[Current Army] [Older Snapshots] Bonus points if you can spot the razordon. Spot the Razordon Answers Spoiler
[Update History] May 19, 2016 [NEW!] Slann Mage-Priest Redux April 9, 2016 Razordon Redux October 25, 2015 Added Slann Mage-Priest September 23, 2015 "Spot the Razordon" answers Added sketch to Commission section Added Skink Skirmishers / Skink Handlers / Skink Priest / Salamander / Razordon / Kroxigors / Ripperdactyls Added History section August 23, 2015 Thread started Snapshot of current Lizardmen army W.I.P. photos of Skinks/Kroxigor
Updated earlier posts. Most of my models ended up too dark and/or coarse, but here are zee close-ups: Skink Skirmishers Skink Handlers -- Blood for Blood God? Salamander (A) View attachment 17906
Slann Mage-Priest Gotta say that the scale and surface of this model was most difficult to work with; it was rough, uneven, and details were hard to pick out. I probably should have left the green motifs uncolored; it looks coarse and very busy on the back of the palanquin.
I really like the color scheme on the krox and the slann! The palanquin is insane! You have so much detail in there! I think it looks amazing!
So after reviewing the pictures above, I have been disappointed in them. All of them. At first, I thought it was due to insufficient lighting or my phone/tablet's camera quality, but it was more than that: the pictures show the models with approximately 2x zoom, and I have noticed missed spots, small errors, and poor detail/contrast in many areas. Combined with my waning hobby time and disinterest in AoS, I have decided to halt painting new models until I am satisfied with my current skill/techniques. As such, I have decided to work on the easiest model to touch-up: the Razordon. Razordon Redux Before: After: The difference is rather subtle, but I have added an extra layer of highlights to the spines, flesh, and tongue. In the before image, the Razordon's flesh was first primed black and then a layer of light beige (Ushabti Bone) was added. Highlights were then added using a similar color (Screaming Skull), but this provided little contrast as they are both light beige's. In frustration, I decided to apply a brown wash (Reikland Earthsade), and while this provided more contrast, it also gave the Razordon a very dark, burnt-flesh appearance that looked unnatural in all but the brightest of lighting. To remedy this issue, I decided to apply the following logic: The flesh was too brown and dark I needed to highlight to the underbelly to show raised surfaces and provide contrast with the brown I needed the highlight to contrast with the beige that I used previously My solution was to mix the previous beige (Screaming Skull) with a flesh tone (P3's Ryn Flesh) in a 1:1 mixture, and this produced a color that still resembled flesh. A similar procedure was done for the tongue, and the result is shown above.
That slann must have been a nightmare to paint. All I did was drybrush the details on mine, but you went and painted them all different colors???!? That must have taken forever. I think the overall effect turned out pretty good though, really drew my eye to the detail of this amazing model! I also like how you painted the tiny snake on the front of the palanquin, that was my favorite part of the slann to paint!
After finishing the Razordon, I decided to pick another model to repaint, and instead of tackling the next-most easiest model to work with, I went for the hardest: the Slann Mage-Priest. After spending some 60+ hours painting it the first time, I knew from the get-go that alterations would be equally time-consuming. There were three main issues I had with the previous paint job: i) the close-up details were sorely lacking, providing an unfinished look to many areas, ii) the rich, rainbow like colors of the palanquin drew attention away from the main characters, and iii) the chimes/plates on the banner resembled bronze instead of gold. Most of these issues can be traced back to inadequate lighting (painting at night with yellowy light), not considering an overall paint theme beforehand, and my reluctance to redo the entire model afterward. To remedy these issues, I decided to a) redo most of the palanquin with finer gradients and layering/drybrush techniques, b) mute the background motifs to emphasize the characters and vines more, and c) figure out how to paint gold better. The result is shown in the following pictures: Slann Mage-Priest Redux, part 1
Slann Mage-Priest Redux, part 2 Overall, I am mostly satisfied with the new paint job. The banner panels still irks me for some reason; I believe it might be muted too much with the weathering effect and how I scraped the details from the sides while drilling in the back. I would like to thank @Hyperborean for the color scheme inspiration, and I solemnly vow that I will never paint a Slann again (barring Kroak). Random Trivia The skink's dagger took me 2-3 hours to try and get right and was the hardest component to paint. In my original attempt, I actually painted part of his right thigh with bronze, so if you can spot the blade (and not the hilt) of the weapon from the front, I have exceeded my expectations.