Praelium's Blog - Sternguard Veteran - 12/08/09 - Warhammer 40k Forums

**Praelium** · **Posted:** 19 Jun 2009, 17:32

Alliteration aside, I'm just starting out painting and am really loving doing it too! I feel like I need a bit of work though. So I've come to you guys for some tips, suggestions, and comments .

I'll start with the two Space Marines that I have done, I will be adding more as time goes on. Assault on Black Reach arrived last night :mrgreen:

Sorry if there is poor lighting on a couple of them, I'll be working on getting a better spot for pics soon

My fully silver Space Marine

Silver and Rust Space Marine

A View of the Rusted gun

Both of their backs

I will be doing basework as time goes on, but for now I am prioritizing in painting the military.

I'll try to get a new one up later tonight :-|

**Woggie_666** · **Joined:** Sep 02 2004 **Posts:** 1969 **Medals:** 2

Good start, only thing i would mention is thin your paints and do it in layers as it is a tad thick in some places but def a good start, congrats

**Gkjester** · **Posted:** 19 Jun 2009, 20:18

Woggie_666's advice it right on!

Metallics are funny because sometimes they coat well, and sometimes they don't coat so well. If you think them down, you get a more consistant color, and don't have as much of a problem with clumpy paint.

I despised my boltgun metal the first time I used it. It would get tacky as soon as the brush hit the model. It was much better after I watered it down a little.

**Praelium** · **Posted:** 19 Jun 2009, 21:23

Alright, well I'm going to be starting a new piece in about a half hour so I should be able to be posting a new pic later tonight.

Thanks

**Warlord Imp** · **Posted:** 19 Jun 2009, 22:09

for Gold or Brass or similar shades, I would base Brown. This would separate the Silvers from the Golds and give each color more definition as a separate piece.

**Praelium** · **Posted:** 19 Jun 2009, 23:59

I'll take that into account, thanks. The color is actually Testor's Rust but it really looks copper-like or brass-like.

I'm about to eat dinner, I will be finishing the new piece afterwards, but I should be done by like 8ish

**MasterArch** · **Posted:** 20 Jun 2009, 03:17

good start, metallics can be a pain in the arse for coverage and consitency so keep an eye on it.

Other than that OK, you've gone back and 'blacked' behind the knees and you've kept 'inside the lines' on the bolter and the backpack.

Also badab black wash is your friend for 'grey' metallics and sepia for 'brown' metallics. a smooth coat of metal paint with a wash and drybrushed for highlights will look 1000 times better than just a drybrush.

Basing will also help finish the model off and takes 2mins which is 2mins well spent IMO

**Praelium** · **Posted:** 20 Jun 2009, 03:49

Here's a Devastator with a Lascannon - I dropped the scope thing and lost it

I did thinner amounts of paint and also instead of using a brush for the undercoat, I sprayed it on for a nice and even one which I believe made it work out a lot better.
Comments?

**MasterArch** · **Posted:** 20 Jun 2009, 10:59

trim off your mould lines. Regardless of how well a model is painted a visible mould line wrecks the appearance

**Praelium** · **Posted:** 20 Jun 2009, 17:13

I'll get on that as soon as I get working again. Thanks.

But today's goal is to get a Dreadnought done after a couple graduation parties. I'll post it up later on tonight.

**Praelium** · **Posted:** 22 Jun 2009, 02:36

Here's a Dreadnought, working on my captain right now
Also, I fixed the bare spot on the right arm that I realized wasn't done after I took the pics and put them on my computer.

For my next units, I'll also be having some basing done

**Plarzoid** · **Posted:** 22 Jun 2009, 03:15

Your silver on the dreadnought is pretty good. The main thing you need to do is add depth. You can do this by basecoating in black first, then when you paint the silver, leave some black in the crevices and troughs. This helps bring out the detail on the model.

The other thing you need is an accent color. Yes, you have bronze, but that's used more like a 'look, this is real metal' compared to the metallic silver paint which is where all the ceramite armor is. Dark red, dark blue and other regal colors go very well with silver. Check out some Grey Knights for examples.

As far as technique, you're doing well. The only advice to give is the same advice we give everyone that starts up anew:
a) Thin your paints
b) Use multiple coats. 2-3 thin coats gives smoother and better coverage than one thick coat
c) Take care of your brushes and paints
d) Practice, practice, practice!

Good luck and keep improving!
-Plarzoid

**Praelium** · **Posted:** 22 Jun 2009, 03:58

Well I'm going to be using dark reds for all cloth on troops, obviously there isn't cloth on the dreadnought, but just saying

And dumb question, how exactly do you thin paint? Just toss some water into it? I don't wanna mess up and screw the paint over.

**Plarzoid** · **Posted:** 22 Jun 2009, 06:07

Yeah water's the ticket (as long as you're using acrylics). GW brand paints are acrylics, so just add a drop of water to your palette and you're good to go. If you aren't using a palatte of some sort, start!. I use blank CDs because they're dirt cheap and don't soak up paint, so it lasts longer than if you were to use cardboard. Plus, you can just throw away the CD when there's no more clean spots.

Get a drop of water on your palette
Load 1-2 brushfulls of the color you want to use into a puddle on the palatte, right on top of the drop. You want about a 2-1 ratio of paint to water.

Try messing with it. you'll know when you get it right because the paint till flow right off the brush, but won't bead.

-Plarzoid.

**Praelium** · **Posted:** 22 Jun 2009, 06:14

Alright thanks a ton man!

Tomorrow I'll try to finish my Captain

**MasterArch** · **Posted:** 22 Jun 2009, 12:38

looking nice! try some badab black wash to get the depth followed by a drybrush of the metallic again, gave me some great results on my predator gun barrel

**Praelium** · **Posted:** 22 Jun 2009, 16:48

I need to pickup some washes

Right now I don't have that many paints because of money issues. But once school gets out, I'll be working alot so I will have a good amount of money to save and spend.

**Architech** · **Joined:** Feb 18 2009 **Posts:** 3425 **Medals:** 11

Your dread turned out nicely. I like the way you did the red and goldish details. Keep it going, and as you work, try out new techniques....worse comes to worst you just strip it and start again

**Praelium** · **Posted:** 24 Jun 2009, 21:49

Okay so I picked up some washes and a tub of Glade Grass. I've done some basing on my finished units and WOW! They look so much better. I'll post pictures later tonight. :-|

Also, my Captain is almost done. He's got alot of detail to him and I've been fiddling with different colors I have on him, I think he looks great so far. I'm hoping to be finished with him tommorow, just stuck on what to paint the banner...

**Praelium** · **Posted:** 25 Jun 2009, 03:17

So when I was basing the Dreadnought I found an Ork that I wasn't going to be using just laying around...I had my fun

C&C Please