

Pattern, from a black base.

Carapace:
Hormagaunt Purple -> Murderous Magenta -> Badab Black -> Magenta -> Magenta/Deneb -> Magenta/White.

Flesh:
Adeptus Battlegrey -> Badab Black -> Adeptus -> Adeptus/White -> Adeptus/White

Gums:
Lich Purple -> Badab -> Lich

Teeth/Claws:
Khemri Brown -> Desert Yellow -> Deneb Stone, then use Gryphone Sepia to neaten up/divide any claws.

Bases:
Scorched Brown -> Calthan Brown -> Bleached Bone
Hedge grass and Highland Tuft
Arcs are Hormagaunt then Magenta

...




I finished this today.


Next on the painting desk- another Scythean, Shredder and a couple Forsaken. Batch painting them all.

...

Any suggestions on Nyss skin tone? I'm debating doing them the standard UnderbellyFrostbite way, but I'm pretty sure it'll clash with the rest of my army. Murderous Magenta would be the unifying colour.

edit:

Hair - Deneb/White, badab, white.

[johntoenjes]

I think they look great. When you say underbelly, are you talking for every unit? The red/magenta that's used on the underside of those one already looks good.

[Obeisance]

By Nyss, I mean the elves themselves. The warbeast (and Forsaken) scheme is set.

You know, Saeyrn, Shepherds, Deathstalkers, etc. Or I could just paint them with the same grey skin. Might look weird though.

[jdeckert]

Really cool color scheme, they look great! Maybe you could just use a lighter gray for the nyss. That way they don't clash, but don't look exactly the same.

[KamenRiderNecro]

Those look fabulous. Mediocre, my foot! I am planning on taking up Legion myself, in the very near future, and I am sweating a color scheme myself, so I'm glad you were able to come up with something as striking as this. For your Nyss units, I'd suggest a much lighter gray, as well, maybe lightening up the base coat or highlighting up to a more pallid gray, almost off-white. Thanks for sharing!

[pariah3j]

I would say you can paint the Nyss whatever color skin tone you think fits them, you can tie them back to your army using your purple/magenta scheme or even black/grey clothing, possibly a mix ?

[Obeisance]

I've decided my Nyss are going to have white hair.

White hair, slightly lighter skin than the warbeasts. Magenta and silver clothes.

Anyone got tips on painting white hair?

[CrashProned]

Dude those are SICK! Easily my favorite Legion paint scheme yet!

[pariah3j]

White hair I would say might look best if you go with something like a frostbite blue which is almost white(assuming you'll be priming black) and then maybe ink/wash it with a light grey. Afterwards drybrush some white back over that for highlights ?

[PG_gdaybloke]

Approved, despite their filthy blighted nature. (*rubber stamp*)

[Obeisance]

Thanks for the compliments, peeps.

I don't know about frostbite blue skin, up to white. I'm trying to keep the colour palette used on the beasts and Nyss as close as I can.

Basically, the beasts have Liche Purple gums, various shades of Bone for claws.. and those are the only other colours used in the scheme. If I go with a blue-ish base to the hair, it'll look a bit cold on a warm scheme.

I was thinking Deneb, Skull White, wash it back with something. Probably watered down Badab Black. Then neaten the white up again... but I'm open to suggestions.

[tonyzahn]

Those are some very nice looking beasts!

[phantem2]

Well crap, if this is mediocre then my stuff just plain sucks.

In all seriousness I really like the colors, well done.

[El Jefe]

I was thinking Deneb, Skull White, wash it back with something. Probably watered down Badab Black. Then neaten the white up again... but I'm open to suggestions.

I'd think that a black wash on the white hair might make it look too grey. I'd try Devlan Mud or Gryphonne Sepia instead of the black.

[Obeisance]

The painting itself is pretty mediocre, yeah. It's sloppy, but I've done enough layers of highlighting that it makes it pop. Plus the bone is awesome.

The thing about painting, the more complicated the base, the better the model looks.

Shredded cork tiles
Sand
Three steps of paint
Hedge grass
Army Painter Highland Tuft

I've also ordered some Army Painter Meadow Tuft, because it's pink and white flowers. With white hair, it'l tie it all together.

[The_Wretch]

That's pretty sick. The only thing I can think of to improve them is to maybe lighten up the underbelly scales and the skin between the wing-bones.

[Crate123]

I like it, good job Obeisance.

[Obeisance]

The wing membranes are the same colour as the wings, because with the Angelius, there's no physical differentiation between the wing and the upper arm.

[The_Wretch]

Ah, okay. Was just a personal 'suggestion' (read: opinion) It still looks fine the same color.

[Kuwanger23]

Obe my Tyranids have the exact same look. All I do is paint them lich purple, brush their carapace backwards to catch the edges and then wash it leviathan purple. comes out just like that. Old school nid look. Love the Ever blight.

[crcalvin]

They look great, especially like the carapace, it comes out really well.

[PG_gabbadj]

Those look great man! Badab Blackwash and complimentary colors FTW brother ;p

[Archleone]

I'll post pics tomorrow, but for my swordsmen I did menoth white highlight highlighted with morrow white for the hair (yes it's silly) and then washed it a tiny bit with thamar black and I think it came out looking like a nice white but not too grey. You may want it even whiter, though, for which frostbite and morrow white are your colors.

[mrhuettel]

great scheme, the contrasting pink-grey make them look even more "alien" than they are... try a very light gray on the nyss, should blend nicely into our other tones.

