Arctic Camo tutorial, Clan Ghost Bear Kodiak.

[warriorsoul]

 This will be a very lengthy and exhaustive tutorial so I'm going to be uploading it in sections. My painting style is all about technical execution with fairly long, continuous brush-strokes. I keep my paint consistency somewhere around heavy cream, thinned enough to flow and not leave brush strokes, but not so watered down that I can't get full coverage in 2-3 coats. My wet palette sees a lot of use for when I need to thin a paint more or start blending custom midtones. I use 10/0 and 20/0 brushes for the real detail work and highlights, and any relatively small brush for blocking in the panels. Dry brushes are whatever, I could probably invest more in those to be honest.

 Lastly, I do use an ancient lighted magnifier attached to a mostly broken spring loaded swing-arm. I do all my work under it, even the dry-brushing. I think in 6 MM scale you really should consider picking one up, it has a bit of a long learning curve but the level of detail we're working in is extremely fine and all the photography is going to be zoomed in anyway. The trick is to use it consistently so that you get adapted to it.

 For this tutorial we will be using the Catalyst Kodiak. It's a fine model, nice dynamic pose, somewhat reminiscent of a Terminator with lightning claws, but it's also covered in small armor panels that are gonna make it a bit of a slog. Being a 100 ton assault 'mech doesn't help either, this thing is BIG relative to the other Battletech miniatures out there.

 Step 1, prep.
 Wash the model with soapy water, rinse it thoroughly, and get it dried off. Remove any moldlines that you see.


 Step 2, gravel.
Glue on various sized rocks and gravel bits. Keep them small, real estate is very limited between those enormous chunky feet.


 Step 3, sand.
Using Vallejo black surface primer, attach some basing sand.


 Step 4, priming and wash.
Coat the entire model with Vallejo black surface primer. Then wash it with watered down Abaddon Black. While it might be possible to get away with just the surface primer, I always use a black wash to really nail every line and crevice I can see. It gives me an opportunity to make a second pass and make sure absolutely everything is shaded.


 Step 5, dry-brush the substrate.
Dry brush the sandy areas hard with Rhinox Hide.


 Step 6, midtone.
Dry-brush Mournfang Brown for the midtone.


 Step 7, highlight.
Now dust the substrate with a light dry-brushing of Balor Brown.


 Step 8, base coat the rocks.
Use Eshin Gray on all the large rocks.


 Step 9, midtone.
We're gonna dry-brush and/or directly paint Dawnstone on them rocks.


 Step 10, highlight.
 Our highlight is Administratum Grey.


 Step 11, extreme highlight.
We're gonna blend Vallejo White and Grey Seer for a very fine, razor highlight.


 Step 12, touch-up.
 Use Abaddon Black to neaten up the feet.
 


 That's it, we're now ready to start painting the 'mech itself!

[warriorsoul]

 Part 2, ER Medium Lasers and cockpit.

 Step 13, base green.
Using Kabalite Green apply a base coat to the lasers and cockpit.


 Step 14, inkwash for shading.
 I'm gonna use Biel-Tan Green but realistically there are probably better options available.


 Step 15, midtone and cockpit.
 This is the opportunity to do a little blending on the cockpit pane. Using Warpstone Glow and Kabalite Green on the wet palette, we can smooth out some of the transition to our highlights.


 Step 16, main highlight.
 We're gonna use Escorpena Green for the primary highlight.


 Step 17, edge highlight.
 Now for Moot Green to get a finer edge highlight.


 Step 18, final extreme highlight.
 Using Phalanx Yellow, we're gonna dot the inside of the lasers, the "eyes", and run a fine corner edge on the cockpit pane.


 Step 19, blending.
 Now with Tesseract Glow, we're gonna glaze all of the green, and use it to help further blend that central cockpit pane.

 
 That's it, we got the lasers and cockpit outta the way early. I often do this with cockpits because they're recessed, so doing them last will actually require more touch-up around the edges and corners. The ER Large Laser is in a big open location in the center torso and I'll be using a different technique, so it can wait until much later.

[warriorsoul]

 Step 20, base coat.
We're going to base coat the panels of the entire 'mech (except the metallic areas) with Dark Reaper. This may take multiple coats, if some areas on the shadowline aren't completely blocked in, this is fine, because we're gonna edge-highlight all of this later.


 Step 21, metallics.
Good ol' Leadbelcher is our friend here for base coating the metal areas.


 Step 22, shading.
You guessed it, we're gonna hit the metals with Nuln Oil, right after spilling half of it on the floor.


