New Dark Eldar

[HarlekissofDeath]

Hello, Hello, Hello

Here is the first in what I hope to be many more pics of my Dark Eldar Army. My local 40k store owner has let me start painting on the new DE release plastic sprues before the official release date, and he will let me buy them on November 5th. It has taken me longer to finish then normal only because of work and other things and not being able to get out the store and paint for hours on end each day.

So what do you guys think?

Thanks, and more will be coming soon.

[isotope99]

heil, mein fuhrer.

Maybe paint over the hitler moustache? :p

[HarlekissofDeath]

He doesn't have a mustache, it just looks like that from the lighting. That is the cleft part of his lip

[Tynskel]

wow! Awesome!

[fuzzbuket]

cool :D

[Xas]

even though it isnt a moustache it has inspired a funny/cynical (depending on your POV) idea in me:

build a unit of DE (dont yet know if it will be kabalite warriors, wracks or grotesques) where each one resembles a "villain" type of historical figure...

[chromedog]

Wondering on what the over the shoulder tubes are?

Similar to the creidann of the harlequins, perhaps (some kind of grenade launcher)?

[HarlekissofDeath]

Wondering on what the over the shoulder tubes are?

Similar to the creidann of the harlequins, perhaps (some kind of grenade launcher)?

It is the Phantasm Grenade Launcher; it gives the squad assualt and defensive grenades. It does look alot like the shadowseer grenade launcher.

[HarlekissofDeath]

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Hey everyone,

Sorry for not posting anything on here for awhile but I have been busy. I have a raider done that I need to take pics of, and I am posting pics of my completed warrior squad now.
Next on the chopping block is another raider and a ravager. Then I have 15 wyches to complete. I am painting one right now just to test some color schemes, and skin colors. I'll post those when they are done.
I also have 6 reaver jetbikes almost done. just some highlighting and then the bikes are finished. I am trying to get 1500 painted by march. Sadly no new haemonculi models or the cronos model before then. So I am going to have to use my own cronos (right now I proxy my avatar).
But here are a few pics of the squad 100% complete; let me know what you think?

Thanks

[HarlekissofDeath]

Just another update. I have finished my wych, and will post it hopefully later today. Next I am going to finish my 6 reaver jet bikes.
Just letting you know that I am alive still and that I am trying to keep this blog going with pics and other comments on painting Dark Eldar.
What are some of the color schemes that you are using for your DE army, and how is your painting coming along?

[HarlekissofDeath]

Okay, so my little post a half hour ago inspired me to grab my camera and take some pics. So here is the finished wych; let me know what you think? :D

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[steelmage99]

Just another update. I have finished my wych, and will post it hopefully later today. Next I am going to finish my 6 reaver jet bikes.
Just letting you know that I am alive still and that I am trying to keep this blog going with pics and other comments on painting Dark Eldar.
What are some of the color schemes that you are using for your DE army, and how is your painting coming along?


Mine looks like this;

http://www.pbase.com/crusader40k/image/131035730/medium.jpg

The biggest problem I have run into is painting the various parts of the entire Dark Eldar pantheon in a way that both ties them together and differentiates them.

Obviously my main colour is blue, but I am having problems painting my Cult and Coven models in such a way that they belong in the same army without simply being the same kind of blue. Does that make any sense? :)

Looking at your pictures I can see that I really need to work on making my highlights more crisp and clean. Good work.

[Emerald Rose Widow]

Wow, this is all done very expertly, I mean you are a really talented painter. I have a long way to go myself, but ill take any advice on drybrushing, and any other techniques you use to create these realistic and crisp looks.

[HarlekissofDeath]

Mine looks like this;

http://www.pbase.com/crusader40k/image/131035730/medium.jpg

The biggest problem I have run into is painting the various parts of the entire Dark Eldar pantheon in a way that both ties them together and differentiates them.

Obviously my main colour is blue, but I am having problems painting my Cult and Coven models in such a way that they belong in the same army without simply being the same kind of blue. Does that make any sense? :)

Looking at your pictures I can see that I really need to work on making my highlights more crisp and clean. Good work.

I was thinking the same thing when I first started painting my DE. At first I just wanted to have a wych cult, but the DE codex has such a huge variety of backside stomping goodness that I didn't want to limit my options. So instead I am going for a very mixed theme entire DE army list. Pretty much as the points get bigger I am using more and more units from the codex.
But I digress. So in the army everyone is going to have black armor, and the highlights are going to be different depending on the unit type. Like my warriors have just codex grey as a highlight, and some high highlighting of fortress grey, were as my wyches are DE but are not from the same caste as the warriors, and they are my own wych cult called the Crimson Blade, so they have red highlighting. So all my warrior squads are going to have the same highlighting, and all my wyches are going to have the same highlighting, and so on a so forth for my army. So the individual sects of DE society will be the same but will differ from other sects in color.

