Cato Sicarius - Commission

[doogansquest]

Greetings folks. After (another) hiatus, I have returned with a commission project. This time, it's the decorated champion of the Ultramarines 2nd Company. I like the model, and his fluff, so this was an exciting opportunity for me.

The customer requested that Mr. Sicarius don the helmet and plasma pistol combo, so I got him assembled and cleaned and away I go!

The beginnings:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8286/7677158880_fa70978237_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7677158880/)
IMAG0894 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7677158880/) by jmcolbeck (http://www.flickr.com/people/63189830@N02/), on Flickr

As you can see, this was a really good cast. To be honest, I haven't had a bad Finecast yet, but GW seems to really be improving upon the stuff. It's nice to see smooth surfaces, sharper detail, and a material that is just far easier to work with than metal.

I then moved on to the armor:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7253/7679795914_9084558931_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7679795914/)
IMAG0901.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7679795914/) by jmcolbeck (http://www.flickr.com/people/63189830@N02/), on Flickr

As you can see, I went for a bit of a "top-down" source lighting effect on the armor, which will hopefully turn out nicely. I will do my best to repeat the effect throughout the miniature, as if the Loyalist hero has a spotlight on his face.

Anyway, I will keep this updated as often as possible - this time, up through and including completion. ;)

P.S. I like the look of mccragge's as well. Check his out on the forums as well!

[Cap'nSmurfs]

Looking forward to seeing how this turns out (I do love Sicarius).

I like finecast, and yeah, that looks like a really, really good one. Mine is the metal one, and he falls to pieces all. The. Damn. Time.

[doogansquest]

Thank you.

Don't get me wrong: I've seen some bad Finecast stuff, but my own experiences have been positive. Even stuff ordered Direct or through a vendor. Early on there were "melty" bits, and lots of bubbles. I truly haven't seen a bubble in months, and most bent parts easily snap straight with a little warm water (heated for 90 seconds in the microwave).

With metal, when the mold line was "off," which happened at least 50% of the time, it was pretty much impossible to correct. The details were often rounded, it didn't take primer all that well, it was weighted disproportionately, difficult to assemble, clean, and transport, and lastly, it shattered like mad if it so much as tipped over.

In my opinion, because of some early garbage prints, everyone jumped on using the term "Failcast" without ever having purchased any for themselves. It's always easier to go with what the internet says.

Anyway, I have my daughters this weekend, so I'll be painting sparingly. Next up will be the gold trim.

[Foxhound2delta]

May I purchase the unhelmeted head from you?

[doogansquest]

I have actually had a strange number of requests for that. I will let you know. :)

[doogansquest]

Update:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8421/7741660224_19a242514f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7741660224/)
IMAG0909 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7741660224/) by jmcolbeck (http://www.flickr.com/people/63189830@N02/), on Flickr
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7129/7741651380_f3f0cd6b7d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7741651380/)
IMAG0910 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7741651380/) by jmcolbeck (http://www.flickr.com/people/63189830@N02/), on Flickr

I have so more "shine" effects to add, but I don't want the metal to overpower the saturated reds, blues, and whites he will adorn in the end.

[doogansquest]

Some updates. Here's a bit of the cloak work thus far:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8285/7784983928_4714880b69_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7784983928/)
IMAG0933 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7784983928/) by jmcolbeck (http://www.flickr.com/people/63189830@N02/), on Flickr
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8440/7771273604_d3749d441b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7771273604/)
IMAG0920 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7771273604/) by jmcolbeck (http://www.flickr.com/people/63189830@N02/), on Flickr

I will probably pursue a simpler pattern on the interior of the cloak than the one offered by Masterclass painter Joe Tomaszewski (who I've met). Anyway, comments welcome!!!

[Jmaximum]

Greetings folks. After (another) hiatus, I have returned with a commission project. This time, it's the decorated champion of the Ultramarines 2nd Company. I like the model, and his fluff, so this was an exciting opportunity for me.

The customer requested that Mr. Sicarius don the helmet and plasma pistol combo, so I got him assembled and cleaned and away I go!

The beginnings:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8286/7677158880_fa70978237_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7677158880/)
IMAG0894 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7677158880/) by jmcolbeck (http://www.flickr.com/people/63189830@N02/), on Flickr

As you can see, this was a really good cast. To be honest, I haven't had a bad Finecast yet, but GW seems to really be improving upon the stuff. It's nice to see smooth surfaces, sharper detail, and a material that is just far easier to work with than metal.

I then moved on to the armor:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7253/7679795914_9084558931_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7679795914/)
IMAG0901.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7679795914/) by jmcolbeck (http://www.flickr.com/people/63189830@N02/), on Flickr

As you can see, I went for a bit of a "top-down" source lighting effect on the armor, which will hopefully turn out nicely. I will do my best to repeat the effect throughout the miniature, as if the Loyalist hero has a spotlight on his face.

