Night Stalkers - My First KoW Project

Now that I've completed my first Kings of War tournament I've decided that I'm going to blog a little more about getting into the hobby.  My particular inspiration is coming from the new Night Stalker list.

What I love about this list is that there are no models for it.  Not only that but the list doesn't really have a counterpart in any other game.  The team that created it has drawn inspiration from Babylon 5 (one of my favorite TV series ever), the Tyranid army (the only 40K army I ever played) and from the looks of the lists from several classic horror films.

I've done a bit of research to help me find the right inspiration for this army.  Here's a gallery that shows what I'm thinking this army should look like.

Nightmare Horror

Demon Hounds

Also a good example of OSL on a dark colour.

Babylon 5 Shadow Creature

Imagine these crawling out of a swamp to eat your children

Good OSL on Black

Dream Stealer

Shadowy Banshee

Good OSL on Black

Nightmares

Glowing Eyes and Mouth

Black Lighting Effects

Dark Evil

Just goes to show you can create a lot of character without colour or definition.  Now how do you make that true for miniatures?

Shadow Monster

Black is a colour that can really blend into the background, so lighting is going to be important.  Basing will also let me have very dark models without making the whole thing feel unpainted.

I'd like to try a few techniques that I haven't worked on before with this army.  The first is going to be for the base, and that's water effects.   This army is going to be based around lush green swampland filled with water, fallen logs, critters, plants and moss.  Probably not a lot of grass, but reeds and weeds a plenty.  A dark and bold green will be the primary colour for the bases and I plan to produce one of these before even assembling a single model for the army.

How to Create a Wet Palette for 8 Bucks

Creating a wet palette is really easy and since putting one together my painting has been so much easier I'm wondering why I didn't do it before.  Why do you want a wet palette? Well firstly it keeps your paint moist for a longer period of time than any other palette so you'll waste less paint.  Secondly it's an easy way to thin your point for wet blending or layering.  If you've got a good air tight lid you can also leave it for quite a while and then return to your paint without it drying out.  So if you want to create one yourself, here's a few simple steps.

1. Take a trip to Daiso

Daiso is a cheap or thrift store that sells household stuff.  I chose them because they were local and they are cheap but any cheap store will do.  Here's what you'll need.

• 1 Lunch Box, small and flat
• 1-2 flat kitchen sponges
• Baking paper (not wax paper, it's not porous enough)

Actually that's it.  Let's get to making.

             Plenty of lunch boxes to choose from at Daiso though you might want something a little less... bear.

2. Cut your sponges into shape

Trace the shape of your lunch box onto your sponge or sponges and cut them to ft snugly into the box.  Slice off one corner of the sponge so it's easy to check the water level and refill when required.

3. Cut your baking paper into shape

Repeat step 2 with the baking paper.  It  might be a good idea to cut a few of these while you're at it because you'll go through them pretty quick.

4. Stuff It Up

Stuff your sponges into the lunch box and then fill with water so everything is wet to the touch.  The water level should be half way up  or so when you look through the hole you've cut.  Once it's all wet, put your baking paper on top so that the hole in the corner lines up.

5. Paint a Masterpiece

This is the only hard part.  Good luck with your painting.  Here's the finished product.

Creating Motivation

So I figured that it would be a good idea to have my first post in this blog be about how to create motivation in three easy guidelines.  I have been in this hobby for over 20 years in one way or another and during that time I have spent years at a time not picking up a brush or dusting off my models because I had lost motivation.  Right now my motivation is high and here is how I like to keep it that way, so if you're in the same boat or if you're struggling to keep motivated, perhaps this list of my thoughts could help.

1. Create a narrative for your work

Every piece I work on has some kind of narrative that describes the background and history of the model.  Even a piece as simple as a tree should have some kind of thematic story to help inspire me to produce my best work.  My current Warhammer Vampire Counts army has a narrative for each model or unit.  Here's an example for the short narrative for my zombie horde.

“Did the blood sacks that made their lives a the base of Blood Peak really deserve anything but death? Their meaningless existence growing brown weeds from the ground to do nothing but extend their short useless lives would serve to end the hunger of the Strigoi. He ate the women, and the children. Oh the children, such delicious young flesh. But the men, with their able bodies, they would serve in death as the Strigoi returned to conquer the empire and make it as it was.”

— Leithel on VampireCounts.net

2. Share your work, share it often

Doesn't matter who you share it with, but share it with someone.   There are forums, blogs, Facebook groups and gaming groups everywhere who are always ready to show some appreciation or give you some feedback.  It doesn't matter if you're not good, feedback will help you get better and I find is fantastic motivation to get better.

3. Use the Internet

The internet is chock full of resources that can help you learn how to paint better.  You tube is one of the best resources around with fantastic channels ranging from beginner to expert.  Here are my two favourites but there are heaps more, if you find one that you really like let me know.

• Dr Fausts Painting Clinic - All Ranges

This is a fantastic painting training vlog for all ranges of painters from beginners to advanced.  Dr Faust delivers his painting tips very well with some really fun and interesting projects.

• Painting Buddha - Advanced

I only found this one relatively recently but if you're keen to get into wet blending and want to learn how to use those really expensive brushes well this is a great blog.  I haven't send them any money or joined their online community though, if anyone does I wouldn't mind hearing about it.