# fun with washes - a high elves plog



## aquatic_foible (Mar 17, 2010)

howdy heretics!

given my chronic inability to focus on one thing for any meaningful length of time, i've predictably started another project log...huzzah etc.

this time, it's the IoB High Elves that will be receiving the attention of my brush. and i want to do something a bit different, in terms of technique and aesthetic, to the Skaven i have been working on.

with this in mind, i started looking for inspiration...and the images below describe pretty well what i'm going for, namely, that etheral / "glowing" / other-worldly way the Elves are presented here -




























with that in mind, there's going to be lots of white, minimal colours to accent said white [going for a regal / royal purple and gold combo], and washes. lots of washes. so stay tuned...

oh, and props to Sparros to linking me to the *Warseer thread* that gave me the idea to paint this army predominantly with GW washes!


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## aquatic_foible (Mar 17, 2010)

so first models. insanely easy and quick to paint, i give you my first 5 SwordMasters of Hoeth. just over an hour to do these guys, and with that in mind, i'm pretty happy with how they turned out. enjoy -


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## Sparros (Oct 13, 2009)

You put my skill to shame! 

Quick question, how did you do the gold? Mine always comes off really dull, same for your metal. Have some rep anyway!


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## squeek (Jun 8, 2008)

They look really good for just an hours fiddling with washes, how many coats did you have to use to get reasonable colour and shading?


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## aquatic_foible (Mar 17, 2010)

squeek said:


> ...how many coats did you have to use to get reasonable colour and shading?


the trick to getting good shading and definition comes before applying the colour washes...you first apply a badab black wash to a white undercoat, then drybrush the model with white once the wash has dried.

after that, the colour goes on pretty quickly. i did two coats of everything just to be sure, although i did stretch to three to get a decent shade of purple...



Sparros said:


> Y]Quick question, how did you do the gold? Mine always comes off really dull, same for your metal. Have some rep anyway!


the metal goes like so, sir - apply a "wash" of thinned down mithril silver to everything that is going to be metal. then for gold, i washed with 2 coats of gryphonne sepia. for iron / mail, wash with badab black. if you wanted bronze or tin, i'd suggest using devlan mud. or you could experiment by mixing shades of washes.

now i'm off to see if i can finish the rest of the unit before dinner!! :biggrin:


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## Kreuger (Aug 30, 2010)

They look excellent!

Very good use of wash + drybrush. I'm always impressed when someone hits that perfect mix of soft tones and contrast. =) Well done sir!

K


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

Very tidy speed painting.

The swords look a little dull/dirty; I always see Elvis as shiny.


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## Sparros (Oct 13, 2009)

Not after they hacked apart some nasties :victory:


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

Dave T Hobbit said:


> The swords look a little dull/dirty; I always see Elvis as shiny.





Sparros said:


> Not after they hacked apart some nasties :victory:


You are forgetting that high elves have the Always Showers First rule so are obsessively clean :wink:


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## Kreuger (Aug 30, 2010)

Dave T Hobbit said:


> ... I always see Elvis as shiny.


I agree Elvis was pretty shiny. Especially later in life with the gold chains and sequined suits!


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## aquatic_foible (Mar 17, 2010)

Dave T Hobbit said:


> The swords look a little dull/dirty; I always see Elvis as shiny.


was too busy being pleased with myself to notice that, sir! :biggrin:

you are, however, quite right. i shall have to experiment with the next batch to see if i can't get some more shine on there...


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## Tinkerbell (Feb 19, 2008)

Nice, like the idea a very quick way of painting them. Look forward to seeing them a little more sparkling. The gems seem a little lost and very dark, but that would be my only criticism.

Made me smile seeing another HE plog.


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## aquatic_foible (Mar 17, 2010)

Tinkerbell said:


> The gems seem a little lost and very dark, but that would be my only criticism


they don't look that good in the photos - but they do pop rather nicely in real life...as well as making them shinier, i'll have to work harder to capture their good side on film [or rather, memory stick!]...


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## Varakir (Sep 2, 2009)

This is really rather interesting...the results from such a simple method are amazing.

I enjoy painting incredibly slowly far too much to try it, but i think this will definitely help a lot of people out who want to get good looking armies on the table quickly.

Are you going to use the technique on all the units, including the hq's?


