Since getting the Space Hulk boxed game (which is my favorite of the GW games) I have been tinkering with a Genesteeler color scheme that I can realistically paint on 23 models that look almost identical to each other. I have major hobby ADD so I tried to remain realistic about this.
I started with the red and turquoise scheme from one of the main Hive Fleets. I did not mind it, but with the Blood Angels in the box, I have red terminators and mostly red Steelers. It annoyed me and only  yielded two painted models on the Steeler side of things. So they sat, unpainted and it pained me every time we would break out the game to have two painted models, 8 sprayed red and the rest, un-undercoated (so blue plastic).
The recent release of the new Nids Codex has given me some inspiration to get the Steelers out again and see what I can do. Enter Hive Fleet Leviathan, a whitish and purple scheme that I have always really liked the look of, but would never do, b/c of my hatred of painting anything with a white base. Now the Paint Splatter section of White Dwarf is usually useless, but they showed something in the recent issue that was intriguing. Washing right over a white undercoat yields some interesting results. In the issue they wash Crimson right over Ubshanti Bone and get a really cool creamy pink in the recesses. Now they went on to re-coat all of the skin on top of that, which is insane, but I wondered what would happen if you thinned the wash considerably, could you avoid re-coating ALL the skin areas?
So I undercoated a few of the models using an airbrush and Vallejo Grey Primer.
I then thinned Carrouberg (sp?) Crimson with Lahmian Medium. The mix was about 1/3 wash and 2/3’s Medium. Here is what they looked like still wet. Be sure to “mop up” any puddles that are on the flat parts of the skin, and any sizable puddles in the recesses. Best was to do this is to run your wash brush along a paper towel to “dry it” and then just use it like a mop.
This takes only a minute or so per model, so I was feeling good about the fact that there were 23 of these to do.
Following that, I went to the local hobby shop in search of a pink that I could use to clean things up a bit and get some highlights going. P3 makes a paint called Carnel Pink that fit the bill perfectly. I started using this to hit all of the spots where reflected light would be the strongest. I focused on the face and hands, because the are prominent parts of the model.
I then took purple wash and painted the “vents”. I used Mephiston Red on the claws and then washed them with full strength Crimson wash. Here is how they look at this stage. The pink has a very alien look to it that has just enough randomness to make it believable. The opaqueness is spot on also, allowing just enough of the undercoat through.
Next up will be some Ulthuan Grey highlights and a full treatment of the claws. Will post when that happens.
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