# Craftworld Vybraes {Eldar WIP}



## Digg40k (Sep 7, 2008)

_So it's a new year and having bored myself stupid making a mess of painting the Emperor's finest I've decided to branch out a bit and tickle some Xenos. I've always loved the Eldar models and fluff but never felt confident enough to try and tackle them because I think their models are perhaps a bit more difficult to work with. Now I've been painting a few months properly and actually trying new techniques I thought why not?! So here we go, I hope you enjoy this Plog! All constructive painting critique is welcome, I'm not very good and I need all the tips I can get!_



Craftworld Vybraes​

*Bought, Assembled, Painted*

FW Avatar with Spear
10 Dire Avengers
10 Guardians
6 Striking Scorpions

My Dire Avenger test model.




























Just noticed the lack of highlighting on the left back leg. :laugh:


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## Marneus Calgar (Dec 5, 2007)

Hey Digg!

Nice to see some Eldar for once, haven't seen any in a loooong time. 

You have really done them justice, they look great, the bases are really cool too! Now, to make this constructive I'll give you a few pointers, the highlighting looks really cool, but it good be a lot more subtle, rather than going with the 3 colours you've used, try mixing them getting brighter really subtly, it will make it look like it's been layered (I think that's actually the correct term for it!)

The colours are really great! 

+Rep


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## Digg40k (Sep 7, 2008)

Marneus Calgar said:


> Hey Digg!
> 
> Nice to see some Eldar for once, haven't seen any in a loooong time.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the rep. Yeh subtle highlighting is something I'm trying to work on more. I did mix the blues I used but I think I get carried away towards the end and get too heavy handed haha.


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## CLT40k (Jun 18, 2010)

Nice work so far... + rep

Suggestion - consider some kind of wash for the helmet and other white parts... then drybrush or blend it back up to white... it's looks a little too stark compared to the deep shadowing you're putting on the blue parts.

Overall, really good looking test model... I also really like the crest...


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## Digg40k (Sep 7, 2008)

CLT40k said:


> Nice work so far... + rep
> 
> Suggestion - consider some kind of wash for the helmet and other white parts... then drybrush or blend it back up to white... it's looks a little too stark compared to the deep shadowing you're putting on the blue parts.
> 
> Overall, really good looking test model... I also really like the crest...


Ahhh so that's how I can get the helmet back to white after a wash! I did try a bit of wash on the cloak as you can see but the helmet I put a wash on and it just looked terrible. Thanks a lot I'll be fixing that tomorrow! 

Thanks for the rep.


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## Bane_of_Kings (Oct 28, 2009)

Nice Eldar, I'll be following this as I haven't seen an Eldar Project Log in a long time, like *Marneus Calgar* mentioned.


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## nsr250repsol (Oct 4, 2011)

Nice test model. +rep to you sir!


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## Warpath (Nov 27, 2007)

Great start Digg40k, i always enjoy peoples Eldar blogs as i'm a huge fan of them. If i may give some comments though, the blue is good and the blending will come with practise but i'm really liking what you've done. For the helmet i'd not do a wash all over it as you'll just create more work bringing it back up to white. Try a watered down blue and carefully go round the raised sections and apply to the groves. You'll get instant depth this way.

Also the base is really cool but a little over done with the brown, maybe plit it up by doing a black trim round the bottom. I know some people don't like this but it really tidies up the model and would not take the eye away from the model as much. Remember the base is meant to compliment the model and not distract from it.

Keep up the good work and i look forward to seeing more.


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## Digg40k (Sep 7, 2008)

Warpath said:


> Great start Digg40k, i always enjoy peoples Eldar blogs as i'm a huge fan of them. If i may give some comments though, the blue is good and the blending will come with practise but i'm really liking what you've done. For the helmet i'd not do a wash all over it as you'll just create more work bringing it back up to white. Try a watered down blue and carefully go round the raised sections and apply to the groves. You'll get instant depth this way.
> 
> Also the base is really cool but a little over done with the brown, maybe plit it up by doing a black trim round the bottom. I know some people don't like this but it really tidies up the model and would not take the eye away from the model as much. Remember the base is meant to compliment the model and not distract from it.
> 
> Keep up the good work and i look forward to seeing more.


I have Asurmen Blue Wash, maybe I should water that down even more and just apply it really lightly to the areas that need shading on the helmet, would that work?