[HarlekissofDeath]

Wow, this is all done very expertly, I mean you are a really talented painter. I have a long way to go myself, but ill take any advice on drybrushing, and any other techniques you use to create these realistic and crisp looks.

I really don't consider my self the greatest drybrusher, but what i do to get all the folds of clothing highlighted is drybrush those parts heavily with codex grey, and then lighter with fortress grey, and lightest with white. then i do a badab wash to take away the ashy look of the drybursh, and then carefully clean it up with black in the crevasses, and the rest of the model. Next wych I'll do a step by step and show what I mean. As for the sharpness and crispness of my hightlighting lines it comes down to cleanup as well. Before I go over my lines with the black it looks alittle blotchy. But I try to be as clean as I can while making them to begin with but I find that working with DE miniatures are just a little to small on certain things to really get a handle on super fine highlighting with just the GW brushes. I go to michaels (in the states) and get a 18/0 size liner brush, and that really helps me get the fine highlights. But the brushes are of lower quality so the tips start to bend quickly.
I'm still learning and trying to get better with each model I paint. I just think of it this way. If I am spending hundreds to thousands of dollars on these miniatures I want them to look the best that I can. So I spend more time making sure my models look as great as I can paint them, and then move on to the next. It usually takes me a couple of weeks to paint a squad, because of time factors, and painting speed.
But as long as you finish a miniature and can honestly say to yourself, that is the best model I have painted so far then be proud of whatever work you are doing. We are all at different levels, but if we never strive to be better we never will. I frequent coolminiornot.com all the time, jsut to draw inspiration and the gw site and look and the articles that they have for each army and painting techniques for the different armies and models for those armies.
But keep up the good work, and post some of your pics on here and keep trying your best.:)

[HarlekissofDeath]

Mine looks like this;

http://www.pbase.com/crusader40k/image/131035730/medium.jpg

The biggest problem I have run into is painting the various parts of the entire Dark Eldar pantheon in a way that both ties them together and differentiates them.

Obviously my main colour is blue, but I am having problems painting my Cult and Coven models in such a way that they belong in the same army without simply being the same kind of blue. Does that make any sense? :)

Looking at your pictures I can see that I really need to work on making my highlights more crisp and clean. Good work.

Oh yeah by the way I really like your base. I have only been playing 40k a little over a year now, and really don't have alot of experience painting bases. What did you use for the grass, where did you find the shells for it?

[steelmage99]

The grass is Army Painter Swamp Tufts.
The helmet/shell thing is from the 40K Basing Kit, although there is a guy out there somewhere that makes amazing resing shells of various sizes. Can't remember the name though.

[GrenAcid]

Hi, Im sorry to put this in your topic but I didnt find any better place.
My problem is painting scheme for my new cabal....main topic is ghost, spectre-thing...I though to paint them in white and black/grey...but since my cd-drive is busted I cant load soulstor to try some schemes.
So ze question is, do you have any pics that would be good as samples/base for me?( btw I still havent decided about cabal name)

Thx.

[HarlekissofDeath]

Hi, Im sorry to put this in your topic but I didnt find any better place.
My problem is painting scheme for my new cabal....main topic is ghost, spectre-thing...I though to paint them in white and black/grey...but since my cd-drive is busted I cant load soulstor to try some schemes.
So ze question is, do you have any pics that would be good as samples/base for me?( btw I still havent decided about cabal name)

Thx.

My thread is a great place for this question; it is DE related and that is what I am looking for. Trying to gauge what other people are doing for their color schemes.
So for your question, how exactly are you trying to show the colors? You said Ghostish, and you are looking for black, grey, and white as your main colors? But how do you want your weapons to look, do you want armor pieces with metallic paint on them, like the chest or shoulder pad, and knee pad?
For your paint scheme, I don't have any pictures at the moment to post, but have you looked at the astronomican on GW about different kabal colors? That is what inspired me for the the wych with red highlights on the black. Also for your ghost armor scheme how much of the models of your warriors do you want with that? Like do you want the whole model like that, of the suit parts the aren't exactly armor plates black with minimal highlighting, or do you want the ghostly theme for the whole model?
I guess the biggest question is for blending; how many colors do you want to use to go from the black to the white? 2, 3, or more? Because it could be a simple mix to blend it through that spectrum, or it could be 'eavy metal 14 step process to awesomeness for a paint template. Just depends on the amount of time and effort you want to put into your models?
As for Kabal names, you could go with Twilight Spectres? Just a thought to get the cogs turning.

[HarlekissofDeath]

The grass is Army Painter Swamp Tufts.
The helmet/shell thing is from the 40K Basing Kit, although there is a guy out there somewhere that makes amazing resing shells of various sizes. Can't remember the name though.

