# High Elves Project Log



## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Hey guys, I posted a couple of threads at the end of last year when I first had thoughts about starting this army, and now I've collected most of the models and started some painting I thought I'd move it to the Project Logs area and get some pictures up.

So here goes I guess, I'd really appreciate some feedback (let me know if the picture quality is alright, these are all taken on my phone so don't expect too much!)

These are mostly just test models I've done to try out the colour scheme, but I'm happy with it and I'm getting started on the units.  

The first attempt at the Shields was done using the 7th Edition book as a guide for the runes, but after I looked back through the 6th Edition Army book, I thought those versions looked much better so I re-did them. (I originally planned to go with the sea-guard design on the shields like i've done on the bolt Thrower accessories, but I don't think the white would work too well across the whole army)

Anyway, I think I'll leave it there for today and try to add more as I go.

I'll posts updates with the background and theme of the army, some army lists, and of course more pictures of progress very soon! so stay tuned


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## Varakir (Sep 2, 2009)

Nice to see another fantasy log 

Colour scheme looks good and the freehand on the shields looks nice and neat. The spear poles look a little flat, but otherwise i can't wait to see more :good:


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## Go0se (Apr 14, 2010)

great to see a fantasy log.. keep up the good work, be nice to see more!


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Looks like you've got the start of a nice, clean, coherent army there mate. Well done. Looking forward to seeing some more.


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Thanks for the feedback guys!

Yeah I did notice the lack of fantasy logs. I'm much more of a fantasy fan than LOTR or 40k, but I do play all three.

@Varakir: Yeah I will be highlighting those up at some point  maybe as light as Bleached Bone?

Also, would people like to see some models before they are painted up?

Thanks, Aaron


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## smfanboy (Apr 1, 2009)

realy nice


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Here are some pictures of models I've put together with a little bit of kitbashing.

The models are:

- A High Helm from one of my Silver Helms Units
- A Noble with Battle Standard
- A Hawkeye from one of my Archers Units
- A couple of converted Ellyrian Reavers (With Wood Elf Glade Guard heads)
- One of my Archers (I used armoured bodies so that they can merge with the Spearmen to form Sea Guard Units)


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

and also a Mage using a Wood Elf Spellsinger with the cloak from the Lord on Dragon kit, and the foot version of my Dragon Mage

and thanks for the rep guys


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Btw heres what models I have and the army list I plan to go with at 2250pts (open to suggestions though, so feel free!)

1 Dragon (option for Prince or Dragon/Archmage)
1 Prince/Noble on Barded Elven Steed
1 Battle Standard Bearer (On foot)
1 Prince/Noble (on foot, the metal one with the axe, shield and lion cloak)
1 Mage/Archmage (the Dragon Mage on foot could also be used as a Mage I guess...)

42 Spearmen (with 2 Command Groups)
40 Archers (with 2 Command Groups)

5 Dragon Princes (with Command Group)
2 Units of 5 Silver Helms (with Command Groups, could also be used as Ellyrian Reavers with Spears)
6 Ellyrian Reavers (with bows and Musician)
3 Shadow Warriors (need to buy a couple more at some point)

2 Bolt Throwers

I think that's it at this point, and I don't plan to buy anything else anytime soon, as I haven't painted what I've got, and also I don't have any money whatsoever! 

Here's The Army List

Lords

High Elf Prince 223
Star Lance, Heavy Armour, Shield, Barded Elven Steed

Heroes

Dragon Mage of Caledor 410
Level 2, Guardian Phoenix

High Elf Mage 185
Level 2, the Silver Wand, 2 Dispel Scrolls

Core

16 Archers 191
Hawkeye, Musician

16 Archers 191 
Hawkeye, Musician

23 Lothern Sea Guard 349
Full Command, War Banner

Special

5 Dragon Princes of Caledor 225
Full Command, Foe Bane

5 Silver Helms 155
Full Command, Shields

6 Ellyrian Reavers 121
Musician, Bows

Rare

Repeater Bolt Thrower 100

Repeater Bolt Thrower 100

Total = 2250 points

C&C welcome


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Heres a couple more things I've been working on:

I've tried to keep the Dragon quite neutral and not commit too much to a particular breed (Sun, Moon or Star). I also collect Empire, Orcs & Goblins and Vampire Counts, so it could be used as a Sun, Moon or Star Dragon, an Imperial Dragon, and (if the opponents arent too fussy) a Zombie Dragon or Wyvern as well.

Also shown are:
- The 2 options for dragon riders; An unpainted Prince, and a WIP Dragon Mage (I think I'll darken the turquoisey colour, make it a much darker blueish colour).

- a WIP Bolt Thrower I just started painting up today (attempting to do all the currently Snakebite Leather areas with Non Metallic Metal, wish me luck!) 

- A few more WIP spearmen (Front rank this time, I plan to use 2 or 3 ranks, 7 models wide)

I really should learn to finish one thing before starting 3 others! hopefully this Project Log will motivate me to actually get things finished.

As always, C&C welcome 

Cheers, 
Aaron


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

*Waystones*

Hi guys, Im think im starting to see why there arent many fantasy project logs on here! is no-one interested at all? a little feedback would be great!

