[Kreuger]

I tend to think it's a good idea to paint the base, but it needn't be more complicated than you made it.

I agree with you, I prefer simpler bases. When I place my models on the table the base should almost disappear. I do simple green bases because I typically play on green mats, but I've often wondered if transparent bases would be better. So every model looks more like it is directly on the game surface.

 

[Nordicus]

I tend to think it's a good idea to paint the base, but it needn't be more complicated than you made it.

Oh I absolutely agree - Bases should be painted and have a theme. A unpainted base looks (in my eyes) like a incomplete model.

I also agree wholeheartedly with the rest of your statement.

 

[Nordicus]

Righto, time for the next project; a Heldrake!

It is going to be done in a Black Legion theme (as that's the rest of my Chaos Space Marine army) but I will be trying to do a few, subtle, things with it. Especially the.... rump, will be trying to be given the "goddamn that's blasting heat out of that!" experiment.

Beyond that, I will try to keep it sleek, simple and (hopefully) a nice example of how the Black Legion theme can work really well on a model. I will be using my custom gold color though.

Other than that, this is also a return to my Chaos Space Marine army, as I haven't painted anything in that since June.

I will keep you all posted!

 

[Ddraig Cymry]

Ah yes, the Helchicken. Good luck man What kind of scheme are you thinking?

 

[Nordicus]

What kind of scheme are you thinking?

I will be going Black Legion with this birdy. With the antique gold mix (that I also used for the Pappa Smurf daemon prince) and some hellfire here and there (eyes, weapons, exhausts, etc), I believe it will be a nice looking flyer.

Black Legion can be a tough theme to make look really nice, and not just look standard (as on the box - That's a hideous Black Legion theme in my opinion), so I'll be trying a few things

 

[Nordicus]

Right, time for a little update. Sorry for the long wait, but this month has been quite busy so far, so I haven't had that much time to paint

The gold parts are now painted, and it looks like this:

I'm still quite happy with this gold mix, as it has the right balance of darkness and shininess that many gold colors doesn't. They are often either too bright or they don't have the right shine to it.

Now for the metal parts and some shading. I'm still contemplating if I should just shade the gold a bit or if I should lightly drybrush it with a light metal, to give it a weathered look. I'm just a bit sceptical as it could make it look less gold and more bronze'ish that way.

Either way, Stay tuned for more progress on the Hellchicken.

 

[neferhet]

Very shiny! Wich paints have you used?

 

[Nordicus]

I made 2 layers: The undercoat is a 50/50 mix of Warplock Bronze and Rhinox Hide. The actual gold itself is a 33/33/33 mix of Hashnut Copper, Warplock Bronze and Auric Armor gold.

The undercoat is not necessarily needed, but it gives a good "worn" look on the areas where the gold coat could be a bit thin. You won't need to cover it all 100% with the undercoat.

 

[Jacobite]

That's a very nice gold. Personally I would try and do a progressive shade from front to back, so made it darker at the front just to simulate wear and tear, probably also make it quite dark around the "engines" as well.

 

[SwedeMarine]

Looks good man. May i suggest adding a bit of wear and teal to the front edges of all the wings?

 

[Miami]

Great project log. The Daemon Prince looks stunning (in a grim, chaosy way) and your Heldrake shows great promise!

And I love your Skulltaker.

 

[Nordicus]

Personally I would try and do a progressive shade from front to back, so made it darker at the front just to simulate wear and tear, probably also make it quite dark around the "engines" as well.

May i suggest adding a bit of wear and teal to the front edges of all the wings?

Those are some excellent suggestions and I will be trying out various things. Currently I'm battling with getting the metals to look a little rough, and oh god is it hard. Fleshy bits is so much easier to work with -.-

Great project log. The Daemon Prince looks stunning (in a grim, chaosy way) and your Heldrake shows great promise!

Thanks man! If you have any questions to any of it, just shoot and I will do my best to answer.

