This was the heart of it, the soul of the old empire [Terra]… The galaxy was full of wonders, millions of them, but nothing truly compared to this place, even in its ruin.
Warhawk, Chris Wraight.
I got lucky with this and decided to make a cheeky how to paint a Sons of Horus Praetor tutorial.
As did the gentlemen who were sent these instead of Malohgurst the twisted. A brief conversation later and I was lined up to paint them! There are certain expectations when painting Heresy miniatures (all of which you may gleefully disregard – these are self-imposed guides).
1. Realism must be at the core of the process.
The Heresy has strong links with the military scale modelling community, employing many techniques developed by them (such as oil modulation, weathering powders, airbrushing) to create photorealistic miniatures. When you see this miniature, you are stepping into the world, awed by the majesty and terror of the age.
2. Mid battle.
Every miniature we paint is depicted mid-battle. Parade ground armies look stunning, but this couples with the realism aspect of the miniature. We are seeing the battle flow, in real-time. There will be dirt, grit, blood stains and variations in the hue of armour from miniature to miniature as they have undergone different experiences. It’s a head-scratcher for sure, especially for painters used to uniformity in their army painting. But common threads like the above help ties a force together visually.
3. No excuses for sloppiness.
I’m not a grimdark painter even though I use many aspects of that style. Even though we are using weathering powders, oils, enamels, you should still tie things down with tight brushwork, colour modulation and refinement. This is what sells the realism of the piece – the clarity of the final finish.
These are the principles we instil into our online students and during our weekend courses. As a guide to help those unable to attend, or a refresher for those that do, you can find the painting processes below. These videos are the basis to demonstrate how the Weekend Courses work. We explore the pre-shade technique, how to paint faces for armies and for characters, and we look into simple recipes for Sons of Horus Green and Black Armour. Perfect for beginner to intermediate painters!
One Response
Dude, I didn’t even realise the milky eye until zooming in. Amazing, would love to incorporate this level of realism in my own work.