Anyway, heres an update:

I made some waystones as a bit of themed scenery to go with the army.

I used an old white dwarf article (WD308) on modelling Wood Elf Waystones, and just changed the rune to one from the High Elves army book.

I also made a couple of ruined waystones, mainly because I had lots of little pieces of Polystyrene left over 

The runes were engraved using a biro and the bases are just layers of cardboard with filler covereing the gaps.

apparently I can't upload the pictures though... is there a maximum amount you can have in one thread?


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## Varakir (Sep 2, 2009)

forestreverie said:


> Hi guys, Im think im starting to see why there arent many fantasy project logs on here! is no-one interested at all? a little feedback would be great!


Well i'm definitely interested, though it's hard to know what to comment on when you have so many pics in one post. Personally i find the logs easier reading when it's 1 squad or 1-2 models in a post. Might just be me though 

I love that dragoin model, and your doing an excellent job painting it up. I think the blending could be a little more graduated, but unless your getting close up the effect is very good.

The converted Ellyrian Reaver is wicked as well. A squad of those will look really nice.


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

cheers buddy, I'll try to bear all that in mind!
I have 6 Ellyrian Reavers converted the same way, so maybe next post I'll get some pics of those up?

any ideas why its saying the photo's are too large?
I resized them all the same way as before :/

anyway, thanks for showing interest and the advice


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## Viscount Vash (Jan 3, 2007)

Its probably easier to use a hosting site rather than using attachments like you are.

Photobucket.com is the one I use but there are others which are ok.

Your Dragon caught my eye in particular but the whole army is very nice, its nice to see something other than the standard colour scheme

Please carry on with posting your project, its hard being one of the few WHF project 
loggers but only with the perseverance of members like yourself will it get better.

+Reppage


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Thanks a lot Vash, I will have to look into that now. 
I'm not too bright with computers if I'm honest, but if I can sort something out I will have some more progress for you guys soon!

Aaron


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Hello again,

So I was hoping for a game today against my friend's Chaos army (or one of three really, he has Chaos Daemons, Warriors of Chaos, and a Monster Army using Throg the Troll King), but I couldn't make it in the end, as my brother is in the process of moving out, and we're all switching bedrooms and it's just a bit hectic at home right now...

Anyway, the main subject of this post.... hooooopefully, here are the pictures of the Waystones, uploaded via photobucket :good:


Now to finish that first Repeater Bolt Thrower...


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## Viscount Vash (Jan 3, 2007)

Now they look cool and using a pencil/pen to do the runes is an inspired notion.

Are you sealing them with something before painting them?

On a side note if you use the code you can pop the pics straight in the post without using the attachments. :)

Also good for signatures should you want one.


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## Syph (Aug 3, 2008)

Good stuff! It's nice to see a High Elf army; I even like the wood elf inspired look. 

The Ellyrian Reavers are good, though I'm not sure about the amount of armour on them.


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## xenobiotic (Jun 7, 2008)

My first contact with the Warhammer was actually High Elves some editions back, remember I read that army book over and over again before I got into the hobby myself. Lovely to see someone making a log about them!

I like the green dragon, the skin/scale looks very good. However the braces (the metal) looks a bit off compared to the rest of the model. To me it feels like they are missing a wash (badab black or similar).

Keep up the good work!


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

@Syph: yeah the scale mail does look a bit too heavy for fast cavalry, but I'll try to make it not stand out when I paint it, maybe give it 2 washes rather than one?

@ xenobiotic: Funny you should say that, I gave the dragon's armour plates a Badab Black wash earlier today 

@all: thanks for the comments, I have finished the first Repeater Bolt Thrower tonight and will try to get the crew done and some pics up tomorrow k:


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Okay, so heres my plan for the end of the month:

Basically, paint up and base a legal 500 point Army

Heroes

Mage 135
Level 2

Core

10 Spearmen 110
Standard Bearer, Sentinel

Special

5 Silver Helms 155
Full command, Shields

Rare

Repeater Bolt Thrower 100

19 Models in 17 days? No Problem


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

So the last couple of days have been quite hectic, helping my brother move house, moving into a new bedroom, decorating etc.

Heres what I've managed to get done:

Started Painting the High Elf Mage










Finished the Bolt Thrower (apart from that rock on the base and a bit of static grass)...










...but still working on the crew










the objective for the end of the month is to get this lot 100% finished and based... think I can do it?










also, whilst I was moving everything to the new room, I thought I'd get a shot of all the Games-Workshop models I own. I was quite surprised with myself tbh!










Heres the 2 boxes of High Elves



















and my Emperor's Children 40k Army










And Uruk-Hai Lord of the Rings Army










I'm trying not to go too far off topic, but if you want to see anything from any of those boxes up close just ask and I'll get some pics up 

Cheers for reading guys!

Aaron


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## Varakir (Sep 2, 2009)

My you have a lot of plastic 

I know she isn't finished yet but i think the spellsinger could use a little blue to tie her in with the troops.


