Azaam's journey to his full painted army

Want tips? Have tips? Have pictures even? Well, post them here!

Moderators: The Heralds, The Loremasters

Message
Author
User avatar
Prince of Spires
Auctor Aeternitatum
Posts: 8244
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2009 1:07 pm
Location: The city of Spires

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#61 Post by Prince of Spires »

Those models are great. The red works very well with the bone color of the armour. And the painting is nice and clean. I look forward to seeing more of them.

The paint station is lovely. A very nice idea to do it like this and it should help keep things organized. And you should definitely build your own terrain. It's great fun and I found it very rewarding. For me it's a bit faster than painting models and it can add so much flavor to a battlefield. So, give it a try.

Rod
For Nagarythe: Come to the dark side.
PS: Bring cookies!

Check out my plog
Painting progress, done/in progress/in box: 167/33/91

Check my writing blog for stories on the Prince of Spires and other pieces of fiction.
User avatar
TyrrenAzureblade
Posts: 238
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2020 11:55 pm
Location: Seattle, WA
Contact:

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#62 Post by TyrrenAzureblade »

Those Elyrrian Reavers are looking good! I'm so not looking forward to painting them. They're such great models, but have so much detailing.
MasterOfNone
Posts: 376
Joined: Sat May 09, 2020 1:26 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#63 Post by MasterOfNone »

Like a pro... =D> my paints are just collected in a clear plastic tray that used to contain strawberries...
Good job on the Reavers, looking forward to the complete article.
My painting blog

My WHFB armies:
High Elves
Dwarfs
Orcs and Goblins
SpellArcher
Green Istari
Posts: 13834
Joined: Sat Sep 13, 2008 11:26 am
Location: Otherworld

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#64 Post by SpellArcher »

The colours on those Reavers are just fantastic.

=D>
User avatar
Azaam
Posts: 118
Joined: Sat Aug 08, 2020 7:00 pm

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#65 Post by Azaam »

Hi there,

I haven't post for months though I was lurking around to see everyone amazing works. I didn't really touch a brush since then but that doesn't mean I was away from the hobby ;) I actually had a lot of fun with 3D modelling and resin casting !
You may remember that I wanted to make my own bases with some kind of temple design. So after several versions, here's what I came with :

The infantry bases :
Image

And the cavalry bases :
Image


I asked a friend to 3D print them and the result was really good as you can see below. There's some line I couldn't get rid of but i'm not too concerned about it.
Image

But I couldn't really ask him to print hundreds so I thought the best way would be to make a mold and cast as much as I want. There's a little extra on the cavalry bases mould but I'm not sure I'll use that a lot.
Image

And here's some cast after a bit of primer. There's some defect as some bubbles get caught in the resin but nothing too serious. As you can see it's almost identical with the original and once painted, I'm sure it's gonna look awesome.
Image

I had a lot of fun during the whole process. And it feels great to see something I made come to life, eventhough it's some tiny bases like that.
The next logical step is to paint them. I'm planning to use similar colors as the upper part of the Shrine Luminor that came out some months ago for the AoS Lumineth. I have some failed casts that are gonna be perfect for testing it !

Also I didn't stop making moulds with the bases. When I bought the Phoenix Guards, some halberds were missing or were in a bad shapes. So I thought that it could be a good opportunity to try a different kind of mold and casting technique. After some fails, I finally managed to cast a one halberd that looks exactly like a metal one. I'm sure that once primed, I won't even be able to know which one's which without touching it.
Image

That gave me a lot of idea to customize my army but at some point I had to stop to refocus on the primary objective : painting minis !
So my goal for now is to get back to painting because my Ellyrian Reavers are still a WIP ... (I now understand the fatigue for these models).
Painter, maker, caster
My painting blog
SpellArcher
Green Istari
Posts: 13834
Joined: Sat Sep 13, 2008 11:26 am
Location: Otherworld

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#66 Post by SpellArcher »

The bases are more impressive but I have to say the halberd looks really useful Azaam!
MasterOfNone
Posts: 376
Joined: Sat May 09, 2020 1:26 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#67 Post by MasterOfNone »

Your halberd looks more accurately reproduced than mine.
I guess that is down to the technology used, from your word it seems you are making silicone moulds and filling them with resin?
I am using blue stuff moulds and fill them with a mix of Milliput and green stuff. Cheap but not perfect.
I have made about 20 halberds and bodies in different poses, none of them perfect but I think they will make do in rear rows, behind the metal originals.
My painting blog

My WHFB armies:
High Elves
Dwarfs
Orcs and Goblins
User avatar
Prince of Spires
Auctor Aeternitatum
Posts: 8244
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2009 1:07 pm
Location: The city of Spires

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#68 Post by Prince of Spires »

The 3D printed stuff looks wonderful. The printed bases look great. A very lovely way to get some unique bases done. And the halbert looks very well done. It might be a great way to get models for cheap when you can buy them with missing pieces or broken and fix them up like that (assuming you have a few complete ones to use as a starting point of course).

