WIP: Sisters of Silence Vigilator Squad - Part 1

As I returned to painting this week, it was clear that I needed to choose a project set aside in the past and bring it to the fore. Not only does this help complete projects, it gives me an opportunity to freshen things up on the painting table so I don't get burned out on any one game or faction.

Regular readers may recall these sisters from a WIP post last May. Since then I picked up a sixth model in order to complete a unit of five sisters along with an Oblivion Knight to lead them in games of Horus Heresy. 40K does not currently include the Oblivion Knight model, so she'll stand in as the squad's Sister Superior or can sit out entirely.  Regardless, I have six sisters of Silence on the painting table this week! I decided to use the color scheme illustrated by the Frost Spider Vigilator Cadre picture from the Warhammer40K fandom wiki.

Frost Spider Vigilator Cadre

I based the armor using Vallejo Gold (70.996) with the intent of highlighting with Vallejo Old Gold and then steel or silver.  The swords were painted Vallejo Air Steel.  The Cloaks are Vallejo Game Color Ultramarine Blue (72.022).  The plumes are done according to the Custodes paint recipe, starting with GW Mephiston Red. The fur was painted using Vallejo Game Color Ghost Grey (72.046).

A heavy base coat of Vallejo Dark Earth (71.029) was brushed on all the bases. This will get shaded and highlighted as the project continues. The bases are my statndard custom cork bases with Vallejo Black Lava brushed on the flat cork surfaces.  Moving on, let's take a look at a couple of the models close up.

This is the model I will use as an Oblivion Knight in Horus Heresy games. No shading on the armor yet, but shades on the other base colors.  GW Agrax Earthshade was used out of the pot on the plume.  A roughly 50:50 mix of GW Drakenhof Nightshade and Lahmian Medium was used on the blue cloth.  Nuln Oil was used on the sword blade and cloak fur.

With the simple shading, some texture comes out in the fur.  More dry brushing and other details will be added.  I'm thinking about spots or stripes in the fur as a way to grow my techniques and skills here.

Another fur cloak model, I used the same painting treatment here as above.  I'm batch painting at this point to get the basic paint jobs done quickly and efficiently.  Once the base colors are laid down, shaded and highlighted, I'll look to the individual details on each model.

Another model, this time with fur only on the shoulders. The blue is showcased here after basic shading using GW Drakenhof Nightshade.

The sister below will likely be the unit leader. I like the pose very much.

Nice details on the cloak, too.  This is going to be fun to pick out carefully with a brush.

That was a look at the models after session one.  Session two should refine things nicely and really start to bring them together.  It's been a while since I painted such slight, spindly models. It feels different than painting marines, dreadnoughts and tiny titans. Some of it is more fussy, and some of it is easier and progresses more quickly.  I'm using this squad as a means to get re-calibrated for painting some of the Blackstone Fortress minis.

As always, thanks for reading and passing along your comments.

Cheers and Happy Gaming!