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Yeah that's definitely a good shout. The cloak will be dark turquoisey blue, but now you've pointed it out, I might do a little rune or two on the clothing somewhere to tie her in a bit better. Thanks for that


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## Vredesbyrd (May 13, 2010)

Woah that's a lot of GW, and almost unhealthy amount.

I really like the combination of High and Wood Elf bits you've used for these guys, gives them a nice unique look, something complimented nicely by the colour scheme.


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

@Vredesbyrd: Haha yeah, maybe a little unhealthy....

I wasn't actually going for anything Wood Elf inspired, I just prefer the mage models. But with the ellyrian Reaver Heads, it does seem to appear that way.
Btw does your name come from Dimmu Borgir?

And for the Update:

Mage is near-enough finished now, so here are some pics. Let me know what you think?














































Looking at these pictures I think the cloak needs to be a bit lighter, it still looks prettymuch black. Apart from that, it just needs the brown clothing highlighted and the basing done, maybe a few details I've missed


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## Vredesbyrd (May 13, 2010)

forestreverie said:


> @Vredesbyrd: Haha yeah, maybe a little unhealthy....
> 
> I wasn't actually going for anything Wood Elf inspired, I just prefer the mage models. But with the ellyrian Reaver Heads, it does seem to appear that way.
> Btw does your name come from Dimmu Borgir?


The name is indeed from the Dimmu song, causes no end of confusion on WoW though, I get asked so many questions in Danish/Norwegian/Swedish.

I actually thought you'd used a lot more Wood Elf pieces than you have, I may well have to reconsider High Elves when 8th Ed. hits. 

The MageSinger is looking ace, the skin is lovely on her. Though like you said the cloak could do with a bit more highlighting.


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## xenobiotic (Jun 7, 2008)

Seeing all those boxes filled with warhammer reminds me of a quote from Family Guy when Joe screams on the top of his lungs to Peter: "How can you afford these things?" after crashing yet another heavy and expensive machine into his house/yard. Then I remember that I probably have an equal amount of miniatures waiting in boxes and what not :crazy:

The mage is looking good, did you consider making a freehand symbol like the one on your spearmens shields somewhere on her clothing? I think it could prove a good way to break up the green a bit.


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## jpunk (Feb 8, 2009)

Lovely painting on these, clean style which really suits high elves. I'll echo everyone else who says 'good to see a fantasy log', and especially high elves. They were my first army back in the day (4th edition, to be precise) so its good to see someone giving them a bit of love.


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

thanks for the rep jpunk 

and @xenobiotic: I have done a little moon shaped rune on the loincloth thing, but I'm not feeling confidentenough for anything else... I thought about doing some swirly lining around the edges, but I think it would just scream Wood Elf rather than High Elf. I might go for a larger rune on back of the cloak instead?


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## xenobiotic (Jun 7, 2008)

forestreverie said:


> I might go for a larger rune on back of the cloak instead?


Sounds like a very good idea, try it out and take some pics!


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## Vredesbyrd (May 13, 2010)

Big rune on the back sounds good, though something along the edge of the front of the cloak might be good too. Not too swirly, but just to fill in the bottom corner of the cloak a little.


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Here's my attempt at improving the cloak...better?



















The rune is "Cadaith", which means "Grace", "Power", or "Music of the Stars".

Hoping to get all the steeds done tomorrow, might be a bit too much to ask of myself though!


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Quick Update:
I have made a bit of progress on my steeds and RBT crew, but I'm stuck for a colour for steeds!

I like the look of the dark blue/grey of the Silver Helms' steeds in the army book, but i have no idea how to achieve that.

The colours on the website don't look too accurate, so can anyone suggest one?

Which one of Fenris Gey, Adeptus Battlegrey or Astronomican Grey would be closest?
or does anybody have any ideas for a mix? (bearing in mind, I only have citadel paints)

Thanks, Aaron


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Hello again, its been a few days, but i'm still working on these guys!
I didn't quite meet my target of 500pts by the end of the month... still have another stage of highlighting to apply, and the horses and banners still need painting.
Just that and the bases and they're all done, so I guess I wasnt too far off.
Heres some pics of what I did get done:

This is how the Spearmen look right now









and the Silver Helms









and Repeater Bolt Thrower (the crew still need a lot of work)









and the Mage, which is prettymuch finished apart from the base









and the whole 500pts army


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Hi guys, it's been quite a while since i've posted anything!

Reason being: I moved away from home for a couple of months, and didn't take any of my GW stuff with me. haven't given up!

In fact, the army is now over 4000 points!
Added an Island of blood boxed set and a few other bits, and now I'm trying to get on top of the painting again. 

I'll get a few pics up soon with any luck!


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## xenobiotic (Jun 7, 2008)

Over 4000 pts? Wow, you have been a busy little bee! I've added around 300 pts to my army in the same time 

Eagerly awaiting to see how you've painted some of those lovely IoB-miniatures, especially the "flying hippo"


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## Medic Marine (Jun 28, 2009)

I wanna see 4000 pts of high eleves! I Like your scheme. my favorite is the diffrent symbols on the spearmen shields, simple but adds a lot on individualism to the models.


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## Varakir (Sep 2, 2009)

forestreverie said:


> haven't given up!