I really like it, and I think it helps contrast very nicely with the blue of your model. DO you have more models painted? Could you post a pic of your army so far painted, I think that would look really cool?

So far all I have painted is a 10 man warrior squad, and a raider, and the one wych. I am 90% done with my reavers, but just haven't had time to finish them up yet.

[steelmage99]

I only have a Warrior Squad fully painted.
My Wyches are in a state of PIP while I have spent most of my time making Wracks, Hellions, Raiders, Ravagers and all the oher models.

[GrenAcid]

Thx for reply.

I think best would be ghostly theme for whole model with metalic bist like weapon/spikes/ blades ect. DE dosnt have much space between armour like SM.
As for blending I dont want it too complicated...cuz I wanna play with big blocks of warriors, so 3-4 max, HQ and elite gonna get more love:p

My favorite scheme is one from codex...Obsydian Rose, and If I dont manage to create some decent ghost scheme I will take them as my own:o
BTW do you guys think its hard to paint them like that?? cuz I have no idea what paint they used, for me its look like some kind of very dark red base with orange-ish highllighting, awesome anyway:p

[HarlekissofDeath]

The colors I think they used for the color scheme, base is a red gore and blood red mix 1:1. Then a pure blood red hightlight, finally a Blazing orange hightlight to finish it off. Maybe they might have had on top of that a vomit brown hightlight too. That is what I think, but I wish that was one of the kabals they had shown how they painted.

[HarlekissofDeath]

I only have a Warrior Squad fully painted.
My Wyches are in a state of PIP while I have spent most of my time making Wracks, Hellions, Raiders, Ravagers and all the oher models.

Any pics, of WIPs of your other models? I am working on getting my 1500 point list ready for a tournament in march, but after I get my 1500 army painted I will add the units needed for my 1850; which is a 12 man unit of hellions, and a ravager, and then 3 more reavers.

[geisthammer]

the minis are very good. Im just starting 2 venoms atm with reaver and vyper parts

[HarlekissofDeath]

Okay so I haven't posted a picture in a while, but I'm still here. I have a tournament on March 5th, so I am getting everything cleaning and assembled and primed. I have all of my warriors that I need cleaned and assembled. Now I am making a cronos parasite engine. It is the back of a carnefix, and the scything talons from a trygon. The belly is the chassy from a defiler.

So I will put some wips up of it soon.

How is everyone else doing with their dark eldar.

[steelmage99]

Looking forward to seeing those WIPs.

I have, unfortunately, been swamped at work. So little to no progress for me.

[HarlekissofDeath]

Here you go guys. Here is my WIP so far for my Cronos Parastie Engine. What do you think?

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[Tynskel]

looks like it would cause a lot of pain.

[HarlekissofDeath]

Alright so here is my completed Ravager.

Tell me what you think.

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[HarlekissofDeath]

So here is my WIP venom. Still need some more spikes and chains and blades on it, and I have to add the guns on the underside. But for now it is staying this way until the tournament in March is over and I get the rest of my regular guys finished.

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[HarlekissofDeath]

Here is my Haketor Champion (aka Succubus) primed and ready to be painted. Question for all of you? I want to make this guy stand out more; what else can I do to really make him stand our more from the rest of my wyches.
Oh yeah if you are wondering why the odd name and all for him, the reason is all my wyches are dudes. My wych cult is a all male cult, ruled by my own counts as Lelith that is a dude. He has some rivalry with her, and he stands toe to toe with her skill wise. But they are called the Cult of the Crimson Blade.
So I want to do something with his base, but sure how to customize it.

Suggestions needed, :o

Thank you

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[HarlekissofDeath]

Hey hey,

I know that it has been forever since I posted something, especially since I have posted some updates for my Dark Eldar. But the wait is over. Here are 7 more wyches painted up. I am going to get started on 7 more and hopefully have them painted up sooner than this last bunch. That will give me a complete 15 man squad.

So let me know what you think of my guys???

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[HarlekissofDeath]

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[DrLove42]

All very nice!

[Farseer Uthiliesh]

Agreed!

[HarlekissofDeath]

Just letting you know that I am in the middle of finishing up the last 7 wyches to complete my 15 man wych squad.
But also when I get done with work I am going to post some pics of my Asrubal Vect model that I have; I hope you like him. He is going to be in my 2500 point list.

[HarlekissofDeath]

Here he is the man of the city himself, the one the only Asdrubael Vect!!!

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What do you think?

[eldargal]

Ooh, I really like what you've done for the head. Very impressive.

[Xelkireth]

Nicely done. The pimp stick on my Vect looks so boring now.