Anyway, I will keep this updated as often as possible - this time, up through and including completion. ;)

P.S. I like the look of mccragge's as well. Check his out on the forums as well!




The dark grey/electric blue combo already looks amazing! I am curious as to your highlighting technique, as they look almost airbrushed.

[doogansquest]

I actually don't own an airbrush, but thank you. I have used them, but always felt as though it was...cheating. It was too easy to achieve a blend, and has an appearance - dusty, if you will - that I just don't like.

My technique is difficult to explain. I guess you'd have to watch it done. I had a Games Day judge tell me I got left out of a trophy one year because I make my transitions too smooth and need more contrast, or "pop." So I'm working on that. :)

[doogansquest]

Bit of a slow week for painting. I did some extra business on the cape freehand and started work on the banner. The bone/parchment look has been slightly difficult to achieve with this model, for some reason, but it's getting there. More to come Sunday.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7276/7847924988_a44d28da1f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7847924988/)
IMAG0969 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7847924988/) by jmcolbeck (http://www.flickr.com/people/63189830@N02/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8442/7847900754_604ae1a3b6_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7847900754/)
IMAG0970 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7847900754/) by jmcolbeck (http://www.flickr.com/people/63189830@N02/), on Flickr

[Jmaximum]

I also meant to ask: are you using a non-metallic metals technique on the gold trim?

[doogansquest]

I snuck in a little more time for painting. This time, I went away from my traditional approach of painting a detail to completion before moving on and elected to lay some base coats down. This helps give me (and you) a better idea of what's going where. Enjoy!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8319/7884076426_49a8e69f3d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7884076426/)
IMAG0978.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7884076426/) by jmcolbeck (http://www.flickr.com/people/63189830@N02/), on Flickr

[doogansquest]

I also meant to ask: are you using a non-metallic metals technique on the gold trim?

Using NMM technique, but with metallics.

The banner uses NMM technique and color selection. Doesn't make much sense to have real metal plates on a banner. ;)

[Jmaximum]

Using NMM technique, but with metallics. <--- how does that work?
And the NMM on the banner is amazing!

[doogansquest]

@JMaximum: You use the shading and highlighting approach commonly found in NMM technique, only with metallic paints. Requires a bit of patience as the properties are different, but I find I like true metallics better myself. NMM can be great in certain situations.

Well, ladies and gents, here's the finished product (for now). I may go back and see things I want to touch up before shipping it out to the customer, but everything has technically been addressed here. The client asked for a simple, urban rubble feel, which was slightly difficult to achieve given how much space Mr. Sicarius eats up on the base. I think this works well here though.

Thanks for viewing! Feel free to leave comments, questions, etc., and visit my website.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8460/7909274060_a5fb594f01_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7909274060/)
IMAG0979 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7909274060/) by jmcolbeck (http://www.flickr.com/people/63189830@N02/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8311/7909282594_bbed72b2a2_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7909282594/)
IMAG0980 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63189830@N02/7909282594/) by jmcolbeck (http://www.flickr.com/people/63189830@N02/), on Flickr

[SotonShades]

Great job. I'd be a little tempted to make the lower shins, feet and the base of the cloak look like they've been through a load of concrete dust,but other than that it looks fantastic! I certainly wouldn't be disapointed to recieve that had i paid for it

[Jmaximum]

Fantastic paint job! I would love to see a tutorial on your highlighting technique.

[doogansquest]

Great job. I'd be a little tempted to make the lower shins, feet and the base of the cloak look like they've been through a load of concrete dust,but other than that it looks fantastic! I certainly wouldn't be disapointed to recieve that had i paid for it

Thanks. And that would have made for an excellent addition. The customer basically wanted a "factory fresh" Sicarius, else you may have found some dirt, bullet holes, etc. Space Marines do take meticulous care of their armor after all. :)

As far as my highlighting techniques go, I keep wanting to put together some sort of video. Just need a good camera first, and I haven't decided where to begin. A friend of mine and I are looking to set up a more professional website, or an addendum to a site through our local store where we offer painting tips, tricks, and techniques ranging from competition level pieces to the most basic table top standard troopers. All major game systems would be included too.

Space Marines are a bit trickier, and that's often why you don't see the likes of Natalya, Jenn Haley, etc., working on them. It's not that they are harder per se, but they contain layers and layers of accessories and 1-off details that require geometrically sharp lines, and a plethora of colors. It's hard to remain within the rules of a 2+1 color palette theme, for example. A lot of the details are also stacked on each other, and made out of fine pieces which can result in having to go back over things multiple times (due to over brushing), difficulties achieving consistent "pop" from one piece to another on the model, as well as cast issues. This is why they will paint figures covered in fabric or muscle tissue, as it creates opportunities for smoother blends, flat surfaces for freehand, and more dramatic points of visual contrast.

Anyway, thanks again for viewing!

[Jmaximum]

I agree with the SM incons and deatail issues (I can see you had a filed day of those on the new Sicarius mini).
Whenever you get that video up, post here!