High Elf Army- WIP

As I mentioned in another thread, a couple friends of mine and I are putting together an LLC for the purpose of painting minis professionally. Our LGS gave us a helluva deal on over 3000 points of High Elves, and this will be our first major project. Our goal is to have the entire army (over 140 models) painted, based, and ready to go by Games Day in Chicago on July 28th. Here's a few pics of my first unit, the Phoenix Guard.

Got the golden look for the armor down great, using Shining Gold with a highlight of Mithril Silver and a wash of Gryphonne Sepia
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Next were the blue cloaks, using Enchanted Blue.
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Followed by painting the hafts of the Halberds Black.
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I then drybrushed white onto the blue cloaks.
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My last color for the night was a wash of Azurmen Blue over the highlighted cloaks.
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Whew! Calling it a night! I know they're not finished, but I'm pretty happy with this start. The Phoenix Guard are a good centerpiece unit, and will reflect the color scheme of Blue, White, and Gold.

Looks damn good Great strong colours.
But shouldn't this be in the "Fantasy Wargames" section?

That is SPLENDID PROGRESS! Even in their unfinished state they surpass most of the "finished" armies I've seen locked in combat at various Game Stores. GREAT WORK!

Now on to the painful subject: threads that feature fantasy stuff that doesn't relate to Mordheim go in the Shout It Out Fantasy section...my own Night Goblins are lurking there. So I'm moving the thread there...the Elves will like it.

Haha, you're right. I posted these last night EXTREMELY late, and I was very tired, so I didn't realize I put them in the wrong spot.

No problem, Amigo...it did make sense posting it in the same section as your other thread.

Well, I've spent most of the morning getting little highlights done and the gems on the helmets, belts, and weapons. Gonna let my friend Travis do the banner though. He's REALLY good at murals and fine detail work. NEARLY THERE!!
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EDIT:
Aside from the banner, I finished the Phoenix Guard. The final touch-ups involved going over any blotchy areas and smoothing them over with a comparable color, adding a tiiiiny white spot on all the gems to give the impression of reflection, and other assorted detail work.
Travis will do the banner, and my friend Tony will do the bases/flocking. Really excited about this project!

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My next block was two 10-strong units of SwordMasters. The first step was a primer in black, followed by a White dry-brush. This gives the best of both worlds: good dark recesses, and brighter highlights. Got the idea here on the forums (I think it was either Deafnala or Von Kurst. Either way, thanks guys!)
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Next was doing the faces and hands in Elf Flesh.
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This step took a while: Getting all of the armor covered in a base of Shining Gold.
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Next up was highlighting the armor in Mithril Silver, as well as doing the blades of the swords.
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Covered all the armor bits in a wash of Seraphim Sepia. I ran out of Gryphonne Sepia, but this seems to be the same stuff.
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My last step for tonight was getting all of the sleeves/linings of the robes underneath in White Scar/Skull White.
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Making good progress so far. Though this thread may be pic heavy, I'm using it as the basis for some painting tutorials I'm gonna be making for future use.

I see we use the same base coating method...yet another "Great Minds" instance.
You're making impressive progress; & the Pointy Eared Ones aren't suffering from the speed...LOOKIN' GOOD!

Feel free to post as many photos as you'd like. Folks here tend toward the Photo Loony type.

Quote :

(I think it was either Deafnala or Von Kurst. Either way, thanks guys!)

Ha! As if I could ever give painting tips! Ja, that would be Deaf's job

Spent a good amount of the evening getting the last few steps handled.
Keeping with the Army's base colors, I did the ribbons, sashes, and gems in Enchanted Blue
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Next I used Kommando Khaki for the helmet tassels
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Did a bit of touching up on some of the armor and a few other blotches, and then washed the tassels with Ogryn Flesh. It's a lighter color wash than Seraphim Sepia, and I wanted the tassels to stand out from the armor.
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After I finished highlighting the tassels, these guys should be ready.

As with the Phoenix Guard, I'm letting Travis do the banner work, and Tony will handle the basing. Using this method, we're gonna be pumping out finished units pretty quickly. [img][/img]

While they may lack some of the subtler details, the mass effect is stunning. VERY WELL DONE!

Yeah, going for facial features on big units is a bit unrealistic, but Travis has offered to do some of that. Right now I'm just concentrating on getting the blocks done. Carl, the guy that cut us the great deal at our LGS, pretty much nailed it on the head when he said that unless you pick up the model and look at it close up, you're not gonna notice facial features on them. Thanks for the compliments!

Those units will look splendid on the gaming board! Good work! I think the armour is especially well painted - lots of contrast!

Thanks folke! Glad you like them. I've seen golden armor on some Tomb Kings armies before, and I thought it'd look good opposite the blue and white. I've been incorporating it on everything in the army, and I know they're gonna really stand out on the table. Here's my latest work: A small unit of Dragon Princes.
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EDIT: Oh, and got the banner work back on the SwordMasters: Here's a pic:
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I think it's the olden armor that really sets the Elves apart from the G.W. take on the thing. They're all coming along SPLENDIDLY!

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With over half of the army painted and on display at our LGS, we've gotten a lot of attention, and we're also well on our way to our goal of having it done by the 28th!

Having the end of a major commission in sight is wonderful; wait until it's finished; the feeling of freedom is incredible...like being released from Hell. Keep up the GOOD WORK; the Lads look SPLENDID!

Thanks Deaf! Yeah, with only about 40-50 models left to go, plus a handful of chariots to work on, it's cool knowing the end is in sight! More pics to follow!

The last of a batch of 60 spearmen/Sea Guard. Man, am I glad to be done with these guys! The end is in sight, with just 30 archers and 4 chariots to go...
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DeafNala wrote:

Having the end of a major commission in sight is wonderful; wait until it's finished; the feeling of freedom is incredible...like being released from Hell. Keep up the GOOD WORK; the Lads look SPLENDID!

Oh you do make commision work sound wonderful Nala...

Spectre76 wrote:

The last of a batch of 60 spearmen/Sea Guard. Man, am I glad to be done with these guys! The end is in sight, with just 30 archers and 4 chariots to go...

You made those quite clumsy models look good! Good luck with the rest!

Considering what you had to work with, the Pointy Eared Horde is turning out WONDERFULLY! FINE WORK in record time...WELL DONE!

Thanks Folke! Agree the old models don't have the detail of the new ones, but they seemed to paint up easy enough. Next up is 20 of 32 archers: Starting again with black/white drybrush as primer, I did the skin tones and blue cloth first.
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Next was gold on their armored bits.
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Then brown for their hair and boots.
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Asurmen Blue wash over the blue cloth:
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And then Seraphim Sepia over the gold and flesh.
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A few more steps and this bunch will be finished.

Got the white parts of the clothing done as the last step last night.
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Finished by doing black and silver on the bows, and then a light wash over the white sections.
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LOOKIN' GOOD! These are going to get a lot of attention/favorable responses once they reach the Field (Table) of Battle. GREAT WORK!
I'm looking forward to seeing what your partner does with the banner...be sure to take a Group Portrait before you turn the Guys over to their General.