Speed Painting 3 :: Example #2

The Sword Knight

The Cygnar Sword Knights are another good example of troops that look good with lots of metallic metals. There are a few challenges with cloth and leather, but they're easy to overcome.

The color palette for this Sword Knight, not counting its base, is:

• VGC Brassy Brass
• VGC Skull White
• VGC Scurf Green
• VGC Jade Green
• GW Scorched Brown
• GW Bestial Brown
• GW Mithril Silver
• GW Chainmail
• Metal Wash

The first step is naturally to apply the base colors for the Sword Knight. Its armor is done in Chainmail, and the accent pieces, to include the Cygnus, are Brassy Brass. The belt was painted with Scorched Brown and the loin cloth, shield, and top knot with Scurf Green. The base was also covered with Bestial Brown. Total working time: approximately 20 minutes.

Wash with the Metal Wash solution. Be careful not to let it pool on surfaces like the loin cloth, the flat parts of the shield, or the belt. It's acceptable for the wash to add the darker tone, but it's not desirable to have black pools on these surfaces. If you get pools, and you can't pull them off in time with a clean brush, be prepared to repaint parts of the colored surfaces.

Once dry, simply pick out a few highlights in the metal, and detail out the colored surfaces. The loin cloth and shield in this case were highlighted up using Jade Green and Skull White, and the leather for the belt was highlighted using Bestial Brown. The base was also finished. As a note, the Brassy Brass color can be highlighted using a 70/30 mix of Brassy Brass and Mithril Silver to brighten up edges.

Total working time for this Sword Knight was about 45 minutes, and that includes adding in the ceremonial sword after the fact. If you want to speed up the time a little, file off the mounting nub on the Knights' belt and leave the extra sword off. It's not fluffy, but it's a time saver.

There are lots of models that can benefit by using washes. Even if you paint something like a warjack, with large expanses of colored plates, all the metal parts can be done very quickly by applying these tricks. Full units can be masterfully cranked out fast and efficiently using this simple trick. It's not an award winner, but odds are good that you'll have one of the best looking armies on any table.

-T-