Painting sergeants

Started working on the marines again after cleaning out the garage in September. There were 14 Mark VII marines in one of the original metal box sets. Additionally there were some unique models from blister packs. Many of these had been loaned to my dad for his army. Later on when it became apparent that we wouldn't finish them together I took them back. It was time again to finish them. Of all the models, 3 of the unique figures started to take shape just the right way. They were then promoted and I focused on making sure I practiced techniques on the others first. I found several blogs including The 40k Hobbiest which gave me even more ideas to try. In the end though, most of my accomplishments were from practicing. Figuring out how the paint behaves and being patient were key.

I use a classic technique right out of an early Citadel how to magazine. I highlight the edges of the armor with lighter and lighter shades of blue, leaving black lines in between plates. The key to mixing paint is to use some slow dry mixing medium, it really helps. As I said before, figuring out how the paint works takes a lot of practice but is the main battle.

The chest eagles turned out well. It was a base of brown, then orange, then chestnut ink and then golden yellow. For the jewel it was black and then shades of red. Finally after the dull coat sealant I went back and painted on 'ardcoat to make it shine as recommended by Drew in his blog. It looks great.

For the plasma pistols I went with a purplish energy since I haven't otherwise gotten to use those colors. I've used that in the other plasma weapons later and I like having consistency in the game "physics."