I hear what you're saying on the base, I dunno whether black would be too much though. I will test that out though thank you for the tips.


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## Digg40k (Sep 7, 2008)

Almost 5 months in and my progress can only be described as 'poor'.

Here's what I've done so far, damn you life!



















I finish my school placement come June so bring on the heavy painting sessions!


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## Digg40k (Sep 7, 2008)

I'm actually starting to make *some* progress with this army!

The Dire Avengers now have a the majority of the body work done, the white as ever was a pain in the arse but we got there in the end after the 4th coat or so... They need cleaning up but I hope to finish these as soon as I've finished assembling everything else.



















And here is the big daddy himself. So far I've... not done much tbh. I really want to go for a lava effect for the cracks on his torso and legs but I'm struggling to think how to achieve it. I've begun by painting the cracks with Mechrite Red. (Rather messily but that's no problem the outer areas need going over with blacks/greys anyway) Any tips on what to do next would be great. I'm thinking move to blood red and highlight with fiery orange perhaps?



















I assembled my Striking Scorpions on their various cool looking bases. The Exarch is going to have to wait until I can get some green stuff to pad out where the arms attach for the Biting Blade. Some of them have unfortunate cast blemishes which I intend on taking advantage of as battle damage.










And finally, the majority of my Guardian Squad. The lady Guardian's breasticles got in the way of her holding the Catapult properly so I went for a "I will grab your testicles and rip them off" pose. Very Eldar I know...










As a side note. Has anybody got this Avatar and have a safe way to transport it? Because right now I'm stumped as to how the hell I'm going to get it to my FLGS without cradling it like a weirdo on public transport... :laugh:


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## Digg40k (Sep 7, 2008)

Creeping ever so slowly forward again...


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## reavsie (Oct 31, 2010)

Good looking Dire Avengers, they are coming along nicely. Anyone that paints them once fully assembled deserves a medal, and will probably end up double-jointed when finished!

+ Rep!

Looking forward to seeing your progress with the Avatar and hoping for some inspiration for my own. Bog standard, not the classy Forge World one. I'm kind of put off painting it at the moment as my skills won't do it justice.

Keep up the good work.


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## Digg40k (Sep 7, 2008)

reavsie said:


> I'm kind of put off painting it at the moment as my skills won't do it justice.


Thanks for the rep, for the exact same reason I've made little progress on the Avatar haha.


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## Digg40k (Sep 7, 2008)

Not much of an update but I've painted up the bases for my Reapers and primed the models themselves. I'm hoping to get all of the bases done before I move onto the actual models so I can try them out in some games.


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## CattleBruiser (Sep 3, 2011)

Great work so far, and where might one find the awesome bases you're using?


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## Digg40k (Sep 7, 2008)

CattleBruiser said:


> Great work so far, and where might one find the awesome bases you're using?


Thank you and thanks for the +rep too.

I got them from Micro Art Studio: http://www.shop.microartstudio.com/wraithstone-c-3_84.html

I really recommend them, they have a nice range of other bases too.


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## Old Man78 (Nov 3, 2011)

looking good mate, even though they are filthy xenos, the dire avengers are great models! +rep


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## Digg40k (Sep 7, 2008)

Oldman78 said:


> looking good mate, even though they are filthy xenos, the dire avengers are great models! +rep


:laugh: Fair enough! Thanks for the rep. 

Here's today's work Guardians:


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## Digg40k (Sep 7, 2008)

I've bitten the bullet and just dived in having a go with the Avatar.

The gold and bone bits need dulled down considerably but what do you all think about the lava work? The back looks more like stoked coals and I'm not sure if I like that more than the parts with yellow in which make it look more like lava. Also I'm at a loss as how to dull down the backs of the knees, they're just so open I can't get away from painting them as lava but they seem so big and bright like he's going to snap away at the knees.


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## Moriouce (Oct 20, 2009)

That lava effect looks like it gonna be great! Keep it up! The DA looks fantastic as well.


