Let’s start with the vision.
When I started this project I wanted to do a fantasy version of my Iron Warriors scheme: Dark steel, yellow and black stripes, neon green special effects. It was a simple enough theory; a straight adaptation of an existing, familiar scheme onto a different set of models. In practice it worked out surprisingly challenging.
See, a Space Marine has a very specific materials balance: Majority armour, trim, leather belts, weapon casing, glowing details. It turns out when the sculpt messes with that, even with as simple changes as ‘exposed arms and thighs’ and ‘big capes everywhere’ then it completely throws off the balance of the scheme. For instance, Iron Warriors are traditionally depicted with red tabards/loincloths. The splash of colour works fantastically with the greys and blacks of an Iron Warrior marine – but when every member of a unit is dressed with a floor-length red cape then that becomes the key point of visual interest. It draws the eye and drowns out comparatively smaller and more concealed hazard stripes that don’t have large shoulder pads to display them. It’s the same colours but because the balance is different then it becomes an entirely different thing.
This unit contains all my test models – I experimented with a variety of colour schemes until I found a balance I liked, and then placed the test models on the command stand as a focus for the unit.
So what was meant to be an easy choice of scheme turned into an entire process of discovery and adaptation until I settled on something that felt right. By shifting the yellow/black pair of the hazard stripes to the capes I was able to make them the point of focus. But trying a test model with a red cloak gave me an idea to tie both concepts together.
Specifically, the idea was that this City State of Baradissar was locked in a siege against a Spire. Acidic goo rains down from the sky and bioweapons and diseases are unleashed along with waves of drones. The original colours of the City State’s republic were red and white, but yellow and black are quarantine markers painted on soldiers exposed directly to the Spires’ devilry. Full-time professionals like the Agema are dressed entirely in full exposure markings, and these troops are sickly and near to death. Temporary conscripts who still have hope to recover without much exposure like the hoplites have roughly painted on their quarantine markings. Then you have the Sacred Band, cursed lunatics driven mad by direct exposure to Spires weaponry, armour and weapons rusting as everyone keeps a safe distance.
The Clockwork Hoplites are all dressed in flawless Republican white and red – as unliving automata they do not need quarantine markings, and so they go to war in an eerie echo of what Baradissar was like in its full glory. The Companion Cavalry are considered an elite reserve force, only deployed in extreme situations, and so they have no quarantine markings because this is their first time on the battlefield. Invariably their horses will die and the survivors will grimly collect themselves and join the ranks of the Agema.
These miniatures were all painted using the Pro Acryl line of paints; see here for a review and translation guide into the Citadel paint system.
The White
I’ve been trying to get a white I like for a while and this is as far as I’ve come.
- Bright Warm Grey
- Soulblight Grey Contrast
- Detail shade with Drakenhof Nightshade
- Highlight Bright Warm Grey
- Highlight Bold Titanium White
The Yellow
So the trick with hazard stripes is that you don’t actually need to paint tiny, meticulous hazard stripes in order to give the impression of hazard stripes. Yellow and black in close combination, even if the pattern is comparatively simple, still gives the same basic energy. I have cloaks that are simple bifurcations, or single stripes, or quartered – large and simple geometric patterns that convey the energy of a hazard stripe without needing to break out the ultra fine precision brushes.
That is to say, if you have trouble painting hazard stripes then just make your hazard stripes larger.
- Warm Yellow
- Shade with thinned Gore Grunta Fur Contrast
- Highlight with Warm Yellow
- Highlight Golden Yellow
- Fine highlight with pale yellow
The Black
A classic blue black, don’t fix what’s not broken.
- Coal Black
- Highlight Blue Black
- Highlight Grey Blue
The Metal
I have used a variety for this army, with metals being more rusted and decayed depending on the length of the soldier’s exposure to the elements.
Dark Metal
- Basecoat Dark Silver
- Shade Drakenhof Nightshade
- Recess shade watered down Orange Oxide
- Highlight Silver
Normal Metal
- Leadbelcher
- Shade Nuln Oil
- Highlight Silver
Gold
- VMC Viking Gold
- Wash Agrax Earthshade
- Highlight Rich Gold
The Red
It can’t be emphasized enough what a lovely colour Bold Pyrrite Red is. It carries the entire scheme on its own.
- Basecoat Burnt Red
- Shade Berserker Bloodshade
- Highlight Bold Pyrrite Red
- Small highlight of Orange
The Green
- Basecoat Dark Angels Contrast
- Highlight Green
- Highlight Green Yellow
- Edge highlight Green Yellow mixed with white
The acid splotches on shields and the ground are a little different. First blotch in an area with a dark brown, or rust colours to show where the paint has peeled away. Then get a good blob of unthinned green yellow on your brush, dab it in the center of the brown splotch, and then drag it down. Then, while the paint is still wet, get a blotch of unthinned pure white on your brush, put it in the centre of the green area and drag it down too. Wait a while for it to dry – it’ll take a bit longer than normal because the paint should be thick – and then glaze the area with Tesseract Glow.
The Bases
The trick with dirt bases, I’ve come to find, is that you do not want a uniform colour. Real dirt is messy – there are different patches of soil, different clusters of leaves, everything looks slightly irregular and messy. Doing the whole thing in a single uniform colour looks artificial to me – you’re better served with local patches and variations.
So, while you start off with your light brown texture paint of choice, then splash down some random shades and contrast paints. 50-70% should be good ol’ Agrax Earthshade, but outside that give yourself a little space to play with adjacent colours like Athonian Camoshade, Tarragore Rageshade, Ratling Grime, etc. Then give them a uniform drybrush of any warm off-white to tie it all together. This gives the base some internal variation and visual interest
For stone I’ve basecoated Bright Warm Grey, washed with Drakenhof Nightshade and drybrushed back with Bright Warm Grey.
Going Crazy With Freehand
It can look like a lot, but there’s a trick to it: Light line next to dark line. You can get away with a lot if there’s a light line next to a dark line. I haven’t drawn perfect circles and triangles here, my checks are as rectangular as anyone’s, I know the feeling. But something about the human eye lets those rough edges soften a little if there’s an outline. The white stands out crisp and clear and it’s almost impossible to focus on the fuzzy edges or faint wobbles in the black.
Freehand will always be hard, but imperfect freehand can still be presented with so much confidence that nobody will be able to perceive the flaws.
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