I've finished painting them now, and in the time slot for the Paint What You Got challenge too, so here they are.
Painting the Three Companions
I gave them a base coat and chose colours suitable for the Kingdom of Alladore; green, since the Rangers wear a lot of green, and yellow as a more 'uniform-y' alternative to the Rangers' browns. I took inspiration from the game's author, Joe McCullough on his blog, The Renaissance Troll.
L to R: Uli, Arthur and Skegi
An Experiment
After base coating I gave them all a bit of a highlight, then I tried something new. YouTuber Sonic Sledgehammer uses what he calls 'Marine Juice', apparently based on a mix used by the Forge World painters. His updated recipe, along with various tips on how to get the best out of it can be found on his YouTube channel*.
Now long time readers will no doubt think this is pretty much what I do for my orcs (and other, similar, minis) but the addition of the Flesh shade and Medium makes a difference. I was amazed at how well it works on the Caucasian skin tones, (I guess the clue is in the Flesh shade). It's also less brown than my 'Orcwash', making it more suitable for general use. I'll still use Orcwash, but I think I'll mix some acrylic medium in before use.
Uli
Arthur
Skegi
So here they are, with the rest of the gang from the first game. I'm pleased with the results, Marine Juice certainly speeds up the painting, but gives a good enough result for the supporting cast. I'd still want to put in the time with the Rangers, but this is fine for Companions.
Uli, Besaria, Skegi, Ellen, Portus Fell and Arthur
*You really should check out Sonic Sledgehammer's video, but if you need the recipe, it's one bottle of GWs Reikland Fleshshade, one bottle of Lahmium Medium and one bottle of Army Painter Darktone.
Excellent work on the companions, and if the marine juice helps speed things up, that's got to be a good thing
ReplyDeleteThanks.
DeleteI'm certainly impressed by the speed/quality ratio with Marine Juice. It's a great way to get stuff on the table quickly.
Now which is quicker? Marine Juice or Contrast/Speed/Xpress paints?
I use contrast and washes at an early stage in the process, but always highlight up from there, so doesn't change the speed for me ! LOL
DeleteI need these short cuts to make an inroad into the mountain of unpainted minis.
DeleteGreat job on those Rangers. The whole gang look great together and I look forward to hearing about their adventures.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I'm sure we'll be playing again.
DeleteWhy not give it a go yourself?
I may well do that, it gives me a similar vibe to Lone Wolf?
DeleteAbsolutely. I can easily see the Kai monks being Rangers (or vice versa).
DeleteThose companions look great. The Marine Juice recipe is very interesting. I may mix up a batch to try on my British Line Infantry (and Zulus) for Rorke's Drift.
ReplyDeleteI'll get some to you to try
DeleteGreat painting, especially the faces look very neat. The marine juice seems like a good wash, I assume the medium makes it less splotchy. I noticed that too when working with diluted contrast paints recently. What do you use for your Orcwash?
ReplyDeleteThanks. Yes, I assume it's the medium that improves the results.
DeleteMy Orcwash is currently just equal parts Army Painter Strong Tone and Soft tone, but I think I'll experiment adding some sort of medium to it.
I find it works well over the greens, browns and reds that my orcs tend to be painted, and it gives an appropriately grubby look.