Glad to hear it  Looking forward to those pics mate, the 500 pts looks wicked all ranked up.


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Hey guys! Cheers for keeping interest!

@Xenobiotic: You're in luck, that's the first thing I've started on 
Have a look:

























@Medic Marine: Don't know if you've seen the new White Dwarf yet, but there are new Sea-Guard shields coming out, and I was thinking about replacing all the Silver Helm and Spear-elf shields with those. I will still be doing runes on the characters and banners, and the Dragon Princes Shields.

Anyway, here are a few more pics of what I've been up to:
Dragon Princes:








Shadow Warriors:








Swordmasters:








White Lion Chariot








The Army as it looks right now:
















And here's a look at what I did with the Mage from the Island of Blood








I want to use the Wood Elf Spellsingers as my Mages








That's Right, Chaos Sorcerer 








Didn't like the model as a High elf, I think it fits much better in my Tzeentch Warband 


More to come when I get a bit more done!


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Haven't uploaded any pictures tonight, as it's been more of the same really... I've just been painting the metal areas across the force.

As I said before, I'm planning on swapping the Spearmen's shields for the new Sea Guard ones (which are now up on the website for pre-order) so I won't be touching them until I get hold of some of those shields. Still plenty to work on though!


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## turel2 (Mar 2, 2009)

I like your painting style.


My fantasy army is High Elves and my 40k army is Emperors children.
*snap*

+rep


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

*Entire Army Unit Shots*

Right, I've taken a picture of each unit in the army as they stand right now.

I'll Try to upload them in four goes. First Lords & Heroes, then Core, then Special, then Rare.

Here are all of the Characters:

Sea Lord Calrohir The Belligerent; Prince of Caledor









Here he is as Mounted on the Star Dragon, Lileath









Here Mounted on a Barded Elven Steed









The Dragon Lileath, Ridden by Calrohir himself in larger games, or The Dragon Mage in smaller games 









Arianna Stormweaver: High Elf Mage

















Prince Althran, Ally of Calrohir, Mounted on the Griffon Sharpclaw









Prince Althran on Foot









Bellerion; Battle Standard Bearer, High Elf Noble, and brother of Prince Calrohir


I converted my Caladris Model into a Sorcerer of Chaos, so in my army, he will fill the role of Dragon Mage rather than High Mage.








This is the Dragon-Mounted Version









And This is the model on foot



Thought you might also want a look at My Skreet Verminkin WIP

























Next Up, Core Units!


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

*Core Units*

Here are the Core Units









Althin's War Drakes...Untouched Island of Blood Lothern Sea Guard Models









First Unit of Archers









Second Unit of Archers

What are peoples thoughts on forming blocks of archer up into ranks with the volley fire rules? I haven't had a chance to try them out yet.









First Unit of Spearmen









Second Unit of Spearmen

Haven't finished playing about with the Spearmen yet, I want to replace all their shields with the new Lothenr Sea Guard ones from GW, so they wont be undercoated until then.

Here are a few Archers with head swaps from the White Lion Chariot Crew models:


























I used armoured legs and bodies, and Silver Helm heads where I could on the core units, because I wanted the Spearmen and Archers to look a little more unified, and also I think the Silver Helms' Heads look much better than the Spearmen's... does anybody else think so?

Anyway...Special Units won't be long!


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

One more thing, I dont know if anybody noticed, but all the banners and musician's Instruments in the force match, except on units (such as swordmasters and Dragon Princes) with their own heraldry.

Hoped that would lead to a nice cohesive looking force as well.


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

*Special Units*

There are a fair few cavalry units in my army, which is quite surprising, as I only ever planned to add Dragon Princes when I started the Army!









Speaking of Whom...









Island of Blood Ellyrian Reavers









My Converted Ellyrian Reavers









Silver Helms








When I get another Noble & Prince Boxed Set, this High Helm will get some wings on his helmet too!

















White Lion Chariot, Completely goes against the theme of my army...but such a cool model!

















Lothern Sea Rangers (Shadow Warriors)









And Finally, Kalaer's Swordmasters


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

*Rare Units*

And last but not least the Rare Units

Only have a couple of Repeater Bolt Throwers, and I'm not sure whether I'm going to get any Great Eagles now...

Anyway, here they are:


















the Non-Metallic Metal attempt actually doesn't look too bad when it's photographed, much better than the real model!

Well that's everything as it looks right now, maybe I'll do this again in a month or so to see how much I have managed?


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## Tinkerbell (Feb 19, 2008)

Yay another HE plog, 

im just about to start mine up again so nice to see another one. 

Love the colour scheme i went for scaly green then found out after i started the colour was being discontinued, hence went a bit crazy and brought 8 pots of it.

Once i have painted my white lions chariot i will revive my previous HE plog

Am very impressed by the free hand, not my strongest point. Any tips??

How did you get such a great effect on the griffons talons.

Looking forward to seeing more.

Tinks


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Thanks Tink!
Sounds good! I think I'll have to take a look at that 

With the freehand, I think I just ignore any mistakes, and keep going until I get something that looks fairly decent, then go back with the basecoat and neaten the edges after all the stages have gone on... oh and keep the highlights away from areas where the lines overlap?... not much more I can say really ...

