Godsworn Hunt

I started with my now standard approach to preparing for using Contrast paints. I primed the models black (Stynylrez Black Primer) and then used the GW rattle cans to lay down a zenithal of the state approved primer for Contrast Paints (Wraithbone in this case for a warmer tone).

I have really had no interest in painting the Godsworn Hunt and of the 5 warbands I had left to paint at the time - they were the least appealing however the new line of contrast paints gave me an idea of something to explore - Flesh tones.

At the time Contrast paints launched, I was excited by the range of flesh tones that were on offer - 3 out of 34 paints is a pretty decent haul... I was really super disappointed to discover that all 3 were basically caucasian. Darkoath being fairly pallid, Guilliman as your 'standard' offering and Fireslayer as the tanned, sunbeaten skin tone. Having said that, the line also comes with a good array of brown tones from the very mild Skeleton Horde through to the super saturated Cygor Brown - could they be used to create a more diverse group of models?

It felt like the Godsworn Hunt would be an excellent place to test a few different options:

Shond seemed like a good place to start with a very standard flesh tone. I wanted to use the three 'flesh' paints as a comparison for this line with the hopes of adding an African skin tone as well as an East Asian or South Asian tone. Guilliman flesh is a reasonable tone although it's not the most solid coverage and needs a little support on your undercoat (maybe using a dark brown to cover the black in the recesses).

Grundann is clearly a Sun-bronzed Conan-like dude and seemed the perfect candidate for Fireslayer. It's a great tone for that 'bronzed flesh' but again needs a warm paint to lay over.

From the moment I saw these models, I knew I wanted my Theddra to have a classic X-Men 'Storm' vibe and for that I needed an African skin tone and that was a challenge with this line. In the end I thought I'd try Wyldwood. Cygor was a strong contender but Wyldwood seemed to feel a little more like what I was looking for. I decided to use Grawl to test the colour on an organic surface and although I really didn't like it for a fur colour - I knew it would work for Theddra:

Ollo was to be my Asian skin tone - something I've never been able to master. I dove straight in with Gore-Grunta fur and this was a mistake. It looks ok (and the photos are pretty forgiving here). In the flesh it reads as substantially more orange than I was looking for. It seems a reasonable shade for Native American but even then it will need to be knocked back some.

Jagathra got the Darkoath flesh and this gave me the opportunity to explore glazing in some stubble shading (see below). This colour comes out pretty light (similar to the skeleton horde paint) - it really needs some warming / pink tones underneath to sell it as living flesh but has the flexibility to shift to unreal dead flesh with a bluer underlay.

In an effort to fix Grawl's fur - I used a drybrush followed by a textured highlight of a reaper colour I had in my arsenal - Shield Brown. It worked to an extent but still didn't really wow me. In the vein of the old Teri Litorco mantra "Done is my favorite color." I didn't get hung up on it and moved on.

Agarros Dunes got a work out on the bases. This was a colour I really didn't know where to place and so wanted to give it a chance to shine on some nicely textured, larger surfaces:

I was mixing and matching a few different things as the whim took me. I tried all the greys to test NMM effects (Basilicanum Grey is the hands down winner - it works for both NMM and rocks). I also played around with Flesh Tearer Red on Theddra's cloak - working on layering to darken down the recesses:

At this point I found out about a Pride painting competition and nominated Jagathra for my entry. I really enjoyed layering small amounts of thinned Basilicanum grey over the skull to give a fantastic stubble effect. The hair is simply straight up examples of some of the Contrast Colours which really sings.

Playing around with the furs and details and after a shockingly short amount of time - I have a pretty snazzy looking warband!

If you have questions about Contrast Paints - I will be livestreaming on YouTube with demos and a Q&A Thursday July 11th 8pm (UK). If you miss it, the video will be up on my channel - Raggy Paints. Subscribe to the channel for more great videos and livestreams every week.

- Raggy, signing out