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Colour Recipes: Horus Heresy Mechanicum Zhao Arkhad

Here are some Colour Recipes for Horus Heresy Mechanicum from Gallery: Forge World Zhao Arkhad. Please take note that this is a simple colour scheme, not covering multiple overlapping layers and blends in between, that lead to the final product. It is supposed to be used as guideline not a step-by-step.

BRONZE armor:

Black Undercoat,

Mix Rust (val a) 1:1 Metallic Black (val a), *

Bright Bronze (val a), * zenithal

Shining Silver (ap), flbr

Strong Tone Ink (ap), wash / *

Shining Silver (ap), l&p

Soft Tone Ink (ap), wash dedicated

… GREEN metallic:

Jade Green (val), bl

TURQUOISE clothes:

Coal Black (p3),

Strong Tone Ink (ap), wash

Coal Black (p3),

Mix Coal Black (p3) 1:1 Turquoise (val), flbr

Mix Coal Black (p3) 1:2 Turquoise (val), bl

Turquoise (val), l&p

Ice Yellow (val), bottom drbr


SKIN:

Slaanesh Grey (gw),

Flesh (val a), flbr

Pale Flesh (val), l&p

Strong Tone Ink (ap), wash

Pale Flesh (val), l&p

BONES:

Flayed One Flesh (gw),

Ivory (val), flbr

Strong Tone Ink (ap), wash

Skeleton Bone (ap), l&p

Off White (val), l&p


GREEN osl:

Duck Egg Green (val a), *

Light Livery Green (val a), *

Off White (val), l*p

Waywatcher Green (gw), bl

DESERT bases:

Desert Sand (val texture), texture

Khaki (val a), * stones

Ice Yellow (val), drbr

Tufts:
Wasteland Tuft (ap),
Steppe Tuft 12mm (Paint Forge),
Steppe Tuft 6mm (Paint Forge),

l&p – lines and points,

p – points,

dl – deep lining,

bl – blend,

gl – glaze,

drbr – drybrush,

fltbr – flatbrush,

lobr – loaded brush,

stpl – stippling,

*Airbrushed (with multiple layers and mixes)

Tutorial: Painting KoW Armada Empire of Dust Monolith

Welcome to Painting Empire of Dust Monolith tutorial. Here I will present to you a Step-by-step of an easy and fast painting process for Mantic Games Empire of Dust Monolith as can be seen in Gallery: Armada Empire of Dust.

Before we start, some notes:

  • This tutorial require airbrush.
  • You can use any paints, not just the ones I recommend. You can use this chart to compare paints between different brands.
  • Please note pictures present a huge miniature under strong light that might result in a feel of messy and clumsy paint job.
  • As usual, please take note that what works for me might not necessarily work for you.

Step one: Undercoat

I started with a thorough layer of Games Workshop Chaos Black spray.

Step two: Deck

I airbrushed Vallejo Khaki (air) over main deck and all top structures. I then flatbrushed GW Flayed One Flesh on top of Khaki layer. 

 

Step three: Broadside

I airbrushed Vallejo Panzer Dark Grey (air), followed by a layer of Vallejo Cold Grey (air). 

 

Step four: Gold

I then painted front and side ornaments, plus some additional detail with GW Warplock Bronze, followed by a solid flatbrush of P3 Molten Bronze and a highlight of Army Painter Shining Metal.

 

Step five: Wash

I then applied a lot of wash mix of Army Painter Strong Tone Ink 1:1 Army Painter Soft Tone Ink.
(If you followed my other tutorials you know at this point that the mixture is one of my very best friends in all painting.)

 

Step six: Main highlights

Once wash was dry I drybrushed broadsides with Vallejo Medium Sea Grey and then with Vallejo Ghost Grey. (I forgot to take pics). I then flatbrushed deck and top structure elements with GW Flayed One Flesh and edge highlighted with Vallejo Off White.

