Glade Guard Prototype
Hey all,
I have been working on a single Glade Guard model recently to test out a colour scheme, and to see if there was anything that needed improving/ changing, and the above model is the finished prototype. I really enjoyed painting this guy as I used a new blending technique for the paint rather than my usual heavy highlighting method, and this technique was learnt from Ron over at From The Warp who kindly answered my call for help about blending colours on a model – check out his site for dozens of excellent tips and tutorials to add that special something to your miniatures. I am basing my army around an Autumn/Winter scheme, so I opted to use Earthy tones such as Graveyard Earth, Kommando Khaki and Desert Yellow. I also suffer from a problem that appears to be very common amongst our fellow hobbyists; Perfectionism! I often get bored of an army if I do not put every effort in to them or if their eyes aren’t aligned properly, and that has been the case with countless hundreds of my miniatures, so I thought the best way to avoid that same path with my Wood Elves would be to go all out on modelling them so that I can satisfy my annoying obsession. In this case I have decided to use some extremely thin fishing line to create the draw-string of the bow, and added some lichen, leaves and snow to the base for the final touches.
As a prototype model, I would really appreciate any input, advice, comments or criticism about this fella so that I can perform the improvements on his kin as I slowly put them together.
Thanks for stopping by!
The Whispering Woods 
Good work mate, even for a square baser! I’m loving the subtle ‘sheen’ on them, and that blending really worked a treat!
I particularly like the face. I also like that colour scheme is not the usual wood elf green, but is suitably ‘earthy’. It reminds of a moth or something (especially in the bottom right photo, were the cloak resembles layered wings).
Whats next to paint mate?
Thanks bud! I guess resembling a moth isn’t so bad, maybe keep torches away though. And lighters for that matter.
I reckon a few more Glade guard before getting back to my DA’s. They are looking very lonely if I’m honest. I also want to convert a Treeman somehow as the Games Workshop ones don’t really appeal to me! I’m glad with how the face came out, it’s the most realistic I have done to date I think, and even then it was only because of lucky paint brush swipes.
Thanks for stopping by mate!
Pretty!
Thanks v.much I think it’s the new moisturiser he’s been using!
Hmm…Of all the fantasy armies I reckon the wood elves must be the best looking, and you’ve done this model justice.
I particularly love the bowstring – very smartly done. Sadly, as you know I’m in no position to offer anything useful about painting as I know neither how to paint well nor how colour works.
Still, it looks fantastic!
Now I’m wondering if I should create a mini-blog for my Empire troops; just, y’know, for posterity’s sake…
Out, damned thoughts!
Do it! Do it! Do it! I honestly think you should put together a blog for your Empire. It’s always nice to take a dip in the Fantasy pool every now and then to avoid the bullets and muzzle flare, and I also think a lot of people would want to see what your Guard would look like thousands of years in the past and in fluffy shorts. You are certainly a military man at heart.
Thanks for the compliments mate, greatly appreciated. I really thought I’d mess up the whole blending technique but I’m averagely happy with the results.
Thanks for stopping by bud, we should sort out a game once you get in to the new codex!
Cheers,
Though the forthcoming stresses of coursework deadlines might make me want a last-gasp fun game before then if possible…
No prob, better to get one in before the work piles up, just let me know bud.
They look great! Keep up the good work.
Of all the Fantasy armies, I do think the Wood Elves look the best overall… I just can’t justify to myself making the move over to this game: I am way in over my head in the 40K universe as it is, lol.
