Jack's Arabian Tomb Kings

[Tom Hale]

Nice stuff jack. Btw your on the reserve list for the Brighton torny right? Just to say Brian and James can't make it so there is a slot you can nab if you pay and pm the organiser your list sharpish

[Dave]

Which is good, I need a nudge in the right direction. I will do my best, but don't get your hopes up too much! I have always painted gems using 4 colours: a mid-level basecoat, a darker shade for the bottom crescent, a highlight for the top crescent, and a dot of white at the top. Unless anyone has any top tips?

Same approach as I used for the gems on my eldar in my thread.  Once you've varnished the model (assuming you are) I then have a pot of paint on gloss which goes on the gems as the final layer to give them some shine.

[cunningmatt]

I think I will use green for some of the other models, but for these Tomb Guard I am a little worried about them looking too much like a regiment of evil santas.

Good point I hadn't thought of that! Although if you green-stuffed some tinsel on them it would look unique!

(You can never abuse David Dickenson too much)

Good point to know, please keep up the random comments alongside your painting (unsurpisingly) I like it!

I will do my best, but don't get your hopes up too much! I have always painted gems using 4 colours: a mid-level basecoat, a darker shade for the bottom crescent, a highlight for the top crescent, and a dot of white at the top. Unless anyone has any top tips?

Dave's comment about Gloss varnish. Obviously the more different shades you use for the gem the better it will look (but that applies to pretty much every part of the model) and make sure the base colour is sufficiently dark - so the transition between Chaos Black and the colour doesn't look too harsh. Oh and never paint them Yellow - seriously NEVER do it!

[jackhoneysett]

Nice stuff jack. Btw your on the reserve list for the Brighton torny right? Just to say Brian and James can't make it so there is a slot you can nab if you pay and pm the organiser your list sharpish

Cheers for the heads-up Tom, I've sent the TO a pm just in case they need someone. I'm quite far down on the reserves I think so someone else might have snapped up those slots.

Good point to know, please keep up the random comments alongside your painting (unsurpisingly) I like it!

I'm sure I can provide plenty more weirdness, to be honest if I only talked about painting I'd run out of things to say pretty quickly (right after I've said 'cover things in Devlan Mud').

Dave's comment about Gloss varnish. Obviously the more different shades you use for the gem the better it will look (but that applies to pretty much every part of the model) and make sure the base colour is sufficiently dark - so the transition between Chaos Black and the colour doesn't look too harsh. Oh and never paint them Yellow - seriously NEVER do it!

I feel like we've got a little gemstone masterclass going on here. Thanks for all the tips! Luckily the only yellow paint I have is in one of those ancient citadel hexagonal pots from the 90s, so yellow is definitely off the menu.

[Meals]

You are a demanding audience 
Which is good, I need a nudge in the right direction. I will do my best, but don't get your hopes up too much! I have always painted gems using 4 colours: a mid-level basecoat, a darker shade for the bottom crescent, a highlight for the top crescent, and a dot of white at the top. Unless anyone has any top tips?

I always demand the best 

Sounds about right, plus the gloss varnish as Dave and Matt said, though if you really want to, a really watered down wash over the top, ie for purple gems, take 6-1 watered down purple wash over the top. It helps to merge the colours together (which is good for any highlighting really), but I don't think you need it for normal troops.

I realised the other night while painting my Prophetess that I got up to about the 8th highlight of red on the gemstones... At least I answered the question of why my Bretts are taking so long to paint   

[cunningmatt]

Luckily the only yellow paint I have is in one of those ancient citadel hexagonal pots from the 90s.

I have some of those still, though I think they're all drier than Anne Robinson's face.

I realised the other night while painting my Prophetess that I got up to about the 8th highlight of red on the gemstones... At least I answered the question of why my Bretts are taking so long to paint   

You can't moan, you're not doing High Elves - they have gems everywhere, they'd probably even have them in the bottom of their toilet bowl if such things were ever modelled!

[Dave]

hex pots aren't ancient, they're practically brand new.  I still use yellows from the old original round pot with white lid that GW first released their paint range in.

[cunningmatt]

hex pots aren't ancient, they're practically brand new.  I still use yellows from the old original round pot with white lid that GW first released their paint range in.

Some of us aren't that old! 

[jackhoneysett]

They've kept suprisingly well, compared to those awful screw top clear plastic pots GW did for a while. They congealed almost instantaneously upon opening.

If I were cynical I might say they were part of a devious paint-based moneymaking scheme from GW

[cunningmatt]

They've kept suprisingly well, compared to those awful screw top clear plastic pots GW did for a while. They congealed almost instantaneously upon opening.

The most annoying thing about those was when paint got in the screw top and glued the whole pot shut, so that it could only be opened using a monkey wrench! I have to say bar the annoying stacking issues (or lack of stacking issues) I love the new pots.