To start, I use Reaper Master Series paints - mainly because a couple of years ago, during a bad migraine episode, I purchased the huge case of ~100 Reaper paints. These are awesome paints, giving me some of the best paint jobs I've been able to recreate, even with my shaky hands.
I am (mostly) finished painting my first Gator model - a gargantuan! What's that? Gators don't have a gargantuan? Well, not yet - but my gaming group has decided to let me use some home-brew rules for the Dracodile, so I've been diligently working on both the rules and the model.
The scheme is an adaption from that found in the Forces of Minions army book from Mk II and is based off of a Saltwater Crocodile (specifically, this picture):
It uses the following paints:
09005 - Phoenix Red [PR]
09008 - Sun Yellow [SY]
09012 - Pale Green [PG]
09028 - Muddy Brown [MB]
09029 - Earth Brown [EB]
09034 - Muddy Olive [MO]
09035 - Olive Green [OG]
09036 - Pale Olive [PO]
09037 - Pure Black [BL]
09040 - Dark Shadow [DS]
09058 - Bone Shadow [BS]
09059 - Aged Bone [AB]
09060 - Polished Bone [PB]
09061 - Linen White [LW]
09069 - Rosy Highlight [RH]
09074 - Palomino Gold [PaG]
09082 - Jungle Moss [JM]
09084 - Pale Lichen [PL]
09106 - Flow Improver [FI]
09999 - Water :)
Quite a list of paints, isn't it? Mainly, it all gets mixed as well, not much is used straight up. But, it makes a really cool model. Sadly, I do not have a step-by-step for how I painted the Dracodile (I wasn't planning on starting this back up when I started), but I should have finished pictures in the next day or two. On to the process!
1) Clean, assemble, and prime the miniature - I realize this should be obvious, but it IS a step. I primed using black primer (I use this 85% of the time).
2) Basecoat
- mixing four parts RH, four parts PO, and one part PaG with three parts water gives a really nice color for the underbelly of the crocs. Paint this on their belly, partway up their sides, and on the insides of their legs. To get a good coverage (since this is a thin paint), you will need to apply 2-3 layers.
- mixing four parts JM, two parts OG, two parts PG, and two parts PL with three parts water yields a great base for the upper scales/sides of the crocs. Paint this completely over the back and sides of the model, including arms and outsides of legs. Be sure to leave the pale underbelly/sides you already painted visible. Again, this is thin, so you will need to apply 2-3 layers - just take your time.
- Gators typically have a slightly darker back than sides, so I went back with a third basecoat, just along the back crest. This consisted of three parts JM, one part each of OG, PG, and PL, mixed with two parts water. This made a nice, subtle transition to a darker color.
3) Shading
- mix three parts DS with three parts MO. Add two parts FI and eight parts water. This leaves a very thin paint that can be spread quickly over the underbelly. Be careful not to let this leak into the green portion! Also, while not necessarily exact, don't let it pool or form bubbles.
- after the above is dry (wait for it to dry, trust me), mix three parts JM and three parts OG with one part BL. Add two parts FI and eight parts water to get a very thin, dark green. Apply liberally to the back and sides, making doubly sure to not let any leak onto the underbelly or other pale areas.
- NOTE - both of these washes darken the model considerably. This is intentional!
4) Highlight #1
- these are easy, simply use a light overbrush to reapply the basecoat colors to their appropriate locations. By overbrush, I mean load a brush, and wipe most of it off. However, do not wipe off so much that the brush dries out - you want the paint to be wet (it's not a drybrush!). This should deposit a layer of paint on all the raised edges, defining the scales without getting the chalky appearance of a drybrush. This will lighten the model while maintaining the definition provided by the shading.
5) Highlight #2
- mix three parts LW with three parts PO and add two parts water. Using a very light touch, overbrush this onto the pale parts of the model.
- mix one part OG, one part PL, and one part PG with one part water. Again, using a very light touch, overbrush this on the sides and most of the back of the model.
- mix one part OG, one part JM, and one part PG with one part water. Lightly overbrush this onto the back crest and head.
6) Details
- For any bone, paint a couple layers of thinned AB, followed by a layer of PB - leaving a bit of the AB showing along the base. After this has dried, wash with a mixture of two parts BS, two parts FI, six parts water. When applying the wash, apply from the tip of the bone to the base. Teeth, claws, bony spikes are all done this way.
- For the eyes, paint socket DS. Then, using a small brush, lightly layer SY just on the eyeball. This will likely take a couple of coats, and may leak into the socket - no worries! Dot the pupil using BL. Clean up the socket using DS, and then blend back to green.
- For the mouth, mix two parts RH with two parts PaG, adding one part water. Paint this all over the inside of the mouth. When dry, mix two parts PR with one part FI and five parts water. Apply liberally to the inside of the mouth (but make sure you don't splash outside the mouth). If desired, lightly overbrush the basecoat after the wash has dried.
7) Basing
- Paint base in MB. When dry, overbrush with EB. Then overbrush with equal parts LW and PO.
- Add plants, foliage, logs, rocks, etc. as desired.
There it is, the process of painting the Dracodile (and any future Gatormen). Tomorrow I should have finished pictures of the monster!
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