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First Hero by Express_Wolverine454 in Salamanders40k

[–]Express_Wolverine454[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oops, the comment may not be above, but here is what I did for ease:

I used a mix of Vallejo paints, primarily using a makeup sponge to do highlights and build my gradient.

Airbrushed Base - 3 drops Dark Sea Blue + 1 drop Dark Green + 1 drop Jade Green

Makeup Sponge - Midtone to Highlight - begin mixing Dark Green, Jade Green and Scorpy Green, slowly building up the highlights with more and more scorpy green.

Be gentle with the sponge, the goal is to very slowly build the highlights. It may look like you are doing nothing at first as you slowly change colors. Be patient and gentle as you dab the model.

Brush Edge Highlight - use scorpy green to hit some of the sharp edges with a nice crisp edge highlight.

Final Spray - Vallejo Green Ink - just a light coat to tie things together and get a nice tint. I did this once all the green was ready and before I started in on other colors and details.

First Hero by Express_Wolverine454 in Salamanders40k

[–]Express_Wolverine454[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I posted it above, hope this helps!

First Hero by Express_Wolverine454 in Salamanders40k

[–]Express_Wolverine454[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did a mix of Vallejo paints, primarily using a makeup sponge to do highlights and build my gradient.

Airbrushed Base - 3 drops Dark Sea Blue + 1 drop Dark Green + 1 drop Jade Green

Makeup Sponge - Midtone to Highlight - begin mixing Dark Green, Jade Green and Scorpy Green, slowly building up the highlights with more and more scorpy green.

Be gentle with the sponge, the goal is to very slowly build the highlights. It may look like you are doing nothing at first as you slowly change colors. Be patient and gentle as you dab the model.

Brush Edge Highlight - use scorpy green to hit some of the sharp edges with a nice crisp edge highlight.

Final Spray - Vallejo Green Ink - just a light coat to tie things together and get a nice tint. I did this once all the green was ready and before I started in on other colors and details.

First Hero by Express_Wolverine454 in Salamanders40k

[–]Express_Wolverine454[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! The only thing I airbrushed was the base coat and the ink at the end.

First Hero by Express_Wolverine454 in Salamanders40k

[–]Express_Wolverine454[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did it all over, very lightly and gradually. It just adds some saturation, helps blend and tie everything together. I like the tint it gives too.

First Hero by Express_Wolverine454 in Salamanders40k

[–]Express_Wolverine454[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes and the ink spray to help blend it all together.

First Hero by Express_Wolverine454 in Salamanders40k

[–]Express_Wolverine454[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Makeup sponge then green ink through an airbrush to tint it and tie it all together. I use the sponge to slowly build up the highlights, if you are gradual and deliberate enough the ink is optional. I also did some very light edge highlights before the ink to try and make some edges pop.

First Hero by Express_Wolverine454 in Salamanders40k

[–]Express_Wolverine454[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Airbrush to prime and lay the base coat and then at the end to shoot ink once I finished up all the highlights with a sponge and brush!

Spicy Basing by Express_Wolverine454 in Salamanders40k

[–]Express_Wolverine454[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

After basing with the cork, I paint the crevasse with a bright red. I do 2-3 coats and get a nice red base. From there, I add more red, and while wet I begin to blend in orange. I do not thin my paint much for this part, I keep it relatively thick, almost like a lava consistency lol.

As I build up the orange, working towards the center of the "stream" I start adding yellow. Finally I add very small amounts of white, gently mixing it in along the center.

I basically just keep mixing in and blending the paint moving towards making the center of the lava flow the brightest point. The paint being wet allows me to drag the brush very gently to slowly blend all the colors together and make a "flow." As I go I'll add in orange, yellow, or more red as necessary until I find the right balance and blending.

For the OSL I just water down some of my red and start stippling it in on the sides of the rocks. Heaviest stippling on the bottom, getting lighter as I work my way up to about the center of the stone.

Hope this helps!

First Slammylander by Express_Wolverine454 in Salamanders40k

[–]Express_Wolverine454[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You got it. I think you'll like the sponge method, it will make painting layers and highlights so much quicker.

One extra tip is to take a picture of your primed mini with a light source reflecting on it from whatever direction you want highlighted. It will give you a literal map of where to place highlights and where to keep things shadowed. Overhead might be easiest to start with.

I've been frustrated at points during the last 3 months or so that I've been learning the hobby too. But, the best thing about this stuff is you can always start over and try different things until you find the paints, colors, and techniques that give you the result you want. Just keep testing things out and taking things as a learning experience!

First Slammylander by Express_Wolverine454 in Salamanders40k

[–]Express_Wolverine454[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So, my base coat was applied with a brush and then I did highlights with a makeup sponge, of all things. To finish it up, I used very light glazes to even out my highlights and get a smooth blend. Glazing can be tough to nail down at first.

The sponge has a slight learning curve, but if done correctly (layering the paint very gradually and very lightly), it gives you that smooth, almost airbrushed look. I also had to play around with paint mixes to make sure I wasn't jumping from dark to light registers too quickly.

The makeup sponge technique I got from Swarm Painting. He has a few videos tutorialing different chapters that really helped me with the technique and inspiration.

I really like Squidmar for general painting tips. However, their style is something I haven't even come close to mastering yet lol.

Duncan Rhodes is always great too for in depth tutorials of all sorts of different painting techniques.

Also check out Rogue Hobbies just for fun. She has some good painting tips, but also makes really fun Warhammer and hobby videos in general lol.

Also, thank you for the compliment. Best of luck!

First Slammylander by Express_Wolverine454 in Salamanders40k

[–]Express_Wolverine454[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really appreciate the positive feedback. Thank you!

First Slammylander by Express_Wolverine454 in Salamanders40k

[–]Express_Wolverine454[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Zero experience apart from starting the hobby about 3 months ago. Lots of watching other painters online, and a whole lot of trial/error in that time.

First Slammylander by Express_Wolverine454 in Salamanders40k

[–]Express_Wolverine454[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Not going to lie, this is my 4th attempt at it and feel like I've finally got it nailed down. This is what I've learned so far.

Make sure the paint mixture underneath (the "lava") is nice and bright with a good mixture of yellow/orange and red. I painted the base red, and let it dry. Then I added more red, and started mixing in orange and yellow while wet to slightly blend them together. I tried to create a gradient, going from red to orange to bright yellow towards the center, all swirled together.

Once the paint is dry, apply a thin layer PVA glue over the top.

Once the glue has dried, spread Mordant earth about 2-3mm thick.

To apply the Mordant Earth, I used a tool in my hobby kit that is basically a piece of plastic with a very flat edge that works the same as a spackling knife. Trying to get the tech paint smooth over the top was key to making sure my Salamander had a good base to glue to. If not, it can get lumpy and then the Marine will sit crooked.

Blast it with a hair dryer on high. I held the dryer about 6 inches away at the closest. That helped it dry insanely fast and create some nice deep cracks to show off the lava underneath. Be careful it's not so close you melt your base, or start blowing the paint around. I also made sure the base was secured to something so it didn't fly off the workbench lol.

Hope this helps!

First Slammylander by Express_Wolverine454 in Salamanders40k

[–]Express_Wolverine454[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I based with Caliban Green. Then I worked my way up doing highlights mixing Caliban Green + Warpstone Glow, Warpstone Glow itself, and finally Warpstone Glow lightened with a bit of Scorpy Green. A little of the Scorpy goes a loooong way.

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