Steve Troughton-SmithNot a whole lot left here! Bones, cloth, and final details
And just to highlight what 5 years of progress looks like, here's where I gave up the first time trying to paint these models, back in 2019!
Iām so glad I donāt have a timer counting how long these have taken to paint. The people who can do this all day every day are heroic
Tomorrow, the Death Guard will be done! Feels real good š
And weāre done; a full painted squad of Death Guard before Christmas šØāšØ
One for the Reddit crowd:
Spent December painting up some Death Guard a la the TableTopReady tutorial and they turned out neat!
Before I run out of energy, I figured Iād begin a test model for some very classic Dark Eldar I have lying around. Even the studio paint jobs for these were awful, just like the models š So I have very little to go on; uncharted territory
I know sex is good and all, but have you ever successfully painted twenty eyes at 28mm scale with a size 1 brush?
(Keeping this one in the thread)
Closing thoughts on last monthās Death Guard: that was a real slog, but they look better than I could have hoped. The minis are incredible, but because there's so much variation it's impossible to build up a rhythm and each one has to be tackled individually, which is exhausting. I have a dozen more to paint, but I'm going to have to really be in the mood to commit to another three-week paint job. Immediate plan is more Dark Eldar, then some Ultramarines, and a Stormcast test mini
Trying my hand at something different. Old model stripped of paint and prepared for workā¦
Though my good brushes are on their last legs now after a solid few months of painting, so it's probably time to replace my setup š„²
Surprise morning project! Painted up the mini that brought me into the hobby all those years agoā¦
One classic Carnifex š
I was too busy being sick š¤§ today to post in-progress pics of this guy, but rest assured it went through an āugly phaseā like all the others. It wasnāt till I was 90% done that I could see it was going to be ok in the end, and I had to abort and re-try a couple portions along the way
I have never had so many upvotes on r/Warhammer40k š I guess people really like a classic Carnifex ā it is one of my all-time favorites
First batch paint of 2025 complete! Thereās something quite endearing about these awful classic Dark Eldar sculpts when painted in a modern style
Keeping that painting desk populated for the hours I can steal late at night
Had the flu this week, so having to slowly force myself back into painting by doing tiny little bits. Avoiding the internet feels like the right thing to do lately
You spend so much time looking at this stuff up close, flaws and all, that seeing it from the intended distance feels like a whole new experience
As a bonus, tonight I painted up a Stormcast Eternal (using the TableTopReady tutorial)!
I can see why these are the face of Age of Sigmar. That was fun to paint, and it looks amazing š
Joe Chott@stroughtonsmith I know this has been YEARS of you working on your skills but being here on the outside looking inā¦ it feels like you were doing (in my opinion) good at reworking all your childhood paint jobs.
ā¦and then in the last couple months, you gained some huge extra capability. You seem now to not only be painting at a level -*I*- had previously only associated with āmaster level artistsā, but also, the SPEED at which you are working now is just INSANE compared to years ago!
CONGRATS!!
@Verxion just trying new things and attempting to push myself. I think the only thing that's changed is the confidence to attempt paint jobs that seem lengthy and complex
@stroughtonsmith you are very modest. :)
@Verxion it's hard to describe, but there is a point where everything clicks and you can see the matrix. And then you can look at anything and go āoh I can do thatā
@stroughtonsmith Thatās literally what I was expecting. It feels like your mindset AND your capability just unlocked and anything became possible. I realize thatās probably not how it feels to YOU, but thatās how it looks from the outside.
You are inspiring! :)