 Step 23, chunky highlight.
We're gonna hop back over to the base coat for a change of pace and do a thick, chunky highlight of Thunderhawk Blue mixed with Dark reaper. This is the time to get more aggressive with coming up nice and close to the shadow lines.


 Step 24, metallic highlight.
Using Chainmail, we're gonna highlight all the metallics.


 Step 25, extreme metallic highlight.
 Mix Vallejo White with Chainmail on your wet palette for a final bright razor highlight.


 Step 26, armor highlight.
 Combine Fenrisian Grey with Thunderhawk Blue for a standard highlight on the edges of the armor panels. This is our main highlight, but we'll be coming back to it later.

[worktroll]

What does "razor hightlight" mean?

What sort of brushes are you using at each step?

I'm really digging the tutorial, but it's the bits you know what you mean that I don't that I want to clarify.

(Note: probably not your target audience, I lack the skills to do edging and find ways around that, but I still like to learn!)

[Sapphirus]

What does "razor hightlight" mean?

What sort of brushes are you using at each step?

I'm really digging the tutorial, but it's the bits you know what you mean that I don't that I want to clarify.

(Note: probably not your target audience, I lack the skills to do edging and find ways around that, but I still like to learn!)

The brushes he used for detailing are in the first post.  But what about for base coating?

[warriorsoul]

What does "razor hightlight" mean?

What sort of brushes are you using at each step?

I'm really digging the tutorial, but it's the bits you know what you mean that I don't that I want to clarify.

(Note: probably not your target audience, I lack the skills to do edging and find ways around that, but I still like to learn!)

 No these are all valid questions particularly since I've been painting for so long I forget about the more basic stuff. So here's my brush selection, starting from the top it's drybrush, blocking brush for big armor panels/base rims, etc, primary highlight brush, then a tiny detail brush for small highlights and freehanding:

 

 I use layered, progressive edge-highlighting as the primary technique. So I might start with a big chunky highlight, then do a more narrow and brighter highlight, then work my way down to a very bright "razor edge" highlight that's tiny and only on the very uppermost edges. I'll also use a microscopic "dot" highlight just in the corners quite a bit of the time. Edge-highlighting is not all that hard, it just requires good brush control. You pretty much just carefully follow the edges of the armor and keep "drawing on" lighter and lighter colors.

[warriorsoul]

 It's finally time to add the camo.

 Step 27, camo stripes/splotches/patterns and highlights.
 Be bold here, the point of doing a good foundation is you can go hog wild at this stage. Use sharp, angled stripes to really break up the outline of the 'mech with Fenrisian Grey. I usually try to be as asymmetrical as possible with an eye towards achieving some kind of decent ratio of light to dark contrasting sections. This is also a good time to go back over the base color and do extreme edge highlights on it with that Fenrisian Grey.


 Step 28, camo border.
 For this project I went above and beyond. I've taken the time to carefully draw in a dividing line between the light and darker sections of the paint-scheme with Coal Black.


 Step 29, highlight.
We're gonna use Fenrisian Grey mixed with Vallejo White for our primary highlight. Use it for a corner highlight/dot highlight on the base color.


Step 30, final highlight/dot highlight.
 Take Vallejo White and use it for the final extreme highlight on the light camo, then use it as a dot highlight on very select corners of the darker base color.

[warriorsoul]

 We're now on to the finishing touches.

 Step 31, yellow blocks for the caution stripes.
Use Flash Gitz Yellow to make neat little blocks on the pinch points above the feet.


 Step 32, freehand the stripes and border.
Using the smallest brush in your arsenal, start in the middle of those rectangular yellow blocks and work outward. Draw a black border around the whole thing.


 Step 33, ER Large Laser lens.
I'm not going to do a full breakdown on this because it really deserves a separate article. I basically start with darker shades of blue and work towards a brighter blue ring on the bottom of the lens, a white dot reflection on the top, and a little glow around the housing itself.


 Step 34, decals and base rim.
Stick the decals on, use some heat to quickly dry them in place, apply a coat of gloss varnish, then touch them up where needed. Rim the base with Mournfang Brown in the classic GW style. I HATE black rimmed bases so I do this on all my miniatures.


 Step 35, matte finish and tufts.
Hit this thing with just enough matte finish to seal it and knock the shine off. Then stick your tufts on. We're going for cold, frozen ground with suitably icy looking plants. (Hint, this is also why the feet are so clean)


 That's it, we're done! I'll post a few finished pics with scenery next.
 

[warriorsoul]

[SteelRaven]

One of the few times I wish we had a like button.

Great step by step, thank you for sharing!