I would love to hear more about the 3D printing process. I think it's getting to the point where the quality is high enough for it to be a viable alternative to store bought models. Especially with the prices some places are asking.
For Nagarythe: Come to the dark side.
PS: Bring cookies!

Check out my plog
Painting progress, done/in progress/in box: 167/33/91

Check my writing blog for stories on the Prince of Spires and other pieces of fiction.
User avatar
Azaam
Posts: 118
Joined: Sat Aug 08, 2020 7:00 pm

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#69 Post by Azaam »

Thank you all, I'm glad you like the bases ! I spent some time trying to find a way to paint them nicely without too much steps but I have to admit it's not going well so far. I'll post some pics when I'll be happy with the result !

The halberds will definitely be useful and I may extend the idea for some conversions in a far future (let's be honest).
MasterOfNone wrote:I am using blue stuff moulds and fill them with a mix of Milliput and green stuff. Cheap but not perfect.
MoN, actually this method is pretty cheap too. The mold is a couple of euros and the halberd itself would be around ten cents. Of course you can't buy just the quantity you need for that so the entry price is more than that but quantity-wise, milliput and green stuff are more expensive. Although I can't deny that making the mold is a lot of trouble and takes a lot of time.
Prince of Spires wrote:I would love to hear more about the 3D printing process. I think it's getting to the point where the quality is high enough for it to be a viable alternative to store bought models. Especially with the prices some places are asking.
I wish I could talk about it from my own experience but I don't own one. Although I'm pretty sure my wife and I will buy one before a couple of year.
The quality of the more recent printer is indeed good enough for our hobby at an affordable price (I'm talking around 300€ for all you need). And there's pretty cheap yet awesome digital models you can buy these days. For me these awesome models are the main reason to get a 3D printer in our hobby as it's often the only way to get them. Actually I recently joined the Last Sword Miniatures patreon because of their wonderful "high elves-ish" models. And all of this for the price of a pint :)
Painter, maker, caster
My painting blog
User avatar
Prince of Spires
Auctor Aeternitatum
Posts: 8244
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2009 1:07 pm
Location: The city of Spires

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#70 Post by Prince of Spires »

Azaam wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 11:22 pm I wish I could talk about it from my own experience but I don't own one. Although I'm pretty sure my wife and I will buy one before a couple of year.
The quality of the more recent printer is indeed good enough for our hobby at an affordable price (I'm talking around 300€ for all you need). And there's pretty cheap yet awesome digital models you can buy these days. For me these awesome models are the main reason to get a 3D printer in our hobby as it's often the only way to get them. Actually I recently joined the Last Sword Miniatures patreon because of their wonderful "high elves-ish" models. And all of this for the price of a pint
I've got the same feeling. Affordable printers have gotten to the point where you can make your money back with just a handful of models. Going from GW prices, a large model can go for €100, and even a simple character is somewhere between €20 and €30 and regular units around €40. So for 3 large models or a large one and a few units you get your printer back. And that's without printing stuff like terrain. The Last Sword Miniatures patreon looks like a wonderful source for models. I'm wondering if there's more to be found out there.
For Nagarythe: Come to the dark side.
PS: Bring cookies!

Check out my plog
Painting progress, done/in progress/in box: 167/33/91

Check my writing blog for stories on the Prince of Spires and other pieces of fiction.
MasterOfNone
Posts: 376
Joined: Sat May 09, 2020 1:26 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#71 Post by MasterOfNone »

My wife is not going to like it when I add a 3D printer to the large format photo printer... :lol: :twisted:
My painting blog

My WHFB armies:
High Elves
Dwarfs
Orcs and Goblins
User avatar
Prince of Spires
Auctor Aeternitatum
Posts: 8244
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2009 1:07 pm
Location: The city of Spires

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#72 Post by Prince of Spires »

MasterOfNone wrote: Thu Aug 05, 2021 10:30 am My wife is not going to like it when I add a 3D printer to the large format photo printer... :lol: :twisted:
Ah, that just means your marketing is off. It's not a printer. It's a money saving device. Or, It's a device which gives her control of the remote. Or, it's a device which gets you off the street.

;)
For Nagarythe: Come to the dark side.
PS: Bring cookies!