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## Lethiathan (Nov 11, 2011)

On the transport side my friend keeps his Wraitseer (Roughly same size) in a Margerine Tub padded out with cotton wool, and so far it's been fine. Good looking mini's, seems like you have "I NEED TO PAINT 1 MILLION THINGS" disorder. I have a severe case where I buy mini's build them and never paint them =-)


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## Siskin (Mar 23, 2010)

It is nice to see a fellow eldar Plogger . I like your models, love the Avatar and can't wait to see him painted. Just one thing that bugged me a little are those white helmets on the DA - I have been there. For me the wash does not work what I did was I have painted them with at least two shades of grey and then started layering up the white - I am not sure if those finished helmets are on my plog or not.
Anyway nice work and now go finish this Awatar.

Siskin


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## the_barwn (Jul 23, 2011)

Digg40k said:


> I've bitten the bullet and just dived in having a go with the Avatar.
> 
> The gold and bone bits need dulled down considerably but what do you all think about the lava work? The back looks more like stoked coals and I'm not sure if I like that more than the parts with yellow in which make it look more like lava. Also I'm at a loss as how to dull down the backs of the knees, they're just so open I can't get away from painting them as lava but they seem so big and bright like he's going to snap away at the knees.


That looks pretty awesome there!! I like how it has come out for you 

Subscribed to this thread now


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## Digg40k (Sep 7, 2008)

Moriouce said:


> That lava effect looks like it gonna be great! Keep it up! The DA looks fantastic as well.


Thank you!



Lethiathan said:


> On the transport side my friend keeps his Wraitseer (Roughly same size) in a Margerine Tub padded out with cotton wool, and so far it's been fine. Good looking mini's, seems like you have "I NEED TO PAINT 1 MILLION THINGS" disorder. I have a severe case where I buy mini's build them and never paint them =-)


Ah cheers, that's a good idea. I'll have to scrat around for an empty marg tub now hehe. Yeh I have that disorder coupled with a total lack of time available to do it, bad combo haha.



Siskin said:


> It is nice to see a fellow eldar Plogger . I like your models, love the Avatar and can't wait to see him painted. Just one thing that bugged me a little are those white helmets on the DA - I have been there. For me the wash does not work what I did was I have painted them with at least two shades of grey and then started layering up the white - I am not sure if those finished helmets are on my plog or not.
> Anyway nice work and now go finish this Awatar.
> 
> Siskin


Agh tell me about it they're so annoying! They either look bland and flat when I don't use the wash or absolute crap when I do. I will have to try layering some greys in thanks for the tip.



the_barwn said:


> That looks pretty awesome there!! I like how it has come out for you
> 
> Subscribed to this thread now


Awesome, nice to have a subscriber!


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## reavsie (Oct 31, 2010)

I'm really loving the Avatar and I'm totally gonna steal your ideas for when I come to do mine!

I've been putting off starting as I'm not sure my skills can do it justice, but I can certainly have a stab at copying someone else's hard work.

As far as the DA helmets are concerned, you could try the "dirty finger" technique that Buypainted use's. The video is linked to in my PLog and I used it with partial success with my Dire Avengers.

Reavsie


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## Varakir (Sep 2, 2009)

Good work so far, i really like those bases.

The avatar is coming along nicely, and i think you'll get a good effect in the end. One thing i've fiound with lava is that the effect only looks complete when you start adding the really extreme highlights. I think once those are going on it will come to life.

Good job for just getting stuck in :victory:


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## Digg40k (Sep 7, 2008)

It's been a god awful amount of time and for that I apologise but my painting is coming on even if it is at the speed of a tectonic plate movement.

Still... Here is my test model for my Reapers. I'm not particularly happy with the gun, feels like it has no depth and also the very dark purple just doesn't stand out against the black armour.










On the plus side the old Avatard is coming on. Just the base and spear left to do. I'm going to attempt a blue glow for the spear and the base will of course match the rest of my army. Here's hoping a tragic attempt at blue glow doesn't wreck the whole model.

I'm happy with how the lava has come out and also the gold dulled down. I hope I've at least had a good stab at doing the model justice.





































So my view for the future is to plow on. I've got two Wraithlords, a squad of Scorpions, Reapers and Hawks as well as my Guardians and Eldrad. Hopefully I'll get a lot of that done this week as I'm on holiday.

I would really love a lot of my current models done in preparation for the new releases, expect a WraithKnight here soon!


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## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

The reaper's gun needs a lighter colour, maybe put bone in a couple parts to tie in with his mask? 

