Painting check pattern help needed.

Spartacus · Post by **Spartacus** » Wed Sep 29, 2010 4:05 pm

Been trying to paint 12 of these 15mm Essex Southern Dynasty heavy cavalry and the horse armour I think should be Red/Yellow check. I have given up and doing it red with yellow spots

Unless somebody can come up with an easy way to do it ?

This is the Essex gallery photo.

Strategos69 · Post by **Strategos69** » Wed Sep 29, 2010 4:39 pm

For me it works this way. First a coat of the "less powerful colour". In your case yellow. Then I would paint one by one, but without trying to get to the deeper parts. Then I add a coat of bitumen of Judea and turpentine. When it dries I clean with a pencil with some turpentine on the check but leaving the deeper parts.

Another way is using washes. First you paint yellow, then you paint red but without getting into the point where they met. Finally you apply a generous wash of dark brown or black. Then you repaint with care over the check. The idea is that the wash will hinder the points of union and so it will be the sculpting which will creat the shape of a checkboard.

Spartacus · Post by **Spartacus** » Wed Sep 29, 2010 5:36 pm

Thanks Strategos69

I tried quite a few different ways and came up with the conclusion that it`s a talent and not an application problem

I used Ink pens on some 28mm a while back which did actually work to line the 2 colours but the pens have dried out and my eyes have become awful in the last 10 years so Red with Yellow dots it is

Strategos69 · Post by **Strategos69** » Wed Sep 29, 2010 7:35 pm

I am not very good either, but I have found that washes (or layers of painture very thin diluted in water) work and as you mix both colours with the same solution, the eye does not perceive that well that there are some errors. Try it on one abd tell us!

ottomanmjm · Post by **ottomanmjm** » Thu Sep 30, 2010 5:23 am

I have found the best method is to paint the horse armour a light colour and then fill in the dark squares. There are two key points to painting the dark squares.
1) The dark squares will look bigger so don't worry too much if you miss a bit around the edges of the square.
2) Always paint from the corners outwards. In the picture you posted the squares are "on point" so start at the top of each sqaure and paint down the two sides fron the top corner. When you have painted all the squares in this way turn the figure upside down and repeat the process. Finally finish off any bits you have missed in the centre of each square.

I hope this helps.

Regards
Martin

BeansNFranks · Post by **BeansNFranks** » Thu Sep 30, 2010 1:38 pm

Paint the whole thing dark brown (I like apple barrel chocolate bar)
Paint the raised areas with a lighter brown (I prefer Citadel snakebite leather)
Paint the red areas a dark red and the yellow areas a dark yellow (I use Citadel red gore for red, can't recall the apple barrel yellow I likes name)
Use Griffon Seppia Wash from citadel
Highlight and done

Chillimaster · Post by **Chillimaster** » Thu Sep 30, 2010 10:58 pm

Neldoreth has some helpful info in the articles section.

http://www.hourofwolves.org/?view=artic ... ternsHowTo

Hope this helps

Spartacus · Post by **Spartacus** » Thu Oct 14, 2010 6:11 pm

Nope!

I definately ran out of talent. So Yellow blobs it is

Strategos69 · Post by **Strategos69** » Thu Oct 14, 2010 6:54 pm

They look nice. Well done!

Spartacus · Post by **Spartacus** » Thu Oct 14, 2010 8:14 pm

Thanks for that.

I just cannot see to paint detail nowadays.

Maybe I should drink less

pease1 · Post by **pease1** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 7:06 pm

Or do like I do and use one of these:

P.S. Those cavalry look great to me.

Chillimaster · Post by **Chillimaster** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 7:16 pm

The cav look great!!! and Pease, I might need to get me one of those thingummywhatsits

Spartacus · Post by **Spartacus** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 9:21 pm

pease1 I was using those for a decade but now I just need more and more light.

I am now running 3 different lights at different angles for painting along with my glasses and a brilliant little magnifying clip on and still have trouble.

Being nearly 60 and what my dad said 50 years ago about my eyes if I kept doing that was right

Adding to the shaky hands with my booze intake I am actually surprised that I can see the damn things at all.

I may start wargaming on a Rugby field with 120mm figures that I can probably see to paint. Only problem is that I can`t afford a 120mm FOG army

tadamson · Post by **tadamson** » Sat Oct 16, 2010 8:34 pm

very pretty,

I suppose that this is a bad time to point out that Southern Dynasty cavalry didn't use horse armour.

Sorry, (not that anyone will know)

Tom..

Skullzgrinda · Post by **Skullzgrinda** » Sat Oct 16, 2010 9:33 pm

The yellow blobs are better. Very nice unit.

Spartacus · Post by **Spartacus** » Sun Oct 17, 2010 7:18 am

tadamson. Doh! Where were you when I needed you.

I took the info from Osprey`s Imperial chinese armies 200BC-589AD, and Soldiers of the Dragon 1500BC-1840 AD, Which both show a really nice colour plate of the figure. Anyway nobody I play is likely to have that much knowledge of the period so I shall bluff it out.