Hello guys, welcome back to Not Just Mecha, it s Marco here and after all the clean painting
of the last weeks it s time to go back into the grim dark!
In my mind the grim dark style is all about being faithful to the gritty illustrations
of the 90 and the early 2000 era of 40k.
That was my first exposure to the Warhammer aesthetic, both fantasy and sci-fi, and those
crazy heavy metal artworks left such a mark in my mind that after years I m still obsessed
in trying to translate that vibe into physical models.
Heavy weathering and an overload of textures and visual information are the staple of the
style but recently I realised that I want to extend the storytelling outside the model
to deliver the idea that the miniature and the slice of environment caught on its base
is jumping out from those inspiring illustrations with all their dramatic lights and shadows.
In a diorama I can use the backdrop to incapsulate the information about the surroundings but
in a model on its base I have to render those sensation as they hit and bounce on the character
so it can be like a proper cut-out from a picture.
The general concept here is to paint light using colours as light.
The iconic 3rd edition cover art by John Blanche is my main reference for this model but the
general idea was triggered by the picture on the box and this flaming, exploding sky
in the background that in a realistic setting should envelope the character hitting him
from every direction.
Don t forget to subscribe and hit the bell button to always know what happens on the
channel and if you want to support my work check my Patreon page, where you can also
find the real time footage of my videos, and join the community!
Usually, I play with the sculpt a bit more in grimdark subjects, but I love this model
as it is, so I modified just a couple of details.
Always, always drill the hole of gun barrels, even on humble troopers inside a big unit;
a black dot of paint doesn t make the same effect.
Same thing for exhaust pipes; here is even more important because the larger size makes
a painted hole even more obvious and a bit ridiculous.
And I upgraded the chaplain to the Deathwatch to play with different metallic sensations
on the shoulder pad and the big inquisitorial symbol on the front wheel.
The satin, slightly reflective finish of my Molotow black is always a great foundation
for true metallic schemes.
Then, a coat of Vallejo s metal colour Duralluminium.
Whit this coat I don t want to render lights and volumes like in a zenithal black and white;
the objective here is to set the metallic nature of the main material.
I still try to catch some of basic inside/out volumes pressing the trigger just a bit, so
I don t have too much air pushing paint deeply into details and panel lines.
If you don t feel confident with your control on the trigger you can simply lower the pressure
on the compressor to obtain the same effect.
Again, the idea is to paint light using paint as light and I tackle the model from the beginning
following this idea.
The first real colour I use on the model is the yellow tone of the general environmental
light of the scene.
I use it on the main view hitting the figure perpendicularly as if he s looking to an alien
sun or a big explosion in the heart of the battle and I do the same in the back using
the same vector so I can create a nice contrasting movement of light and shadows circling around
the base.
Real light does two main things; it brings tones and colours and defines the shapes and
volumes of an object.
I use Burnt Umber as a darker version of the initial yellow to start modelling the fake,
illustrational volumes of the figure that now catches and bounces light as a little
toy soldier.
I use inks instead of Contrast or Golden High flow paints because their extreme transparency
and glossy finish keep intact all the metallic properties of the first layer.
I used Burnt Umber also to have a bridge colour between yellow and magenta.
Working with transparency effects and translucent colours you must always keep in mind the mixing
properties of the tones you are going to overlap.
If you mix yellow and magenta, and here they will optically mix in the transparent layering,
you get a bright red that naturally flows into the two without creating too much contrast.
With that simple step, I create a better separation and a more drastic shift into colder tones.
The cold tones of my general contrast and at the same time the darker tones of my volume
modulation move to the blue side first with turquoise...
Then with a deep Prussian blue.
At the end I spray a bit of light silver in the spots where the light hits with the maximum
intensity, like I would do using a bit of white at the end painting with non-metallic
colours.
The chromatic and volumetric part of the underpainting is done, and I can move to the black colour
that will envelop and fuse this whole bloc of visual information.
I use Golden High flow shading grey that as you can see here on the label is a transparent
and quite glossy black.
Still I want to play safe here, so I increase its translucency adding a good amount of airbrush
thinner so I can work with multiple layers and have a better control over its covering
power on the underpainting.
You can use contrast Black Templar or Basilicanum grey if you want to tone down a bit the shine
with their more mat finish, Black ink if you want to enhance the metallic shimmer or something
like Tamiya clear Smoke for a real boost to the glossiness.
The result with the colour I m using will have a good balance in the middle of the spectrum,
keeping everything in the range of shine of a realistic polished metal.
I really hope the camera can catch the richness of this black in all this darkness and general
shine lol.
With the base for the armour in place I need to start separating the other elements from
all this black metallic shine, so I move to the wet palette to work on the mid tones of
everything else.
I ll cover everything in weathering and environmental light but this is a great colour to paint
realistic tires and I always have a little stash in my drawer!
To break the scheme on multiple levels and add more types of contrast I use Molotow paints
to base leather and bones.
They are crazily mat so all these elements will show the different materials they are
made of from the very beginning.
Sadly this is something I always lose in pictures but at the end the most important thing is
that the models are interesting to see and move around in person and this extra level
of contrast in the look of different materials will make a huge difference.
I base all the metallic elements with a simple neutral silver.
I use a mix of Vallejo s Duralluminium and Scale 75 trash metal to get the best properties
from each one; high coverage form Scale and a stable fluidity from Duralluminium.
And I use contrast Aggaros dunes to turn the silver into a matt, dull bronze.
Again, I play with the finish of the materials to add extra subtle visual interest.
I want the trims to frame the shiny black armour with a crusty old bronze, later covered
in bluish Verdigris, another great way to separate the elements even further and add
the sensation of depth.