 

Step seven: Blue

I added accents of blue by manually painting chosen elements with Vallejo Magic Blue (air). I then highlighted with Vallejo Electric Blue, followed with Vallejo Glacier Blue. Furthermore I applied a wash layer of GW Guilliman Blue (glaze). Finally I added points of focus and thin highlights with Vallejo Glacier Blue. 

 

Step Eight: Purple/Pink

I applied Vallejo Warlock Purple onto chosen areas, including top gem, piramid inner lines and catapult flames. I then applied couple successive highlights with different mixes of Vallejo Warlock Purple and Vallejo Off White. With few highlights made with pure Vallejo Off White I moved to glaze Army Painter Purple Tone Ink into few areas of choice. This was contained mostly to top gem and recesses in catapult flames (and around). 

 

Such prepared miniature I airbrushed with two coats of Vallejo Polyurethane Matt Varnish and mounted on a base, following Tutorial: KoW Armada Water Bases


I hope you find this tutorial interesting. Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments below or via Facebook or Instagram. I would also appreciate if you considered sharing this content with your friends, who might find it useful. Finally if you are looking for a professional miniatures painting service be sure to contact me with this contact form. I always reply within 24 hours, after which please check out your spam folder.

Tutorial: Painting Post-apo Survivors part 1 Stalkers

Welcome to Painting Road to Survival Stalkers tutorial. Here I will present to you a Step-by-step of an easy and fast painting process for Orzol Studio’s Stalkers team from the Post-apo Survivors Kickstarter.

Before we start, some notes:

  • This tutorial require airbrush.
  • You can use any paints, not just the ones I recommend. You can use this chart to compare paints between different brands.
  • Please note pictures present a huge miniature under strong light that might result in a feel of messy and clumsy paint job.
  • Pictures names don’t match steps in this tutorial. This is because I re-used pictures made for an Instagram tutorial. Sorry if this causes confussion.
  • As usual, please take note that what works for me might not necessarily work for you.

Step one: Undercoat

I applied a strong layer of Citadel Chaos Black spray. I prefer spray over manual application, but this is just a personal preference. Any matt black undercoat will do, as long as it’s thorough.



Step two: Uniform 

I started by applying a strong layer of Vallejo Dark Green RLM71 (air) onto entire uniform. I used an airbrush for this, but it is not necessary. This layer might as well be applied manually, but might take few runs to look smooth and solid. Although boots, weapons and other detail got painted alongside the uniform, it’s not a problem. If you switch to manual painting you don’t have to worry about messing these up at this stage of paint job.

Next I airbrushed Vallejo Interior Green (air) over previous layer. Similarly to Dark Green this one can be done manually and follows same philosophy.

I switched to manual painting and with a basecoat size brush, flatbrushed a mix of Vallejo Interior Green (air) 1:1 Vallejo Heavy Khaki over the miniature. I then used a more precise brush and highlighted some edges with the same color mix.



Step three: Vest

With a solid color underneath a single layer of Vallejo Russian Green (air) was enough to provide a smooth base for the vest. The key was to avoid messing up all the bright uniform around. Because of that I outlined the vest with a precise brush and only then switched for a larger brush to gain speed.

Next I flatbrushed a mix of Vallejo Russian Green 1:1 Vallejo Olive Green over previous layer. This provided nice thickness, something the upcoming Wash will work good on.



Step four: Boots, Gloves, Mask

Using a small brush I applied a strong, precise layer of Vallejo Panzer Dark Grey (air) onto boots, mask, gloves, weapons and buckles.

I then switched to Vallejo Medium Sea Grey, thinned it down with medium and applied a somehow misty, irregular layer over Panzer Dark Grey, leaving spots of previous color visible. I deliberately left weapons and buckles be for the time being.



Step five: Brown wash

Using a large, soft brush I applied a lot of Games Workshop Agrax Earthshade onto entire miniature. After a while I used a clean precise brush to strip some of the paint from areas where too much pigmentation covered all the detail. I left the miniature to dry after that.