[HarlekissofDeath]

So I have had this guy part way converted forever, but never got around to finishing the arms and head. I'm glad I waited because the scourge box comes with a venom blade. So I used two of those for his blades, and I replaced the usual knife on the warrior's belt with a holstered pistol for his blast pistol, and a glade gaurd cape; I cut off the quiver and filed it down till it is smooth and matches the rest of the cloak. and then I used a hekatrix head (just because all of my wyches are dudes, so I have never used this head before so it will be unique to my army, and there is a little bit more stuff going on with it than another head. So since the duke is a bit guady I figured why not.
Tell me what you think.:D

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[HarlekissofDeath]

Well hello,

So I have been thinking for a while now how should I make my counts as Lelith mini. Now I have a Lelith mini, and haven't painted her yet, but she is such a awesome looking model I had to pick one up to paint.
But my wyches are all dudes, (I am working on the fluff behind it all), so I wanted to make a counts as Lelith mini.
Now I don't know if you have seen some of my other conversions for varies Dark Eldar vehicels and characters but I like to make them look as best as I can, and I like to use simple conversions to get the job done.
So without further adieu here is my Counts as Lelith mini,

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Now I haven't figured out a name for him yet; but I would really like to know what you think of him, and maybe what improvements can be made to make him stand out more, or to denote him as a special character?:)

[HarlekissofDeath]

So I wasn't happy with my first conversion of Lelith; so I went back to the drawing board and looked at why I didn't like it. Mostly I felt the pose was wrong, so I came up with this!

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What do you think?

[HarlekissofDeath]

Update,

Yeah I finally finished my second batch of wyches. While painting these guys I have learned something very important to me about this whole painting thing. I love to paint, but I really dislike the whole assembly line thing and painting x amount of models at one time. I like to sit down with one miniature and enjoy the craftsmanship that goes into painting it. Not okay got that one done, now 9 more. But it has to be done.
So here they are.

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So what do you think? Sorry for the quality of pics, the camera is good but I need a better photo booth.

[HarlekissofDeath]

Hey guys,

I know that it has been forever since I posted something, but here is my Talos finished. The only thing not on him are his little appendages, but those I'll get to.

But I will finidh painting the raider that I started, and then my other ravager, and then my venom. That should take care of all the vehicles that I have for now.

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[Kawauso]

I like how much the vials and whatnot stand out on the Talos. They're painted very simply, but it's really effective, I think.

[40kChampion]

Very clean look. Nice job on the painting and assembly.

[HarlekissofDeath]

Well I have been busy with a lot of different things, but I finally sat down and painted my counts as Lelith model. I think I am going to name hims Barrabus, but still haven't thought it out fully yet. But I am pleased with how he turned out, and I finally have an HQ painted now! YooHoo!!!

Here he is...

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[DrLove42]

Not calling him Emile then?

Looks really great!

[Emerald Rose Widow]

I really don't consider my self the greatest drybrusher, but what i do to get all the folds of clothing highlighted is drybrush those parts heavily with codex grey, and then lighter with fortress grey, and lightest with white. then i do a badab wash to take away the ashy look of the drybursh, and then carefully clean it up with black in the crevasses, and the rest of the model. Next wych I'll do a step by step and show what I mean. As for the sharpness and crispness of my hightlighting lines it comes down to cleanup as well. Before I go over my lines with the black it looks alittle blotchy. But I try to be as clean as I can while making them to begin with but I find that working with DE miniatures are just a little to small on certain things to really get a handle on super fine highlighting with just the GW brushes. I go to michaels (in the states) and get a 18/0 size liner brush, and that really helps me get the fine highlights. But the brushes are of lower quality so the tips start to bend quickly.
I'm still learning and trying to get better with each model I paint. I just think of it this way. If I am spending hundreds to thousands of dollars on these miniatures I want them to look the best that I can. So I spend more time making sure my models look as great as I can paint them, and then move on to the next. It usually takes me a couple of weeks to paint a squad, because of time factors, and painting speed.
But as long as you finish a miniature and can honestly say to yourself, that is the best model I have painted so far then be proud of whatever work you are doing. We are all at different levels, but if we never strive to be better we never will. I frequent coolminiornot.com all the time, jsut to draw inspiration and the gw site and look and the articles that they have for each army and painting techniques for the different armies and models for those armies.
But keep up the good work, and post some of your pics on here and keep trying your best.:)

well thank you very much for your tips, as well as compliments on more amazing miniatures, and i have to say i love the ravager, it was really well done especially with the highlights.

[HarlekissofDeath]

Not calling him Emile then?

Looks really great!

Aha, you figured out my inspiration for his helmet.

Not sure if I am 100% happy with how the skull turned out, but since I haven't done a whole lot of free hand before it is kind of a learning process.

But that is what I came up with to help make him even more unique, besides the pose and the base.