To be honest, I don't really know what happened with the talons!
Just got carried away mixing up colours, and applying as many coats as possible (probably as much due to boredom as anything! I dont remember which colours though), and the actual claws i just left black and then scraped along the sharp edges with the side of my hobby knife to have the grey plastic showing through, which i think is more effective as that is essentially what the highlights are meant to show, right?
I do the same thing with my emperor's children vehicles, just scrape all the raised edges of the hull rather than try to keep a brush stroke at a consistent width the whole way along (my Crimson Fists vehicles look terrible in comparison!)

Havent been paying the High Elves too much attention, as I've been reading the Horus Heresy Novels and so am feeling quite 40k orientated at the minute, but I may try and get a little done pretty soon. (just let me know if anyone wants to see the 40k stuff, but i won't post anything too off topic unless people ask to see it)


Thanks for the rep too!

Aaron


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## xenobiotic (Jun 7, 2008)

The front of that "Griffon" truly is superb to behold, it has an aura over it in these pictures at least. From the looks of it you've made the miniature justice and then some more, very nice!

Would be nice to see what you have done in 40k, but maybe you shouldn't dilute this lovely project log with such? :wink:


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

*Slightly off topic, but related!*

So yeah I took a few quick pics of my Emperor's Children and Crimson Fists to try and show the difference between the scraping method and line highlighting. Just bear in mind the scraping only works on plastic models and only with grey highlights!

Chaos Predator (Scraping)
























(these pictures aren't actually that clear, may try to get some better ones at some point)

Crimson Fists Rhino (Line Highlighting)

















And Some more models from both forces, just while I had them out


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## Flerden (Aug 17, 2008)

Love your Elves, and love your Chaos Space Marines! The runes on the elves look very cool.

Have some +rep.


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## DrinCalhar (Jul 10, 2010)

Very nice so far.


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## KjellThorngaard (Oct 4, 2010)

That's a lot of high elves. Nice stuff, and good to see another HE plog on here.

+rep


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

*the return*

after spending godknowshowmuch on 7000pts of empire stuff, i'm starting to get back into this army again 

I always intended to have this army strongly themed but as ive added to it I've kind of put off those things i really wanted to do, and ended up with a bog standard army which doesnt really fit the theme at all...

So... I just bit the bullet and bought a box of cold one knights, some black ark corsairs and 40 lothern sea guard shields, and bought 24 white lion great weapons on ebay. I think i have a few other bits and bobs since i last updated as well, another mist mage and another unit of ellyrian reavers (i just chucked a 99p starting bid on them on ebay and won! ) and maybe some other bits.


Baaaaasically, the cold one knights box is just to get 2 cold ones to swap with the lions on the lion chariot (bit dark elvish i know, but i think it will look alright in the context of the army)

the corsairs and great weapons will be combined to make me a unit of white lions, but more in keeping with my caledor/dragon and seafaring theme.

I've ripped all the plastic shields off my spearmen and they will form one big block of 50 lothern sea guard (with the island of blood sea guard in the front rank)

so far I've made the command section for the white lions (green dragons??)
and swapped the lions for cold ones on the white lion (what i'm going to call dragonkin) chariot

will try and get pictures up asap



(anybody else thinking there is more wood elf and dark elf stuff than high elves...?)


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

*Progress, but no pictures*

Starting to get a bit more stuck in with this now, but unfortunatley i cant find the bluetooth stick i usually use to upload my pictures (for now).

Since last post, I have:

Bought another lion / dragonkin chariot

Bought another box of Corsairs for the second half of my white lions (the first half is all assembled now)

Bought 20 more IOB Lothern Seaguard

Bought 5 more of the Older Dragon Prince Models (i really like the new ones, but in my local store the metal ones were half price, and after all, those models were the reason i wanted to start a high elf army in the first place)

Bought another unit of Shadow Warriors and Alith Anar

aaaaand Painted up the first 10 Lothern Sea Guard, which i am really happy with, IMO they look a lot better than the spearmen i had done previously, will try and get some pictures up ASAP!

thanks for checking back, Aaron


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## Daemon Prince Paintbox (Feb 21, 2011)

Hey, my first army, you always remember your first...... ahem. Anywho, nice to see something different from the standard blue and white. I too love the Griffon.

All the best.


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Firstly, thanks for the rep DPP!
TBH I've gone through a lot of stages of wanted to revert to the classic white and blue but after the progress I've made on these Sea Guard (which I cant get the pictures up for yet) I'm really happy with the scheme I've gone for.

Thanks to a guy from work (the Infamous Ben Diesel in fact), I am really starting to want to play a lot of games with this force and maybe start some tournament play next year. This is my main motivation for getting these all painted up now, which is never a bad thing!

Anyway, In all honesty I havent played many games since 6th Ed, and the ones I have played have been few and far between. Here's my first draft for a 2,400pts Army, I would be happy if you guys could pick it apart and give some feedback?

