I showed off a couple of photos of a test colour scheme I had completed for my Legio Custodes on a couple of Facebook groups and was amazed at the feedback I got – all very positive and more than a few asking how I did it. Well, the time is now to share!
This is my very first test for the scheme – its one that I ended up refining as I felt this looked to old and weathered. If you want to get this look, use a green wash in the recesses after the black one in the process below!
The trick with this process was learning just how the washes changed the overall tones of the metal colours and which order to layer them as well as letting each layer completely dry before moving on. A Custodes armour should generally be gold in my mind – but I definitely did not want a shining brightly gold that we see so often… no, my Custodes would be more weather beaten and archaic than the parade ground version we see in the art.
Step 1 – Spray the model Retributor Armour (Gold). This is the rattle can from GW. Yes its expensive but I know what the result is going to be and I know roughly how far it goes. Its applied in a couple of coats straight over plastic then touched up with the same colour from the pot with a little water.
Step 2 – The model is drybrushed with Stormhost Silver. This is quite a heavy drybrush aimed at giving you contrast points in the gold.
Step 3 – Wash the entire model in Seraphim Sepia. The first thing this does is changes the silver to a golder hue and provides shading to the gold. You could literally stop here if you wanted the bright finish but I wanted a more natural and grim dark tone!
Step 4 – Wash the entire model in Nuln Oil. This really tones the gold down and creates a bunch of interesting shadows. You need to be controlled with this or it will end up very dark (see the tester above!)
Step 5 – Drybrush/Line highlight the armour with Storm Host Silver. This layer is about bringing the highpoints back out. For the basic infantry I just lightly dry brush but the heroes and centre pieces get a proper line highlight.
Step 6 – Wash with Seraphim Sepia. This is a controlled wash aimed at evening the last layer out and tying the whole thing together.
Step 7 – finish the model as you like! I am actively trying to avoid mixing colours these days so the rest of the model uses another dozen or so colours to round out the scheme. I might do up a complete step by step if there is interest.
Here is the first finished Custodes model I completed… though the base is just a test right now.
…when the Vexilla is done I will show him off with his mates!
It seems like you skipped a few steps. There´s a lot of difference between the model washed with Sepia and the final model.
Did you perhaps use a nuln oil wash as well to get that dark gold?
Nope – this is photo to photo – nothing skipped
The main reason it looks so different is the fact the base changes the tone visually as well as the rest of the colours are complete.
Keep an eye out for part 2 when I finish the vexilla!!