Check out my plog
Painting progress, done/in progress/in box: 167/33/91

Check my writing blog for stories on the Prince of Spires and other pieces of fiction.
User avatar
Azaam
Posts: 118
Joined: Sat Aug 08, 2020 7:00 pm

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#73 Post by Azaam »

I finally found how to paint the bases! It's gonna be like the three ones on the top right of the picture.
Image

Image
As you can see there were many attempts but I'm glad I did it because I'm happy with the result and how it looks with the minis on top. Also I could experiment on the process and I think I found a pretty efficient way to do it so it should be okay to make dozens in the same time.
Painter, maker, caster
My painting blog
SpellArcher
Green Istari
Posts: 13834
Joined: Sat Sep 13, 2008 11:26 am
Location: Otherworld

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#74 Post by SpellArcher »

Azaam wrote: Sat Aug 14, 2021 3:41 pm It's gonna be like the three ones on the top right of the picture.
It's got a pleasing antique feel to it.
User avatar
TyrrenAzureblade
Posts: 238
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2020 11:55 pm
Location: Seattle, WA
Contact:

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#75 Post by TyrrenAzureblade »

Those are really turning out great! I dig the slight patina you've got going on there with the linework. Can't wait to see the whole regiment put together!
User avatar
Azaam
Posts: 118
Joined: Sat Aug 08, 2020 7:00 pm

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#76 Post by Azaam »

I slightly changed the recipe but here's a bunch of bases painted together. I really like how it looks.
Image

I'll go back to the original green for the next ones but this ones aren't too bad. So I used them to glue the archers on top and this is how it looks like.

Image
TyrrenAzureblade wrote:Can't wait to see the whole regiment put together!
Hope you like it ;)
I'm really happy with the result and I can finally call my 12 archers finished !

The next step will be to finish the Ellyrian reavers ! I'm not too far from finishing them but hell there's a lot of details ! I understand the fatigue people are talking about when they're painting these models. They're great but they're definitely not easy to paint !
Painter, maker, caster
My painting blog
User avatar
TyrrenAzureblade
Posts: 238
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2020 11:55 pm
Location: Seattle, WA
Contact:

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#77 Post by TyrrenAzureblade »

Azaam wrote: Thu Aug 19, 2021 9:46 pm The next step will be to finish the Ellyrian reavers ! I'm not too far from finishing them but hell there's a lot of details ! I understand the fatigue people are talking about when they're painting these models. They're great but they're definitely not easy to paint !
Yep, just started in on mine, and all the fanning on the armor is pretty intense. I did the basecoats on one in a few hours, and g'damn, was it tedious.

Your archers look awesome on those bases! Can't wait to see more regiments taking their place next to them.
User avatar
Azaam
Posts: 118
Joined: Sat Aug 08, 2020 7:00 pm

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#78 Post by Azaam »

Yeahh ! The painting is finally done !
I juste have to base them and I can officially say they're done.
I wish the pictures weren't showing all the little flaws but here they are :
Image

Image

Image

Image

I think they could look better but I'm happy with the result. The next times I'll paint these models, I'll have to prepare more carefully. There are so much details and a lot of parts are kinda hard to reach.
Also, that was my first horses and it made me want to paint more. I think there's a lot of different techniques I could use to make them better. I already planned what I wanted to paint for the next couple of projects but I guess the Silver Helms will have to come right after that.
You can also see that I tried something else for the sword and the spears heads. I still have to figure out how to get the best result but I like how it feels like so I think I'm gonna hold it for a bit.

Next project is ... a mage on foot !
I wanted to paint a single unit, to give it a bit more time and see what I can do. It's already primed so I just have to start !
Painter, maker, caster
My painting blog
SpellArcher
Green Istari
Posts: 13834
Joined: Sat Sep 13, 2008 11:26 am
Location: Otherworld

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#79 Post by SpellArcher »

The colours are gorgeous Azaam! Love the feathers.
User avatar
TyrrenAzureblade
Posts: 238
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2020 11:55 pm
Location: Seattle, WA
Contact:

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#80 Post by TyrrenAzureblade »

Beautiful!
User avatar
fitzlock
Posts: 65
Joined: Sun Jan 17, 2021 6:00 pm
Location: United Kingdom
Contact:

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#81 Post by fitzlock »

Love the bases! The molds worked really well. I think I'd paint the base rim black to really make them pop, though!
Instagram: @Fitzlock86
Accepting commissions for character models only.
Check out my Plog: The Glittering Host of Avelorn
Other armies waiting to be painted: Lizardmen, Adepta Sororitas, Night Goblins, Dark Elves
User avatar
Azaam
Posts: 118
Joined: Sat Aug 08, 2020 7:00 pm

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#82 Post by Azaam »

Thank you all for your messages !
fitzlock wrote:I think I'd paint the base rim black to really make them pop, though!
Actually I was wondering what I could do with the base rims because I wasn't really happy with them. I'm gonna follow your idea and try to paint them black ! I'll keep you updated.
Painter, maker, caster
My painting blog
User avatar
Nyeave
Posts: 607
Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2012 1:10 pm

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#83 Post by Nyeave »