I realise a lot of people put a lot of stock in Great Eagles, but as yet I havent managed to get hold of any for a reasonable price, (although I am trying!) so that's the reason they're not in there. anyway have a look and ask some questions and give some feedback if you can, cheers


Archmage 
Level 4, Lore of Shadow, Seerstaff of Saphery, Talisman of Preservation, Ironcurse Icon

Heroes 288

Mage 
Level 1, Lore of Beasts, Sigil of Asuryan

Noble 
Battle Standard, Armour of Caledor, Great Weapon, Luckstone

Core 632

22 Lothern Sea Guard 
Full Command, Shields, Banner of Eternal Flame

22 Lothern Sea Guard 
Full Command, Shields

Special 940

20 White Lions of Chrace 
Full Command, War Banner

6 Dragon Princes of Caledor 
Full Command

Lion Chariot of Chrace 

Lion Chariot of Chrace 

5 Shadow Warriors 

Rare 200

Repeater Bolt Thrower 

Repeater Bolt Thrower


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Borrowed a camera and quickly bashed out a few snaps... just wanted to get the progress out there really.
picture quality is not the best, just wanted to get something up tonight really and also bear in mind its past 1am... eurghhh...

Only had the stuff for the list in the previous post out, so just took a few quick ones of those units in the state they're in right now.
anyway have a look and let me know what you think?

I'll just run through them in army list order, here goes:

Level 4 with Seerstaff








Level 2 Mage








Noble BSB








Lothern Sea Guard Unit 1
























Lothern Sea Guard Unit 2








White Lions / Green Dragons Unit
















































































White Lion / Dragonkin Chariot 1
















White Lion / Dragonkin Chariot 2
























Shadow Warriors Unit
































Repeater Bolt Thrower 1 & Shadow Warriors








Repeater Bolt Thrower 2 & Dragon Princes








A Few More Shots

















So what do we all think? Especially want to hear what people think of the White Lions, these were one of the units I knew I wanted to have to make the theme (Dragons / Seafarers) really stand out. so does it work? let me know. 

Cheers, Aaron


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## troybuckle (Nov 24, 2010)

I think the white lions are look cool, should be nice when finished.


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## Alexious (Apr 13, 2009)

Like the Dragonkin chariot a lot. Well done on that, very nice to see the theme. The green is an interesting choice and I do like it. I would suggest if your going to do one more unit or do some slight mixing, grab some corsair arms with the sea bits, like the grapple hook etc as it will bring home the theme nicely.

Well done.


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

cheers guys!

I have been thinking about doing something with the more piratical weapons on the corsair sprues, but thought that it would make the models look too Dark Elvish.
Lots of people have said with the colour scheme and mages it looks really Wood Elfy, then with the corsairs and Cold One Chariots they look too Dark Elfy... I just hope it looks alright once it's all painted cohesively and on the table as one force.

I think I'll look at doing a few unit fillers with grapple hooks or a raid scenario themed unit
maybe?

Aaron


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Right then, everything that hadn't already, has now had sand applied to its base and is ready to be sprayed (with the exception of 10 white lions which still need right arms).

I will spray everything I can with whats left in my spray can tonight, and will try and go through the whole lot basecoating, shading, highlighting and basing over the next few weeks (okay, let's be realistic... months) 

If i get any further than spraying tonight then i'll throw some pics up for you, if not then through the week!

Cheers, Aaron


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Here's some of the progress for this week, been doing about 2 hours a day all through the week so feeling quite good about the amount i'm cracking out at the moment.
This is the stuff worth showing, have done a few other bits here and there but i'll put that up when theres some more done.

For now though, here's the Shadow Warriors all basecoated and based

















































and the first 10 Lothern Sea guard Basecoated and Based










































and a bit more progress on the White Lions
































































And finally some quality(?) pictures of that first mage, the first finished model in the army :victory:


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

On another note, I'm still stuck over the Great Eagle Issue.

Definitely want some, and have already written two into my list, but I can't bring myself to spend £30 odd on models that I'm just not that keen on.

At the moment I'm bidding on a couple of ridden Wood Elf Warhawks on Ebay, as I much prefer those models, and I think I would have been happy with them... 

...until last night...

I played my friend's Dwarfs, using stand in Shadow Warriors in place of the Eagles I didn't have (they actually didnt do too bad, they charged an Engineer and stopped him using all his rerolls...not too shabby). Anyway, he asked why I didn't take any Eagles, and I explained I just hadn't found any models I was happy with paying that amount of money for, and he actually suggested using the collectors Drakes and/or Young/Baby Dragons instead, which is actually a really interesting and fitting idea.

If I don't win these Warhawks I'll definitely be looking into that idea (maybe even if I do win them, would fit the theme much better!). I'm just gutted I didn't think of that myself! (I thought about using them instead of cold ones on the chariots but decided on cold ones in the end).
I think if I do, I'll go for the Drakes from the collectors range, as you get 2 in a blister and they're still cheaper than most of the others and the Eagles :so_happy:

I'll try to bring the models up to date with a fresh paint scheme and a dynamic rocky base for some height, and to echo the High Elf Dragon Kit. 

