Hearthguard Berzerkers – Getting Started

Another quick post today, this is a project that I completed a test model for a couple of months ago but have yet to start completely:

This is another army that I do not normally get but I essentially got the models for nothing after buying “Fury of the Deep” for my Idoneth Deepkin. I thought they might be a good opportunity to attempt painitng darker skin tones. The photo here doesn’t do the paint much justice, I’m trying to find a cheap lightbox to help take some better pictures. Until then poor lighting and holding models under the lamp will have to do.

Anyway, this will be the next series of models I focus on. I anticipate another 2 -3 nights of painting to get this one done. On the plus side, I already have the basing sorted for this army so I won’t need to pause at the end. By the end of the night I had a few base colors blocked in on the remaining four Hearthguards.

I started coloring the Flamekeeper and was struck with some inspiration; why not try and paint the cloak with a lava effect. I started by filling in the spaces between the big bumps with oranges and yellows:

I then proceeded to block in the rest of the colors and metallics on the model so I had an idea how the final miniature would look:

This is the stage where everything still looks a bit rough, especially when I use a white primer. To hide the gaps I added shade all over the model:

Now all the details are pulled back out I work on the colors that I can see that are missing and start filling in the highlights and adding color back in where needed, brightening up metallics and such. I also notice more and more space on the cloak I should fill in so I continue blocking in black until I’m happy with it. For an extra effect I add a layer of clear gloss varnish to anything that looks rocky to give it a bit of a polished obsidian look. I also start on the base.

I cover the base with some crackle paint and now just have to wait for it to dry, hopefully it looks good when I check it in the morning. I’m happy with the progress, one down and four to go. The rest of the unit will be batch painted so it will go relatively quickly.