Step six: Weapons

I applied a partially translucent layer of thinned down Vallejo Wolf Grey (air) onto weapons and buckles. I moved a brush alongside blade and barrel, trying to leave pigmentation on the edges.

I then highlighted weapons with Games Workshop Pallid Wych Flesh. Mostly on the edges and with no dillution.

I then followed up by applying Army Painter Dark Tone Ink. Similar to Agrax, I let the paint flow then removed the excess and let the thing dry.

Finally I edge highlighted with Games Workshop Pallid Wych Flesh. This time around I included gas mask filter plus added few scratches here and there.



Step seven: Skin & Eyes

I started painting skin by applying a solid layer of slightly thinned down Vallejo Tan. This layer had to be precise and I avoided going out of line and messing up paintjob around it. I deliberately started painting skin before applying Agrax Earthshade Wash from previous tutorial so that any corrections could be done much easier, if required.

I then applied Games Workshop Dwarf Flesh onto previous layer. Same premise, except I left just a bit of Tan visible in the recesses.

Next I highlighted skin with Vallejo Flesh (air), which due to it’s consistency produces a partially translucent effect. I then re-applied Flesh on top of the head, cheeks and nose.

I followed up with Agrax Earthshade wash (done at Step five: Brown wash).

Finally I highlighted with Games Workshop Dwarf Flesh. I also blended some of the Dwarf Flesh over wash made stains on top of the head.

Painting eyes is a topic on it’s own and I’m not trying to write a book here, so I used a simple method of a single white line followed by a black dot in the middle. Any necessary corrections can be done to your heart’s content by painting over and over till good results are produced.



Step eight: Backpack & Holsters

I started with a strong layer of Vallejo Charred Brown (air), ensuring not to leave a mess on top of any previous layer around the backpack.

I then flatbrushed Vallejo Beasty Brown over Charred Brown. No thinning, just paint straight from a bottle and onto a palette before application.

I used Games Workshop Karak Stone for gritty highlights plus painted a blanket strapped at the bottom of the backpack.

I then switched to Vallejo Panzer Dark Grey (air) and re-painted all the buckles grey.

Agrax Earthshade wash followed (done at Step five: Brown wash).

Finally I applied a highlight of Games Workshop Karak Stone onto the edges and middle areas.



Step nine: Mask Visor

I tried to keep this one extra simple. Started with a gritty, messy layer of Games Workshop Pallid Wych Flesh. No need to be overly precise, nor smooth. The more irregular, diverse the visor looks now, the better the end result.

I then applied slightly thinned down Vallejo Hot Orange (air). Once dry I applied another layer of the same stuff. Done.



Step ten: Teddy Bear

This one is such a cool detail. I decided to go purple/pink to make it stand out. I started with a solid layer of Vallejo Royal Purple.

I then applied Games Workshop Agrax Earthshade wash (done at Step five: Brown wash).

Once wash dried, I highlighted most exposed areas of the bear with Vallejo Warlord Purple.

I then used Vallejo Squid Pink for final highlight, applying dots and lines on top of most exposed areas.

To bring all layers together I applied a strong layer of Army Painter Purple Tone Ink.



Step eleven: Yellow Kneepad

Once again I decided for a feature to stand out. I started with a strong, precise layer of Vallejo Heavy Goldbrown.

I then applied an irregular highlight of Vallejo Pale Yellow.

Finally I washed it with Army Painter Soft Tone Ink, which brought both layers together and made the knee pad look darker and used thoroughly.



Step twelve: Basing

Time to finish the paint job with a proper looking base. For this purpose I decided to go with something easy to follow. One texture, one highlight and one tuft type for extra detail. I started with a large flat brush, applying a thick layer of AK Interactive Dark Earth texture. You can switch to any dark texture like for example Games Workshop Stirland Mud. I just prefer AK’s one because I find it easier to apply.

