Relic Knights: 'Murica

I missed the Kickstarter boat for Relic Knights, but lucky for me, one of our locals was selling off all of his factions. Though some of the other factions have a few gems, I grabbed Shattered Sword because a) not many other people are playing it and b) women with practical armor. Holy cow, the end is nigh.

What? Where are the boob plates?!

Also, they have the highest number of models I actually like. For instance, Austrican.

Who, for reference, is huge. He barely fits that 50mm base. Also, he's only just smaller than the actual Relic Knight of the faction:

The guy sitting in the cockpit of that beast is regular troop size.

I had a hell of a time finding a color scheme for these guys, though, and I may still change some things. I went through an ill-fated Easter-bunny color scheme, and mint chocolate chip ice cream colors. Apparently my skill isn't quite up to those choices, so I fell back on nice stable primary colors, Red and Blue.

They're looking a little bit Captain America, I'm afraid. Not sure if there's a way I can fix that. Perhaps something other than white for the scrollwork... not sure.

Also, Secret Weapon bases! My first time using nice bases. Pretty stoked.

Calandra Truthsayer WIP

After my initial troll-related success, a friend of mine who's just starting to play them asked me to paint one for him. So I bring you Calandra Truthsayer! A work in progress (though she's juuust about done).

I'm trying to get away from my comfort zone colors (purple and green), so I went with a yellowish skin tone and lots of warm-spectrum colors, with turquoise for contrast.

Okay, so a little purple snuck in there. Shhhh.

Also wanted to minimize my metalics use. I'm very comfortable with silver and gold metal (not GOOD at them, per se, but comfortable!), so I turned the edgings on the bustier into sturdy brown leather. The only part I'm really unhappy with is the leather of the arm guards. I may need to revisit them.

ALSO, pretty darn pleased with the base. My first real adventures with cork. I went for a swamp scene, with a little dead tree in the back for flavor. Regular super glue over paint for the water.

Ongoing Legion Color Scheme Challenge

I've been working on a Legion of Everblight army since the beginning of the year, and it's starting to take on the features of a Learning Experience.

Let me regale you with my painting movie montage:

Just the base coats on the warspears. They're getting an extremely pink skin and purple/magenta scales. Redish leather, gold and silver metals. Honestly, the only thing I liked on these guys was the leather. 

Here I started experimenting with washes: Reikland Shade (red) and Seraphim Sepia for the golds, and Reikland Shade and Druichi Violet for the skin. I really loved how it came out, but I couldn't get it to highlight back up without looking like poo. It's cool with just the washes, but I want more.

Also, that carnevean lurking in the back was the first model I painted for this army. She's a little too purple, but I'm not sure how to fix that yet. Add that to the list of things I haven't figured out yet.

Thagroooosh. I'm avoiding washes now and trying to paint his skin with straight-up mixing of paint for shadows and highlights. I'm also trying to incorporate some skin spots, which was what I wanted from the beginning but am only just experimenting with now... I would love for it to look like bruising, and gather it around where the plates and spikes come through, like they're tearing through old flesh. Work in progress.

Very early version of the Ulk's coloration, and just base coats.

Going more and more natural on the color scheme, which means I keep getting comments like "Wow, I've never seen that Circle model, who is she?" Sorry, guys, she's with the Legion.

The latest mini. I was testing out my new expensive brushes on him. I washed his skin with the red just to see where the low points were, then did some highlighting. Liking the skin better, but thinking the cartoon-purple for the scales might have to go. Not sure what else to do with them, however. Hm.