Tom's Sisters of Battle: Month Two - Troopers (280points)

Now that I have settled in a bit with the painting, there are a couple of changes that have happened with the colour scheme. The main Things being that:

 

• the red is very slightly brighter. It's definitely noticeable side by side, but not so much if the model is separate from the unit. I think this is due to cutting out some steps in the drybrushing layers
• the weapon casings are dark green, rather than the red I painted on Canoness Veridyan
• pouches are dark blue
• lower cables are purple - to add a bit more colour 
• upper cables are dark blue (so the face is more the focus of the top half)
• white cheques on the right shoulder, below a black fleur-de-lys. Added these as a homage to those old cheques I remember seeing on some RT marines. Also the extra freehand is also inspired by Benamon - CopperOracle - Tame's wonderful Fire Hawks army from last years OWAC
• hazard striping on the left calf, to break up all that red
• black flames on the right shin, breaking up the red and adding some lower interest
• energy weapon coils are turquoise - the colour seemed to fit

All this is great, as painting has now become a little quicker, and it far less draining as the colour choices have now all been pretty much made. If I struggle to start a model, at least I have a "mechanical safety net" of being able to switch off and paint what colours I know, and then  other colour choices much later in the painting process. A tactic I developed last year with the Ork  g r i n d .

My paint station now has a few models all in various stages of paint. (Although I always try to keep the maximum number of 'begun' models to around 7 or 8, otherwise I find feelings of being overwhelmed creeping in). I tend to paint three models to a certain stage - maybe up to doing the metals, and all the base colours on, then focus more on one model. When there's a point where that one model needs a little longer drying time, I might start on the bases for the next three and do all the white undercoat. Maybe I accidently splurge out a larger quantity of paint, so the only option is to try and use it up on the other models too. You know how it goes!

Here's roughly how the paint falls on a model anyhow:

Spray black all over, then spray white just on top from 45 degrees

You can see how this looks in the Intro post

Apologies in advance for these following photos, snapped quickly in amongst the paint and spatters.

First colour is Army Painter Pure Red spray all over. Truth be told I think I was a little heavy handed with this application... I sprayed all the Sisters in one day, outside, balancing them on a metal ruler. Usually I would pop a magnet in the bas, which helps immeasurably with this, but for some reason or other I've not done it this year.👇

Drybrush (with a smallish makeup brush) Mephiston Red + Troll Slayer Orange👇

Drybrush Troll Slayer Orange👇

Drybrush Troll Slayer Orange + Flash Gitz Yellow👇

Drybrush Add AK White Grey to previous mix👇

So... the drybrushing is kinda quite swift, although I think that I might not have the patience required for really excellent results. I know that I am a bit too heavy handed in the brushing, compounded by leaving slightly too mush paint in the bristles. Never a lesson learned eh?

Anyway, crashing on:

Line with Contrast Terradon Turquoise and a bit of a wash with that paint in the deep recesses. I'll kinda splodge a little bit on, wash the brush, and then with damp bristles, feather it in. It sounds technical, but it really, really, isn't.👇

You can probably see it more easily here, but to be fair it doesn't really show in the photos...👇

AK White Grey. I love this colour right now.👇

Dirty Down Rust. This is a 'paint' that was left over when I was experimenting with trying to paint a little bit more, well... dirty, with some modern Necromunda models. I think it probably comes out nicer if it goes on top of a silver (which is on top of a light undercoat - not black), but that's aaaanother layer that I have skipped in favour of motivation and 'speed'👇

VGC Silver, very roughly drybrushed on👇

Caliban Green, painted in two layers👇

AK Deep Blue - there on the pouch and...👇

...there on the piping👇

Contrast Luxion Purple👇

Line the armour with Troll Slayer Orange👇

Line Troll Slayer Orange + Flash Gitz Yellow👇

Line with previous mix + more Flash Gitz Yellow + tiny bit of AK White Grey👇

Line with previous mix + more AK White Grey👇

For the gasmask - AK Camouflage Green👇

AK Grimy White. Primarily for anything bone coloured. I painted the hair in it, because I think I'm going to go for a light hair colour and it was just there on the palette👇

GSW Ink Gorgon Dark Green, to shade the gasmask. I also added a little bit more of the purple contrast to the piping to darken it a little👇

VMC Smoke + AK Leather Brown. One of my favourite shade mixes for anything bone coloured👇

Lining the weapon casing Gorgon Green + Moot Green. To be honest I mixed this layer a touch too dark, so you could just skip to the next step 👇

Previous mix + moar Moot Green👇

 

Previous mix + more Moot Green + Flash Gitz Yellow + AK White Grey👇

 

The weapon casing is one of those things where I think I just overdo it a little - highlights are not where the sun strikes, but anyway. Previous mix + more Flash Gitz Yellow + AK White Grey 👇

Previous mix + more Flash Gitz Yellow+ AK White Grey👇 

Luxion Purple + AK White Grey👇

Previous mix + AK White Grey👇

AK Dark Sea Blue + AK White Grey👇

Previous mix + more AK White Grey👇

Previous mix + more AK White Grey👇

AK Camouflage Green+ AK White Grey👇

Previous mix + AK White Grey👇

 

AK Leather Brown + AK Grimy Grey👇

AK Grimy Grey👇

AK Grimy Grey + AK White Grey👇

P3 Ryn Flesh👇This colour was left over from my Dwarf challenge way back in 2019. I have no idea why I have painted the hands...