Once dry I drybrushed Dark Earth with Games Workshop Karak Stone.

Finally I glued an Army Painter Wasteland Tuft and re-painted base’s edge black afterwards.



I hope you find this tutorial interesting. Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments below or via Facebook.or Instagram. I would also appreciate if you considered sharing this content with your friends, who might find it useful. Finally if you are looking for a professional miniatures painting service be sure to contact me with this contact form. I always reply within 24 hours, after which please check out your spam folder.


Colour Recipes: Blood Bowl Thunder Valley Greenskins (Paleskins)

Here are some Colour Recipes for Blood Bowl Black Orcs team from Gallery: Thunder Valley Paleskins. Please take note that this is a simple colour scheme, not covering multiple overlapping layers and blends in between, that lead to the final product. It is supposed to be used as guideline not a step-by-step.

PALE skin:

Mix: Tan (val) 1:3:3 Flesh (val a), Squid Pink (val a), *

Flesh (val a), *

Pale Flesh (val a), *

Mix: Volupus Pink (gw) 1:5 Glaze Medium (gw),

Mix: Volupus Pink (gw) 1:5:1 Glaze Medium (gw), Purple Tone Ink (ap), deep lines

Mix: Volupus Pink (gw) 1:5:1 Glaze Medium (gw), Red Tone Ink (ap), deep lines

Pale Flesh (val), l&p


METAL armour:

Warplock Bronze (gw),

Gun Metal (ap),

Shining Silver (ap), l&p

Mix Strong Tone Ink (ap) 1:1 Soft Tone Ink (ap),

Shining Silver (ap), l&p

RED armour:

Red Terracotta (val), stpl

Flat Red (val), stpl

Strong Tone Ink (ap),

Orange Fire (val), stpl

Flat Red (val), bl


BROWN belts & strips:

Red Terracotta (val),

Pallid Wych Flesh (gw), flbr

Off White (val), l&p

Mix: Scorched Brown (val) 1:1:1 Dark Fleshtone (val), Medium,

Mix: Strong Tone Ink (ap) 1:1 Soft Tone Ink (ap),

GREY clothes:

Panzer DK. Grey (val),

Fenrisian Grey (gw), flbr

Pallid Wych Flesh (gw), l&p

Strong Tone Ink (ap),

Off White (val), l&p


BASES:

Dark Earth (ak texture),

Karak Stone (gw), drbr

Flayed One Flesh (gw), flbr

l&p – lines and points,

p – points,

dl – deep lining,

bl – blend,

gl – glaze,

drbr – drybrush,

fltbr – flatbrush,

lobr – loaded brush,

stpl – stippling,

*Airbrushed (with multiple layers and mixes)

Tutorial: Painting Blood Bowl Bogenhafen Barons

Welcome to Painting Blood Bowl Bogenhafen Barons tutorial. Here I will present to you a Step-by-step of an easy and fast painting process for Games Workshop Bogenhafen Barons as can be seen in Gallery: Bogenhafen Barons.

Before we start, some notes:

  • This tutorial require airbrush.
  • You can use any paints, not just the ones I recommend. You can use this chart to compare paints between different brands.
  • Please note pictures present a huge miniature under strong light that might result in a feel of messy and clumsy paint job.
  • Pictures names don’t match steps in this tutorial. This is because I re-used pictures made for an Instagram tutorial. Sorry if this causes confussion.
  • As usual, please take note that what works for me might not necessarily work for you.

Step one: Undercoat

I started with a thorough layer of Games Workshop Chaos Black spray. This is a standard procedure for me. Chaos Black spray is my go to choice when it comes to undercoat. 


Step two: Cream

I started by airbrushing Vallejo Bonewhite (air) all over feathers and clothes of the miniature, not caring if I mess up everything around. Paint was applied straight out of bottle, no dilution. I then moved to GW Pale Wych Flesh and
Flatbrushed it over previous layer. This layer was meant to build volume of paint and just a bit of highlight for the color, so that further ahead Wash could do a better job.


