Dan’s 2024 Side Projects

If I thought the last model was a bit frail, this entire fairy model hangs from a tree by only two toes! Every brush stroke caused the model to swing around on the tree.

Colours were the same as for the previous models, except:

Wing details were either corvus black with dawnstone followed by administratum grey highlights, or mephiston red highlighted evil sunz scarlet.

The rapier was leadbelcher highlighted ironbreaker followed by runefang steel.

Another petite fairy model. The size was a bit of a challenge. Also the model is very fragile. For example, the head and antlers sit on the models neck which is less than 1 mm3. The large wings are also only attached to the shoulder blades by very small joints.

The colours were largely the same as the previous model, with the following exceptions.

The vortex was painted plaguebearer flesh then drybrushed hellion green.

The pink areas were painted pink horror, washed druchii violet, then highlighted emperor’s children.

The green areas were washed with biel-tan green rather than athonian cammoshade.

Another model I purchased on a whim at Salute. This is the first of a set of three fairies that I bought. Aesthetically speaking they’re on the complete opposite end of the spectrum compared to the last models I did – Iron Man and Hulk Buster.

The model was undercoated wraithbone.

The tree was painted with a variety of contrast paints: skeleton horde, wyldwood, snakebite leather and a few patches of militarum green. It was finished with a drybrush of tyrant skull.

The wings were painted with various blends of averland sunset and flash gitz yellow to give a transition from bright yellow at the tips and darker towards the body. Seraphim sepia was also used in a couple of layers to darken the area near the body.

The dagger was painted teclus blue, highlighted lothern blue, then washed drakenhof nightshade.

The skin was painted straken green then highlighted nurgling green. It was finished with a wash of athonian camoshade.

The clothes were painted steel legion drab, then highlighted tallarn sand followed by karak stone. Then the area was washed seraphim sepia.

The purple was painted naggaroth night then highlighted xereus purple followed by genestealer purple.

For the gold I painted one coat of lamenters yellow over the silver areas. For the red I painted two layers of a now-discontinued Forge World airbrush paint, angron red (clear). I’m really happy with how well these colours turned out. It’s a really good metallic effect.

The blue arc-reactors and eyes were layered calador sky, teclis blue, lothern blue and then fenrisian grey.

The jets were layered the same blue colours in bands, starting from the darkest near the source and ending with a band of white scar near the smoke clouds. I then mixed a white wash with about 1 part white scar to 4 parts lahmian medium and then washed over the jets.

The bases were painted skavenblight dinge.

The clouds were painted with a wash of 1:1 stormvermin fur and lahmian medium.

To create the glow effect coming from in the clouds I made a wash of 1 part flash gitz yellow to 4 parts lahmian medium. I applied three or four coats at the base of the jets and the inner parts of the clouds, making each layer smaller than the last.

The plan for these models was to give non-metallic metal a try again. I’ve done it once or twice before on parts of some models.

After sitting and staring at the model for an entire painting session, I decided that was a bonkers idea. The Hulk Buster in particular is a very big model and on both models there are lots of complicated shapes that I don’t even know how to begin painting in non-metallic metal.

Therefore I decided to go with conventional metallic paints to be coloured with inks and glazes.

So I ensured the undercoat was a good solid abaddon black. Then the model was base coated leadbelcher, then dry brushed ironbreaker followed by runefang steel. It took about half an hour whereas I’m sure non-metallic metal would have taken many painting sessions.

Before painting these models I did a little research on the Shilluk. These are a tribe that are native to the upper Nile region of Africa. They have a strong warrior culture history. I found a few pictures online to guide my painting.

The skin was painted dryad bark, washed agrax earthshade, then highlighted gorthor brown followed by baneblade brown.

The spears were painted zandri dust, washed agrax earthshade, then layered ushabti bone followed by screaming skull.

The shields were painted steel legion drab, washed agrax earthshade, then dry brushed  tallarn sand followed by karak stone.

The hair was painted corvus black.

The bits of cloth were painted pink horror and then washed druchii violet.

The bases were painted rakarth flesh then dry brushed flayed one flesh.

I was inspired by last week’s unofficial hobby hangout, in which Sundancer was assembling minis, to get all my models assembled.

As such, the top array of images are my haul from Salute. Below that are all the minis I received from the secret Santa. Then finally there’s a Raging Heroes left over mini from a recent project.

I’ll get these undercoated at the weekend and then I’ll be painting them up as my whimsey takes me until OTT start their next big participation hobby event.

This model comes from Rogue Hobbies and is their third release. It’s a goblin about 75mm scale – I think. I liked the idea of trying to paint something more whimsical than I usually do.

Rascaltown Knight RH-003 – Made to Order

For all the paints used on this model I diluted them a little bit with lahmian medium to help them flow a bit better and try and improve my blending. When layering I also used various mixes through the colours, rather than just using each colour on its own as I usually would.

The skin had a couple of coats of averland sunset, had a wash applied into the recesses of casandora yellow, then highlighted with flash gitz yellow through to flayed one flesh.

The metal areas were painted mechanicus standard grey, then highlighted through dawnstone, administratum grey, and then ulthuan grey.

The mushrooms were painted naggaroth night then the spots were painted emperor’s children. The purple bits were then highlighted xereus purple followed by genestealer purple.

The eyes were painted jokaero orange and then trollslayer orange. The irises were drawn in with a technical pen.

The teeth and horn were painted zandri dust, then layered through ushabti bone and screaming skull.

The wood was painted dryad bark, then highlighted through gorthor brown and baneblade brown.

The leather areas were painted steel legion drab then highlighted tallarn sand through karak stone.

The frog was painted moot green and then highlighted with a mix of moot green and flayed one flesh. It was washed with beil-tan green in the recesses.

The frog’s hat was painted evil sunz scarlet and then highlighted with a mix of evil sunz scarlet and flayed one flesh. It was washed with carroburg crimson in the recesses.

Lamenters yellow was glazed on to the metal where I imagined the skin would be reflecting off the metal. I hope this gives the impression of the metal being shiny and reflective.