Fuzzy Primer Update.

The Goliath ganger I primed with Armory turned out ok in the end.  There are a couple area I don't care for and couldn't fix easily.  The blades in his mohawk, his metal collar, and feet still betray the primer issues, but from play-distance, I think, it looks pretty darn good.

Things I learned:
• Get a good detail brush.  I grabbed one from my fine arts stash and I am glad I did.   The better brush made it easier to hit details, though when I went in on the teeth I did miss my mark and had to rework that whole area again.
• Thinner paint is much better for layering.   In the past, back in art school, I always had an issue with opacity.  I loved watercolor painting, but I used watercolor pigments like gouache or acrylic pigments.   I did the same thing with minitaures, as evidenced by the older Escher models in the last post.  Thinning down the paint really lets me get in and put some nice fades against edges or blend into the areas that creep in on washes.
•I can only do 2 models at a time.  Any more than that and I lose focus and get board with whatever color I happen to be on.

Three models done, 2 on my painting board and 5 more sitting on the shelf - primed and laughing at me.

Necromunda:
These ladies are 23 and oh so HAWT.
(having a wonderful time)

After being quite critical over my first 2 painted miniatures, painted after a several-year-break from miniatures, I wanted to look in to see where my skills were before and after. 

I dug out my old Escher gang from 23 years ago (A gang of deadly Amazon-like women that compete for dominance against the other, mostly, all male gangs in Necromunda.)

I cant really tell if I'm more detailed now, or if it's just the vast improvement in the modeling that is forcing me to to address details I wouldn't have bothered with earlier.

Here is a random selection of the Plasma Queens and a few other old Necromunda figures.

Necromunda:

Prime Time!

I move on to my next couple models and learn a thing or two about the good and bad of primers.

The miniature on the left was sprayed with a can of Armory Grey Primer.

The model on the right was primed with Games Workshop Mechanicus Grey Standard.
As you can see there is a big difference in how these paint cover the models. 

The Armory Primer has been hit or miss for me.  On previous models I have been able to get a smooth full coating, but only after 2-3 coats.  I dislike putting more than one coat on models with this much detail.  On this most recent model, the coverage became fuzzy after the first coat.   This is definitely not the desired output but I carried on with mixed results.  Some of the results were good, some remain a challenge, but I'll comment on those below.

As far as I can tell the only downfall for Mechanicus Grey Standard is the price point. Online prices range from $16 - $22 for a single 12 oz can.  Compared to Armory's $5.39 to $7.00, MGS is a hit to my hobby cash stash, but the results are vastly superior.  Coverage is complete and the finish is smooth.   In fact, I used MGS on some models primed previously with Armory.  MGS Primer covered and corrected some of the texture problems.

Fat Miniature in a Tiny Base Coat.

First things first;

Pants and straps:  Eshin Grey
Armor:  Averland Sunburst (Yellocadian Fleshtonew) Leadbelcher (metallic)
Skin:  Cadian Fleshtone





Basecoats on the Armory Primer helped but the model remained textered.   Basecoats on the MGS Primer covered well and remained smooth.  It was much easier to cover the areas with precision.

Layers, Washes and Details.

After a liberal coating of Nuln Oil wash I discovered that the texture I had been fighting on the Armory Primer now lent itself to looking a lot like grease and grime.  This gives the model (below) on the left a great dingy look that really belongs in Necromunda.  Other issues remain, but I love the dirt and grime look on the weapons and certain parts of the armor.  I will likely keep using the better primer, but will be looking into some of the Citadel Texture paints.

At this point I moved on with just the Bone Shredder model.  Flesh, washes, edge detailing a a little Blood for the Blood God.
This model turned out better than the first model but there are still some things I need to change, and a little more practice will have me where I want to be soon.  I am still not happy with the flesh tones and edge highlighting looks so much easier when the guys on Warhammer TV do it. 
 

The Armory Primed model is next and I am looking forward to finishing it.

Necromunda:
My eyes have betrayed me!

Wow.  These miniatures are small.  Why wont my eyes focus on the details of the face?  Why is everything blurry, and why isn't that small brush tip going where I want it too. 

Oh...  right,...   Im old now.

The Devil is in the Details.  

It's no surprise Games Workshop has the market cornered on Demons.

The new Necromunda models are ridiculously detailed, which is no surprise since their entire line of plastic miniatures now sport the same obsession to micro details and flexibility.

