Northern WiP thoughts

The weekend started off with an attempt to live-stream my painting at the request of a few who wanted to see how the contrast paints work.  Spent an hour getting things set up with the webcam, the right angle, lighting, etc.  In the end though, it was kind of a wash, as my camera was having issues getting the model I was working on in focus.  Tried it on Facebook rather than twitch, so the rest of the weekend was spent looking up ways to adjust the camera settings in OBS (my streaming software) to possibly allow for recording that way. 

End result?  Very little painting done, but a better understanding of what I would need if I was going to do how-to videos.  Next up, I'll try using my old iPad mini to film, then voice-over the painting footage.  Its not ideal, but the camera is still pretty good for being as old as it is.  A few extra steps, but without an actual camera (rather than a webcam) I think I'm going to have to stick to streaming gaming rather than projects for the moment. 

With all this going on, I did manage to get a bit of work done on my northern army.  I have everything base coated with the contrast paint except for a few paratroopers I am saving for when I can get a camera set up to record it.  After the failed stream, I went and decided to knock out all the models on my desk, only to realize at the end I hadnt gotten the footage needed.  So those will be sitting here until I can try it again this week. 

On the left, you have the WiP of the Stripped Down Hunter.  Militarium Green contrast paint for the ballistic cloth on the arms/legs.  It looks good enough in a photo, but doesnt look quite right in person.  The recesses are dark, gives the green look I wanted, but the flat areas of padding are splotchy and not the right shade for me.  So then you have the model on the right, where I took a 'faded OD green' (Mekong Moss from the Heavy Gear paint set) and wet brushed the raised areas.  Much better.  Gives the faded look while also showing off the texture.  Adds more to the process, but gets the right look.  I am still not sure if I should possibly undercoat the cloth areas with a regular green prior to the contrast paint, but in the interest of getting these done with the fewest steps possible, I think they should be fine without it.  Opinions?

This test was a flop.  I wanted to see how the Blood Angel red contrast paint would look on the head of my airborne troops.  I was going for more of a maroon, ended up with a bright red.  I think I am going to need to re-paint the heads using a dark grey if I want to use the contrast paint, or simply paint them the color I'm going for.  Below is a photo of the Asp I painted with a red shoulder, which was a grey base, and it has more of the muted red look I'm after. 

I'll try another one with regular paint before I go and re-do all the heads with a darker base color.  The red shoulders might look darker because of the overall tone of the model, rather than actually being darker.  Still, its progress. 

Southern Paint Experiment and Future Projects

The testing continues!  So far my experiments with the contrast paints have worked out well.  I started with the squad of Asp's as the test run, but given how well they came out I went ahead and did the entire force like that.  I'll post the complete color list and step-by-step on my next post, once I have finished models to show off.

Once I had the entire force base-coated, I tried a few different colors with my two Gila's (Duelists).  One in purple, which turned out too dark with the grey primer (and later turned out to still be too dark even on a white base, I think it might work if thinned down, but did not try that).  The other in green, which I liked.  That green is a runner up for choice with the army, but grey just felt more appropriate for a Southern group.  

I did the Asp's with red shoulders, then considered a different color for each group.  Started to go back and forth with it, thinking about doing the whole force with red shoulders instead, so I asked for advice.  After explaining to my wife the dilemma (for what is basically a 'platoon' or 'company' sized element, they really should all have the same markings), her response was perfect.  "Yes, I know that's not how the military works.. but this is space robots... sooo..."  She was right, as it turns out. 

Each squad got its own shoulder color, chosen from the colors that I thought would stand out.  Tactical?  No, not at all.  But its "space robots" so I can let that go.  The only squad that did not use contrast paints for the shoulder was the command squad, which had issues with the purple contrast paint being a bit too dark.  I went with a regular paint (non-contrast) purple instead.  

Testing details.  Red for the optics (green was considered, especially as the missile pods are also red, but growing up with movies like 'The Terminator' robots have red eyes.. it just didnt feel right otherwise), yellow bands around the missile pods for the warning stripes, etc.  I painted a few weapons in a full metallic grey and another set in black.  The black looked better, so repainted the metallic ones.  I'll probably hit details in gunmetal and drybrush it.

Final bit of testing was the base.  I picked up a few big tubes of non-hobby paint on sale at a craft store a month or two ago for basing/terrain use.  Painted the sandy/rocky area with a burnt umber, then the squares like concrete slabs.  A wash of Agrax Earthshade tied it all together and gave it the weathered/dirty look I wanted.  Might hit the sand with a light drybrush before looking for appropriate desert foliage tufts to stick on a few of them.  

For me, one of the most time consuming parts of painting a force is figuring out what to paint which color.  There are still little details I keep having to go back to get as I realize I missed them (the road wheels in the feet/legs, pouches/knives on the waist, grenades, accessories, etc).  I take a lot of notes with what I try, what I decided to go with, and the order I paint them in.  Then, when I take another year or so off from painting somethings (or need to go back and make a new squad that looks the same) I have the hard part taken care of.  It also helps when people ask how I did them.  

This is really exciting for me.  As I've mentioned, I have been painting and playing with miniatures in one form or another since the mid-90's.  I do not think I have ever been this close to a finished army in any game I have played.  Most of the hard part is done, and trying to stick to a commitment of spending at least 30 minutes a day doing something hobby related has really gotten some solid work done.  

Next up will be my Northern army, which I have also done some testing with.  Ideas are abound there, mostly in how I can improve the technique.  For the contrast paint I am using as the 'base coat' I think I will try to thin it down some, maybe avoid those brown 'spots' I got when it was left to dry while too thick.  The green on the ballistic padding (a feature on any stripped down or paratrooper gear) did not turn out well either, so I may paint those with a different green as the base, then wash with either a contrast paint or something else.  The fiddly bits will be much the same as the south.  Eyes, weapons, accessories, they can all match the southern models.  

Long-term is a plastic Caprice army from the kickstarter.  As of now, I think I have 4-5 models assembled, the rest are still on sprues and in a box.  Once both the other two are done, I'll see if I have the drive to push on to a third army.  Good news is I already have quite a bit figured out with them with regards to painting.  I intend to do them up in a red shade (probably the Blood Angel Red contrast) and the basing will be a red-oxide colored paste that should simulate Caprice well enough (it has a very 'Mars' look to it).  My big hang-up with that army is magnets.  I have several good guides to work from with how to magnetize the army, its just finding the appropriate magnets I am finding difficulty with.  I'll keep looking while I get these two done.  

I have a game coming up this weekend with a completely new player, so I'm going to try and get as much done as I can before then.  I'll keep things updated here as best I can.