Aeon Trespass: Odyssey (ATO) by Lawnor

These models come preassembled.  They’re already glued on their bases and sometimes they are moulded to their base so there’s no chance of safely removing them.  As such, the basing scheme for the game needs to be simple and easy to apply as access is going to be frustratingly difficult at times (I’m looking at you, Hekaton!)  I could have just repeated my Kingdom Death basing scheme, but I wanted to do something different.  I want these to look different, and it’s an opportunity to try and learn something new.  Add another tool to my toolbox.

So, yes.  Two different basing schemes needed, at least for now.  Mythical Greek  era landscape, and sea.  Let’s start with the sea.  I didn’t know how to paint a sea scheme so I searched the project system for Dystopian Wars content hoping to find a guide.  I found these examples by BritishLegion which intrigued me.  He had no guide, but I followed his videos back to his Youtube channel and found this video.  I didn’t have all the exact paints he did so I subbed out as follows:

Sea Base Guide:

Base: Vallejo Dark Prussian Blue
Drybrush: Ammo Dio Drybrush Medium Blue 0614 from the rear towards the front
Wash: Army Painter Green Tone Wash
Drybrush: P3 Morrow White from the rear towards the front
Finished with a coat of gloss varnish

There is directionally to the drybrushing so watch his video to understand it.

I was really impressed by how this came out, and it takes no effort at all.  Thanks, @BritishLegion

On to the land bases.  I like that they’re sculpted.  It saves me having to decorate them and gives me details I’d never get myself.  However, I hate hate HATE working with preassembled models and painted this bases is one of the reasons.  It’s impossible for me to get a brush under the Hekaton with any degree of control so I can’t pick out any of the detail.  I need to work with messy techniques and paint the base first, and trust the mess will do my work for me.  So here’s what I did:

Land Base Guide: 

Base: Army Painter Troll Claws Mixed With Army Painter Arid Earth
Drybrush: Arid Earth
Drybrush: White to pillars and manmade objects, and perhaps anything with sharp edges
Wash: Troll Claws to recesses only on manmade structures
Repeat drybrushes to taste

Once based, I then mixed up a solution of water, Lahmium medium, and Brokentoad’s Grimy Dirt pigment and applied it randomly around the base, avoiding the standing pillars..   I kept it watery and trusted the flow to do my work for me.  I then returned with the previous drybrush step wherever I wanted it.

Tree Trunks:
Base: Scalecolour Brown Leather
Wash: Scalecolour Inktense Wash
Drybrush: Coat d’Arms Horse Tone Bay

The plants:
Base: P3 Gnarls Green
Wash: AP Green Tone Wash
Drybrush P3 Bog Moss
Drybrush: P3 Wyrm Green

I then painted the models.  Before varnishing, I came back and attacked the bases with two dry pigment powders.  I switched back and forth between rubbing them in with a drybrush, and just tapping the powers off the brush and letting it land where it falls.  (Wear a mask to stop your breath moving it around!).  I then sealed it in with airbrushed varnish, which will change how it sits and looks.  Some sponge bushes were added for a final touch, and to break up the off-white stone.

Final Basing Pigment Rub/Tap
Vallejo 73.111 Green Earth
Vantage Modelling Solutions Spot On Pigments 02 EU Brown Earth, A

Spoge Bushes
Serious Play Old Dry Leafy Scrub Foliage

Brown Cows:
Base: P3 Idrian Flesh
Shade: P3 Battlefield Brown
Highlight: P3 Bloodstone
Highlight2: Bloodstone mixed with P3 Hammerfall Khaki

White Cows: 
???  I could have sworn I kept good photographic records of every recipe I used, but I seem to have some blanks.  I seem to have painted them around the same time as the banners on the bull, so here’s that recipe.  It might be what I did.
Base: Andrea Color White 1 Base
Shade: Andrea Color White 6, 2nd Shadow
Shade: Andrea Color White 6, 2nd Shadow mixed with White Base
Reclaim base colours where needed
Highlight: Andrea Color White 3, 2nd Light mixed with base
Highlight: Andrea Color White 3, 2nd Light
Highlight: Andrea Color White 3, 2nd Light mixed with P3 Morrow White