Dan’s 2026 Side Projects

For the Rampart faction models I wanted to use the same painting technique, but adapt it to make it lighter and brighter.

The models were undercoated wraithbone then painted all over with apothercary white.

The following shade paints were then used:

1. Reikland fleshshade on the skin.
2. Agrax earthshade on the wood.
3. Carroburg crimson for the arrow feathers.
4. Casandora yellow for the hair and dragon scales.
5. Biel-tan green for the flags and grass.
6. Fuegan orange for parts of the dragon.
7. Basilicanum grey (a contrast paint) for the stones.

The metal areas were then painted with ironbreaker (no wash, shading, or highlights to keep the metal looking bright and shiny). The base rims were painted abaddon black.

I thought the Dungeon models would also be well suited to the darker painting style I used on my last set of models. Given the hard bit with the last lot was watering down the paints to make washes, for this batch I had the genius idea of just using washes from the beginning.

The models were undercoated greyseer then painted all over with basilicanum grey contrast paint. I then applied various washes (listed below) using paints from Games Workshops’ shade range.

1. Athonian cammoshade
2. Feugan orange
3. Biel-tan green
4. Carroburg crimson
5. Casandora yellow
6. Drakenhof nightshade
7. Druchii violet
8. Agrax earthshade
9. Reikland fleshshade
10. Seraphim sepia

The metallic bits were painted either ironbreaker or auric armour gold and then given a wash of nuln oil.

The Evil Eye’s tentacle tips were painted white scar then given a glaze of guilliman blue.

The Harpy wings were dry brushed administratum grey.

I left the bases as painted by the contrast paint, but painted the rims with abaddon black.

Following the painting style I tried for the first time on the Rogue (see my last project entry), I wanted to work on this dark gritty style some more.

All these models, with a few exceptions, detailed below, followed the following recipe:

1. Undercoat grey seer.
2. Pain the entire model, including base, with basilicanum grey.
3. Paint each area with a colour paint, watered down roughly 50:50 to make a wash/glaze.
4. Tie all the colours together with a wash of roughly 4:1 lahmium medium:basilicanum grey.
5. The bases were painted with talassar blue and plaguebearer flesh.
6. The base rims were painted abaddon black.

The colours used were flayed one flesh, deathclaw brown, loren forest, averland sunset, caledor sky, pink horror, warboss green, runefang steel, xereus purple, doombull brown, ushabti bone and evil sunz scarlet.

The Gorgon is supposed to have metallic skin, so after the coat of basilicanum grey the model was dry brushed runefang steel. The colour washes mostly covered all the metallic effect, so the model was dry brushed runefang steel again after the colours had been applied.

Overall I think this works really well to make some dark, broody looking miniatures. The final wash really ties them all together. I need more practice turning normal paint colours into washes.

My first model of 2026 is a rogue for Heroes of Might and Magic 3. I picked this because it fits the theme of “sinners and saints” for January’s painting competition.

I wanted to try a different painting style for this mini. I started with a grey seer undercoat followed by an all-over coat of basilicanum grey to pre-shade the entire model.

All other colours, listed below, were watered down to a wash/glaze consistency and then applied. This retained the shading from the basilicanum grey and led, in my opinion, to a dirtier looking model with more natural shading.

Trousers – mephiston red

Skin – cadian fleshtone

Armour – balor brown

Boots – doombull brown

Cape – corvus black

Weapons – ironfang

The base was painted with rhinox hide, then layered up with more and more zamesi dust added to the mix. The rim was painted abaddon black.