Thanks mate! I’m glad you like the model, it really makes things worth while when people do. Ah you have got me started now… Although 40k is an absolutely amazing game, I am comfortable with both systems, and can honestly say that if you feel like attacking a destroyed crater of a planet, then 40k is the way to go, but if you feel like losing yourself with some myth and magic, Fantasy is just as much fun. There’s something about the appeal Fantasy has to me that makes things so exciting. Things seem so simple, like weapons are axes, bows, and swords, and magic is so cool. As great as the 40k universe is, the battlefields are generally battered ruins and ancient buildings and there is only so much you can do with a rusty Administratum. Fantasy on the other hand just reminds me of the LoTR films where you can take a walk through a forest and be attacked by a huge troll, or have to escape from a horde of zombies. Sorry to drone on, but after being a fully-fledged 40k player, I can honestly say that Fantasy is such an enjoyable game and there is so much to do just planning can be as much fun as a game! I agree with you about the Wood Elves, the models are just so cool looking, but I also like the new Vampire Counts models. The Lords are just amazingly detailed and something about the darkness of their army is so appealing. That’s a major difference for me between the two systems; 40k armies amostly have armour and guns as is expected, but with Fantasy you can rely just as heavily on magic to defeat entire regiments in the way a Baneblade could handle an entire unit of Space Marines. I hope you are tempted to convert! There’s nothing to say we can’t all enjoy both 40k and Fantasy in balance.
Thanks for stopping by bud, and thanks again for the compliments!
It is finished.
73rd, onto your blog I commend my blog site.
That is, if you click where it says my name now…I’ve no idea how to include hyperlinks in comments.
Amazing job on that. And he has a bow sting… that’s a GW rarity… unfortunatley.
Ahhh! now you’ve got my brain going, I’ve always wanted to play wood elves, and being awsome at painting leather (if i may say so myslef) doesn’t help. Must! Resist!
With all I have going on, I just came across this guy… WOW.
Outstanding work, I know you didn’t get that from me. I don’t even paint that well.
Seriously though, great looking mini.
I really dig how crisp the model looks. I think it the clean lining between the colors. It’s not super black but dark enough to separate the colors…I dunno. Looks good whatever it is.
I’m interested if the lines between sections is done with washes, “black” lining (darkbrown-lining?), very dark basecoat w/ highlights built up, or some other?
Also, I’m playing 40k eldar but want to collect a fantasy army and am drawn to the models of the wood elves (like you guys said, they’re great looking) but don’t want something too similar to how eldar play in 40k. Should I be worried that strategy wise it’ll be too much like playing my 40k “space elf” army if I go to wood elves?
Wow thanks so much all for the comments and kind words! Greatly appreciated!
@Drax: Woohoo EmpireDrax! Site looks awesome mate, adding to my blogroll as we speak. I’m glad you took the leap, and I’m sure it will be just as successful as your 40k counterpart.
@Peter: Thanks for the kind words mate! I do think that the bow string finished off the model, it was just a nightmare getting it in to place as fishing line, super glue and plastic don’t get on as well as you’d think! I had a thought in regards to your resisting the Wood Elves though, why don’t you just purchase a few to get the feel of them and paint them up in your usual excellent style and see what you think; I can’t recommend these models enough, especially to a leather painter like yourself. So many oppurtunities on even a basic piece of leather armour.
@Ron: Thanks buddy, it was with your technique that I managed to get this guy completed. Without your help I seriously doubt I could have managed those blended areas, so your previous post was a massive help. As for you not being able to paint that well I disagree, I know for a fact that your level of painting skill has inspired a great number of us to new heights to even come close!
@Nick: Thanks very much, it’s funny you should mention the colour between colours, as I did originally intend black. It is actually an undercoat of Vallejo Black and Scorched Brown mixed evenly. It gives a very nice matte effect rather than the shiny effect given by Chaos Black. I then washed it with a very thin coat of Scorched Brown just to bolster the lightness of the recesses. When I say thin I mean almost colourless. Just enough to slip in to the recesses of the model, but not enough to shield the black/brown mix. As for your temptation towards the Wood Elves, I couldn’t recommend them more. The models are great, and their playing style is very unique. In all honestly they aren’t too similar to the Eldar at all. I mean ok, toughness and WS/BS are all similar, but they are all of Elven heritage. But when they are on the field they couldn’t be more different. I think Wood Elves are at their strongest when using the forests to an advantage. Eldar can commonly get caught in CC and get wiped out by tougher fellas like Space Marines, but with Wood Elves, a lot of their power comes from a massed volley of arrows, and there are plenty of CC troops such as Dryads to keep you out of harms way. If that doesn’t help you much with your decision, I can also recommend Orcs. I think those models are also really cool, and their way of playing is the exact opposite of the Eldar and any Elf. Even if you did decide to field Wood Elves and found them to have a few similarities to Eldar, just bear in mind that it could even be considered an advantage since you already know the tactics of the Eldar and how best to use them, therefore transferring a few of those strategies to their historical counterparts could be a game winning oppurtunity!