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## aquatic_foible (Mar 17, 2010)

Varakir said:


> Are you going to use the technique on all the units, including the hq's?


indeed i am, sir. for the sake of giving the whole army a unified feel. not sure how i'll handle the horses / griffon just yet, but i'm pretty sure i can get something that looks pretty good...and must remember to take some photos for a quick tutorial down the road as well!


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## aquatic_foible (Mar 17, 2010)

*SwordMasters of Hoeth*

so here they are, all done! i know that the white on the banner sucks [will go back and redo it fairly soon] - this is definitely one of the things that this army will help me work on; getting white right...but still, not bad for a total of 2 hours 30 minutes work!


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## Kreuger (Aug 30, 2010)

Another thought for you.

I used a similar process on an ooold fantasy chaos army. I'd paint the model using basically the colors I wanted then I'd armor/black wash the whole model to add depth, shadows, and unify the colors. 

There is however 1 problem that can raise its head. I just want to forewarn you about it. Depending on the lower layers of color and the thickness of the washes, a pigment layer deposited by wash can get rubbed off by being handled more often. Granted, it is also possible that the generation of paints and washes I was using were thinner and had less traction (I don't own any current GW washes and still have a few from the mid 90's)

So if you really like your results it might be worth a spray sealer of some sort to protect them.

Cheers and Long live the High Elvises!
Kreuger


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## Tinkerbell (Feb 19, 2008)

you did them all in 2 and half hours omg that is totally awsome, looking forward to seeing more. The armour still looks a little dull for me.


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## Kobrakai (Jul 25, 2008)

I like the comic book feel of sharp contrasts in these high elves. I know elves are supposed to be bright and clean, but these look more my kinda liking.

If I were to do high elves, this style of techniques and use of colours is definitely how I would approach them.

Really nice mate, looking forward to more!


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## Gresil (Sep 16, 2010)

The first painting you posted at the start of the thread is probably my favourite High Elf art, I remember having that version of the army book and loving the cover.

It would be awesome if you could somehow work in the ethereal lilac and green from that on some future units.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

These are looking fantastic Aquatic! The technique is clean and simple and I really like the finished product. Will be watching and waiting for more to come:good:! +rep


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## aquatic_foible (Mar 17, 2010)

*Lothern SeaGuard*

Right, I found a spare evening, and knocked these guys out. Still working on getting my white right, but progress is being made. I cannot emphasise enough how quick [and fun] it is to paint this way...





































This unit will be expanded to be 36 strong, using a mix of Spearmen and IoB SeaGuard models. When this will happen, I do not know!


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## aquatic_foible (Mar 17, 2010)

*Althran StormRider*

Apologies for the double post, but I wanted to throw up some pictures of Althran... He's not quite finished yet, but he is starting to look pretty good.

Still have to go back and soften the shading on the griffon legs - they are looking to dark / harsh at the moment. The photos aren't the best... As I've said once or twice, I'm not a great photographer, and the light in my flat sucks balls and whatnot!














































Comments, and criticism, as always are most welcome [and encouraged!]...


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

The Sea Guard look great! I think that you have found a very effective way of knocking these guys out quickly. 

The eagle part of the griffon is looking ace as is Althan, but something about the cat end is just bugging me. I can't put my finger on whether it is the harsh dark grey shading in the recesses or the fact that it is white. I think you definitely need to soften the shading and perhaps start with a lighter shade of grey as the base. It is looking really good its just the cat end that is throwing me off. I would love to see it with some softer gradients between the base and the final white coat.

As always a pleasure to view your work:good:!


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## Yoritomo Jiriki (Nov 4, 2010)

WOW! So well done given the amount of time you spent on them. You need to teach me how to paint this way! The griffon legs looks good from where I'm sitting, very organic.

I'd give you rep but I can't yet hehe

So here's a :clapping: for now


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## Firefighter X (Apr 21, 2010)

I'm amazed.. I'm astounded.. I'm.....well.. jealous...So simple, so effective, so striking.. so.....fast..

I've considered HE's for my fantasy army [ but now Tomb Kings are seing love so I don't know ] and this plog is really influencing that decision greatly.

Enjoy some well deserved rep.

FFX


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## Meldon (Dec 21, 2010)

I love those HE. I really think the darker colourscheme works. It will set them apart from all the other bright HE armys out there. You have really struck gold getting a that good result in that little time!


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## Advertise (Nov 18, 2009)

I am to stunned for words.
Wow. Amazing.


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## mattipetteri (Apr 25, 2011)

Nice work indeed. Thanks for tipping me. You've really captured the high elf feel here.


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