Guest Article - Craftworld Mymeara Painting Guide

An excellent local painter (Nigel Bartlett) has written this handy guide to how he painted these amazing Forge World and Warhammer 40K models. Hopefully this will be the first of many such articles...I'll try to get him to take more pictures next time...

I'm sure he'd love to hear your feedback in the comments section.

Craftworld Mymeara – Painting Guide.

I remember seeing Phil Stutcinskas’ magnificent Eldar Phantom Titan a couple of years ago and thinking what a fantastic colour scheme Forge World had used to represent the new Craftworld, Mymeara.
About nine months after this I went to one of the Forge World master-classes at Warhammer World to learn techniques for painting walkers, Eldar and Orks.  Phil and Mark Bedford were the guys demonstrating the various methods and I had a chat with Phil about the Mymeara colours.

Having tried and failed to get it right, I eventually cracked it and have settled on the following:

Primer.

I use Tamiya light grey or Army Painter white.  Once this has dried properly, using an airbrush, randomly spray a mottled pattern using black paint.  The idea behind this is to achieve a subtle mottled pattern that is visible due to the translucent nature of the paints used.
NOTE:  Before applying the primer, make sure you have painted the pilot and cockpit.  The cockpit canopy needs to be firmly glued in place before painting commences.

Cockpit Canopy.

Mymeara vehicles have a purple tint to the cockpit glass (or clear Wraithbone if we are going to be picky!). To achieve this, you will need to cut some good quality masking tape out around the panels on the cockpit canopy.  Once this is in place, take a 1:1 mix of Tamiya Clear Red and Tamiya clear blue (adjust the ratio if you need to), thin it down with 8 drops of Tamiya X-20a thinners and spray an initial coat on the INSIDE of the cockpit canopy.  Allow to dry for a few minutes before applying subsequent layers to get the level of tint you want.  Too much and you will just get an opaque effect.  Depend on your preference.

Pilot.
Turquoise armour highlighted with blue (see colours used in the next section).

Vehicle hulls, Carapace and Body Armour.

Base-coat.
For the first coat of colour I use a Turquoise.  Falcon Turquoise from Vallejo is great, Hawk Turquoise from Citadel is also good (I prefer dropper bottles for less hassle). Army painter also produce a Turquoise in a dropper bottle which looks great but I have yet to use it.  Thin the turquoise appropriately with airbrush thinners and add a drop of glaze medium. Apply in a consistent coat allowing the primer to show through, just.  You are seeking a gradual fade of colours during the later stages.

Underside.
Mymeara vehicles have a main contrast colour which is white.  For this I use German Winter white from Vallejo’s Panzer range.  Spray it over a white primer if possible (I find it best to paint the vehicles in sub-assemblies unless its Forge World then you need masking tape).  It is a creamy off-white which you can highlight/shade if you wish.  Personally I don’t bother as you never see the underside of grav tanks anyway.

First Highlight.
For the first highlight I use Temple Guard Blue from Citadel.  This is brighter bluey-turquoise that blends over the basecoat in a very subtle and effective way.  Apply it in the areas where light is most likely to reflect, raised areas of vehicle hulls, sensor nodes (Often confused with gem stones) and the corners and outer edges of the vehicle.  For mesh armour I spray at a 45 degree angle catching the edges of shoulder pads, thigh pads etc.  It is important to let some of the original basecoat show through.

Second Highlight
For this I use Sky Blue from Vallejo but you can also use Ice Blue from Citadel.  This is used on the raised areas to give further definition to the first highlight. Always make sure that the layer beneath shows through.

Third Layer.
I use Frosty blue (Need to check that name) from Vallejo or you can use Bharroth blue from Citadel.  This is for the very extreme highlighted areas as described in the previous two stages.  Use sparingly!

Shading.
Mymeara vehicles ‘fade down’ towards the rear.  This is achieved by carefully applied layers of Orkhide shade.  I have yet to find a green that matches this from another manufacturer but if someone has an idea, I’d love to hear it.  My stocks are low!  This colour can be added in as many or as little layers as you want in order to get the right shading.  Personally I use more the further back on the vehicle I go.

Panel Lines and Sensor Nodes.
Once all the paint work is dry, spray the model(s) with a gloss varnish.  I use Johnsons Klear of Daler & Rowney gloss.  Be sure to let this dry thoroughly or you will ruin your previous paint work.  This performs two functions, one it protects the paint work and two it reduces surface tension which allows the application of washes to be that much easier.  Once its dry I use an oil paint wash to add definition to the panel lines and round the sensor nodes.

Mix Prussian blue with Lamp black on a 1:1 basis.  Thin this down to a wash consistency with good quality white spirit (I recommend artists White Spirit – it has less odour). Take a detail brush and load it with wash (not too much now!) and gently dab it on a panel line.  You will see that the oil wash runs around the grooves and depressed areas (the base of sensor nodes) with no effort at all.  Any excess wash or mistakes can be cleaned up later using a Q-tip soaked in a little, clean white spirit.

Mymeara World Icons.
The Mymeara craftworld has very distinct markings; they can be bought from Forge World as part of their Eldar decal sheet.  Choose where you want to place them.  The area will already be glossed from the previous stage.  Cut the decal out, soak it in some warm water and absorb any excess up by resting it on a paper towel. Gently slide the decal into place using a soft brush and a drop of water.dab the decal on gently using a damp paper towel.  I apply a thin coat or two of Micro-set solution to firmly hold the decal in place and give it that painted look.

Weapons.
Weapons are white, again using the Panzer winter white.  You could highlight with pure white, I don’t bother.  On most weapons there is usually a black band. Just mask the area off and paint it black.  For Mymeara I usually use NATO black from Tamiya but any black will do.

Spirit Stone.
Each vehicle and Eldar figure will have a Way stone or Spirit stone.  These are purple.  I use a dark purple and work it up to a lighter purple using a little bleached bone.  In each phase I use a little gloss varnish. Liche purple is great with Warlock purple.

Engines.
I use Tamiya NATO black.  Make sure they are matte.  Highlight with a neutral grey.

Varnish.
Finally, to complete the model, tie the colours together and soften any visible edges where the decals were applied, a couple of light coats of Tamiya semi-gloss works wonders.  DO NOT remove the masking tape on the cockpit canopy until you have sprayed and it is dry!

Well, that’s how I go about painting Mymeara.  They really stand out on the gaming table, unlike other Eldar craft worlds; this blend of colours fade into each other seamlessly and are bright and vibrant without being too showy.

Do let me know if you have questions or if I can give you any tips.

Happy painting!

Nigel.