Thanks for stopping by guys, your feedback and thoughts are very appreciated!
Wait… you don’t know how well I paint, I only tool a few really bad pictures of some WIP orks that are on my blog… I think you’ve got me convinced and I think I’ll not bother with WotR, first up, Glade Guard! NO PETER! ELDAR FIRST! You’re really not helping…
Ah yes your Orks! I double checked them again today! Why do Orks now appeal to me? Damn you GW and your mind-control! You have to atleast try and paint up a few Glade Guard now mate, just for your own sanity! The temptation will keep pulling at you, over and over and over again. Just see how you go. I should work for Slaanesh I think with my convincing ways and all…
Hey, just started my wood elves blog here http://theforlornforest.blogspot.com/
and for the record, you’re three times as good as slaanesh (Slaan his decendents? there’s a though) Unfortunatley I have very little hobby funds at the minute and I’ll need to buy more greens, along with the elves
Great stuff, I’ve added your new one, it looks pretty cool! God knows why I keep doing these wordpress.com blogs rather than blogspot! I know what you mean about the funds, or lack of them. I wander if my Slaaneshi abilities would allow me to convince GW staff that they should pay us for our time spent with the hobby… Dark powers are a tempting bunch
You just need to adopt a suitably evil laugh, MUHAHAHAHAHA, YOU WORTHLESS WORM! something along the lines of that, there’s nothing wrong with WordPress, it’s just I used blogger for the aspect portal before I knew about it, just it’s easier to stick with one… I feel chaos-y now
Here is my trully fearsome laugh – MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA YOU PATHETIC CREATURE!!!
I could get used to this!
Ii really enjoy the color scheme you have going there. Very well done.
If I were to offer a criticism, it would be on the flesh. Not on how it was done (it was painted very well), but the color of the flesh seems very dark for an elf. Traditionally, elves have very pale skin. The skin you’ve painted looks to be in the range of human skin. This could be intentional, or you may not have considered it, but those are my thoughts.
Either way, well done.
Ii really like the color scheme you have going. Very nice.
If I were to offer a criticism, it would be on the color choice of the flesh. It feels very dark for an elf. Traditionally, elves have very pale skin. Yours looks to have almost human skin. This could have been intentional, or you may not have considered it, but those are my thoughts.
Either way, the model looks very nice.
The model looks great. Not to downplay the excellent paint job, but I really like the bowstring for some reason. Great work!
Thanks a lot mate! I’m glad the bow-string is going down well. I did intend to make the string go from one side of the bow to the other in a vertical line just to save time, but thought i’d try and give it a bit more realism by attaching it to his fingers as if it was being drawn back.
Cheers for stopping by!
Do you think that you could do a little tutorial on how you did the bowsting, because one of the things that annoy me about GW bows is the complete lack of bowstings, it’s just so annoying and you’ve done a really good job!
Actually that’s a great idea, I will get started on that immediately! Expect it up later this evening or tomorrow mate, thanks for the idea!
@wienas
Forgive my late reply, your comment wasn’t in my regular section! Thanks for the feedback, and I know what you mean about the skin tone, it is certainly dark for an Elf. I was trying to keep it slightly deeper than the regular light skinned Elves we have all come to know and love just to give the model a slightly more mysterious presence. I wanted him to appear dark and hidden beneath his hood and thought that a lighter skin tone would take too much away from the other colours.
Thanks for stopping by mate!
Your model and paint job is awesome but if there is a string there should be an arrow as well. No self respecting wood elf would ever dry fire his bow.