Skarloc's Wood Elf Archers join the Vanari Auralan Sentinels

This weekend I had no planned outings or social encounters, freeing me up to paint a tower, a dwarf , another two projects (on and off) and the rest of Skarloc's Wood Elf archers. A good thing as they'd been giving me authentic Elven Aelven stink eye for quite a few months. I've had this unit (with a brief having sold it interlude) since I got started in the hobby in late eighties. Finishing it to my current skill level gives me that wonderful shot of nostalgia mixed with accomplishment.

We're mean, we're green and we're definitely not Orcs!

Skarloc's Wood Elf Archers, easy to buy (back then), very difficult to paint. I stripped off their original globby paint job a few years ago but never got started on them. In part because I lacked an army to add them to and (more importantly) I did not have Kaia Stormwitch, the standard bearer. Earlier this year I asked the Oldhammer Community if someone could sell me a spare model and I lucked out, trading her for an old Iron Claw Goblin. It still fills me with wonder that you can send an enveloppe with a miniature (in blind faith) to someone you don't know somewhere else in the world (Danmark in this case) and get the model you wanted a few weeks later. Awesome stuff. 

It is quite a relieve to move away from the uniformed High Elf compatriots of this unit. Also I'm rather happy that I still managed to get a sense of coherency in the group. 

My original idea painting this unit was to work in batches of five to avoid painting fatigue. After finishing the first five models I realized that with my way of painting I shouldn't do this. For units I work by blocking in base colors, giving them a fat wash, restoring most of the base colors, highlighting, more highlighting (a bit lighter) and finish up with some edge highlights and details (until it bores me). The longest step in this is the first one and it actually doesn't feel like it takes a lot more time to do five models or fifteen models. That is as long as my audio book is good. As The Lies of Locke Lamora is both an excellent story and well narrated on Audible I had a good reason to go 'the hell with it' and do all fifteen at once. 

I recently read on old White Dwarf 'Eavy Metal where (our saint) John Blanche mentioned using hair from his head to make bowstrings. I tried it. I'm not John Blanche. Luckily I managed to cover up the superglue that reminded me of that experiment gone wrong :)

Washing is always a breeze and with the color blocking step out of the way all that is left is highlighting. As you're highlights take up smaller patches of color the time it takes is reduced. Thinning the paint almost takes longer than applying it. So I end up with my nemesis: detailing (ugh). For this unit I forced myself to paint blue gemstones where I could to tie them in with my slowly growing Lumineth Realm Lords force. I also demanded of myself I paint all the eyes. At the very least that gave me a lot of much needed practice. 

I think Kaia Stormwitch, this unit's banner bearer, is truly iconic, not just for the unit, but for the period. 

I did take a some extra care of the command squad painting some cheeky blocks on Skarloc's loincloth (in a nod to the good old 'let's add some blocks there' eighties). I also nearly ruined the heart shaped stone on the banner by trying to make it look like a gemstone. Some desperate screwing around with Bloodletter Glaze and Khorne Red was required. Unfortunately that wiped out most of my nicely layered transition. 

I loved how sinister Jes Goodwin made Skarloc. I'm quite sure being close to Nottingham Forest inspired the hooded Wood Elf.

I gave Araflane Warskald the musician a dark metal looking horn (to better play dark metal on of course), but decided to add a sepia wash to it to go for a bit of character and give a nod to the golden horn on the box. I wanted to avoid pure gold as that just doesn't make sense for a skirmishing wood based unit. They have plenty of metallic studs, bracelets and assorted chains to give themselves away without waving a humongous golden horn around. I added Glam the Laughing Warrior into the shots here as well. He was painted earlier, but he is an inherent part of the unit (even if they'll get split up for rules purposes on the tabletop). 

Once in a while I look at a picture and go 'yes I made the right decision'. This is the case with the white bows of this unit. 

The basing itself is another nod to the eighties. I know a lot of people love the 'bit of sand painted goblin green' approach. Personally I like the old Machineries of Destruction type basing more, especially the truly filled bases you find here and there in the older 'Eavy Metal photos. A base so full of flock and extra's it drowns the model's feet and makes them part of the landscape. I really should practice making my own base plants now that I think of it. There was a wonderful tutorial on this up on the internet a few years back, but I can't seem to find it anymore. 

Oh you can search far and wide,
You can drink the whole town dry,
But you'll never find a base so bland,
Oh you'll never find a base so bland,
As the one that's covered in Goblin Green and Sand

Well as for my basing for my Lumineth army. After the paint job is complete I paint my bases German Grey. Mostly to get the rims out of the way, but as I'm working I always go 'what the hell' and paint the entire base. Next I cover the top with Vallejo Dark Earth paste. When this has dried (usually) I cover the base with a layer of PVA glue and push in bits of Woodland Scenics turf and Icelandic Moss in different colors to add some body. When this has been added to satisfaction I use my pincers to push a lot of static grass (a homemade mix) on the base. It may cover all the highlights on the feet (it tends to cover the feet), but these Elves Aelves are part of their forest. 

You can take your fancy flocks,
Dunk them on the base by the flagon,
Because the only base for the brave and true...
..steps of the Goblin Green brand wagon!!"

And here is the final picture of the Vanari Auralan Sentinels known as Skarloc's Wood Elf Aelf Archers. As a final note I have to add that I should work harder on painting models with these open Hoplite style helmets. I tried blacklining to stop face and helmet from pouring over into each other, but this just covered all the work I did on the face. Also there where a few slightly less than sterling casts among these guys. Well I'll just hide them and the back and hope I'll get away with it. Having said that, I can safely declare these guys finished. Now I really want to see what a unit of twenty classic Wardancers will cost me...oh dear is that my wallet screaming in the background?