[worktroll]

My biggest take is that you do the basing, weapons, cockpit. & metallics first. Exact reverse of how I do it - I find it easier to correct any splashes the details make on the main scheme, than the other way around.

How did you evolve this sequence, thanks?

[ISD]

Echoing worktroll here: I find it fascinating that your process is so different 
Super interesting read and I enjoy the step by step photos too!

[jimdigris]

 

[Wasteland Warrior]

Thanks for sharing this, warriorsoul.  Great tutorial. 
I am also struck by the "reverse ordering" of some steps I have always taken for granted.  Food for thought.

[warriorsoul]

My biggest take is that you do the basing, weapons, cockpit. & metallics first. Exact reverse of how I do it - I find it easier to correct any splashes the details make on the main scheme, than the other way around.

How did you evolve this sequence, thanks?

 I think it's because 20 years ago I started drybrushing the substrate on my bases. So doing that means you get a lot of stray paint around the feet/lower legs of the model. By doing the base first, I do a quick retouch then start layering in all the progressive highlighting on the miniature itself. If I did it last I would have to retouch all that work or try to tape off the feet somehow.

 The same rule applies to the cockpits, they're recessed a lot of the time, so if I do them last, I'll be getting stray paint around the frame of the canopy itself. This actually happened on this Kodiak because the center pane is recessed so deeply. The metallics and weapons it kind of just doesn't matter, unless it's an LRM pod or something.

 I almost never have an issue with "splashing" or just accidentally hitting something with a wayward brush stroke. I usually bridge my hands and work in very controlled strokes, so outside of the drybrushing and trying to get into deep spots like canopies there just isn't much of an issue with "messing something up" during my process. I do save decals for last just in case though, because if I did make a mistake on those, it would indeed be a ton of work to fix.

[Lion-Face]

Thank you for posting all of this!  Very inspirational 

[Gladius-XC]

Thanks for posting this!  It's a ton of extra work to get shots of all the in-situ steps, so I appreciate the effort you put in!

May I ask why you hate black bases so much?  What did a black base ever do to you?

[Gladius-XC]

One of the few times I wish we had a like button.

I wish for that all the time!  I can leave a post with an emoticon to let someone know that I liked what they posted, but then it tricks everyone else into thinking there's new content when it's really only me giving a 

[warriorsoul]

Thanks for posting this!  It's a ton of extra work to get shots of all the in-situ steps, so I appreciate the effort you put in!

May I ask why you hate black bases so much?  What did a black base ever do to you?

 Games Workshop. That's why. They have been painting rims forever and I learned how to paint bases from one of their tutorials ages ago.

[Gladius-XC]

Games Workshop. That's why. They have been painting rims forever and I learned how to paint bases from one of their tutorials ages ago.

Heh, that's funny.  I only dipped my toes very briefly into WH40K, and never noticed how all their bases are brown.  It makes sense though.  That's how you learned to paint bases and everything else just seems... wrong.

[worktroll]

I almost never have an issue with "splashing" or just accidentally hitting something with a wayward brush stroke. I usually bridge my hands and work in very controlled strokes, so outside of the drybrushing and trying to get into deep spots like canopies there just isn't much of an issue with "messing something up" during my process.

And there's the difference, I think. I'll never have that level of brush control. Know someone who does - he's 30 years younger than me. As it is, I'm in my 60s, low-level RSI (interestingly, painting 'winds back the clock' on it, so that's great!). But it's still great to see your technique in detail.

[Ghaz]

Heh, that's funny.  I only dipped my toes very briefly into WH40K, and never noticed how all their bases are brown.  It makes sense though.  That's how you learned to paint bases and everything else just seems... wrong.

In this video you can see why they use the brown bases (i.e., they work well with almost all paint schemes, be it a dark paint scheme or a light paint scheme).

[Mecha82]

Sweet!

[avon1985]

Very impressive!

[avon1985]

Very impressive!

[Xan]

This is very cool, thank you for taking the time to create such a detailed tutorial.

Think this could get added to the Camospecs tutorial page so it would be easier for folks to find in the future?

[Cergorach]

Absolutely love the tutorial and the paint scheme!

[IAMCLANWOLF]

I'm a sucker for darker, higher contrast arctic camo. This is the best representation I've laid eyes on. Unless my eyes are cheated by some spell.
Splendid post.

[Calfor]

Very nice!

[Louie N]

A great write up thank you for posting it. 

[Schwerpunkt Prinzip]

Lovely guide! I love to see camo work at this scale.

[17thRecon]

Awesome work and guide.