Rogers Paintworks: British Paras tutorial and WIP

I've been sitting on a lot of these photos for weeks waiting for enough of them to make a decent sized post on how I've painted my paras so far. I've been painting 11 in one hit which for me is quite a lot as I'm usually slow at best. All the colours are Vallejos and the washes I use are Army Painter which are very similar to the Citadel washes but heaps cheaper. I had used Vallejo washes but I found they often left white residue where it should've been shaded so I ditched them.

I always prime my models with a black undercoat because it's easy to source and I like the immediate shading effect. I haven't been able to find a good white primer yet so I've stuck with it. The pants I had already base coated with Chocolate Brown as I had squeezed too much out of the bottle a while ago.

Next up I like to put down all the base colours to get a feel for the figure and get it ready for the washes. The beret is done with Black Red. The edge trim I do in black later on.

The scarf and gaiters are based in Russian Uniform WW2. Any webbing/backpacks/helmet straps all get the same Russian Uniform treatment. Helmets with webbing also get a heavy drybrush of this colour.

The Denison smock is hit with a Middlestone base and the sten/metal buckles on backpacks all get a darkened gun metal grey/black mix. The exact ratio isn't important as it will get a black wash later until it looks right. The face and hands I start off in Panzer Aces Shadows Flesh and I do up in 4 stages.

Any bare helmets get based in Reflective Green. All wood items and boots are based with German Camo Black Brown. In the background you can see the flamethrower underway, I had to hunt around for a green colour that was different to what I'd used so far and after a scrummage around in the paints box I came across Panzer Aces Splinter Strips. I also based the Vickers HMG in the same.

I jumped a step with the washes here and have only got a photo of the post wash figure. The only things I really wash are the smock, scarves, metal areas and helmets. The Denison is washed with an Army painter Strong tone wash which is just a dark brown wash. The scarves, metal parts, helmets and the vickers/flamethrower all get a Dark tone wash.

Then I go back over the smock with Middlestone again but this time I don't cover all the areas in and try to do the standard paint job by leaving the dark in the recesses. I try to start creating the emphasis on the folds in the smock at this stage because I find it makes it easier later down the track to highlight and build colour up. The flesh areas are mostly covered in using Panzer Aces Flesh Base. Again I try to take a little extra time here to get the face structure right as it makes it easier later on.

A quick shot of the camo net hemlets. I base the brown strips with Chocolate brown and the green strips with Russian Uniform WW2. The green strips got the same Dark tone wash as the rest of the helmet. To highlight the helmet camo net I use Green Grey in a light drybrush. Netting done.

I tried a technique I found in the Painting War magazines for the uncovered helmlet to try and simulate some wear/chipping. Unfortunately my photos aren't the best sorry.

I throw a bit of Vallejo Glaze Medium over the Dark tone washed helmet and re-apply Reflective Green but leave a little of the dark area just above the rim.

Next I get some Green grey and stipple it on the top of the helmet. The glaze medium should help it blend into the reflective green so that it's not too contrasty.

You can blend the light colours down from the top and it draws the colours together nicely.

Lastly (and sorry for the horrible picture) I got the stippling brush and some German Camo Black Brown and dabbed it on the helmet to simulate chipping effects. It's subtle but ties it all together.

Here's a shot of the vickers crew which has had the black wash applied to the gun. The bullets are Vallejo Brass with a brown wash and the Brass re-applied to the tips. The strip down the middle is Khaki or any other canvas colour, doesn't really matter.

The hair I did in a variety of colours, mostly whatever brown colours I had to hand done in 3-4 layers by touching less and less hair each step.

Shoes are highlighted with Chocolate Brown and the soles with Black Grey. Buttons get darkened with German Camo Black Brown then done over with Brass.

Faces up next and I mix Panzer Aces Flesh Base with Vallejo Flat Flesh. I touch less and less of the face with each step. There are plenty of face tutorials on youtube so I won't go into too much detail here. Final highlight is straight Flat Flesh.

The Vickers and flamethrower are highlighted by taking Splinter Strips and adding a little Khaki to create a lighter colour. Vallejo Black Grey sorts out the tubing between the gun/container.

Rifles get two highlights. I try to simulate wood lines with Chocolate Brown and then top it all off with Beige Brown to complete the wood effect. Beret insignia are hand drawn in white.

The toggle rope was base coated in Flat Earth and highlighted with Khaki. The entrenching tool was base coated with German Camo Black Brown and highlighted with Burnt Umber. Water bottles get a base of Burnt Umber and then highlighted with Panzer Aces Leather Brown.

I did the pants by starting with a very thin layer of Glaze Medium and then covering most of the pants area with a 50:50 mix of Chocolate Brown and English Uniform. Highlight effects are then put on with straight English Uniform. The left leg has just the basecoat and the right is freshly applied 3 layers hence the shiny wet look.

Berets get a 50:50 mix of Black Red and Red, and then highlighted with straight Red.