Another thing I stumbled on, which could bring even more Drakes and Dragons to help the army theme is the Lord of the Rings range Cave Drake.
As my Level 2 Mage is taking the Lore of Beasts, I will definitely be painting one of these up to use with Transformation of Kadon (As either a Black Hydra, Horned Dragon or Great Fire Dragon), I might even go so far as to switch the Archmage's Seerstaff with the Level 2's Sigil of Asuryan just to make sure I get it  
Also, there are a couple of eggs and a Baby Drake in the kit which I'll put on the bases of the "Eagles" to make them a bit more interesting :wink:

I was actually hoping that I was all done with the money spending on this project, but now I'm really excited about these bits... can't wait to get my hands on them :biggrin:

Here are the models I'm talking about, as they're tucked away in the miscellaneous section of the GW site, I'll save you the trouble!

The LOTR Cave Drake:
















and the Collectors Drakes:








These Baby Dragons and Eggs are also pretty cool, could fit these in somewhere as unit fillers or something..?










What do you all reckon?


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## troybuckle (Nov 24, 2010)

Nice work man, your elves look great!


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Oooooh dear

thought i would try and finish one rank and file model rather than basecoating the lot, to check i like the end result... and i didnt like it.

the green one was my intended scheme, but i played around and the blue one, according to everyone i've asked looks much better.

so, i could suck it up and change everything to the blue, but i think its just too close to the GW standard and i really dont want to redo everything haha

so i think i'll play around and try to get a darker more natural green, and if not ill go for the blue.

here are a few pics of the two schemes


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## Alexious (Apr 13, 2009)

Both look great, the blue does stand out, but it would be better to see an entire rank of them to make a choice. Keep it up, your doing well.


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Cheers Alexious, I've settled on a sort of compromise by keeping the green and turquoise a bit darker. almost got the first unit finished now, but unfortunately I dropped my laptop the other day and the screen smashed :cray:

I will get it fixed asap and get posting again but as I have this week off work I should have a fair bit done by the time it comes to putting some more pics up :good:

On another note, I ordered the 2 smaller Drakes and managed to get the LOTR Cave Drake and the new Blood in the Badlands book in my Christmas stocking so got plenty in the pipeline to look forward to as well! 

Cheers, Aaron


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## KjellThorngaard (Oct 4, 2010)

I like the smooth metal you've got going. Really nicely done. Try and kill those mold lines and it will be even better. I also really like the paint effect on the shields. I can't explain exactly what it is, I just really like what you have done. The green is cool, but the blue will go well with what you have done so far.

One item that is bothering me, though. You are painting everything really well. Excpet the faces. They are really flat in the photos. If you haven't, you could hit them with a wash of Gryphonne Sepia or (my preferred) Vallejo Sepia Ink. It will define the faces (and hands, too) and make them stand out better. Just my dos pesos. All in in all I like you work.


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Thanks for the feedback Kjell, definitely agree with you on the skin, its just quite hard to get in there with the helmet already finished. have been playing around and I think I've settled on Tallarn Flesh, adding Bleached Bone for highlights, then a Devlan Mud wash in the recesses. got a couple of pics from the bolt thrower crew to show you what it will look like.

































not sure how they look in the pictures, let me know what you think?
really want to get this force looking right, so feedback is essential

thanks again, Aaron


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## KjellThorngaard (Oct 4, 2010)

Much better. I have a similar scheme for my son's elves. The wash makes all the differance. With the helmeted pointy ears I would just hit 'em with a wash and be done. Forget the highlight, just let the wash define them a bit.

Keep the minis coming.


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

cheers for following, got a couple more models here;, got a few snaps of my "Great Eagle" Baby Dragons (and checked I have that cave drake in my xmas stocking  ), have a look:

Great Baby Dragle 1


































Baby Great Eagon 2


































need to add some filler to make the rocks look more... well... rocky, but can spray em up and get crackalackin' on painting soon after.
(those trees will have coarse turf stuff stuck on as well, the same stuff used on the other models bases)

What do you reckon? acceptable stand-ins?


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## KjellThorngaard (Oct 4, 2010)

Those minis will add a very cool, very unique element to your army. Thumbs up for effort and creativity. Now get them painted!


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

*General Completed*

So I've been playing games once a week for a few weeks now and am looking at taking the army to the South Coast GT, as I know a few people going and Portsmouth isn't far from here.
So I worked out that I would have to finish something like 1.4 models a day until the Tournament (bearing in mind it's christmas time and going back to work and the rest).
I looked at what I've been doing, trying to basecoat everything and move up from there and thought... this isn't working. Doesn't feel like I'm making any progress at all. 

New Plan:
*Complete* 2 Models a day. 
Simple.
Also compensates for christmas and days when I can afford to not do anything, so theres not too much pressure that it becomes a chore.

So, the 2 models for today are the Mages.

a level 4 with Seerstaff and level 2 with Sigil of Asuryan

only a couple of brown areas to add highlights to and theyre done, but here's the pics as they stand right now 












Level 4, Shadow, Seerstaff









































and the Level 2 on either Life or Beasts (Haven't made mind up yet)








just the 1 picture because there are enough already on this thread!

