Thursday, October 2, 2014

Dark Heresy Character: Painting and Final Figure!

Typically there would be a painting-in-progress article before the final figure is revealed, but seeing as this was a single figure commission, there really isn't enough meat on the bones to flesh out two articles.

The direction received on the color scheme for this figure was fairly vague, and purposefully so. The only real requirement was that the figure was anchored in the traditional red and gold of the Inquisition. Past that, Paul wanted me to have some freedom when it came to the paint scheme.

Let's see where that freedom took me!

Starting out, I tackled the one main color Paul did call out, the red. As I wanted nice, smooth color modulation from shade to highlight, I decided to use my airbrush/ I also wanted another excuse to use my airbrush, so it was a bit of a win-win for both of us! I chose 4 main colors, from shade to highlight.

You'll notice that my shade is much more of a cooler burgundy color to begin with rather than a true red. I probably could have, and should have, started with a deep purple color to start with and it would have given me an even richer tone with my red. However, I'm still learning the nuances with the airbrush, so I went with a color at least with some red in it. After that, I worked my way to the final highlight color, which had a fair amount of orange in it. I was fairly happy with the outcome…until I set it down for the night. Once I came back to it the next day I just thought it went way too bright. The solution? Thin down the mid-tone to almost a glaze and give the entire model a coat.

Worked like a charm. I love the airbrush so much.

Once that was handled, the rest of the figure just steamrolled to it's finish. You'll see what in-progress shots I do have below. One bad thing about one-offs is that I tend to just paint until they are done. I need to do a better job of actually taking photos.

And finally, the finished model, on it's base!

All in all, I'm thrilled with how this model came out. Even more so, I'm thrilled that Paul was happy with it! Check him out below on Paul's desk, along with a little blurb written by Paul himself:

"At the base of the obsidian plateau he stood, demons at his back, heretics and mutants before him, Inquisitor Garreth Kane found himself at home."

This project was an absolute blast, and I loved working on it. It really made me want for more one-off projects like this. So much so that I may just work on some for myself!

- Tim

 

7 comments:

  1. That turned out looking fantastic! Great work man, I love all the filigree work in particular - awesome stuff!

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    1. Thank you my friend :) The filigree was fun, though I did learn alot doing it. I'm happy with how it turned out still!

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  2. I think you really should start working on these type projects for your own collection. :)

    Smashing result mate. Like Mord7th mentioned, the freehand filigree is a great touch.

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    1. The freehand was intended originally to just add some touches that didn't exist on the armor. Ones that could help him stand out from the crowd as "special" and "I can call down an Exterminatus, so don't piss me off..." ;)

      I will agree though that I wouldn't mind doing more of these one-offs for myself, and may end up using future painting competitions as the excuse to do so!

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  3. Nice! A really great conversion with a equally great paintjob.

    The freehand filigree needs some cleaning up IMHO - it´s a bit blocky - but apart from that job´s a good un!

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    1. Jeff, that is both high praise and well taken constructive criticism from yourself!

      The more I look at the pictures, the more I think I would do the filigree differently. I'm not upset with the work as it is, but next time I may try adding some flow-aid to my paint to thin it more and be a touch more gentle with the brush.

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  4. A beautiful model, and a great representation of a venerable Inquisitor! I'll repeat myself here and suggest you have a go at another warband -- just kitbash the spit out of it, this time around! ;)

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