Like a Champ

I'm still chipping away at my Command Squad and I'm afraid I won't have them completely finished for my game on friday.  I got busy last night on several other things, and didn't start painting until much later.  As a result, only the company champion ended up painted.  I was a little concerned about the amount of gold going on the model, but after dulling it down with washes I think it hit a good sheen to match the rest of the model.

One of the unexpected additions to the mini was the helm.  I had originally planned to place the maltese cross off center in white with red detailing; it was late and to my horror the cross looked terrible.  The only aspect I liked was how the white stood out against the black and gold.  So the rest of the helm ended up white and the accent stripe went on in the style of the pre-heresy imperial fists.  While I took the long way around, I still accidentally accomplished my end goal of making the helm into a focal point for the model.

An aspect of my painting that has come a long way since I started is my power weapon skills.  I've done a variety of styles from plain blue with flecked shades of light blue and white to a gradient style.  But, I think my favorite is the lightening effect.  I based my method on the tutorial from the blog From the Warp (one of my favorite places to go for beginner tutorials.  You can find the tutorial here: http://fromthewarp.blogspot.com/2009/09/power-swords-space-hulk-style.html  The large difference between what I did here was using two different washes, both nightshade and violet.  The nightshade first darkens both the blade and the lightening effect, and the violet adds color to the lightening to make it stand out.  Then it's simply picking out some spots with white and you're finished.

About the only thing missing from this guy is his basing and doing the script on the the scroll above his head and on the shield.  And while it seems unlikely that I'll be getting both my apothecary and sergeant finished tonight.  At least the majority of the squad will look good running with my Master of Sanctity and Emperor's Champion.