Welcome to Part II of my Swamp Pit terrain build, for part I CLICK. Over the weekend, the piece was given two coats of texture (Vallejo Grey Pumice) and undercoated black.
Tools
Large paint brush
Spatula
MIG Pigment Dust - Graveyard Earth
MIG Pigment Dust - Russian Earth
MIG Fixer
Dark Angels Green paint
Vallejo Water Effects
To get a more realistic look to my scenery and bases I use MIG Pigment dust, something that is used by many modellers to produce realistic weathering on figures with, they come in a variety of earthy colours and some very useful rust colours. The addition of a few mediums allows the dust to be applied in a number of ways allowing the modeller to simulate dry clumps of earth, dirt or thick wet mud. In the case of my swamp pits I wanted to keep it fairly standard so used it direct from the pot, I had tried wet mud before using gloss varnish as a medium but did not like the results. By taking a soft brush and dipping it into the MIG pot I generously but gently brushed it along the sculpted mounds. If I do this to quickly it brushes the pigment all over the place leaving mess over areas I want clean, so slow and methodical is the key. A added bonus with dusting, is that it can nicely fill in pits and gaps left by rushed textures or holes left by popped air bubbles. I do a two lair dust, the darker colour as a base is Graveyard Earth, the highlight layer is Russian Earth, any combination of dark and light dust will be fine and produce transition.
With the dust in place, I then used MIG pigment fixer to 'glue' the pigments in place. Because I used two different pigments, it was a case of base colour/fixer then highlight/fixer. When applying pigment fixer, use a soft brush and lightly dab the areas of pigment, you will see the pigment soak up the fixer very quickly. You can still move pigment around while the fixer is wet, but once dry the pigment dust will be permanent. With the pigment dust drying, I set about colouring the water areas and painting all the smaller details such as the barrels, fallen logs, stones and reeds. Dark Angels green forms the shadow for my swamp and is applied generously around all areas intended as water.
With everything painted and dry, it is time to work on the wet areas of the swamp itself. To capture the look of water, I am using Vallejo Water Effects; a thick white paste that will dry clear; the reason for choosing this brand is control. A thick paste is far easier for me to apply en masse and dictate the layout, something that is hard to do with the more viscous water effects such as Vallejo Clear water and Games Workshop clear water. Using a large brush or spatula, I applied a thick but even amount of resin over the green areas. Keeping it thick and even will give a nice sense of depth when I apply the highlight colour to the swamp water. I have put resin over the banks and once this dries this will give the impression of submerged banks, it is worth noting that the thickness of the medium will mean I could sculpt water textures such as ripples if I wish. Because the first layer of resin is quite thick I expect more than the usual 24 hours for it to dry. Once the first layer dries it will be ready for the water highlight colour and another layer of resin.
The full range of materials used in this article can be bought from: Wayland Games - Discount Wargames
Thanks for reading,
DiStudios
The 14th Legion