Ludicrous Speed: Ironjawz Ardboyz

- They shout and curse, stabbing wildly; more brawlers than warriors. They make a wondrous mess of things. Brave amateurs, they do their part. -

Dilios

   I barely spent less than four months to finish my Ironjawz project for Age of Sigmar, which included 33 miniatures... ok, I did not paint everyday of course: I have a hard job, family and stuff, but I am a gamer too so I need to build some of my models faster. For the Ironjawz' army I chose 10 Ardboyz to be "speed painted", just because all the others models are really detailed. Yes, Ardboyz are orcs too, never an easy paint job but I found a way to finish them in less than 8 hours. Let's see how!

PART 1: Black Armor and Metals

   After priming models in black I started right away to create the chipping effect on the armor. There is a lot of ways to chip a model, some of them very professional, but here we're going to use the easiest, but still effective: using foam.

   All of us bastard gamers have some foam pieces in their lairs, just pick one of them (I suggest to use something old, or stuff you don't really care about) then take a detail knife or cutter to cut off a small bit. After picking it up with your fingers, partially dip it in the color you need to use to chip the armor, in this case Leadbelcher from Citadel (a standard metal color). 

   Use something to wipe the foam from the color in excess and start tapping VERY gently on the armor. I suggest to try on something else before, like your bare hands or job mat. 

 

   Doing this, in a ludicrous speed way you'll obtain the foundation for a very good looking chipped black armor.

   Concerning metals I used only two: 

1- Leadbelcher (standard metal)

2- Balthasar Gold (dark gold, with a bronze tone; weathered in the right way it changes amd become something way different from gold)

   Just apply Leadbelcher on the mail, weapons and some other minor details, leaving few things to be painted in gold.

    Time to shade:

1- Nuln Oil (black shade) on the weapons
2- Agrax Earthshade (dark brown shade) on the rest of the metals, both gold and steel ones.

   Take your loyal drybrush and with silver start working on the edges:

   After that I used Ryza Rust form Citadel to add, in a very fast way, rusty effects on the models. This passage is very important... some weathering gives them life.

PART 2: Bones and Skin.

   Concerning bones if you feel confident you can make it without shading them. I mean that you can skip one passage but you have to leave recesses darker just with your brush.

    However the steps are:

1- Zandri Dust (light brown), basecoat

2- Agrax Eath Shade

3- Zandri Dust, now used as a layer so avoid the darker zone and don't cover all precedent zandri dust.

4- Ushabti Bones (bone color) layering from the middle to the edges.

   

   There are plenty of ways to paint orc's skin and almost none of them is for beginners... you can always drybrush it but it is not my case. Skin for orc models is their very soul, and you have to make it properly... in a fast way here, but good looking.

1- Waaagh! flesh (dark green) as a basecoat

2- Warboss Green (lighter orcish tone of green) as a second basecoat

3- Biel-tan Green (green shade)

4- Warboss Green used as a layer this time... you have to tidy up all the skin part (which are not so much in the case of the ardboyz), this one is the most important passages.

5- Skarsnik Green (light goblin tone green) for details, such are faces, fingers etc.

PART 3: Details (drummer and standard bearer).

   For the drummer I used a fast trick:

1- Rakarth Flesh (ligh beige) as a basecoat

2- Agrax Earthshade as a shade

3- Rakarth Flesh as a drybrush on almost all the drum surface

4- Balor Brown as a drybrush in the inner circle

5- Rhinox Hide in the center, always drybrushed

   For the standard bearer I imagined something that could match the rest of the army but different form the flat colors used for the Ardboyz... since my general rides a blue Maw-krusha I decided to paint the squig on the standard in blue tones.

1- Basecoat with Caledor Sky and Wash with Drakenhof nightshade

2- Drybrush with Lothern Blue
3- Drybrush with Pallid Wych Flesh (very gently!)

PART 4: Bases.

   Obviously I based models in the same way of the rest of the army.

1- Using PVA glue apply sand on the bases (I made this before priming models just to go faster and not messing with their feet)

2- Paint or prime in black

3- Heavy drybrush them with Zandri Dust

4- Drybrush with Ushabti Bone, gently this time.

5- Do the same with Pallid Wych Flesh but very little!

6- Add features as you wish.

7- Paint in two different coat with Steel Legion Drab around the bases.

   Finished!