WIP: Cawdor Gang 2 Basecoat & Shading

Switching from Grots to gangers, here's the latest WIP shot of my two newest Cawdor gang initiates:

The above photo shows the two after a basecoat and shading.

While using the airbrush to lay down a basecoat on the Grot Tank, I thought I might as well use it to put paint on these two as well:

PROTIP: Always properly dilute your paints (about the consistency of skim milk) before putting them through an airbrush.

I got lazy toward the end of the airbrushing session and failed to properly dilute my paint. The Vallejo Model Color (VMC) Burnt Cadmium Red (814) was the worst, as you can tell by the splattering in the photos above, and it ended up giving the airbrush a nasty clog that took a couple of days to properly clear out.

I tidied everything up with some brushwork:

These are the first gang members I've painted that are wearing undershirts. I initially went with VMC Burnt Cad, as you can see in the airbrushing photos, but decided it was just too much red. So, I did them up in the same color as their brethren's tank tops: Vallejo Game Color (VGC) Khaki.

I also simplified some of the paint formulas from the first batch of gang members. I dropped the VMC Red (926) from the pants and removed the Citadel (GW) Rotting Flesh from the skin mix. The changes saved time and won't alter the final look of the models.

Finally, I made sure to completely basecoat both models before moving on to shade them:

There's still work to be done on the Dragon Forge Design bases before I can move on to highlighting and weathering, but these two gentlemen are coming along much faster than the first group.

For details on basecoating and shading, see here, here, and here.

Next up: Basecoating and shading the Grot Tank.

So, until next time, keep painting!

WIP: Cawdor Gang 2 Prep & Undercoat

The next two members of the Crimson Brotherhood have been prepped:

And undercoated:

For details on prepping, see here and here; for details on undercoating, see here.

Moving from left to right in the pictures above, we have the gang's standard Leader and a Juve. Neither model needed any gap or hole filling and both cleaned up pretty easily.

Up until recently, I'd never really liked this Leader model, having preferred the alternate Leader's more dynamic pose and better equipment (a boltgun and power sword vs. an auto pistol and chainsword).

But, as it turns out, the standard Leader also has a boltgun; it's just slung on his back:

I didn't realize this until I picked the model up out of the box to examine it while mulling over which gang members to paint next.

Needless to say, this Leader is growing on me, and I think I'll be less likely to relegate him to the sidelines as soon as I have enough credits to purchase a power sword and use the alternate Leader.

Anywho, I thought I'd also share a quick tutorial on prepping a model to attach to a resin base.

First, remove the slotta tab:

I use a small vice to hold the mini and a razor saw to cut the tab off.

After the slotta tab is removed, move the model around on the base to determine the best position for it.

Next, mark pilot holes in the model's heels:

Drill a hole approximately 2-3 mm deep into one of the mini's feet:

Make sure the hole is perpendicular to the top of the base, as it will help create a tight fit for the pins.

Then insert one of the pins into the model's heel, score the base with it where you want the model to stand, and then drill a hole 2-3 mm deep into the base. Again, this hole should be straight down into the base:

The pins should be 4-5 mm in length. The idea is for the pins to provide enough stability to keep the model firmly attached to its base. I use paper clips as pins.

Next, drill a hole in the other foot. With the first pin in the base and the second pin in the hole that you just drilled, line the mini up and score the second hole in the base:

After drilling out the second hole in the base, the mini is now ready to be firmly pinned with a little super glue (I glue the pins to the base and wait to glue the model until it's fully painted):

Next up: I've been prepping another project to work on alongside this latest batch of Cawdor models. I won't give it away, but it involves the color green and rhymes with "shot."

So, until next time, keep painting!

Showcase: Cawdor Gang Members

And now, right here, for your viewing enjoyment, the first five members of the Crimson Brotherhood:

Multiple angles of each member:

I'm really pleased with how these guys turned out. It was something to finally see them finished and attached to their bases, especially since it's been seven months in the making.

And while I hit a few snags along the way, I feel like I achieved what I set out to do, which was to paint up the first batch of my Cawdor gang to a high tabletop standard.

My next batch will be much smaller. I'd like to speed up my painting process and five models were just too many for me. I think Stahly had the right idea with two models at a time.

So, until next time, keep painting!

WIP: Cawdor Gang Highlighting

Well that took a lot longer than expected! The busy holiday season plus a couple painting snags equaled very slow progress. But the highlighting is coming along:

Before applying highlights, I laid down a quick coat of matte varnish with the airbrush to lock in the shading.

The first stage of highlights was a reapplication of the various basecoat colors to tidy up my overzealous shading efforts.

One of the first snags I ran into was highlighting the skin. I had a difficult time lightening my 1:1:1 basecoat of Vallejo Game Color (VGC) Dark Fleshtone, Citadel (GW) Rotting Flesh, and GW Bronzed Flesh. I ended up dropping Rotting Flesh from the mix, and worked in more Bronzed Flesh to lighten the skin.

After highlighting the skin, I applied a thin glaze of Bronzed Flesh to pull the highlights and shading together.

I also had trouble with the eyes. I probably redid each model's eyes three to four times. I finally had to say enough and just leave them as is.

Several areas, like the gaiters received just one layer of highlighting. Other areas, such as the boots, gloves and masks, as well as the tunics and pants, received multiple layers.

For the leather items I mixed increasing amounts of VGC Filthy Brown to the GW Scorched Brown base color. For the tunics and pants, I also added increasing amounts of Filthy Brown to Vallejo Model Color (VMC) Burnt Cadmium Red (814).

After highlighting the tunics and pants, I applied a thin glaze of Burnt Cad to pull everything together. While it helped tone down the highlights, it also unfortunately dulled some of the great contrast I had built up with the shading.

I still have the gun casings, canteens, and knife sheaths, as well as the belts and pouches to highlight. There are also a few odds and ends that I'll need to tidy up, but I'm nearing the finish line on these guys.

Next up: my first group of Cawdor models finished and on their bases with proper pictures!

So, until next time, keep painting ... even if it's not going as well as you hoped.

WIP: Cawdor Gang Details

So, before moving on to blending and highlighting, I figured that I needed to fill in the gang members' details that up until now I had left unpainted.

This included the partially-finished gun casings, barrels, and stocks, knifes, canteens, belt and gaiter buckles, pouch buttons, and glove and tunic studs:

The gun casings, canteens, and knife sheathes received a coat of Vallejo Game Color (VGC) Camouflage Green, and a glaze of heavily watered-down VGC Cayman Green as a shade.

Gun stocks and knife handles were covered in Vallejo Model Color (VMC) Natural Wood (834), which is very thin straight out of the bottle and requires several coats to get good coverage.

Gun barrels, knife guards, butts, and sheath tips, buckles, buttons, and studs got a base coat of VMC London Grey (836) and, depending on the color behind the object, either a wash of old Citadel (GW) Shadow Black ink or old GW Skaven Brown ink.

The bullet casings in the Heavy's ammo belt are also VMC London Grey, while the tips are roughly a 3:2:1:1 ratio of VMC Light Orange (911), GW Golden Yellow, VGC Bronze Fleshtone, and VGC Charred Brown. I was going for a faux-NMM brass. The ammo belt webbing is VGC Earth.

Looking back, I should have painted the details on the gloves, robes, belts, and gaiters before I shaded the models, as it would have reduced my work time. But, with the details filled in, I can start blending and highlighting!

Next up: blending and highlighting ... really.

So, until next time, keep painting!