Age of Sigmar Fyreslayer Lodge

Well I did not get everything done in time for my first game of AoS2, but still having half painted minis is better than grey plastic (and more than any of my friend achieved in the same time).

Fun game, even though I lost miserably. In true dwarf style, some grudges have been recorded.

I nice interlude, but back to the painting desk to get a bit more done.

Finally had a chance to pick up a brush, just added a highlight of AP tanned flesh to all the raised muscle areas. Not sure how well it shows in the photos, but definitely gives the flesh a nicer warm tone to it. Another highlight to go of a lighter flesh colour and then onto the weapons and hair.

Not much time tonight, but had a short chance to add a Vallejo flesh wash to all the skin areas. This both helped to tie in the varied shaded areas, give a little more warmth to the flesh and to fill in the recesses of the (very well defined) muscles, bringing out lots of the detail in the model.

Whilst a bit laborious painting approx. 50 dwarfs, it is quite rewarding when reaching the end of each step.

Got a game organised with friends in the next few weeks, so hoping to have everything done for then. Will be my first outing with the Fyreslayers in AoS II so looking forward to debuting the models.

Continuing with the airbrush I used Vallejo Dwarf Flesh over all the flesh areas.

For the purpose of batch painting I am not being very neat at the moment, this will all get tidied up later.

Pretty pleased so far, to get 50+ dwarfs to this stage has taken about 3 hours of painting from bare plastic. Time for a break now.

Still using the airbrush I used a yellow over all the flesh areas, the pre-shading from the previous post starts to show through here. The yellow goes on nicely over the wolf grey and will act as a base coat and add a richness to the skin tone in the next stage

Having base coated the dwarfs in black, I used a wolf grey through the airbrush to highlight the flesh areas. This will act as a base for the next layer, allowing for some quick shading with the variation between the wolf grey and black undercoat.

Bit of quiet time this morning, so a chance to get on with the basing.

I washed the “astrogranite” areas with a heavy application of AP Strong Tone ink, making it almost look black like the rest of the primed base.

Once dry I then dry brushed on AP Uniform Grey, building up to  light drybrush of AP Ash Grey.

It feels a bit perverse to be painting stone, to look like stone. But the exaggerated highlights from the drybrush work well with the overall model. I think they provide a strong solid background that will help make the model pop on the table top.

Just need to tidy up the rim of the base and then I am going to experiment with adding a few dried/dead/scorched grass tufts poking up between some of the rocks.

Just a varnish and the final touches to go, before moving onto the rank and file troops.

Trying something new for me, so this might be a bit hit and miss….

I decided to go for a rocky base. I started by arranging some pieces of slate on the base. I was trying to find an arrangement that would allow the Magmadroth to stand flat in its final position. I then unfilled the spaces around with further pieces of slate, super gluing them into place.

I then pooled superglue into the gaps inbetween the slate and filled these with small chips of rock.

The natural stone had some nice colours, but the slate and chipped rock were different stones so it looked a bit odd, I also wanted a darker base to really contrast and frame the bright red Magmadroth. So I primed the entire base black.

Following this I used a GW citadel texture paint Astrogranite Debris applying it quite thickly to the remaining flat areas of the base.

I’m hoping to get three different layers of texture, between the big flat slabs of rock, interspersed with smaller rocks and then the broken up texture of the debris.

Will have to let this dry and see how it turns out.

With all parts of the miniature painted and combined, next step is to do the base.

I am thinking a fairly simple rough, dark igneous, volcanic style stone, to give a strong contrast against the bright reds and oranges of the model.

I do not think I want to do any actual lava flows as this will blend in too much with the miniature, which I want to speak for itself.

I will ponder on this, but would welcome any thoughts any of you may have.

The rider was now nearly complete.

There was a gem on the riders wrist guard, I decided to go for a complimentary red gem for this.

My gem painting is not amazing, but a combination I find that works for me is by painting each successive colour over half of the previous colour, working towards one end of the gem, before putting a small white dot at the opposite end.

Photo shows the colours I used to do the gem.

For the horns I used skeleton bone with a layer of monster brown towards the tip, and then using rough brush strokes quite deliberately as it got close to the helm, allowing the skeleton bone colour to show through.

With this the rider was pretty much complete. I hate painting eyes, so I put a very thin dab of white over the miniatures eyes to give a little contrast with the skin, but this is about as far as I go.

Time now to add the rider to his mount….

I then added a metallic layer to all the metal areas, using AP Plate Mail on the “silver areas” and AP Greedy Gold on the runes and other details.

Following on from this I washed the metallic areas with strong tone ink and the highlighted using AP Shining Silver and Weapon Bronze, on the Plate Mail and Gold Areas respectively. I also used shining silver to pick out some of the dragon head details on the helm, axe pommel and shoulders.

It was at this stage I felt the hair could use a little more life on the very tips so dry brushed on some yellow. I also used ash grey on some of the brown black areas to edge highlight in a few areas, just giving them a little more life and breaking up the colour.

Going back to the rider this evening, whilst the hair brightness felt right, it still lacked something. So I drybrushed some red towards the base areas and then some orange towards the top. This gave it a subtle graduation.

I had been planning to add some highlights to the hair, but upon review of the previous evening’s painting session the beard looked too bright.

I like my miniatures to “pop” on the table, but the beard was clashing with the magmadroth itself.

So the next step was to use some AP Strong Tone Ink, to dial-back the overall brightness.

Having let this dry, I am much happier with the contrast/brightness.

I started on the hair by brushing on AP Skeleton bone, over this I painted yellow. I find the bone base is an easy way to paint yellow quickly without having to apply multiple thin coats.

I then went over this with AP Lava Orange, deliberately leaving a few tips yellow.

This was followed by a wash with Red Tone Ink.

It was then time for bed and sleep.

With the flesh wash dry and my belly full, I picked up my brush to continue on the flesh areas.

Using Army Painter tanned flesh I picked out all the raised muscles and joints, and the followed this with a high-light of AP Barbarian Flesh.

This completed the flesh, so I then picked out all the weapons, runes, armour and straps with the AP Oak Brown (2 part) / AP Matt Black (1 part) to provide a base for later work on these areas.

Having base coated the rider black, I used an airbrush to apply a light coat of Vallejo Wolf Grey, directing mainly from above and at a 45degree angle to get some pre shading in.

I then did the same with yellow over the skin areas.

Floowing this I used the airbrush to apply Dwarf Flesh to the flesh areas, and once dry used a bursh to apply Vallejo Flesh wash, being careful to make sure it did not clump on the raised muscle parts.

It was then time for dinner 🙂

Using my warm black mix (2 part oak brown, 1 part matt black), I picked out all the embers, leaving the orange fire glow around the edges.

I then picked out the smoke plumes using AP Skeleton bone. I have been finding this works as a nice base to lighter colours rather than a stark white.

Finally I used AP Ash Grey at the bottom of the smoke dragging it into AP uniform Grey at the top. I then stippled a little of both Ash and Uniform grey to try and break up the solid model effect. I think this step needs more practice.

This then finished the throne, ready to be mounted on the Magmadroth.

Next was the brazier.

I started off with a few thin coats of AP Lava Orange to give a warmth to the flame. I then went over this with a AP Daemonic Yellow drybrush. The yellow is quite thin so this needed quite a few passes. Following on I used the red ink to wash over all the areas of fire and embers to give a warm glow.

Whilst this was drying I used AP Ash Grey to edge highlight the throne (I have really been practicing my edge highlighting on this model and improving my technique, thankfully the areas where I did not do as well as I would have liked will be obscured by the rider once he is sat on the throne).