The avatar I like, admittedly not a fan of the fw model but the smouldering lava effect has come out fantastic. :good:


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## Digg40k (Sep 7, 2008)

Serpion5 said:


> The reaper's gun needs a lighter colour, maybe put bone in a couple parts to tie in with his mask?
> 
> The avatar I like, admittedly not a fan of the fw model but the smouldering lava effect has come out fantastic. :good:


Hmm idk why I've gone for purple on the gun, it's just too close to the gem stones I have throughout my army.

I think I might try and go for a red to match the tabard type thing and bring in elements of bone like you suggest.

Thanks Serp.


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## Digg40k (Sep 7, 2008)

Apologies for the double post. Been working on the base today. Disappointed in myself as it is a bit lumpy in places but there we go.




























I've also started work on the spear blade. A further vibrant edge highlight and I'll be happy with it.










All constructive criticism needed. :grin:


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

Looks great Digg. Where did you get the bases?


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## Dragblud da scrunka (Mar 26, 2009)

Really like the dirty gold and the white on the head. The base rocks so do them all very nice indeedy. It looks lumpy because I think the black and the red have no definitive outline. I know lava generally doesn't but with alittle more brighter red on the edges between the two may sort it out. 

The reds are good maybe more orange in there? Also I would make the eye sockets really bright maybe OSL the eyes and mouth for white hotness? 

The spear is nice blue is it just having a highlight on the blade of sort of lighting looking lines on?


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## Digg40k (Sep 7, 2008)

Khorne's Fist said:


> Looks great Digg. Where did you get the bases?


Thanks mate. Micro Art Studio They've got a nice range in too.



Dragblud da scrunka said:


> Really like the dirty gold and the white on the head. The base rocks so do them all very nice indeedy. It looks lumpy because I think the black and the red have no definitive outline. I know lava generally doesn't but with alittle more brighter red on the edges between the two may sort it out.
> 
> The reds are good maybe more orange in there? Also I would make the eye sockets really bright maybe OSL the eyes and mouth for white hotness?
> 
> The spear is nice blue is it just having a highlight on the blade of sort of lighting looking lines on?


Thank you. The gold was a bitch to paint! I meant the base was a bit lumpy in places but now you mention it I see what you mean about the lava.

I think maybe I need to dry brush a further layer of a lighter shade of grey on the black areas, that may define it more.

OSL is something I've never really tried so I would have to get some practice in before I start having a go on this model.

As for the spear I was going to just edge highlight but lightning sounds sweet, is there a guide somewhere to do that?


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## Ddraig Cymry (Dec 30, 2012)

Great work on the Avatar! I love the gold and lava texture you've done.


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## Dragblud da scrunka (Mar 26, 2009)

Yes I think the grey would work and the base is nice. 

http://www.heresy-online.net/forums/showthread.php?t=6438 For the lighting, I used straight lines with "blobs" of light so make it seem like Ball lighting on teh blade.

http://blog.brushthralls.com/?page_id=1916 Is what I used to learn the basics of OSL Im not great but as with all painting its practice 

EDIT: http://www.heresy-online.net/forums/showthread.php?t=96854 Just found this. EDIT

I practiced lots and lots of scrap bits and then on small figures with only little amounts then bigger stuff... nothing as big as avatar eyes but hey would look sweeeeet!


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## troybuckle (Nov 24, 2010)

The Avatar is look good my friend, i would also suggest that a slight highlight/dry-brush could be made on the black to give it a bit more contrasts like was already mentioned.

I'm sure we will see a lot more Eldar P-Logs pop up in the coming months!


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## Digg40k (Sep 7, 2008)

Dragblud da scrunka said:


> Yes I think the grey would work and the base is nice.
> 
> http://www.heresy-online.net/forums/showthread.php?t=6438 For the lighting, I used straight lines with "blobs" of light so make it seem like Ball lighting on teh blade.
> 
> ...


Thank you very much, those links are extremely helpful. I'm going to have a go at both of those effects. 



troybuckle said:


> The Avatar is look good my friend, i would also suggest that a slight highlight/dry-brush could be made on the black to give it a bit more contrasts like was already mentioned.
> 
> I'm sure we will see a lot more Eldar P-Logs pop up in the coming months!


Thanks Troy. It still doesn't hold up a candle to your lot! 

I know it's going to be weird I think haha.


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