Step three: Grey

I applied Vallejo Air Panzer Dark Grey (air) manually, with natural dilution (air series). This paint is easy to control which helped me keep the layer precise. The color wasn’t strong but this layer didn’t had to. It was meant to prepare a background for future highlights of dark black-to-brown elements. Next I used slightly diluted Vallejo Glacier Blue and flatbrushed it over previous layer. Finally I applied few highlights with GW Pale Wych Flesh.


Step four: Skin

I begun painting skin with Vallejo Tan by applying a thin layer and concentrating on filling recesses. I added another thin layer on large flat areas to provide a solid color. Next I switched to GW Dwarf Flesh covered previous layer using flatbrush technique. Final highlights were made with Vallejo Flesh (air). I used the paint straight out of the bottle and applied it on the edges and on top of flat areas.


Step five: Browns

I took on Browns by manually applying Vallejo Dark Fleshtone (air) onto everything to-be-brown. Natural air series dilution allowed me to control the paint and avoid messing up other layers. I then switched to GW Karak Stone and Flayed One Flesh for classic highlights. Just few lines and dots on the edges and in center areas.


Step six: Metal

I started metal with GW Warplock Bronze, applying a thinned down layer on top of armor pieces. I then moved to P3 Molten Bronze for flatbrushed highlights. Finally I applied few highlights with AP Shining Silver.


Step seven: Violet

I applied a layer of Vallejo Violet on chosen parts of clothes and decorations. This was the last layer before wash so I ensured it didn’t leave a mess on top of previous elements. At this point of the paint job, anything could still be corrected with minimum effort, and I done so accordingly.


Step eight: Wash

This is where magic always happens. I applied a wet layer of AP Strong Tone Ink mixed with a tiny bit of Matt Varnish, onto entire miniature. I then ensured to remove any excess paint, from where detail got completely covered by pigmentation, with a clean brush.


Step nine: Highlights

Once wash dried up, I applied highlights of GW Pale Wych Flesh. Edge highlights, points of focus and lines in the middle areas for everything not metal or skin. I also applied a strongly thinned down layer of Pale Wych Flesh on top of Purple clothes creating a somehow mist-like effect.


Step ten: Purple

I then got back to violet (now more of a purple) and blended a layer of Vallejo Warlord Purple (air) on top of it. Air series does not require any thinning, but I added a bit of medium to leave texture difference visible underneath. With a strong and vibrant color I moved to Vallejo Pale Flesh for both an edge highlight and some random lines. I used this opportunity to add few dots and lines on top of skin, thus providing a final highlight.


Step eleven: Grey

Finally I painted belts and straps with thinned Vallejo Panzer Dark Grey (air) with previous layers being barely visible from underneath. It was then highlighted with Vallejo Ghost Grey to add contrast and keep it in line with rest of greys on the miniature.


Step twelve: Basing

Basing was made using AK Interactive Dark Earth texture, followed with a single layer drybrush of Games Workshop Karak Stone. I then airbrushed a line of pure white using a masking tape to protect the rest of the base (and miniature). Few Gamers Grass tufts and pure black edge later the job was done.

I hope you find this tutorial interesting. Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments below or via Facebook.or Instagram. I would also appreciate if you considered sharing this content with your friends, who might find it useful. Finally if you are looking for a professional miniatures painting service be sure to contact me with this contact form. I always reply within 24 hours, after which please check out your spam folder.

Colour Recipes: KoW Armada Empire of Dust

Here are some Colour Recipes for Kings of War: Armada Empire of Dust from Gallery: Armada Empire of Dust. Please take note that this is a simple colour scheme, not covering multiple overlapping layers and blends in between, that lead to the final product. It is supposed to be used as guideline not a step-by-step.

