Phoenix Guard Color Test

While digging  through my small collection of loose unpainted High Elf metal miniatures, I came across this lonely Phoenix Guard.

Primed and ready. 

I was very pleased with how some of the techniques I tried out on the Swordmasters turned out, and I wanted to see if I could replicate some of that success onto this model's color scheme. All the areas intended to become white were painted using Space Wolves Gray Contrast Paint as a basecoat. The non-gold metals was basecoated using Ultramarines Blue Contrast Piant. The gold areas, the main color for these guys, was basecoated using Aggarros Dunes Contrast Paint.  And the flesh of his face was coated with Guilliman Fleshwash. 

Contrast Paint Basecoats.

Next Retributor Gold was painted over the Aggarros Dunes.  I really like how well this seems to work. 

Here is a better view of where Space Wolves Grey Contrast Paint was spread all over the areas that I intend to make white. This is a good base for this scheme and it's a lot faster than the traditional Shadow Grey base that I would've used otherwise.

Space Wolves Grey cloak.

After that I used Ulthuan Grey on all the areas that are going to be white. 

Ulthuan Grey layer.

Polished Blue and Stormhost Silver were added onto the halberd. Stormhost Silver was also the highlight on the Retributor Gold areas also. White Scar was finally added to the white areas and it was done in a few layers. 

After procrastinating forever on how to do the flames in the back of his cloak I finally just took the plunge and knocked it out. The first step, and this was an important one in my opinion, was to use a fine tipped red Micron to draw the outline of the flames.

Micron outline. 

Next, I used Baal Red Contrast Paint to color in the whole thing. 

Baal Red.

Then I brightened it up in layers starting with Wild Rider Red, Fire Dragon Bright and Yriel Yellow. I was very pleased with this process and the results of it. 

"Dance into the fire"

For the final touches I added a few miniature leaves to the base. That with that, this single test model is now finished! 

Finished!

I am pleased with how this guy turned out and I'm looking forward now to building and painting a whole unit of Phoenix Guard. When? Who knows!