[loftybloke]

This really work well, I like the contrast. Thanks also for the recipe for your base & claws, I'm going to trial it on a couple of my models if you don't mind?

Lofty

[diehard]

Really liking the Dark Gray skin on your beasts and think you went with the right choice in using a lighter version for the skin of your Nyss. Looking forward to seeing them and thanks for sharing.

[Obeisance]

Well, I've been productive. I've painted another Scythean and have Angelius #2 at 80%.

Today, I assembled:
Bethayne and Belphagor
eVayl
eLylyth
10 Hex Hunters
Bayal
5 Raptors
Blackfrost Shard

With every model, I stripped the tags from the bases. Cut cork to fit like rocks. Pinned them to bases. Then sanded where the cork wasn't present. Waiting for the glue PVA to dry before I seal the bases with a 1:10 PVA/water mix.

Oh. Pff. I picked up a pair of Ravagores. Both of them were MISSING THEIR FREAKING TORSOS. And I eLylyth's card, too. Already filed a missing parts order with PP.

I've got some gap filling to do on Typhon, the Raptors and probably Belphagor.

Next week is Focused and Furious, the biggest Warmachine/Hordes event in Australia to date. 50 players. This will be my last outing with Cryx... 2012 will see me playing Legion.

...

Now that I've seen the SR2012 draft, I'm so glad I made the decision to play Legion. As a Cryx player, I run infantry spam. Like 50 models in 50pts. There's no possible way I can continue playing infantry spam at 10mins/turn for 50, or 7mins/turn at 35. The character restrictions hurt Cryx, too. Withershadow, BLT, Gorman.. my biggest offenders.

But as a Legion player? Hah. Next to no characters and if I play Legion's strength.. dropping the time limit isn't going to mean a thing.

...

Domination has finally come. Legion, as the strongest Hordes faction.. got close to nothing worth mentioning.

eVayl - Not sure I like her.
Kallus - If I wanted to play infantry, I'd continue playing Cryx.
Proteus - Mediocre tricksy and expensive beast. Solid with Incite, or possibly Forced Evolution but otherwise meh.
Succubus - She does what she needs to, but she's nothing to write home about.
Captain Failor - Yay, let's make an inexpensive chump infantry unit more expensive.
Throne - Awesome model, rules are ok. Not sure I'd use it.

I think the best thing we got was the Naga Nightstalker. Wrathbane gives us another answer to Iron Flesh, Defender's Ward... and pLylyth and eLylyth are going to just love it against Menoth. No more Choir using passage to laugh off shooting. Makes assassination runs far more viable.

...

Once my exams are done, I'll be back on the painting train.

[Obeisance]

I wish I waited for plastic scytheans/etc.

Worst thing about big chunky metals- is the fact they chip so easily =/

[Antigonus]

A robust varnishing process will give you the protection that metal models need, Obeisance - the one mentioned in Col_Festus' Artwork Inspired Legion of Everblight thread sounds like it should help you there.

[flameberge]

Love the work. As far as how to paint the Nyss, rather than going grey I would try your purple as a base, highlighting up toward white. As for white hair there are several ways to go but depending on the look I want I tend to go for light grey highlighted up to white for a more bleak look or an off white (like Menoth Base) highlighted up to white.

[Rhonx79]

I am really digging your models! Keep up the good work.

[Defenstrator]

Again, not mediocre at all. They look quite solid. Nice clean colour scheme, decent highlighting, good basing, all good. Hope to see more in fact.

[stormshaft]

Not to be "that guy"... but I would say that these are more than "average", they look very, very good.
They probably look absolutely fantastic on the gaming table.

The paler skin of the Nyss will contrast very well with any purple or grey/black armour and weapons.

[Obeisance]

It's mediocre, because my brush control is terrible. It's basically several stages of wetbrushing. =p

... but thanks.

That might be a good call on the varnish. I could use some actual floor varnish or something for extra strength. Legion beasts tend to be huge, overbalance and fall over a lot. Last game, I chipped both Scytheans and an extra chip on the Angelius. Because they were trying to balance on stupid uneven terrain and fell over a couple of times.

Is there a particular type of varnish I can use in combination with Testor's Dullcote, freely available in Australia?

[Obeisance]

Any suggestions on raptors?

I'm not sure what colours to paint the ulks (and their deerwang) skin/fur.

Nyss are going to be white hair/grey skin/magenta clothes/silver armor/splash of gold.

[Necra-Chi]

Elk would be an even lighter shade of grey with the same white hair.

I do white hair on my nyss by basing with space wolves grey and drybrushing skull white. Really simple.

BTW you're wrong about Farilor. He takes a cheap unit everyone can ignore because they're so weak and so easy to kill and makes them into a medium cost unit that is a real threat and the resilience to go with it. Full legionnaires with Farilor will be my go to infantry filler unit as soon as he is released.

[Obeisance]

It's been a while since I've done any painting, due to the horrid heat in Perth, Australia. Started using a wet palette.

His fingers/skin need a bit more highlighting.

[Obeisance]

And I just finished Saeyrn.

[chris_cryx]

Excellent work.

Legion & Cryx? Your gaming group must love you LOL

[nyx]

Legion & Cryx? Your gaming group must love you LOL

We put up with it for the pretty minis
Seriously - claiming this is mediocre is just mean to the rest of us lol