GREY hulls:

Panzer Dark Grey (val), *

Cold Grey (val), *

Mix: Strong Tone Ink (ap) 1:1 Soft Tone Ink (ap),

Medium Sea Grey (val), drbr

Ghost Grey (val), drbr


BRIGHT BROWN decks:

Khaki (val), *

Flayed One Flesh (gw), flbr

Mix: Strong Tone Ink (ap) 1:1 Soft Tone Ink (ap),

Flayed One Flesh (gw), l&p

WHITE sails:

Khaki (val), *

Wolf Grey (val), *

White (val), *


GOLD ornaments:

Tin Bitz (gw),

Molten Bronze (p3), flbr

Shining Metal (ap), l&p

Mix: Strong Tone Ink (ap) 1:1 Soft Tone Ink (ap),

Shining Metal (ap), l&p

BLUE ornaments:

Magic Blue (val),

Electric Blue (val), flbr

Glacier Blue (val), l&p

Blue Tone Ink (ap),

Glacier Blue (val), l&p


PINK Flames:

Warlord Purple (val),

Mix: Warlord Purple (val) 2:1 Off White (val), flbr

Off White (val), l&p

Purple Tone Ink (ap), wash

l&p – lines and points,

p – points,

dl – deep lining,

bl – blend,

gl – glaze,

drbr – drybrush,

fltbr – flatbrush,

lobr – loaded brush,

stpl – stippling,

*Airbrushed (with multiple layers and mixes)

Tutorial: Painting KoW Armada Dwarf Fleet

Welcome to Painting KoW Armada Dwarf Fleet tutorial. Here I will present to you a Step-by-step of an easy and fast painting process for Mantic’s Armada Dwarfs as can be seen in Gallery: Armada Dwarfs.

Before we start, some notes:

  • This tutorial does not require airbrush.
  • You can use any paints, not just the ones I recommend. You can use this chart to compare paints between different brands.
  • Please note pictures present a huge miniature under strong light that might result in a feel of messy and clumsy paint job.
  • As usual, please take note that what works for me might not necessarily work for you.

Step one: Undercoat

I started with a thorough layer of Games Workshop Chaos Black spray. This is a standard procedure for me. Chaos Black spray is my go to choice when it comes to undercoat. 

Step two: Armor

I painted entire ship with slightly thinned Games Workshop Warplock Bronze. Once Warplock Bronze dried I flatbrushed entire miniature with Army Painter Gun Metal followed by another flatbrush, this time Army Painter Shining Silver. Finally I painted few elements with P3 Blighted Gold. 

Step three: Red

Next I added some color to the ship by painting roof and side balcony elements with Vallejo Burnt Red which was in turn highlighted with a single layer of Vallejo Flat Red.

Step four: Wash

I richly applied Army Painter Strong Tone Ink onto entire miniature. The paint might be glossy depending on particular pot you got. I recommend adding just a bit of Matt Varnish before use.

Step five: Highlights

With wash dried out nicely I applied a layer of Vallejo Flat Red in most exposed red areas. I then followed with edge highlights and few lines/dots of  Games Workshop Lugganath Orange. I then done the same for gold except I used GW Auric Armour Gold. For silver I went back to Army Painter Shining Silver, highlighting few exposed spots and edges.

Step six: Front slots

I decided to add additional touch to the front of the ship, by painting two frontal slots blue. I done this by applying a layer of thinned GW Fenrisian Grey and then a wash of GW Contrast Ultramarines Blue

Step seven: Basing

In simple terms I followed my own tutorial for Armada Basing, that you may find HERE, except I used standard hdf bases painted with a single layer of Vallejo UK Mediteranean Blue, followed by standard AK Interactive Pacific Blue, AK Interactive Water Effect and AK Interactive Water Foam textures. 

