Black Legion test paint

Hey all, back again with a quick update. Over the weekend I tried a test paint scheme for my new improved Black Legion. As everyone probably knows, black is easy to paint but hard to paint well. I personally don't care for the extreme edge highlight techniques you usually see on GW models, so thought I'd go for a different approach.

I wanted the black to become the backdrop for the other elements on the model, particularly the gold. After priming black (of course) I began by drybrushing the armor areas with metallic black. This keeps the black from becoming too tinted with blue or grey, while also adding a degree of luster to the plates and allowing the edges to catch the light.

One thing I've found over the years is that it works best to drybrush in a single consistent direction. You are trying to highlight when drybrushing, so you want the upraised areas to catch the paint, not the bottom. I see a lot of people use a back-and-forth motion and it can ruin the effect you want.

I tried a new technique on the gold, and I'm pretty pleased with the results so far. I basecoated with old Calthan Brown, then did a messy highlight with new Averland Yellow. I then went back over it with a layer of new Auric Armour Gold. The gold covers well by itself, but I found that the colors underneath show through and add a good bit of depth to it.

 With that done, I went back with Devlan Mud to pick out the rivets, skulls, and so on. Finally I used a thin edge highlight of Reaper Buckskin Pale as the final highlight. While not a metallic it blends in well and really helps it pop.

I'm still not 100% sold on the black and will probably keep experimenting, but I'm happy with the gold for now. Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!


-- Boltergeist