Welcome back fellow readers. This week I present a step by step guide on a model I’ve been looking forward to for some time. The Rust Monster. This is a change to the advertised schedule because I originally intended to present an article on basing the Githyanki, however, due to a change in artistic direction, that is currently on the back burner.
So, let me present ten easy steps (8 if you ignore the mistakes) to how I painted the monster of the week…
I started with black primer, over which I added Calthan Brown to almost the entire model. 
Next I painted all the flesh (i.e. anything that wasn’t feelers, tail tips or carapace) with a mix of Calthan Brown and Sand. And yes, the underneath and the inside of the legs too! 
This was then highlighted with Sand. The highlights underneath were applied to about 3/4 of each band, leaving a darker edge where the band meets the legs. The highlights on the legs were added to the extreme angles to give the model an insectoid feel, much like I did with the Fire Beetles. 
Next I added a wash of Gryphonne Sepia to all of the flesh, adding a further wash of Devlan Mud to the recesses. While this dried I attached the model to the base.
The Gale Force 9 glue I’m using is excellent, the bond was strong enough in about 30 seconds to allow me to hold the model upside down. Next I added a coat of Rust to the carapace. 
This was then followed with a coat of Gryphonne Sepia to darken the recesses. I also ran a coat of the wash over the flesh too. I then added sand to all the edges of the carapace. 
Following an older recipe I then washed the carapace with Flesh Wash Ink. However, it came out rather patchy (this may be due to the fact that the bottle is empty and I’m just using what’s left over in the cap…) but I didn’t like the result… so I let it dry and added another coat of Rust. 
This time I highlighted all the edges with Tausept Ochre instead of sand. 
The effect was a bit more subtle. This was then washed again with Gryphonne Sepia and left to dry. Meanwhile I added highlights to the extreme edges of the flesh with Tausept Ochre, which was then followed by Sand. 
Next I added Dark Grey to the claws and then highlighted them with simple strokes of a lighter grey. (Dheneb Stone) 
With the toes out of the way it was time to work on the feelers. They were base coated with a mix of Deep Red and White. The paint had plenty of water in it to keep it wet, but not too much as to stop it adhering to the model. Then, while the paint was wet I began to mix in white from the tip. The trick here is to keep all the paint wet while you work. I effectively used the feeler as a mixing pallet, continually brushing either white or pink onto to it until the colours were blended . Finally I added a touch of pure white to the very tips of the feelers. This is a technique I’m still learning to use, but I’m getting better at it. 
Finally I worked on the tail, which is actually quite difficult to do accurately. First I painted both sides Chocolate Brown. Then I added dots in Calthan Brown, followed by Tausept Ochre until I was happy. 
And there you have it, 5 hours later, the finished result. I’m pretty happy with how he turned out. I particularly like the contrast of the feelers (an idea I stole from Andrew Taylor) and the fuzzy feel of the tail. 
The bases for both Rust Monsters turned out very well too. There were mainly done with Procrete. The first base features a piece of rusting armour, made from procrete with a set of helmet wings from Hasslefree. The second features a plastic sword from a bretonnian plastic kit which I attacked with a craft knife to give the feel of an old battered blade. 
Ultimately, these guys are part of the current commission I’m working on, although I will buy my own at some point, but what makes these guys very special to me is the comments made by the sculptor himself about the work. 
Well, that just about brings us to the end of another week here at the Blood Keep. Now it’s time for me to bid you farewell so I can get back to reading the core rules for a new RPG… I mean… Get back to working really hard on this commission…
The Duke, Out!
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