Don't Look At Me

Oh alright, Stylus, yes I'll paint a hundred models this month. Stop nagging.

One hundred and four in total, in fact, which is something ludicrous like three and a bit models a day. Like I said, it's been a quiet month.

Warp Spiders first, and so it was back to the internet to look at nature pictures. Spiders and Scorpions, being fairly close relatives, tend to have similar colours - lots of browns and blacks. So I needed something distinct but still naturalistic.

Ladies and Gentlemen, all the way from Australia, the Orange Legged Spider!

Browns and blacks, still, but with a citrus twist. I'm not entirely convinced I nailed it, sadly, so I tried to make up for it with freehand web designs on the helmets and some nice red guns.

No gloss for these guys either, again to help distinguish them from the Scorpions. Also because spiders are hairier and less glossy in most of the pictures I found. Scorpions are clearly the supermodels of the arachnid world in this respect.

Very dynamic, these models. Torsos and legs from Dark Eldar Wyches, if I don't miss my guess? And not even jumping off handily posed stonework, which is nice. Much slimmer than some of the other bodies in this army, though, and no nice large armour panels to stick gems on them, so sorry guys, no bling for you.

Painting Guide:

• Basecoat - Mournfang Brown
• Armour - Nuln Oil wash, then Deathfang Brown and Tau Light Ochre drybrush, then Agrax Earthshade wash, then selected bits done in Troll Slayer Orange. My pot of this is elderly and decaying, and I'm going to blame it for the rather blotchy outcome instead of myself, because it can't stop me
• Guns - Khorne Red, Druchii Violet wash, Wazdakka Red layer, Astorath Red drybrush. Gems done with Abaddon Black, Tau Light Ochre and Bad Moon Yellow, White Scar dots where I could manage them, those gems are damn small. Bad Moon Yellow and White Scar in the firing chamber
• Warp Nodes - Warplock Bronze with Gehenna Gold highlights
• Eyes and Belts - Xereus Purple, Druchii Violet wash, Genestealer Purple highlights
• Gear - Skrag Brown, Altdorf Guard Blue grenades
• Webbing - Pallid Wych Flesh

Banshees next. In nature, Banshees are ethereal-coloured, according to the pictures I could find.

And we all know what that means, right?

Yup, Spooky Ghost Wash Nihilakh Oxide galore! I even copied the orange hair, although that's traditional Howling Banshee, to be fair.

Black masks and guns, mostly for contrast. Between the very pale armour and the glowing weapons, they needed something dark and heavy-looking so they wouldn't float off. They have the same Wych bodies as the Spiders, so again, no gems. I did try (dark green ones) but they looked too big and very out of place.

Painting Guide:

• Basecoat - White
• Armour - Nihilakh Oxide wash, Hellion Green and Praxeti White drybrushes, Pallid Wych Flesh highlights as the Praxeti wasn't quite sharp enough
• Zips, Buckles, Bondage Gear, etc - Balthazar Gold
• Masks and Guns - Abaddon Black, Eshin Grey drybrush, watery Ulthuan Grey highlight, 'Ardcoat
• Hair - Jokaero Orange, Agrax Earthshade, Ryza Rust and Tau Light Ochre highlights
• Utility Belts - Skrag Brown, Averland Sunset Grenades
• Gems, Eyes, Etc - Wazdakka Red, Troll Slayer Orange highlight
• Skin - Warpfiend Grey, Rakarth Flesh layer, Rakarth + Ulthuan Grey highlight
• Blades - Temple Guard Blue, Skink Blue stippling, Ulthuan Grey and White Scar detail

And that's the Aspects all done. Time for a break - my wrist is aching. Luckily, the Bretonnian expansion is releasing for Total Warhammer tonight, so that might stop me auto-painting in my sleep for a bit. If you can't break one cycle of addiction, ram it with a different one, that's what I always say.