This time I'm going to show you how I painted the non-ghostly shroud the Guardian of Souls is cloaked in. I really liked the colours as shown in the painting suggestions the model comes with. However, I didn't think using Dryad Bark, Druchii Violet, Doombull Brown and Ushabti Brown would achieve the desired result, which is why I came up with my own colour scheme that, in my opinion, comes quite close to the original one. It involves mixing different paints, so you may want to use a wet palette to avoid early drying of your paints (strongly recommended!).
Step 1: Basecoat
Following the previous tutorial, the upper part of the model should already be primed with Mechanicus Standard Grey, which is a perfect foundation for a covering layer of brown. I didn't want to use pure Dryad Bark for the cloak as I typically use this colour for wooden materials. Thus, I mixed the basecoat using Dryad Bark and Dark Reaper (ratio 2:1), which turned out to be a really nice dirty, bluish brown. As usual, I'd suggest thinning your paint a little bit with water for a smoother finish. Apply two thin coats.
Step 2: Shade
The next step is to shade the entire cloak with Nuln Oil. I usually thin my shades with Lahmian Medium to prevent patchy drying, but also to achieve smoother shadows. I applied a first overall coat and a second more selected coat into the recesses to increase the intensity of the shadows.
Step 3: Clean-Up / Re-Applying the Basecoat
In order to emphasise the folds and shadows in the fabric of the cloak, I re-applied the original basecoat in one single, thin layer only to the protruding areas. This is where the wet-palette comes in handy because the basecoat mix of Dryad Bark and Dark Reaper should still be wet and usable (unlike a regular palette where your paint would already be rock-hard).
Step 4: Highlight
Next, we want to enhance the contrast between the recesses and the protruding folds even further with a brighter highlight. I mixed Gorthor Brown with Dark Reaper, which has the same tone as the basecoat, just a little bit brighter (again, ratio 2:1). I also mixed-in a bit of Lahmian Medium to blend it into the basecoat. Apply one thin coat to the areas you want to stand out.
Step 4: Edge-Highlight
I think the cloak has a nice texture and contrast to it, but it looks too monotonous in comparison to the original artwork, which somehow shows a bluish tint to some of the highlights. I first replicated that by using Thunderhawk Blue, which turned out to be too blue and clashed with the brown undertone. The solution was to mix Ionrach Skin into Thunderhawk Blue. The result was a pale, greyish blue - exactly what I desired. I thinned it with water and applied it to the extreme folds, the edges of the cloak and the holes. As you can see in the picture, I obviously didn't thin my paint enough, the finish is rather uneven with some paint crumps here and there. :(
Step 5: Extreme Edge-Highlight
To push the effect of a ragged, mouldered cloak even further, I added an extreme edge-highlight of Deepkin Flesh to certain areas that I previously painted with the Thunderhawk Blue mix. This is where the 'Eavy Metal team used Ushabti Bone in the painting suggestion. Thin your paint and use the smallest brush you have.
There you go! Darrakar's dark, decayed shroud is finished. I'll probably use this colour scheme for other brown cloakes as well (e.g. the Knight of Shrouds, Reikenor, etc. ... if i got the time to do that in the first place). Anyway, I hope this answers a few questions and helps you to achieve similar results. Good luck and have fun! :)
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