Keeping it Simple: Painting Rebel Alliance Troops [How I Paint Things]

There's an old saying where painting is concerned: "Faces and bases make everything aces." Just pick a couple of details that stand out on a miniature and spend a tiny bit of extra time on really making them pop, and the rest will serve as an interesting backdrop to that effort.
This miniature was assembled from the Alliance Pathfinders set over at Dark Fire Games' webstore: darkfiredesigns.com/products/...
Use promo code 'SonicSledge' without quotes during checkout for 10% off your STL order!
00:00 - Intro
00:58 - Priming
01:28 - Basecoating Face & Eyes
03:52 - Further Basecoats
09:29 - Shading
10:32 - Drybrushing Highlights
14:20 - Painting the Face
15:59 - Finishing Touches & Varnish
Thanks to Producer Patrons Alan Nuttall, Kyrie Crawford, Andrew, Jimmy, and Rod - as well as all the other Patrons that made this video possible, and Exit23 Games for recording equipment that helps keep the channel ticking over! Find out more at the following links:
/ sonicsledgehammer
/ sonicsledge
/ sonicsledgehammer
ko-fi.com/docwholigan
exit23.games
PAINTS USED:
PRIMER:
Premium Grey (Vallejo Spray)
CITADEL:
White Scar (Layer)
Nurgling Green (Layer)
Celestra Grey (Base)
Death World Forest (Base)
Steel Legion Drab (Base)
Baneblade Brown (Layer) - Not strictly necessary
Catachan Flesh (Base)
Death Guard Green (Base)
Russ Grey (Layer)
Leadbelcher (Base)
Agrax Earthshade (Shade)
Lahmian Medium (Technical)
Terminatus Stone (Dry)
Underhive Ash (Dry)
Necron Compound (Dry)
Skrag Brown (Layer)
Cadian Fleshtone (Layer)
Kislev Flesh (Layer)
Flayed One Flesh (Layer)
'Ardcoat (Technical(
VALLEJO:
Black
German Camo Beige
Steel (Model Air)
ARMY PAINTER:
Tanned Flesh
VARNISH:
Varnish+ (Instar)

[@robisonwells1]

I'm always impressed by anyone who can paint eyes. Also, these Star Wars models you've been painting look like better, crisper sculpts than the actual licensed Star Wars Legion models.

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

I think part of it comes in that I do my own quality control. 😅 But the prints generally come off very nicely, without a lot of cleanup required.

[@lexi_9995]

I can recommend using acrylic fine point pens for things like camouflage dots and squiggles or any fine lines for that matter. Also soft pencil like B4 used over the top of black weapons to give that underlying metalic look. Thanks for all you do. Regards Lexi

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you , Troy .
🐺

[@michaelpatton4012]

Thanks, I literally just got these in the mail today, perfect timing

[@jwchampagne1]

I was hoping at the back of my mind you would leave the trooper all googly-eyed. I can't help seeing that image in my head.

[@Strawfoot]

Thanks for another great painting tutorial!

[@leeperry7068]

That eye technique was really excellent!!!

[@themagicalcactus1941]

I don’t know how you continue to manage to post exactly what I need exactly when I need it. I had just decided to pick up my old legion starter set from home and was wondering how to paint my rebels!

[@johnkelley9877]

I like the color scheme and given the backstory it is a good choice. You did a great job on the eyes and having tried that myself I know how difficult it is to paint them. Thanks for sharing this.

[@mg1342mg]

That's a solid paint job that is readily achievable. I really like the palette. I always have trouble making pea dot look random, so I'm gonna try the mouse ear thing.

[@justanothercaptain6566]

Awesome as always! I really liked how you just fixed your camouflage pattern in real time. We all been there and grabbed a colour that didn’t work out the way we wanted. Who hasn’t? And you fixed it with another colour in seconds, proving that mistakes can be fixed by just painting it over. Cool 😎! Thanks again! Cheers 🍻

[@thelonepainter4760]

Nice job on the eyes 👀 👍🏽😊

[@Spec0psGrunt]

Eyes are scary to do, but I think I can try them now. Great video as always!

[@andyshaw5378]

Great video. The dry brushing on this one was awesome, I’ve put those GW paints on my wish list for next time I’m in the store 👍

[@tk-eva72minis]

Very nicely done. Great print too. 🙌🏻

[@alessiodecarolis]

These new Sw minis are astounding, being 3D prints means that you can choose the dimension, contrary to Legion's ones, beautiful but too big.
I always liked to imagine a "First Contact" situation, where the rebels steps on '80s Earth, and can be aided by Western industry with uniforms and gears(plus some very experts soldiers!).
P.s. cheap make-up brushes are great for dry brushing, normally I wash them with brush soap and a bit of fabric softener, so they' re more durable.

[@eclipped]

This paint scheme will help me immensely! Would you be able to do a sullust rebel color scheme?

[@AnExtrovertPaints]

Technically correct is the best kind of correct.

[@Anyway99973]

Top tier content !

[@nickdavis5420]

Oh if your gonna do hobby talk segments can you do a throw back one called when I were a lad.

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

That's not a bad idea, that one!

[@stevebuk100]

Are these 28mm or 56mm models?

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

There's a long answer, but Legion miniatures are considered 1/48 scale - they hover around 38mm or so.

[@JohnR1298]

The size of the peak on the hat I still wouldn't paint eyes 😕

[@boshuka_games]

Nice video, but also a little bit strange that your choice of miniatures in the past 6 months looks almost identical like my own pile of opportunities in my basement...

[@Fluffykeith]

This is going to sound like a super duper noob question, but have you done any videos that focus on how to LAYER stuff like cloth? Because I see a lot of videos and such saying things like "stay away from the recesses" but when I sit down to try and do a cloak or robes or anything with non rigid shape, it's hard to tell exactly where those parts are sometimes.

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

Unfortunately, there isn't really an answer to this beyond practicing and getting your eye in for it. Since the folds and curvature of any miniature are wildly different to one another, short of demonstrating on individuals exactly how to do it, 'stay away from the recesses' really is the only broad advice that works. Just remember that if you do overdo your layering or highlights, knocking things back with a thin shade will help any exaggerated transitions.

[@Fluffykeith]

@@SonicSledgehammerStudio Thank you 🙂

[@jediknutt620]

This is completely inaccurate. EVERYONE knows there are only two women in the OT. 🤦🏻‍♂️
😂 Jokes aside, this looks great! Very well done.