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Hi all.

I've shown some pics in another thread but will shift to this one and keep it as a sort of painting blog for my pet project: Von Ostermann's Defenders of Ostermark (I'll conjure up a better name in time). I'm not an experienced painter, but have painted two other armies. This time however I'll do my very best on each model using all of my experience and exploring and practicing new tecniques.

I plan to write fluff for the regiments and army as well and then let actual game events affect each regiment's fluff over time.

As I really try to improve, comments, ideas and advice will be recieved with gratitude.

I've also started a blog on: https://sites.google.com/site/flameshammer/home/warhammer/painting-blogs/empire

First four models of Heinrich Bittermann's Swords:



Pics of the regiment's standard bearer - my best work so far...



Heinrich Bittermann himself - one of Von Ostermann's most trusted champions...



Regular swordsmen. First models painted for this army



I plan to use a lot of unit fillers too as i find them Very good looking. Never used them before though. They are to represent the supply train. An idea I got her on the forum. I used a regular toy bear and a lot of ogre bits as I had no horse. Ideas for fluff on why Von Ostermann's Defenders use bears as mules are very welcome  I'm really looking forward to paint this!




And a pistolier. I have a dwarf army and I really look forward to SPEED on the field - not that I don't love my gyrocopter...!



That's all for now. More coming up over the next months. As said above, all kinds of advice, comments and ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Love what you have done with the unit filler.... that type of stuff is awesome and makes me think of more ideas for my own!

My suggestion if you want to theme it as in the units is to give each a backstory but to do a unit filler that fits in the story too. Well done, looking foward to your work. Only suggestions I can make is you have obviously thined your yellow well... good work as its a bad color to paint. Do the same for your white.. or try a drop or two of bleached bone. One affect I have used is to paint the the white section bleached bone... then to paint it white but leaving a half mm gap so that the edges look bleached boneish... as for the written words etc, if your that into it and I am not, try armorcast and look at the decals there for written stuff they are great and can fit over the areas well and look great too.

Awesome work overall, keep it up!

Thanks for the advice so far. I'm now experimenting with diluting paint, new and slightly more advanced basing and filing away on mold lines on new models. Amazing that I've not really looked into these things before. Thanks for the gentle push  :icon_surprised:Thanks also for the nice comments on the bear, he's shaping up well and pictures will be coming up in a few days as work is proceding well.

As for the yellow it's not actually yellow but taucept ocre, ogryn flesh, vomit brown and bleached bone. I use the painting guide from 'a tale of four gamers' on GW's Web site. It works well even for a less experienced painter like me. Someone recommended it for me in another thread.

Finaly I can post new pictures on my blog along with some fluff for my army. Comments on both painting and fluff are as always greatly appreciated.

I've now painted the two boxes I chose to start out with: State troops and pistoliers. As a reward I've bought a unit of knights, that are right now being assembled for painting.

Army Fluff:

Von Ostermann’s Defenders of Ostermark

A general of great renown Von Ostermann is patrolling Ostermarks plains and borders with his dedicated and battle hungry battalion of hardened veterans. Von Ostermann himself has lost his tiny barony to rampaging Beastmen as they invaded Ostermark from the southern forests while he and his regiments were away to fight for the Elector. Castle Ostermann was burned to the ground and villages and towns were literally burned off the face of the land. Von Ostermann was lucky to have his family with him, but the farmers and citizens of the small barony were not that lucky. Seeing the scorched remains of his once fertile lands Von Ostermann swore an oath to avenge the fallen and bring destruction to the enemies of Ostermark. Then he dismissed those of his men who wouldn’t join him in this venture as he would from now on travel Ostermark in search of her enemies. Always on the road, always looking for battle. Only a few left service as the majority had lost everything in the small cataclysm and were as hungry for revenge as the baron. Ever since invaders of Ostermark have often been met by Von Ostermann’s small but fierce force. A special grudge is of course upheld against the beastmen of the southern forests, and the Defenders are more often seen in this part of Ostermark than in the North or East. The Defenders have earned quite a reputation and many soldiers and even full regiments have gathered beneath Von Ostermann’s banner in search of revenge, battle and honour.