And I use again transparency to add a more powerful yellow note only to the bronze elements
facing the main warm lights.
I paint the base with Moltow and Kimera brown and orange tones to maximise the mat finish
and the high saturation of the alien rust desert I imagine for the setting.
Now I have all the basic colours I need for the scheme, but they are all super flat and
from the point of few of textures and fine dimensionality, quite boring so, painting
lights and highlights I use thick paints, different grits of stippling and cross etching.
I want the helmet, skulls and all the bone elements to be super dry, rough and gritty
and I render the effect using short brushstrokes and undiluted paint.
But the black armour is what is in real need of extra textural movement.
I put on a dry palette Scale75 Black metal, Black and Prussian blue ink and I mix various
grades of black metallic paint that I apply with a fine stippling over every panel of
the black armour.
Paint here is thinned down to flow well from the brush and create small lines and dots,
but not too much because I want the dimensionality of the paint to add also extra real movement
to the optical movement.
Plus all these little volumes will make wonders later interacting with the weathering and
retaining extra pigments.
With this step I don t build only movement but also a subtle modulation towards the warm
light.
I use a lighter silver with brown and yellow ink and even a proper bronze to mix lighter
metallic tones introducing the warm, yellow sensation of my main light source.
Like talking about a glaze this is one of those steps easier to understand when you
see the end results!
Time for the fun part!
Weathering and oil paints!
This is not the usual quick and dirty oils wash and this time I m going to use more tones
in layered steps, different consistencies and even different thinners and finishes to
show you how much you can do with oils, weathering and environmental physical elements.
I don t varnish the model because I don t want to lose the complex game of finishes
I created until this point, plus the acrylic layer is not chemically affected by oils and
their solvents.
I start with Oxide patina, a light orangey brown extremely diluted with standard white
spirit.
I apply it very loosely and with random brushstrokes on the whole model to create the sensation
of a fine general warm dust able to influence all the colours but in a very subtle way.
You can consider this as the mid tone of my weathering.
And I clean it immediately after the application.
Make up sponges are the best tool for this step because they can quickly cover large
areas being very delicate on the surface and the paint I m moving.
More than cleaning here I m blending the liquid oily film on the surface creating a fist subtle
layer of colour and a good oily base where to apply the next tones.
Next is the ivory tone of Dust.
The mix here is a bit thicker and I apply it only in the highest parts to build the
sensation of a super light dust that separates from the red sand sticking everywhere but
showing only on the upper elements that are not affected by the heavier stuff.
And again I blend it and remove the excess immediately but being a bit less heavy handed.
The mix of thicker paint and more delicate blending makes this tone stick a bit more
on the model.
Then I apply Engine Grease in a very thick form on all the mechanical parts of engine
and exhaust pipes.
Here I want the greasy nature of oil paint to create a thick, greasy layer and the beauty
of this particular colour is that is made to keep a strong wet glossiness even when
it s dry selling the effect in a super realistic way.
For these same reasons, the blending of this layer will be very gentle and localised and
aimed to pushing the paint inside details, lines and crevices.
Now I can move to Light Rust to create the heavy layer of alien red dust coming from
the ground and here I use the mat effect thinner!
The mix is a balance between fluidity to enter well in every detail and line and thickness
to stick to all the flat surfaces.
I apply this layer only on the lower quarter of the model to give the idea of its weight
and I insist a bit more on the tires their closest areas that constantly hit and move
the dusty ground.
I control the movement of this layer with q tips and brushstrokes using only an up and
down motion that will automatically create realistic streaks and gravity lines.
The last tone I apply is the Verdigris effect on the bronze elements, mixed again with the
matt thinner to completely kill its shine and create a crusty, dry, final effect.
After this general step I come back with the same tones with a more controlled application
in the small scale.
The idea is to precisely model the lines and details making them super sharp, even in the
visual overload of this weathering.
I create a refined definition using the tones of weathering working on panel lines and the
border of every detail and at the same time I fix what I don t like or doesn t work visually
from the previous steps.
With oil paints I don t have to worry about time, and I can go back and forth all the
times I need!
The oil layer is quite thick in few places, but I have my secret weapon to speed up the
process.
20-30 minutes in my trusty drying box and I can quickly go back to acrylics!
When the oily component is dry oil paint is crazily resistant and its surface can support
water-based paints without any problem!
Grim dark is not an excuse to be lazy on definition, so as always, the last step is about edge
highlights, little details, cuts, lines and general refinement.
I know I skipped the work on the OSL, but you saw me doing that stuff dozens of times
lol, If you are new to the channel check my old videos, you can find OSL effects almost
everywhere lol.
What is really important here are the tones on the palette and where I apply them!
All the details and edges facing the warm light are painted with the warm tones in the
orange-yellow spectrum, while I use a light gradation of blue for the sharp elements facing
the cold shadows.
This will complete the internal coherency of temperatures set from the beginning with
inks making the contrast powerful but uniform and realistic in every layer.
Uh and one last interesting thing before the end!
You know that I love heavy body acrylics and Ak interactive made heavy body metallic paints
they are great to create little dimensional shiny elements.
Their pigments are a bit too large for my taste, but they work well for strong points
of metallic glare.
And here s the final result!
It s been a while since my last grimdark model and if you check the previous videos of the
series you can see the evolution of my take on the subject.
I realised that I don t have to give up colours or saturation just move them outside the model
and let the external information coming from the environment to create the epic, theatrical
vibe of the artworks.
And I can t stop thinking how well this can work on an army scale aaaah what
a temptation