+ inload: Using a paint scheme to unite an army +

+ Catipürnan World-Turners +

+ The Silence event, run by Bristol Vanguard, is coming up this weeked [+PROTOCOL: commence calming respiro-stressorcism+], and my genestealer cult/dominated PDF force is... ticking along. Not quite where I'd like to be, but the end is in sight. +

+ Basing still to do +

+ The pict-capture above shows some battle-ready late generation hybrids, toting shotguns and supported by a heavy stubber. While not finished to a great standard, I think they're a good example of how a pre-planned scheme and tonal contrast can give good results. +

+ Theoretical +

+ In any army that contains markedly different aesthetics – such as the Steel Legion guardsmen and xenos genestealers – it's particularly important to have some way of tying the different strands together visually; otherwise it'll just look hotch-potch. To make things more manageable for myself here, I chose to run with a near monochrome scheme of cool off-white and off-black, with yellow-orange accents. +

+ Still WIP; the goggles will be red-orange. +

+ The brood brothers (the PDF that have come under the sway of the Patriarch and his coven) are painted virtually white. Their fatigues are Calth Brown, and their armour and gun casings Charadon Granite. +

+ The genestealers turn this on its head, being mainly black (Chaos Black with a touch of Macragge Blue), with near-white skin – the latter painted with Pallid Wych Flesh, with touches of Screamer Pink and Macragge Blue. +

+ The hybrids sit midway between the two, using elements of both: Calth Brown fatigues and Charadon Granite armour, but near-white flesh and blue-black carapaces. I've used Dheneb Stone hints here and there, too – on the ragged clothing, for example. As a similar near-white hue, it fits in nicely, while not matching the skin. +

+ Practical +

+ This WIP shot shows how I approached painting them – starting from the inside out; by which I mean that I painted the underlying clothing (brown fatigues), then painted the hard armour, then the equipment (guns etc.). The skin is left to near to the end. Because I spend far more time and effort on this, leaving it 'til last reduces the chances of accidentally getting paint or muck on it. Much easier to repaint an anonymous patch of clothing than an obvious focal paint like the face. +

+++

+ Personalities +

+ These two – the cult icon bearer and a PDF ogryn bodyguard – show that a sufficiently flexible scheme will work even for egregious or unusual models in an army. The icon bearer is an earlier generation hybrid; so the skin is closer to the Patriarch's cool blue-tinged hue than the ruddier skintones of the 'normal' humans. Both use the dull grey armour – and this 'neutral' hue is used for both the cultist's banner and the ogryn's shield, too. Both have some eye-catching yellow accents. +

+ Neither is particuarly well-finished (I hope at some point to come back and refine them a little; particuarly the banner), but the strong paint scheme and more attention on the faces means that they will add to the army's overall visual well. Basically I want them to stand out a little – but remain obviously part of the army. +

+++

+ Grandfather Nurgle is whispering temptingly +

+ Plague Marines. Plague Marines! Part of the delay in getting my genestealers done is the steadily-swelling mass of Death Guard lurking on my desk and distracting me. +

+ I showed off this chap last week, but managed to get a pict-capture over the weekend in better light. These colours are a lot more accurate, and help show that even a near-monochrome scheme doesn't need to be flat and boring. Judicious use of yellow and purple pin washes, and warming sepia-based inks help give some interest; helped along with accents like the yellowing ivory spikes and ice-blue vision slit. +

+ Two Plague Marines and their squad leader. The leader's a minor weapon swap, giving him a plasma gun and plague sword in place of the default power fist. The other two are the first multi-part Death Guard I've put together; and proved a slightly frustrating experience. It turns out that the kit has lots of pegs and guides – useful to help avoid poses that won't work without conversion (a boltgun across a chest bursting with tentacles that physically block the other arm, for example) – but an annoyance for more substantial conversion work, as you have to trim them away to free up the limbs. +

+ Nothing dreadful, but worth me bearing in mind. 

+ Poxwalkers are de rigeur, but I quite fancy having some cultists. More recognisably human, they'll provide a good baseline size to make the Plague Marines appear suitably hulking. +