I hope you find this tutorial interesting. Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments below or via Facebook. I would also appreciate if you considered sharing this content to any groups or forums, where it might help someone paint their miniatures. Scarhandpainting is not just about professional miniatures painting service. I do my best to provide interesting tutorials and share my experience with other hobbyists. 

Colour Recipes: Infinity Haqqislam (Turqoise)

Here are some Colour Recipes for Infinity Haqqislam from Gallery: Quapu Khalqi. Please take note that this is a simple colour scheme, not covering multiple overlapping layers and blends in between, that lead to the final product. It is supposed to be used as guideline not a step-by-step.

BLACK/GREY outfits & weapons:

Black Undercoat,Panzer DK Grey (Val),

Panzer DK Grey (Val a), *

Barely Grey (Val a), *

Wolf Grey (val a), flbr

Pallid Wych Flesh (GW), l&p

Dark Tone Ink (AP), wash

Pale Wych Flesh (GW), l&p

Off White (Val), p

TURQUOISE armor:

Coal Black (P3),

Hydra Turquoise (AP), flbrMix Hydra Turquise (AP) 5:1 Pale Wych Flesh

GW), flbr

Arcane Blue (P3), l&p

Coelia Greenshade (GW), wash

Pale Wych Flesh (GW), l&p

Off White (Val), p


SKIN:

Carne Marron Tan (Val), Flow

Dwarf Skin (Val a),

Flesh (Val a), l&p

Mix Strong Tone Ink (AP) 1:1 Soft Tone Ink (AP),

Flesh (Val a), l&p

Pale Flesh (Val), l&p

BROWN elements:

Black/Grey outfits base,

Mix Hull Red (Val a) + Soft Tone Ink (AP), blend

Karak Stone (GW), l&p

Flayed One Flesh (GW), l&p


GREEN osl:

Olive Green (Val),

Duck Egg Green (Val a), * / standard

Pale Wych Flesh (GW),

Light Livery Green (Val a),

MARTIAN BASES:

German Red Brown (Val),

Martian Ironcrust (GW t),

Martian Ironearth (GW t),

Orange Fire (Val), drbr

AP Mountain Tufts & Paint Forge Steppe Tufts 12mm

l&p – lines and points,

p – points,

dl – deep lining,

bl – blend,

gl – glaze,

drbr – drybrush,

fltbr – flatbrush,

lobr – loaded brush,

stpl – stippling,

*Airbrushed (with multiple layers and mixes)

Tutorial: Water Bases for Armada

Welcome to Kings of War Armada Water Bases tutorial. Here I will take you on a Step-by-step trip through the process of creating and painting bases as can be found in the Gallery: Armada Basileans from Mantic Games Kings of War Armada.

Before we start, some notes:

  • I put aside realism and focused on simplicity and rule of cool instead.
  • As usual, please take note that what works for me might not necessarily work for you.

Introduction:

I plan to go all-in with Mantic’s KoW: Armada. This means a lot of ships from across numerous fleets. To keep my bases easy to paint and visually coherent I decided to limit myself to some water effects and simple tricks. Instead of going through a lot of effort, trying to build multiple layers of transparent water, I switched out standard MDF bases for clear acrylics. 
That doesn’t mean the method wouldn’t work with MDF’s. If you’d rather stick with Mantic’s bases – undercoat them white, then paint sides with some dark blue and you’d be ready to go. That being said, this method was developed with clear acrylic bases in mind so please take that into account when trying different approaches. 

The process:

Without further ado, let’s get these bases wet!
I used:

  • Pacific Blue Water Gel from AK Interactive Diorama Series
  • Water Foam from AK Interactive Diorama Series 
  • Water Gel effects from AK Interactive Diorama Series
  • White paint
  • Clear acrylic bases

Step one:

I used a large brush to apply AK Interactive Diorama Series: Pacific Blue Water Gel onto entire surface of the base. I then stippled a bit to create an uneven surface. Lastly I used a finger to remove the excess gel from the sides of the base.

