themakerscult

Let's paint some Iron Hive with Seb

Added 2024-07-09 16:15:29 +0000 UTC

Hello everyone,

It's my turn to show a bit more about my painting process, so let's do a large and a small Iron Hive model : a Nemesix and a Termax MK2.

First of all, I am not an experienced painter, I'm just winging it and do things my way and how I feel it. But in any case it could inspire you to do your own take on Iron Hive, I can't wait to see more painted models around.

I have listed the paints I use but these are mostly generic colours. I mostly use Citadel (CI) and Army Painter (AP) paints, all applied by brush.

Ready ? let's go

Bases and posing have been prepared first.

For my bases I use plastic blank bases, decorated with small rocks from my yard, random plastic junk from packagings, electric cables, guitar strings, zip ties, spare parts from old prints... Base texture is done with Armageddon Dust (CI).

Here's and example, the 100mm round base of the Nemesix :

To pose my models, I generally blutack it and glue it step by step from feet to head once it looks like I want.

There’s no real theory behind my paint process, it’s just based on trial and error, and what I want it to look like i.e. zombified flesh with dark metallics, and blood stains.

Black prime on the whole model (spray paint) :

Then drybrush all over the metallic parts with Leadbelcher (CI), in fact almost over the whole model, no problem if you overdo it. It will be fixed later.

This step helps me highlight all the detail of the miniature fot the next steps.

I cover all the flesh areas with Mournfang brown (CI), just one thin coat with slightly diluted paint.

The goal here is to catch all the fleshy areas, in particular all the recesses. No worries if the coverage is not 100% clean or if you put a bit of brown on areas that should be metal, but I generally try to be a bit precise. I use a Standard Brush (AP) for this step. All in all this step helps define the limits of metal/flesh on the model and ensure a brown tone on all the flesh areas that we might not catch later with drybrushing.

Generous drybrush using a flat brush, with Mummy Robes (AP) all over the fleshy areas. Trying not to go too much on the metallics, but no big deal. If some areas are too hard to reach, no worries either, they’ll stay brown.

To blend all this, I apply a wash with Flesh Wash (AP) on all the flesh parts.

Once it is fuly dry, I apply a second light drybrush of Mummy Robes (AP), but I only concentrate on areas that I want to highlight. To accentuate the creepy look of the model, I apply a diluted wash of Glistenig Blood (AP) on the areas where metal meets flesh, where there are exposed muscles, tendons, brains etc. I apply a second coat where I want it to look really like scorched muscle, on brains, I also mix it with a bit of Blood for the Blood God (CI) for a more reddish and glossy look.

Next step is to fix a bit the Leadbelcher areas, apply some Balthazar Gold on other metallic areas, mainly rotating joints, exhausts, screws... and some Ironbeaker on shiny chrome rods or ball joints. I then apply Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade on most of the metallics.

Now we can cover all the armour panels with black paint, diluted about 1:3, one or two coats depending on how much metallic shine you want to keep onthe armour.

I also cover the chitinous scales with a thin coat of dark grey paint, mainly Dark Stone or Necromancer Cloak (AP), with a few highlights of light Grey made with a slight drybrushing.

After that it’s just adding fun detail here and there on metallics, armour, cables, base, lights... and finishing the base.

Blue lighting is just made with blues starting dark then preogressing to the brighter blues on smaller areas. Same for the heat effect, it's just a gradient made with red/yellow/white.

Blood and drool are made using UHU glue.