Dreadnoughts and you!

Well I did it again.

New models!  Games Workshops' Warhammer 40k has been a pretty fun obsession for me, one that has filled that customization itch I've had for a while.  You purchase an army unit box, get a bunch of plastic sprue's, and assemble an awesome looking model!  Once assembled, you base and paint the model as you choose.  I usually base my models either white or black, and then color according to the army style I've chosen.  My current Space Marine army (the group the dreadnought is from) is the Exorcists, a group whos color pattern is a deep red with black trim.

So, to base my models, I start out with GW black primer. Next up I cover the black with Citadel Paint Khorne Red. After covering the whole model, I apply a good amount of Guilliman Blue Glaze.  This does some interesting things, primarily since I've applied a red first you end up with dark shaded lines and stains on some areas of the model.  You can see it on the above model when you look at the Mohawk part of the helmet.  That dark coloring in the cracks is the shade.  After that, I take Eshin Grey and paint it in the cracks of the "flexible" part of the armor as well as the shoulder trim of the paudrons.  From here, it's a coat of black ink over the Eshin Grey, with a highlight of a lighter grey to give the armor cracks some depth, and a reapplication of Khorne Red over the flat areas of the armor.  I do this second coat of red to keep the primarily color of the model red.  Again, with the earlier glaze this gives the model a nice deep red color with some darker highlights which look particularly good on gauntlets or any other surface with large lines and cracks on it.

After that, it's all detail work.  Specific colors vary, but silvers and bronze's round out the metal parts.  I use a lighter shade of red, Evil Sunz Scarlet, to highlight the model.  You do this by dipping the paint brush in the ESS, dabbing off most of the paint to the point where there is almost none on the brush, and brushing the edges of the armor with the flat part of the brush.  You can't use too much paint or you'll end up painting over details, but if you just about dry brush it you'll end up with a good looking line.  I've had difficulty getting the amount of paint right, but when you do it leaves a great looking effect on the armor.

For the dread, I'm going to try a few different things starting at painting the model using an airbrush with the first coat of Khorne Red. Airbrushing on vehicles tends to be easier due to the amount of flat surfaces you have to paint and the ease in which the airbrush does so.  Second, I'm debating about using masking tape and the such to cover the red details and then airbrush Eshin Grey.  In fact, I'm still undecided if I should be doing the Eshin Grey first and the Khorne Red second.  Anyways, from there the glaze and ink will be applied to shade the colors, and the second layer of Khorne Red will be applied.There are a lot more colored details, so after applying the first layer of red layering and blue wash, the metal parts will then receive their first coat of whichever metal color I decide they need. 

Once I get to this point in the painting process, I'll post some pictures to give you something to look at as well as an update as to which path I decided to pursue.

-Cj