Backward, not forward!

So I've done some thought exercises and determined that I didn't really need, or want, a Mauler in my future trollbloods list, what with the undeniable utility (beatdown) that Mulg brings to the table in a Doomshaper list.  With that having been said, I went ahead and rebuilt the mauler as a bomber; I'm pretty excited at the satisfyingly savage look to the model. I knew that I would be getting into Trollbloods more, so I went ahead and ordered some VGC paints to use in the airbrush and I'm glad I did.

VGC Turquoise, VGC Electric Blue, P3 Underbelly Blue, VGC Dead White

 

 

Bombs!

I went and captured some screens as I layered on the various shades of blue.  What I will warn you of right off the bat is the fact that the colors I chose will ultimately end up with a very washed out blue look to the skin, but I think it'll pan out once the shading is done.

 

 

Turquoise

Electric Blue

Underbelly Blue

Dead White

At this point, I tried something new that may or may not have shot this attempt all to hell.  Using Reaper Auburn Shadow, I tried blocking in some shadow areas.  There were several things conspiring here, including exhaustion (1:00AM at that point), task fatigue, and a clogging needle.  At any rate, the resultant coats were much thicker and darker than I had intended, which was disappointing. 

Auburn Shadow

At this point in the process, the colors I got a bit disgusted, which was a shame; the entire process up to that point had been very enjoyable.  Despite the misgivings and red flags raised in my head, I went ahead and added the first layers of artist chalk shading.  I was at first pleased until I realized how occluded the skin tones had become.  Observe:

It's not at all a lost cause, since the pastels will come off with just water, but I think the block shadowing beneath the pigments may be too broad not to warrant a re-paint.  If nothing else, the one take-home here is that the purple pigment over the auburn looks great in small areas for shadowing and "enlivening" the cool colors of the troll, giving it a look of reddish-purple.  I'll try to "save" the paintjob tonight, but I'm leaning toward a re-do, incorporating the things I learned today and trying to leave just a bit more of the lower level coats showing as I move up through the layers in order to leave the model looking more blue than it currently does.  I'm encouraged, if not totally satisfied.