Also been pretty excited about the new portable paint station you can see in the pics as well. Genius invention!
It's a tray with space for brushes and water pot and a built in daylight lamp, and its got a bean bag attached to the bottom so it doesn't wobble on your lap.
All for only £7.35! well impressed  Check it out!



























(sorry, I know I sound like an advert )


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

forestreverie said:


> Also been pretty excited about the new portable paint station you can see in the pics as well. Genius invention!
> It's a tray with space for brushes and water pot and a built in daylight lamp, and its got a bean bag attached to the bottom so it doesn't wobble on your lap.
> All for only £7.35! well impressed  Check it out!


£7.35???:shok: That is awesome. Where did you pick it up? 

Sweet looking mages by the way.k:


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

I saw it in Hobbycraft in pink for £18, and thought, that looks amazing, but I'm not paying that and I don't want that colour, so I got home and Ebayed it.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PORTABLE-...ps=63&clkid=4802931234900568182#ht_1094wt_698

Haha, Tell them I recommended you and see if I can get a cheeky refund for the free advertising? 

+Thanks for the Rep!


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## Firefighter X (Apr 21, 2010)

I really like your colour pallete. It's very subdued and pleasing to the eye.

Your painting is also very clean and tidy. I applaud your works.

Cheers,

FFX


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

I think the main reason for that is that I don't tend to mix colours too much, but thanks for the compliment all the same 

I think my style is very early 2000's GW influenced, but with my next project I think I'll be dulling it down like the more "realistic" wash based armies that are kicking around nowadays and go for something dark and sort of gritty for a change.

thanks for feedback though, motivates me a lot into doing more when i know people are watching, so keep it coming!

cheers, Aaron


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## KjellThorngaard (Oct 4, 2010)

Nice find on thart paint station. I need one of those for painting at work, er, at other places at home.


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

*BSB Almost Done*

Here's one of my models for today... only taken me 5 hours!
Very happy with it though, what do you all think?









(the black wash is still wet in this pic, but it looks fine now it's dried  )

























Also figured out that if I rotate the images before I upload them to Photobucket, they actually end up the right way on here, whereas if I rotate them ON Photobucket, they still come up sideways, so should be all up the right way from now on 

Cheers for checking in, Aaron


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## elmir (Apr 14, 2011)

Looks great man. Was the paint still wet when you shot these pictures on the cloak? Some folds seem to have a quite heavy shine to them...


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Thanks Elmir, 
aha yeah it is, I did put a little sentence under the pic there 

On another note; I finished my first rank and file Dragon Prince model tonight as well, so that's my 2 models for today 
Will try to get some pics a bit later on and stick them on here for you all 

Aaron


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

*Dragonsss*

Just a quick one, some pics of the first not-quite-finished Dragon Prince mentioned earlier:


































and a quick update on the "Great Eagle" bases:


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## Saulot (May 25, 2011)

Dragon whelps as Great Eagles made me smile! Great plog! Your bases are very nice!


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## Red Corsairs (Jun 8, 2008)

Great job on the Dragon Prince, the green is looking good and I really like your bases. Did you sculpt the branch on the base of the Dragon Prince yourself or is it a product from a shop? The great eagle bases look great as well.


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## forestreverie (Sep 10, 2009)

Cheers for the feedback guys!
I have been quite busy last week or so, so haven't been able to do as much painting as I'd hoped, hopefully pick up again after xmas is over and have another 2 weeks off work 
Thanks for the feedback on the bases, the branches are from the GW Wood Elf Dryad kit if that helps Red Corsair 

Cheers, Aaron


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## Red Corsairs (Jun 8, 2008)

Ah I see, nice use of them.


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## Yria&Ogyon (Dec 21, 2011)

GJ mate on those elves. It a nice tabletop quality, and i'm pretty sure, that many people would want their armies painted like that. 

If I were you, painting those,I 'd change somethings (always having in mind a quick painting style, especially seeing all those minis you got to paint).I propose you, to mix your colors, instead of using them right out from the jar. Will give you a more reallistic result. (f.e. if you used some brown in your green, they would seem more natural). And you should water down your colors a lot more. After all, this will help you with your blending, especially on clothes. Last thing is that, IMO, you should do some hardedging, at least on the shields, with silver. Would make the edges sharper, and would give the feeling that the shield made of metal. 


If you go many more horses to paint, and you got one free to test, you could try the following, as it might make your life easier:
Take a medium brown (70% of your dark brown tone). Now water it down. The result should be, that if you paint on your palette, you leave more water than color. Something like the washes that GW sells, but without the thick pigment in. Now do some quick washes on the horse. 2 washes should be fine. Add 1 drop in your color, of darker brown. Or black. Or blue/green(!!!!!) (depends on your color theory). Now wash the resseses only, and try to pull with your brush to the edges. (you shall not reach the edges). Now add yellow to your mix. Water it down. Highlight and pull to resseses. 

Right before starting to highlight and shadowing, the result might be good enough for you. I mean, even 2-3 washes of main color on the horse, might be a perfect result, especially for a quick tabletop quality. 









P.S.I hope you don't mind saying all those (damn my bad english, LoL), derailling maybe your post. If you do so, pls tell me and I won't do it again.


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