Space Hulk Blood Angels - Base Coating Tutorial

If you caught my last post then you know the story.

Space Hulk. Ticking clock. Favor for a friend.

Today, I will attempt to tutorialize you with how I prepare my Space Marine canvas.

Obviously, prep the model by assembling, cleaning, and gap filling, to the degree your skill and time will dictate.

Then base the model with a black primer.

As with my genestealers, I used watered down Vallejo Black Primer through my Iwata Revolution CR airbrush. I have used the primer without mixing it with water, but I feel that using the 50/50 ratio gives better results.

For the red, I used Vallejo Model Air Scarlet Red. You can use Mephiston Red, Khorne Red, or any of the darker and heavily pigmented red paints, this was just the easiest available option that I had on hand.

 

 

Some the Vallejo Model Air paints will still need to be thinned, but I have found the Scarlett to have a good consistency that can go directly in the brush.

 

I make sure to lower my air compressor to about 10 PSI max before I start spraying. This is the setting that gives me the most control when applying paint.

 

Then I slowly begin building up layers red over the black, begining with the underside of the model.

 

I will try my best to not leave any area black, the deep recesses and shadows will just be less red then the areas the light touches. The lit areas will continue to have layers built upon them until the brightest parts are a solid red.

 

This is best achieved by pointing your airbrush down at an angle towards your model and spraying the paint concentrically around the model.

 

Here's a crappy drawing that I did in OneNote to try to illustrate this concept.

 

Here you can see how the top of the model is now much more vibrant than before.

 

And thus depth is created.

 

 The effect is basically using paint to simulate how a flashlight will light up and object in the dark.

 

Some painters refer to this as Zenthial Lighting, I just call it painting the armor.

 

Things to remember:

 

-You must start with a dark undercoat (Blacks, Browns, Dark Blues, etc.) to get a good shadow effect.

 

-Thin layers are essential, as with any paint blending.

 

-Take your time, airbrushing should not be used as method to rush through a paint job. If that's your goal, just stick to Krylon spray cans and save yourself some money and frustration.

 

-Watch your needle tip, the acrylic will begin to cake up and can caused splatters or clog your brush.

 

 

That's all for now, let me know if you have any questions!