The Blue Mile

More blue marble bases, which means there must be more Holy Order of Man figures on the way!!

This base is meant for a second Tumbler.

The two small bases are for additional Spica hired hands, while the medium sized base is for Mimreg Zain.

I am very glad that I chose to position broken pieces of columns and statues on the bases.  It gives them a slightly different feel than previous armies I have based in this manner.

There are only a few figures left to go before I can shoot some very grand army photos!

Stay tuned.

A new day at the quarry

Many of you saw the post earlier in the week which contained the new reference images taken at the cemetery.  Once I got back, I had to try to transfer what I had seen on an actual base.

This was going to be more complicated than the usual marble effect, as the veins were structured quite differently, and the colors were more exotic.  There's a combination of warmer and cooler colors, and that would have to be achieved somehow!

I started out mixing deep reddish brown with green, lightening it in places with a light seafoam green.

The paint was wet, which allowed me to mix right on the base.

Now for the much warmer shades!  A rust colored red was mixed with the seafoam green, and it was applied rapidly so that it would blend with the existing layers.

I added the lighter veins, but the pattern was far more complex than usual.  I also had to add 'dots' of lighter and darker colors, which I noticed in the reference images.

This shows those dots developing.  I am also putting the lightest shades in the veins.  I could not go as light as I normally do, as it seemed that the whole effect had to be more subtle than usual.

Now you see that the darkest colors have been enhanced, and finer dots added...

The rest of the work on the base would involve the surrounding areas such as the rocks.

Just about ready for some tufts of grass!!!

Finished!!

This was a very fun marble effect.  I just wish that I could have had more time to snap lots of images!!

The early stages

Once all the glue and green stuff cured, it was time to start painting.

I wasn't really sure what color marble I wanted, so I just grabbed a few colors and started mixing them together.

I ended up with more of a greenish gray, which will eventually be tinted other shades as well.

You can see the marble veins emerging already.  It is important, of course, to make one edge be 'lost', or soft, and the other very sharp.

You can even work the other way, and add some darker color to that edge to enhance the sharpness.

I may or may not do the same color on the other bases... but let's see.

Most of the other marble pillars will likely be a darker color.  I'm thinking a darker, warm green perhaps.

Marble slowly begins to emerge...

A bit more as lighter colors are added, all the while enhancing the vein effect.

Now the lightest colors have been added.

So I went back in with a few darks, as I mentioned before.

This shows the "before and after" of the marble effect I have been painting.  Much more to come!