Step two:

I repeated first step two more times, leaving the paint to dry between each repeat. This darkened the base significantly and resulten in a nice solid layer with a lot more detail on top of the first one.

Step three:

Once I was done painting ships I applied AK Interactive Pacific Blue Gel at the edges of each ship’s underside. I then followed with Super Glue through the middle and glued the ship on top of a base. Excess gel was queezed out and filled any holes between the ship and the base.

Step four:

I then applied more Pacific Blue Gel around the ship. It was a bit messy so I used a clean flat brush to move any excess gel from the ship’s sides and onto the base.

Step five:

Some time later I applied AK Interactive clear Water Gel effects around the ship. I used a small brush and slowly built the mass of splashing water at the front and on the sides of the ship. This time I didn’t care about messing up the hull.

Step six:

Next I applied AK Interactive Water Foam. Using a small brush I applied small dots of the effect on top of previous layer. This one is very white so I tried to avoid applying to much. Mistakes were removed with a clean flat brush – pushed into more tight lines, where necessary.

Step seven:

Lastly I mixed white paint, water and AK Interactive clear Water Gel effect and stippled a bit behind and around the ship to create a nice effect of dissolving water foam. 

Task complete! The fleet is now sailing into the unknown. I hope you like this tutorial. For more pictures of finished fleet visit Gallery: Armada Basileans

Be sure to let me know your thoughts on the method either in the comments below or at my facebook profile

Please link this tutorial to anyone who likes to learn new hobby tricks. 

Lastly I also invite you to follow me at Instagram, where I drop some nice pictures from time to time.

All speed ahead and see you in the next article!

Colour Recipes: The Drowned Earth Artifacters

Here are some Colour Recipes for Artifacters from Gallery: The Drowned Earth Artifacters. Please take note that this is a simple colour scheme, not covering multiple overlapping layers and blends in between, that lead to the final product. It is supposed to be used as guideline not a step-by-step.

GREEN OLIVE clothes:

White preshade, *

Interior Green (Val), *

Mix Interior Green (Val) 2:1 Duck Egg Green (Val),*

Mix Interior Green (Val) 1:1 Duck Egg Green (Val),*

Mix Heavy Khaki (Val), 1:1 Pale Wych Flesh (GW), flbr

Strong Tone Ink (AP),

Heavy Khaki (Val), bl

Mix Heavy Khaki (Val), 1:1 Pale Wych Flesh (GW), l&p

Off White (Val), p

PURPLE clothes:

Green Olive clothes base (up to Strong Tone),

Hexen Lichen (Val a), blend

Genestealer Purple (GW),  l&p

Dechala Lilac (GW), l&p

Off White (Val), p

CREEME clothes:

Bonewhite (Val a), 

Mix Bonewhite (Val) 1:1 Pale Wych Flesh (GW), flbr

Pale Wych Flesh (GW), l&p

Strong Tone Ink (AP), 

Bonewhite (Val a), bl

Ivory (Val), l&p

Off White (Val), p

BLACK weapons:

Panzer Dark Grey (Val a),

Fenrisian Grey (GW), flbr & bl

Pallid Wych Flesh (GW), l&p

Dark Tone Ink (AP)

Pallid Wych Flesh (GW), l&p

Off White (Val), p

BASES:

Dark Earth (AK texture),

Karak Stone (GW), drbr

Nurgle’s Rot (GW effect),

TUFTS:

Swamp 4mm (Gamers Grass),

Tiny Dry Green 2mm (Gamers Grass),

Light Blue Flowers (Paint Forge),

Shady Green 2mm (Paint Forge),

Dark Forest 12mm (Paint Forge),

l&p – lines and points,

p – points,

dl – deep lining,

bl – blend,

gl – glaze,

drbr – drybrush,

fltbr – flatbrush,

lobr – loaded brush,

stpl – stippling,

*Airbrushed (with multiple layers and mixes)