[aquatic_foible]

howdy heretics!

given my chronic inability to focus on one thing for any meaningful length of time, i've predictably started another project log...huzzah etc.

this time, it's the IoB High Elves that will be receiving the attention of my brush. and i want to do something a bit different, in terms of technique and aesthetic, to the Skaven i have been working on.

with this in mind, i started looking for inspiration...and the images below describe pretty well what i'm going for, namely, that etheral / "glowing" / other-worldly way the Elves are presented here -

with that in mind, there's going to be lots of white, minimal colours to accent said white [going for a regal / royal purple and gold combo], and washes. lots of washes. so stay tuned...

oh, and props to Sparros to linking me to the Warseer thread that gave me the idea to paint this army predominantly with GW washes!

 

[aquatic_foible]

so first models. insanely easy and quick to paint, i give you my first 5 SwordMasters of Hoeth. just over an hour to do these guys, and with that in mind, i'm pretty happy with how they turned out. enjoy -

 

[Sparros]

You put my skill to shame!

Quick question, how did you do the gold? Mine always comes off really dull, same for your metal. Have some rep anyway!

 

[squeek]

They look really good for just an hours fiddling with washes, how many coats did you have to use to get reasonable colour and shading?

 

[aquatic_foible]

...how many coats did you have to use to get reasonable colour and shading?

the trick to getting good shading and definition comes before applying the colour washes...you first apply a badab black wash to a white undercoat, then drybrush the model with white once the wash has dried.

after that, the colour goes on pretty quickly. i did two coats of everything just to be sure, although i did stretch to three to get a decent shade of purple...

Y]Quick question, how did you do the gold? Mine always comes off really dull, same for your metal. Have some rep anyway!

the metal goes like so, sir - apply a "wash" of thinned down mithril silver to everything that is going to be metal. then for gold, i washed with 2 coats of gryphonne sepia. for iron / mail, wash with badab black. if you wanted bronze or tin, i'd suggest using devlan mud. or you could experiment by mixing shades of washes.

now i'm off to see if i can finish the rest of the unit before dinner!! :biggrin:

 

[Kreuger]

They look excellent!

Very good use of wash + drybrush. I'm always impressed when someone hits that perfect mix of soft tones and contrast. =) Well done sir!

K

 

[Dave T Hobbit]

Very tidy speed painting.

The swords look a little dull/dirty; I always see Elvis as shiny.

 

[Sparros]

Not after they hacked apart some nasties :victory:

 

[Dave T Hobbit]

The swords look a little dull/dirty; I always see Elvis as shiny.

Not after they hacked apart some nasties :victory:

You are forgetting that high elves have the Always Showers First rule so are obsessively clean :wink:

 

[Kreuger]

... I always see Elvis as shiny.

I agree Elvis was pretty shiny. Especially later in life with the gold chains and sequined suits!

 

[aquatic_foible]

The swords look a little dull/dirty; I always see Elvis as shiny.

was too busy being pleased with myself to notice that, sir! :biggrin:

you are, however, quite right. i shall have to experiment with the next batch to see if i can't get some more shine on there...

 

[Tinkerbell]

Nice, like the idea a very quick way of painting them. Look forward to seeing them a little more sparkling. The gems seem a little lost and very dark, but that would be my only criticism.

Made me smile seeing another HE plog.

 

[aquatic_foible]

The gems seem a little lost and very dark, but that would be my only criticism

they don't look that good in the photos - but they do pop rather nicely in real life...as well as making them shinier, i'll have to work harder to capture their good side on film [or rather, memory stick!]...

 

[Varakir]

This is really rather interesting...the results from such a simple method are amazing.

I enjoy painting incredibly slowly far too much to try it, but i think this will definitely help a lot of people out who want to get good looking armies on the table quickly.

Are you going to use the technique on all the units, including the hq's?

 

[aquatic_foible]

Are you going to use the technique on all the units, including the hq's?

indeed i am, sir. for the sake of giving the whole army a unified feel. not sure how i'll handle the horses / griffon just yet, but i'm pretty sure i can get something that looks pretty good...and must remember to take some photos for a quick tutorial down the road as well!

 

[aquatic_foible]

SwordMasters of Hoeth

so here they are, all done! i know that the white on the banner sucks [will go back and redo it fairly soon] - this is definitely one of the things that this army will help me work on; getting white right...but still, not bad for a total of 2 hours 30 minutes work!

 

[Kreuger]

Another thought for you.

I used a similar process on an ooold fantasy chaos army. I'd paint the model using basically the colors I wanted then I'd armor/black wash the whole model to add depth, shadows, and unify the colors.

There is however 1 problem that can raise its head. I just want to forewarn you about it. Depending on the lower layers of color and the thickness of the washes, a pigment layer deposited by wash can get rubbed off by being handled more often. Granted, it is also possible that the generation of paints and washes I was using were thinner and had less traction (I don't own any current GW washes and still have a few from the mid 90's)

So if you really like your results it might be worth a spray sealer of some sort to protect them.

Cheers and Long live the High Elvises!
Kreuger

 

[Tinkerbell]

you did them all in 2 and half hours omg that is totally awsome, looking forward to seeing more. The armour still looks a little dull for me.

 

[Kobrakai]

I like the comic book feel of sharp contrasts in these high elves. I know elves are supposed to be bright and clean, but these look more my kinda liking.

If I were to do high elves, this style of techniques and use of colours is definitely how I would approach them.

Really nice mate, looking forward to more!

 

[Gresil]

The first painting you posted at the start of the thread is probably my favourite High Elf art, I remember having that version of the army book and loving the cover.

It would be awesome if you could somehow work in the ethereal lilac and green from that on some future units.