So at the moment I don’t have an Ariadnan army for Infinity but that may change. In the mean time I just love the look of this model and had to have a go at painting it. I’ve taken inspiration from various sources on the net, both real world and from computer games and this is what I came up with.
First things first was to clean up the model and put it together. There aren’t that many parts to this model, five in fact, and they all go together nicely. None of the fiddly bits that you can often find on Infinity models.
I started off using the airbrush with Vallejo Black Surface Primer (74.602). Then once this was dry I went back over the model with Vallejo Grey Surface Primer (74.601) but I sprayed down at about a forty five degree angle. This helps to show where the light will catch the model and sets up the highlights and shading. One thing I’ve picked up doing this is to use several very light coats to build up the effect you are looking for rather than trying to cover everything in one go. It takes a little longer but gives a nicer finish.
I decided to try and do a bit more with the airbrush so once I had the priming done I decided to stick with airbrush for the first part of the colour. This was done using a thinned down Vallejo US Dark Green (71.016). I wanted to try and keep the shading I had achieved with the priming so again I used thin coats and didn’t try to cover things in one go.
I then mixed some Vallejo Escorpena Green (72.732) in to the US Dark Green in a 50/50 mix for the first highlight. Then in a similar manor to the priming I sprayed down at about a forty five degree angle to try and set up some smooth highlighting on the green.
That was it for the airbrush and I switched to a normal brush for the next steps. The first thing was to add some more Escorpena Green to the previous mix and carry on with the highlighting. I basically stood the model up and then just looked down at where the light caught it and added some highlights.
With the brush in had I used some Vallejo Gunship Green (71.014) to paint the plate carrier. Then for the boots, knee pads, bow and the MOLLE pouches on his chest I went with Vallejo Leather Brown (72.740).
I added some of the Escorpena Green mix to the Gunship Green and used this to highlight the green areas. Then I used Vallejo Desert Yellow (72.762) to highlight the brown areas. At this stage the highlights aren’t that obvious but I will adding a wash later that really adds some definition to things.
At the moment the green of the clothing is a bit bland but I had a plan for this. I’ve done this on a few other projects and that is to change the feel of a colour by using different types of wash. So for the Trousers and had I used Vallejo Dark Yellow Wash (76.503). I’ve used this on my Haqislam so I knew what to expect and was happy with how it came out. To me the yellow helps to tie the green in with the desert style base is was planning to use. Then I used Vallejo Dark Green Wash (76.512) for the green on the plate carrier and Vallejo Dark Khaki Green (76.520) for the T-shirt and scarf. For the boots and the MOLLE pouches I used Citadel Gryphonne Sepia Wash.
I went with a different method for the flesh on this guy. Seeing as how he is a bit more of an outdoor hard man I wanted to try and make the flesh a bit more tanned. So I started off with Vallejo Dwarf Skin (72.041) and then highlighted this with Vallejo Bronze Flesh (72.036). I then used Secret Weapon Flesh Wash to darken things down and get into all the creases. The final step was to go back and do a highlight of thinned down Bronze Flesh.
For the gloves, beard, hair and arrows I used Vallejo US Grey (71.047) which was then highlighted with Vallejo US Grey Light (71.045). It was then back to the washes to darken things down with Vallejo Dark Grey Wash (76.517). Once that was all nice and dry I went back and did a highlight of US Grey Light.
For the final detail I painted the flexi cuffs on his chest and the flights on the arrows with the US Grey Light. The wheels on the end of the bow were done with Vallejo Gun Grey (71.072). For the bases which are just green stuff added to a normal blank base, I started off by priming them with Vallejo Black Surface Primer (74.602). The first colour on the base was an even coat of Vallejo Charred Brown (72.045). This was then followed by a good dry-brush of Vallejo Leather Brown (72.040), before a final dry-brush with Vallejo Desert Yellow (72.763). With the colours on the whole base was given a wash of Vallejo Brown Wash (76.513) and once this was dry a wash of Vallejo Desert Dust Wash (76.522). The final painting step was to then go round the edges of the cracks with the Desert Yellow.
The next step was to add a little bit of weathering. I did this by giving them a dusting of Secret Weapon Dark Earth weathering powder followed by a dusting of Secret Weapon Dark Yellow weathering powder. These are applied to both the base and the model. This way I find that it just helps to tie the model and base together. A final touch was to add some Army Painter Dried Grass just to break up the base a bit.
With the model and base completed everything was sealed with a coat of Vallejo Satin Varnish (26.652). As well as protecting the models, because it is a gaming piece it also just takes the edge off some of the colours and I think gives things a more natural feel.
And then we have a few pictures of the finished model from a slightly lower angle for you.
Full Paint List:
Black Surface Primer (74.602) Vallejo
Grey Surface Primer (74.061) Vallejo
US Dark Green (71.016) Vallejo
Escorpena Green (72.732) Vallejo
Gunship Green (71.014) Vallejo
Leather Brown (72.740) Vallejo
Desert Yellow (71.762) Vallejo
Dwarf Skin (72.041) Vallejo
Bronze Flesh (72.036) Vallejo
US Grey (71.047) Vallejo
US Grey Light (71.045) Vallejo
Gun Grey (71.072) Vallejo
Charred Brown (72.045) Vallejo
Leather Brown (72.040) Vallejo
Desert Yellow (72.763) Vallejo
Washes:
Dark Yellow Wash (76.503) Vallejo
Dark Green Wash (76.512) Vallejo
Dark Khaki Green Wash (76.520) Vallejo
Dark Grey Wash (76.517) Vallejo
Brown Wash (76.513) Vallejo
Desert Dust Wash (76.522) Vallejo
Gryphonne Sepia Wash Citadel
Other Products:
Dark Earth Weathering powder Secret Weapon
Dark Yellow Weathering powder Secret Weapon
Satin Varnish (26.519) Vallejo