I expect an update this weekend as I will try to finish it within the next few days. So here's hoping for some good results!

 

[Nordicus]

Right, time for an update.

As the wings are currently a work in progress, I though I'd show you the body and how it's progressing.

As you can see, the iron details have come on now and the body is nearly ready for it's glowy effects. The picture doesn't really do it justice, but th weathering is also good underway but it takes a TON of shading layers to get it right.

I tried to make a closeup. I hope this shows it better:

Currently I'm contemplating giving the weathering a final treatment (after the next shading) of brushed iron on the heavy weathered areas. Not sure yet.

Now before I do the glowing effects and the final shading and cleanup (yes, there is a bit of gold flowing out of bounds) I will make the wings to an equal standing as this.

I hate working with metal colors - It's so slow and tedious

A followup will come either tonight or tomorrow as I'm working on it heavily this weekend.

 

[Kreuger]

Hey Nord,
The drake is looking good. I'm sorry to hear the metallic are irritating. I tend to think they are easier to work with than other colours.

I think the metallics are looking very nice. The trim has a satisfying amount of shading, texture, and variation.

I think the black is lacking in comparison. Demonstrating that level of texture on the trim makes the black look flat. On the one hand, that means it fades away and the trim stands out; on the other hand it looks like everything hasn't weathered at the same time.

I would encourage you to break up the tidyness of the black areas with some washes, streaks of metal or gray as though there are scratches or striations, and stippling or sponging some silver(lead belcher) or silver-brass for wear and battle damage.

Here is how I handled a similar project problem. I was painting a Heldrake as worn bronze covered in verdigris. But I varied the wear so there was less verdigris on the leading edges of the model.

 

[Khorne's Fist]

The metallics look great. Love the weathering.

 

[Nordicus]

I think the black is lacking in comparison. Demonstrating that level of texture on the trim makes the black look flat. On the one hand, that means it fades away and the trim stands out; on the other hand it looks like everything hasn't weathered at the same time.

I would encourage you to break up the tidyness of the black areas with some washes, streaks of metal or gray as though there are scratches or striations, and stippling or sponging some silver(lead belcher) or silver-brass for wear and battle damage.

I was thinking the same after I posted the pictures. My thoughts was to try and make the black look a bit oily actually, combined with battleworn.

I will try a few things out - I want it to look dirty in the end, so I will definately take some inspiration from yours!

The metallics look great. Love the weathering.

Thanks alot! It's all learning at this stage, as I have learned alot of new things since last i painted a Chaos Space Marine model

 

[Kreuger]

Good luck, Nord. I'm looking forward to see how this turns out!

 

[Nordicus]

So yeah, a "little" update. Basically I have been painting, eating and painting since the last update.

That kinda means that, well, I finished the model. I took all advice into account and tried my hand at a infernal machine glow effect.

The finished product looks like this:

For a little closeup on the gloweffect that's been used on the head, stomach and "ass" here you it is:

At this point, I'm looking at it and having that "Yeah, I'm satisfied. It's done" feeling. That means, taking previous examples into account that I should consider it finished and let it be. Otherwise I will probably ruin it

The glow-effect was by far the most interesting part of the paintjob. It took alot of thought to get the effect right and I'm still learning the ropes of the thinning down the paints and making the transitions natural. Any good tips are welcome in this area.

All in all, it's the best "metal themed" model I've done yet. A lot of new things have been tried out (some were failures and thus was erased before you could see them) and overall I'm very satisfied with it. Took me longer than anticipated but hey, such is life.

I hope you like it!

Next project will be determined tomorrow. Right now I'm debating whether to enter next months single miniature competition which would mean another Daemon Prince or just go for some Pink Horrors instead. I will see what the result becomes.

 

[Jacobite]

Really nice work on a mini I really don't like, the OSL looks bloody awesome mate!

 

[Miami]

Looks great! The glowy eyes make it look very menacing.