Frosthaven - Banner Spear
Frosthaven has finally been delivered! So that means I have a host of starting classes to paint up ready for our first game. Especially as neither myself or my wife are sure which classes we want to play yet. Plus, we have yet to finish Gloomhaven or Jaws of the Lion. But it can’t hurt to be prepared. Besides, the models looked great. They have definitely learned since Gloomhaven as the Frosthaven models have a lot more detail on them. Including a sculpted base! I was gearing myself up to learn how to snowy bases but this works out better I feel.
I picked the Banner Spear to start with as she seemed the easiest to paint, can’t go wrong with generic fantasy armour and a fur cloak. Due to the weather here being sub-zero at the moment I didn’t trust a rattle can primer, so I broke out the airbrush and my backup pot of Vallejo Surface Primer Grey. The grey is more white than anything else and is also, bizarrely, nearly the same colour as the plastic that models are moulded in. Made priming a tad tricky but I feel like I got an even coat all over.
Right out of the gate I feel like I messed up, the primer is so light that I should have painted the armour with a coat of gloss black before applying a layer of Scale75 Thrash Metal. Oh well, I applied a few thin coats until I had an even silver on the armour and the spear tips. With that done I painted her face with Cadian Fleshtone and her hair with Corvus Black. For her tabard I thought about painting it Thousand Sons Blue but eventually settled on Macragge Blue. For the fur cloak I went with Balor Brown as it’s a more subdued colour, something like Mournfang Brown or Skrag Brown would be too garish. Besides, I used both of those colours already to paint the leather straps and sword scabbard respectively. The spear shafts I painted with Army Painter Oak Brown. For the bird is perched on her arm I painted with Vallejo Dark Slate Grey and Camouflage Medium Brown. As these are air paints these went on a bit like a thick wash, but with a couple of coats the bird was looking good.
For the washes I started by giving her face a coat of Reikland Fleshshade. Her hair, armour and the banners I washed with Nuln Oil. Everything else, aside from the base, got a coat of Army Painter Strong Tone.
I kept the highlights fairly minimal. I layered her face with Kislev Flesh and her hair with Two Thin Coats Dungeon Stone. I layered all the banners with Macragge Blue before giving them a highlight of a fifty-fifty mix of Macragge Blue and Two Thin Coats Celestial Blue. The leather straps I highlighted with Skrag Brown. Rather than highlighting all the fur, I instead drybrushed it with Tyrant Skull. Which, turned out alright I suppose although it did further destaturate the Balor Brown.
For the base, I started by painting all the snow with Ulthuan Grey and the rocks with a couple thin coats of Dawnstone. The snow was then given a coat of Apothecary White contrast paint. I then layered back up with Ulthuan Grey. The rocks, I edge highlighted with a fifty-fifty mix of Dawnstone and Ulthuan Grey. Lastly, I painted the rim of the base with Vallejo Heavy Goldbrown.