Golden Demon winner, Matt Parkes describes his steps for painting Elendil and Isildur, mighty warriors of the Last Alliance. Click on images for larger versions.

Each of the models were painted with an undercoat of Chaos Black. Any areas where the spray had failed to catch were then painted over with a thinned coat of Chaos Black.

The faces were painted with a basecoat of Bestial Brown. This was then highlighted with Dwarf Flesh, followed by adding Pallid Flesh for the final highlights.

Elendil's beard was painted with a basecoat of Codex Grey. A small amount of Bleached Bone was added to this for the highlight stages.

Isildur's beard was painted with a basecoat of Scorched Brown. Bestial Brown was used as the first highlight coat, then Bleached Bone was added for the final highlight stages.

A basecoat of Scab Red and Chaos Black mixed together in equal parts was used to paint the robes. Scab Red on its own was used to paint the next highlight stage followed by adding an equal quantity of Blood Red to this.

Fiery Orange was added to the mix for the final highlight stage and then the robes were given a wash with a thinned-down Red Ink.

Elendil's cloak was painted with Chaos Black and highlighted with an equal parts mix of Chaos Black and Codex Grey. A small amount of Bleached Bone was then added to this for the final highlights. The inner section was painted with a basecoat of Snakebite Leather, and Bleached Bone was then added to this for successive highlight stages.

All of the armour sections, helmets and swords on each of the models were painted with a basecoat of Boltgun Metal. These were then highlighted with Chainmail, followed by final highlights of Mithril Silver.

The gold trim of the armour and the decoration on the helms were painted with a basecoat of Tin Bitz. This was then highlighted with Shining Gold, followed by a final highlight of Burnished Gold.

The patterning on Isildur's robes started with a basecoat of Burnished Gold. The outer lines were painted on first and then the dashes and dots were painted down the centre. The basecoat was then painted over with an equal parts mix of Bleached Bone and Sunburst Yellow.

Chaos Black was used as the basecoat for the shoes, with an equal quantity of Codex Grey added to this for the highlights.

BASING

It is all too easy to ignore basing your figures, but a good base will really help make your finished model stand out. Having spent all the time and effort on painting the model, it is really worth spending just a few more minutes finishing the base.

Firstly cover over any gaps where the model slots into the base with some masking tape. Another easy alternative is to fill the gaps in with Blu-tack.

Paint the whole base with Bestial Brown, being careful to avoid painting the feet of the model. Once this has dried, water down a little bit of PVA glue. Two parts glue to one part water is about the right consistency. Paint this onto the top of the base, wiping off any glue that comes into contact with the model using a wet brush.

Dip the base into some sand, shaking off any excess as you remove the model, then leave to dry. Next, paint the sand with Bestial Brown. Once this has dried you can drybrush the sand with Bleached Bone. You should use an old brush or one specifically designed for drybrushing, as this technique will quickly damage the bristles of a brush. Put a small quantity of Bleached Bone onto the tip of the brush. Now wipe most of the paint off onto a piece of paper towel or old rag. Flick the brush lightly up and down over the sand. The paint will catch on the raised surface of the base whilst the recesses will remain brown.