Start as you mean to go on, or so they say.
Feeling the general burnout of the Christmas season, I decided to take advantage of being an adult and instead (after apologising to my former housemate up in Middlesbrough and forgoing New Year shawarma) celebrate New Year’s Eve quietly, watching good films and sitting down to paint.
One of the figures I’ve been really looking forward to painting is Vae Victis‘s Elf Fighter (from the December 2022 release). I genuinely think that Vae Victis is one of the best companies for someone with a 3D printer and wanting to collect fantasy miniatures – every release combines a set of modular infantry with a selection of unique hero models, all in a wonderful style that prints well and is easy to paint, while still making each of them feel characterful.
I printed her a while and since then she’s been sat waiting to be painted up. I accidentally trimmed one of her fingers slightly too far (so it looks like she has a fist now) it doesn’t take anything away from what is a nicely posed hero character. I went for the wandering fantasy fighter feel for her, with limited metal and an earthy tone. I also went for a little more care with this figure – rather than simply applying the wash over the final step, I went and highlighted each with the base colour, just to add some depth. I also went even further with the skin, as you can see in the list below.
In terms of painting, all colours are from GW. I started off with a black undercoat, before dry brushing Dawnstone Grey and Wraithbone White with a form of zenithal shading. Then I broke out the colours;
- Skin: GW Cadian Fleshtone, washed with Agrax, highlight of Cadian Fleshtone, then Kislev Flesh then Flayed One Flesh. Light Cadian Fleshtone glaze over the top.
- Hair: Mournfang Brown, washed with Agrax, drybrush Mournfang Brown, light drybrush Steel Legion Drab
- Leather: Rhinox Hide, washed with Agrax, highlight with Rhinox Hide.
- Leather straps: Steel Legion Drab, washed with Agrax, highlight with Steel Legion Drab.
- Cloth: Ushabti Bone, washed with Agrax, highlight with Ushabti Bone.
- Green clothing: Deathworld Forest, washed with Agrax, highlight JUST on the edges with Deathworld Forest
- Sword: Leadbelcher, washed with Nuln Oil, highlight Leadbelcher on the edge. Hilt painted with Aggaros Dune for gold effect.
- Buckles: Leadbelcher, washed with Agrax, highlight Leadbelcher