Contrast Fyreslayer Flesh (and this one from my Chaos Dwarf army back in 2020)👇

GSW Summersea Blue + AK Grimy Grey

P3 Ryn Flesh to highlight the face. I also added a tiny bit of AK Grimy Grey for a highlight on top (you can mainly see it there by the corner of the eye), which I forgot to give it's own separate photo👇

AK Dark Sea Blue, thinned down and used as a wash on the hair👇

Contrast Terradon turquoise (eyelid)👇 

Drybrush GSW Summersea Blue + AK White Grey on the hair👇

Drybrush previous + more AK White Grey 👇

Thin AK White Grey (just on the hair braids)👇

GSW Black Stallion (symbol on the shoulder, eyes and the metal studs on the backpack)👇

AK Grimy Grey. My brush was a little worn, so the cheques are a bit lumpy, but it's the overall effect not the individual square that counts! 👇 

GSW Black Stallion - I forgot to do the flames on the leg, so it's a bit of a misstep...👇

VMC Yellow Ochre👇

VMC Silver, on the little studs on the gun and the backpack👇

AK Grimy Grey - another thing I forgot to do earlier is paint the power coil (or whatever that is) on the gun👇

Contrast Terradon Turquoise👇

GSW Black Stallion - base tidy👇 

GSW Black Stallion + AK White Grey - a heavy, splodgy drybrush on the base.👇

Previous mix + more AK White Grey, concentrating on the edges of the base.👇

GSW Black Stallion - base tidy👇

Dirty Down Verdigris, and some AK White Grey in the weapon coils, and some Gamers Grass Tiny Tufts Dark Moss to finish

Overall, I've cut a few corners - for example, the gun could be several different colours. Or there could be some hazard striping on it. Panels of armour could have more patterning/weathering/differing colours. The power backpack could have some colour coming out of the vent holes on the top of the backpack. The hair could be striped. Loads of options!

I've realised that I've neglected to talk about the base and general prep.

Here goes:

The model is roughly filed and trimmed of flash and mouldlines. Here, I'm not too fussy - there's loads of models and its a chore and a half! 

They're then glued into the base by the slottatab using gorrilla glue gel. 

Then undercoated.

Then add extra - either a skull and/or some watch parts I brought from eBay.

Then I've used a new product for me - Vallejo's Rough White Pumice, basically gritty gunk. I mix this with black paint and apply to base

Then we're away with the paint proper :)

After the paint I apply a few tufts of Gamers Grass Dark Moss, gued on with a little UHU glue, and applied by gripping the grass with my plastic sprue clippers.

Here's a nice driveby slideshow as a bonus feature. In it you can clearly see the difference in lighting making a big difference in colour and brightness of colour. My photography is the same, my painting light angled towards the mini in one hand, and a click on my phone in the other, and done. The photo is cropped and 'suggestions' applied by the phone:

And now for the rest of the Sister Squad....

This one looks like a leader...👇

Please excuse her right eye - I've  since corrected it, but I've now also varnished everything, so in the interest of a good pic with no reflections, I thought this one would do... 

From the teaser pic last month!) 👇

Looks like an executioner shot with a power weapon. At least there won't be much to clean up. 👇

I really like this one! 👇

This warrior wishes to run. In heels. On that terrain. Bossin' 👇

The paint on this Sister feel particularly well, I thought. Pew pew!👇

Got any marshmallows? 👇

This one looks super angry...👇

Last, but not least, this Sister is holding a possibly heretical weapon? :)

You know the model range is great when you struggle to pick out a favourite!

I have varnished them all using the usual Hycote Lacquer, followed by a Matt spray. I'm currently using GSW's matt spray, which really isn't that matt, but I kinda like the satin look so it stays.

I also painted up some super basic movement trays for them using just the Vallejo Rough White Pumice gunk with black and a few grey drybrushes. No tufts or anything. 

There's a v.slim chance I might revisit all the movement trays at the end of the challenge and add some colour to them using either tufts/flowers or just random flecks of orange rust or blue/green verdigris.

Here's a kinda timestamp of another tank!

And that's me pretty much done for this month of February.

Hopefully for March I'm going to try and put some paint on that tank and some more Sisters. I seem to be avoiding the flagellant militia, so I might try and at least paint one of them. Maybe.

I'm thinking dark blue robes with white cheques, maybe the odd flame or two - but we'll see.

Here's this month's breakdown, and the usual links :)

Intro: Army List - link

Month One: Leader - link

Month Two - Troopers 

   140...Five Sisters of Battle

   140...Five Sisters of Battle

   280...TOTAL

See you again at the start of March 🤘