This week I have been working on 20 Mantic Skeletons, now the thing about these models is that I wildly underestimated how long it would take to paint these.
After painting Ghouls and Zombies the skeletons have been a pain. This is due to at least two reasons:
After painting Ghouls and Zombies the skeletons have been a pain. This is due to at least two reasons:
- The skeletons have more detail: armour, weapons, cloth, belts etc.
- I undercoated in black; which was incredibly stupid as I said in my zombie post that I didn't want to undercoat in black because it obscures detail, so lesson re-learnt (my next 20 will be in bone white or grey)
As with my Ghouls and Zombie I built the skeletons before reviewing them, but as I have another 40 pending I'll review them when I build them.
As ever most of the paints used are from the Vallejo Game colour range unless otherwise stated.
As mentioned in my opening statement I undercoated the skeletons in Halfords black primer. This stupid mistake was done in an attempt to bring out the bones when painted (leaving recesses etc) and give the armour/weapons a better look when metallic paint was applied (which as you'll see i didn't). I found it very difficult to see all the detail with this undercoat; now of course this could be the level of lighting I was using or a number of other variables - either way next time I'm using a different undercoat.
So following on my the undercoat I painted the bone with Bonewhite (72.034). I did a quick light,-almost-drybrush-fashion coat to bring out the bone, then followed this up with another coat applied directly to areas of bone.
Next I painted the cloth in Escorpena Green (72.032). Due to the black undercoat this needed three coats.
As these are skeleton warriors, the flesh removed from their bones after years in the ground, I thought the armour should be suitably rusty. Now not wanting to use my 4 stage technique mentioned in my ghoul post due to sheer amount of armour and weapons I had to think up a alternative scheme, and this can in the form of using Citadel Foundation: Macharius solar orange. I painted the areas that I wanted to look rusty with this, which, believe me the bright orange against the orange looks hideous. I then followed this up with drybrushing Chainmail silver (72.053) over the top. This suitable reduced the glare and I feel has given a decent rusting effect.
Next I painted the weapon shafts and half the shields in Abaddon Black (GW), this is better than the Vallejo black in the game colour set as it's not glossy. Then I painted the boots, belts and anything I considered to be leather in Beasty Brown (72.043)...
...and then painted Leather Brown (72.040) over the top
Tidy up stage: As you may have noticed from my other pictures above, the application of paint is a little slap-dash, with colours going all over the place; so this is where I paint over the mistakes on the cloth, both, rust etc to clean up the models. Next I painted the musicians bell Brassy Brass (72.058) and then I doused every thing in Army Painter: Dark Tone
Once dry I drybrushed the bone and black areas (weapon shafts/shields edegs etc) with Dead White (72.001), the cloth with Livery Green (72.033), and the leather with Plague Brown (72.039). Finally for the painting stage I added a coat of Matt Varnish (70.520)
Next I painted the bases and (sand based edge) movement tray with Charred Brown (72.045), then drybrushed with Plague Brown (72.039), then Bone White (72.034) and added static grass.
I finish off by adding a flexi-metal sheet to the tray and flexi-magnetic squares to the bases.
There all done, and despite them being a right plan I am extremely pleased with the end result, and I actually look forward to painting the other 40 I have.
Also yes I know there is a Revenant in the front rank pretending to be a Skeleton Warrior, I accidentally picked him up when I gathered up the skeletons for painting. That does mean there is a Skeleton in with my Revenant, which will result in a switch around when they are done.
As mentioned in my opening statement I undercoated the skeletons in Halfords black primer. This stupid mistake was done in an attempt to bring out the bones when painted (leaving recesses etc) and give the armour/weapons a better look when metallic paint was applied (which as you'll see i didn't). I found it very difficult to see all the detail with this undercoat; now of course this could be the level of lighting I was using or a number of other variables - either way next time I'm using a different undercoat.
So following on my the undercoat I painted the bone with Bonewhite (72.034). I did a quick light,-almost-drybrush-fashion coat to bring out the bone, then followed this up with another coat applied directly to areas of bone.
Next I painted the cloth in Escorpena Green (72.032). Due to the black undercoat this needed three coats.
As these are skeleton warriors, the flesh removed from their bones after years in the ground, I thought the armour should be suitably rusty. Now not wanting to use my 4 stage technique mentioned in my ghoul post due to sheer amount of armour and weapons I had to think up a alternative scheme, and this can in the form of using Citadel Foundation: Macharius solar orange. I painted the areas that I wanted to look rusty with this, which, believe me the bright orange against the orange looks hideous. I then followed this up with drybrushing Chainmail silver (72.053) over the top. This suitable reduced the glare and I feel has given a decent rusting effect.
Next I painted the weapon shafts and half the shields in Abaddon Black (GW), this is better than the Vallejo black in the game colour set as it's not glossy. Then I painted the boots, belts and anything I considered to be leather in Beasty Brown (72.043)...
...and then painted Leather Brown (72.040) over the top
Tidy up stage: As you may have noticed from my other pictures above, the application of paint is a little slap-dash, with colours going all over the place; so this is where I paint over the mistakes on the cloth, both, rust etc to clean up the models. Next I painted the musicians bell Brassy Brass (72.058) and then I doused every thing in Army Painter: Dark Tone
Once dry I drybrushed the bone and black areas (weapon shafts/shields edegs etc) with Dead White (72.001), the cloth with Livery Green (72.033), and the leather with Plague Brown (72.039). Finally for the painting stage I added a coat of Matt Varnish (70.520)
Next I painted the bases and (sand based edge) movement tray with Charred Brown (72.045), then drybrushed with Plague Brown (72.039), then Bone White (72.034) and added static grass.
I finish off by adding a flexi-metal sheet to the tray and flexi-magnetic squares to the bases.
There all done, and despite them being a right plan I am extremely pleased with the end result, and I actually look forward to painting the other 40 I have.
Also yes I know there is a Revenant in the front rank pretending to be a Skeleton Warrior, I accidentally picked him up when I gathered up the skeletons for painting. That does mean there is a Skeleton in with my Revenant, which will result in a switch around when they are done.
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