I decided to start with House Goliath.  They are the largest models and appeal to me this time around because they look brutal and aggressive (a little like human versions of Orcs.) 

Let's face it.  the original Goliath models looked a little silly.  These (pictured left) are actually not bad, but I wouldn't know because I've never seen a Goliath gang painted-up.

The new sculpts are amazing.  Less of a bondage look, an more armor plating gives these models a ferocity that fits with the other Necromunda Houses. 

Delightfully, you could still paint them up like a bunch of Joker Henchmen and they would look perfectly imposing.

Time to see if I can still do this.

Being an artist is it's own hell sometimes.  Being a slave to your own expectation can really cause anxiety and for me it causes me to procrastinate.   I often put off starting creative projects simply so that I don't prove to myself how shitty I am at creating.  
Eventually the desire to have a painted gang over ruled the trepidation and I grab the leaset interesting ganger and began painting. 

My goal was to see where I was skill wise after 20 years.   I know some tips and tricks, and I can make terrain look awesome, but fine detail and my materials were the unknowns.

1.  Did I have good enough brushes for these new uber-detailed models?   Yeah...  but I could probably use some nicer ones.

2. Can I see these fucking things.   Nope.   I've ignored having Astigmatism for many years now.  Not anymore.  Being able to focus my eyes on a spot close to my face is simply impossible.  So I now need +1.25 or  +1.5 reading glasses in order to paint these details.

I'm very glad I did one model as a test.  There are a number of things I learned and will be changing.
1. I used too much wash and didn't stop it from pooling.  Next model:  I will revisit the wash several times to make sure I don't get glossy patches.

2. I need better colors.   As much as I hate to admit it, the Citadel colors are just superior.  They have fucked up names that make no sense, but they really are superior to other brands and I learned the hard way that nothing beats their Mechanicus Standard Grey Primer.

 Flesh wash finished, ready for highlights

 Flesh wash finished, ready for highlights (back)

In the end, I am really pleased with this model,
but I'm setting the bar quite a bit higher for the next models.

Necromunda:  Finally, Walls I can get behind.

The new edition of Necromunda doesn't come with any awesome terrain like it's predecessor.  Instead, it provides map boards with great graphics and barricade / door models to enhance the feel.

 So, there I was watching Youtube videos about how to play, and I see an amazing set of tunnel walls.  If you look carefully at the map boards you will notice the dark black wall shapes.  Those are tunnel walls.  They block sight, and admittedly are a little lacking when you think of Necromunda's glory days.

You are looking at Deathray Design's Deadbolt Derelict: Corridors bundle.

deathraydesigns.com/deadbolts-derelict-corridors-bundle/

I took a shot and ordered a set and started putting them together over Christmas.  

Frickin' Lasers, Man.

This product arrived at my house in a much smaller envelope than I expected.  I tore open the package to find 15 tightly packed sheets of laser-cut MDF.
I was initially worried about the number of pieces and how they would break free from their sheets.  I've used similar product in the board game world and it was less than perfect.

Step 1

Assembly.  Aside from some very sore finger tips and a couple hours lost, I was easily able to separate the pieces and assemble them into wall sections.

Step 2

Basecoat.  Deathray Design's instructions directed me to base coat the section in black to help the  fine laser-etched details to standout.  Then after a trip to Menards, where I picked out a can of Ultra Flat Slate blue and gave them a second coat.  I finished up with a dusting of metallic silver and metallic bronze.

 

Step 3

Make them look rusted. 
• I began by dry-brushing the sections with Necron Compound to highlight the edges, giving them a metallic look. 
• Next, I gave them a wash of black ink mixed with a little brown ink.  This gave the sections some depth and shadowing on the under-hangs and cross beams. 
• Rust was a bit easier and was definitely a change of pace...  I added quite a bit of water to Ceramcoat brand terra cotta acrylic craft paint.  When watered-down enough this paint flows easily and covers surfaces in splotchy patches that resemble rust.  A light dry-brushing of lighter tan provides more variety and looks like older patches of dried rust.

Step 4

Test it.  I couldn't wait.  I needed to see what the walls looked like with models and the game's Map tiles.  I grabbed some of my original Necromunda Eschers and added them to the scenery.

Step 5

Play on it.  Isley Unruh and I sat down for a game.  The wall sections really changed the feel of the scenario and helped us immerse into the action...  except for the lame white miniatures, that is.