Project Sulaco: Part 6

So, Prometheus exists, doesn't it? Not a good film, even by the standards of trend-chasing prequels. It's got one honestly scary moment among the mediocrity, like a shiny penny in a wastepaper basket. Speaking of which…

 

So, I had now moved on to the painting of these guys, having done research on methods for painting black. This research led me to contrast paints and the concept of "slapchop" or more properly "underpainting". For this technique, instead of applying a contrast to a white undercoat, something I loathe, you apply it to an intermediate colour, usually drybrushing a grey or white over black. This removes some of the unpredictability of contrasts, here being Black Templar and Fleshtearer Red, setting a foundational tone for the colour work. Clearly, I need to learn a bit about colour theory as I ended up with a darker ruby red, but that works. As did the black; its subtle, but there's more to it than merely spraypaint. I wouldn't be opposed to using this approach again in future, although I will admit my brainworms giving me trouble for the entirety of the process, until I finally decided pull the plug.While these meet the three colour table-worthy standard, I’m not happy with how they look. It had become a chore, and given earlier difficulties, its probably for the best that I draw a line under this, and maybe come back to it with fresh eyes and/or better skills.

It seems that I don't merely dislike slogging through Ork Boyz, I dislike slogging through Space Marines too. I'm just more of a kitbash, rusty scratchbuild, drybrush robot kinda guy. A shocking revelation there. The contrast paints here, while clearly having uses, just aren’t sitting well with my paint style. I’m not having fun here, and if I’m not having fun, or happy with the end result, what’s the point? So, I’m ending things there. I’ll take a week or two to think about what happens next. I may start another long term project, perhaps one with more of the bits I find fun, I may revisit the vehicles I planned, but just now I’ll take a break.

So what have I learned here? Well, I think I’ve managed to get useful practice with sculpting, and picked up a few painting tricks. I was probably over-confident from the outset, but I wanted to try something different, and there’s no shame in that it didn’t work out. But whatever I do next, I’ll have better idea of what I can actually do, with a few extra tools in my toolbox. Its said you learn more from a fialure, and that's a positive view I'm choosing to take.

Cheers for now.