I think black will work nicely. You need something to contrast and accent the wonderfull light bases
Visit my plog at [url]http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=43542[/url]
User avatar
fitzlock
Posts: 65
Joined: Sun Jan 17, 2021 6:00 pm
Location: United Kingdom
Contact:

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#84 Post by fitzlock »

Azaam wrote: Fri Sep 03, 2021 6:06 pm Thank you all for your messages !
fitzlock wrote:I think I'd paint the base rim black to really make them pop, though!
Actually I was wondering what I could do with the base rims because I wasn't really happy with them. I'm gonna follow your idea and try to paint them black ! I'll keep you updated.
As the saying goes, any colour base rim is fine so long as it's black! Or in my case, Steel Legion Drab. ;)
Instagram: @Fitzlock86
Accepting commissions for character models only.
Check out my Plog: The Glittering Host of Avelorn
Other armies waiting to be painted: Lizardmen, Adepta Sororitas, Night Goblins, Dark Elves
User avatar
Azaam
Posts: 118
Joined: Sat Aug 08, 2020 7:00 pm

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#85 Post by Azaam »

It has already been more than a month since the last update ! I'm happy with what I achieved during this time and I guess I could have write here sooner but anyway :)

I started by painting a mage and I enjoyed it a lot. I took my time, tried some new things, learned lessons the hard way... In the end I'm happy with result.
I want to take proper picture for it so you'll have to wait a bit for close-up but you'll see it a bit below

Then I did some tests to find the right color for the bases rim. I tried several colors and of course one of them was black but it looks too much like display model and it was separating each bases too much. However I could feel that a dark color was contrasting really well with the rest of base. And then I remembered the old goblin green trend and I knew what I had to do. That was actually kind of an obvious choice and no that's not goblin green :) There's already some dark green on the base so I just used the same color. Sometime you don't have to go really far to find the answer :D
Here's the result on one of the batch.
Image

And then I finally put my models on those bases. I just had to paint the rim for the archers, but that was a bit more complicated for the the Ellyrian Reavers and the Swordmasters. You can't really just glue them on the base because you don't have a large enough surface and / or they're too heavy. The good thing is they both have these bars between their feet. I cut everything except the part that was right under each foot. I then drilled some holes in each bases (you can actually see it on the previous pic) so the remaining part of the bar can fit in it. It gives more surface for the glue and more stability.
Now that all my painted models are on proper bases, it's time for a (small) army shot !
Image

That's not a lot but that makes me really happy !!!
Painter, maker, caster
My painting blog
User avatar
Olthannon
Posts: 304
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2019 3:26 am
Location: UK

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#86 Post by Olthannon »

Congratulations on the army shot, really nice looking army! I can't fault the colour scheme as that is the colours I use for my army as well!

Really nice work on the bases, they look great.
One foot in the hobby
User avatar
TyrrenAzureblade
Posts: 238
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2020 11:55 pm
Location: Seattle, WA
Contact:

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#87 Post by TyrrenAzureblade »

Bee-you-tee-full! They're looking great, and they're really coming together. I'm curious to know which models are next.
SpellArcher
Green Istari
Posts: 13834
Joined: Sat Sep 13, 2008 11:26 am
Location: Otherworld

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#88 Post by SpellArcher »

I have to echo the above comments Azaam. The detailed bases work really well and the strong red keeps the models from disappearing into them.
User avatar
Azaam
Posts: 118
Joined: Sat Aug 08, 2020 7:00 pm

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#89 Post by Azaam »

Thank you all for your kind message, I'm glad you like it.
I still have a looooot to paint but it's slowly taking shape ! It really helps to see what you're doing too (even when it's spider ;) ) and to see everyone's progress. I'm always open to feedback so if you see things that you think could be improved, please let me know !

SpellArcher wrote: Thu Oct 14, 2021 6:01 pm The detailed bases work really well and the strong red keeps the models from disappearing into them.
Actually it's only when I took the pictures that I've realized that the base could steal the focus. Especially on the cavalry as the front of the base is pretty open. But as you stated it, the red helps to bring the focus back on the miniature.
I think I'll have to be careful on larger base like the one used for chariot.

TyrrenAzureblade wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 7:32 pm I'm curious to know which models are next.
Next are Lothern Seaguards. They're already primed and attached to the handles but I can't settle on the colors I'm gonna use here and there. Of course the main colors will still be red and ivory but I'm second, third and fourth-thinking almost everything (especially their shield) so I guess I'll just have to start and see how it goes !
Painter, maker, caster
My painting blog
SpellArcher
Green Istari
Posts: 13834
Joined: Sat Sep 13, 2008 11:26 am
Location: Otherworld

Re: Azaam's journey to his full painted army

#90 Post by SpellArcher »

Azaam wrote: Tue Oct 19, 2021 11:40 pm I'm glad you like it.
What shines through is the care and effort you’ve devoted Azaam, that’s why your models look so good.
Post Reply