Beginning Painting and an Introduction to Aquillion

So today is going to be the first in a series of posts I'm going to do on some of my older paint work (I laugh when I say older, as I've only really been painting for just over a year).

I do think though that it's important to describe some of the things I've done in the past, and record them as a means of both cataloguing the mistakes I've made, and looking at how I've improved over time.

Today I'll be looking at the first unit I bought in recent memory. Yep, that's right, my first hobby article on my 40k blog is of some fantasy models! Ironic isn't it !! :)

OK, so without further ado, let me introduce you to Aquillion. He's my battle-cleric i referred to in the last blog post.  

Aquillion Front View

Aquillion Rear View

So, i modeled  him originally with one of the spear tips from the Games Workshop High Elf Spearmen box set. However, this particular model is actually the one i use to represent my cleric during Pathfinder games, so over time I've repainted him and re-converted his weapon to better represent an actual glaive, which is his chosen weapon (The glaive is a 40k Grey Knights glaive, trimmed up to look more fantasy).

This particular model is fairly representative of the quality i was turning out after i had been painting for about three months. That shield he's sporting on the back has been painted in freehand, and while not particularly great, i was damn proud of it at the time, especially as the black claws and detail on the lion were done in paint and with a fine brush - I have a new technique now which i will go into at a later date.

As an interesting aside, and due to a bit of a silly streak in me, the heraldry he's using on that shield is actually that of my Living History group Company of the Staple. Here's for a shoutout to my 14thC peeps! :D

 Anyway, back on topic.

The next couple of photos show Aquillion in a couple of different poses. I had originally hoped to have a model of Aquillion using each different weapon he possessed, and also one at repose too. He's after all a cleric of the deity of beauty and love. I managed to create the repose one, and also one of him using a mace and shield. It turns out that it was impractical to change model on the tabletop during game sessions, so this kind of fell by the wayside, but i did get a few different versions made before i realised this.

Aquillion in various poses

Aquillion in various poses rear view

 So here's a good comparison.

The model in the centre is my primary model, and it has been re-painted and re-converted after a bit of time had passed.

You can see that the models either side of him are ones that i have painted up right at the start, in fact, these three models are in fact the first three i painted when i started. Notice the differences in their colouring, they're much flatter in appearance, they lack depth and they lack life. They do have character, and i have to say I'm especially proud of the one with his helmet in his hand. In particular, look at the differences between the two shields. It's obvious I've improved when it came time to re-paint the centre one.

The helmet is just another head with a helmet on, where I've used my hobby knife to scrape away the face detail, and then painted it black. I think it makes a convincing empty helmet. The mace that the one on the right is holding was made from a piece of banner pole (you can see the "in repose" model has the same mace hanging from his belt). The small shields i had left over from over a decade ago, when i had some old Dragon Princes of Caledor models i hadn't got the shields on at the time. I felt that the small, heater style shield was more appropriate for the cleric than the big, tower style shield that came with the spearmen models.

 So, after painting up those three and having an absolute ball of converting them and getting them right, i decided that i would build and paint up the rest of the unit of spearmen. Partly because of a far-fetched desire to incorporate the leadership feat into my Pathfinder game and have an army of minions running around to do my bidding (I've since learned it doesn't quite work like that, both in or out of game), but mostly because i was excited to be able to put them together, and paint them up.

Spearmen Champions

 Here's a selection of the champions of my spearmen unit. You can see that two have spears, one has a sword and shield, and the last is carrying the company banner. The models were built well, and i felt like they were all posed quite realistically, but their painting lets them down. There's no depth really to their colours. They look very flat and rather 2D.

Banner Closeup

Again, the banner is done freehand and quite early on in my painting career. I was SO happy with that when i did it in the first place, but now i just look at it and giggle a little. It was a good try, but needs so much more. Could i do a better job now? Maybe, but we'll have to see.

Team Aquillion!

 Finally, I've included a shot of the entire unit all built up and ready to rumble. Their overall look works, the colours are right and they feel cohesive as a unit. They're based pretty well (in fact probably the best part of these is their basing), but the essence is in the details, and those details are just not here. Not bad for a first unit, but SO, so, so far to go from here.

I'll probably come back to these models sooner or later, but for now, there's just SO much else to paint!!!

The next article will be on my first Ultramarine vehicle, and the model which almost stopped me painting before I'd even really got started...my first Drop Pod!!!