Paint scheme fluff

Von Ostermann’s Defenders wear the traditional colours of their beloved home province. Purple and yellow are worn by most, but soldiers who’ve fought more bravely than others or with superior skill are allowed by the baron to wear white on their uniform rather than yellow as a badge of honour. Soldiers wearing white are rightly respected by subordinates and peers alike.


Regimental fluff

Heinrich Bittermann's Swords (15 so far - I want 30)

Von Ostermann’s most trusted champion: Heinrich Bitterman leads the Swords. This regiment is the oldest of the baron’s units and well known for their skill in battle. Often Ostermann himself will fight on foot next to his old friend in the front rank of the Swords. A curious thing about the Swords is Boris the Bear serving as the unit’s mule. The huge bear was saved by Bittermann from beastmen many years ago and has followed him ever since. As Bittermann did not know what to do with his odd companion he trained him as a pack mule carrying the Swords’ baggage and supplies.




Boris the Bear and his somewhat reluctant handler



Henninck Villum’s Gun Slingers (new)

Hennick Villum’s Gun slingers have joined the Defenders quite recently as they’d heard of the frequency of Von Ostermann’s battles and skirmishes as well of the baron's reputation as a general. Hennick is known even among pistoliers to be extremely reckless and daring. Always on the lookout for men like Hennick the baron bade the pistolier welcome and the two of them quickly became friends. The Gun slingers are always seen riding in the front of the Defenders harassing the enemy and taking pot shots at smaller units.








Hennich himself

That's all for now. The knights are said to be a quick paint job, but let's see. I put a lot of effort into this army.

Below a picture of the Defenders as for now...

Here's news. The first knighs of the Oster Knachts...

Terchen von Brandt's Oster Knachts

Terchen von Brandt leads the fully armored knights of the Defenders. Terchen von Brandt is one of the Baron's closests friends and his knights are not of noble birth but mere farm boys trained from a young age to become as skilled as even the fabled Reiks Guard. After the Beastmen had ravaged the Ostermann barony and the survivors had embarked on Von Ostermann's quest for revenge, Terchen von Brandt took orphan boys under his wings and trained then through the next many years and made them into hardened killing machines. As the loot from many battles increased, the enemies' armor and weapons were brought to the Dwarfs of Karak Os, who melted the iron and reforged it into fine full plate mail for the now well trained and battle hardened youngsters who then were turned into Oster Knachts. Now Von Ostermann claims to have reformed the fabled order that was destroyed when the twin tailed comet hit Mordheim. Though the Oster Knachts are viewed by the real nobility and even the emperor with contempt, because of their common birth, their skill in battle is as good as any knightly order's, and their thundering charge has won many a battle for the Defenders.





Also: Check my blogs on https://sites.google.com/site/flameshammer/home/warhammer/painting-blogs

I finally got around to finish the first 5 Osterknachts. I've been painting a HE army and is now returning to Von Ostermann's Defenders.

Here's news. The first knighs of the Oster Knachts...

Terchen von Brandt's Oster Knachts

Terchen von Brandt leads the fully armored knights of the Defenders. Terchen von Brandt is one of the Baron's closests friends and his knights are not of noble birth but mere farm boys trained from a young age to become as skilled as even the fabled Reiks Guard. After the Beastmen had ravaged the Ostermann barony and the survivors had embarked on Von Ostermann's quest for revenge, Terchen von Brandt took orphan boys under his wings and trained then through the next many years and made them into hardened killing machines. As the loot from many battles increased, the enemies' armor and weapons were brought to the Dwarfs of Karak Os, who melted the iron and reforged it into fine full plate mail for the now well trained and battle hardened youngsters who then were turned into Oster Knachts. Now Von Ostermann claims to have reformed the fabled order that was destroyed when the twin tailed comet hit Mordheim. Though the Oster Knachts are viewed by the real nobility and even the emperor with contempt, because of their common birth, their skill in battle is as good as any knightly order's, and their thundering charge has won many a battle for the Defenders.

 

 


Also: Check my blogs on https://sites.google.com/site/flameshammer/home/warhammer/painting-blogs

+10 for the fluff

I use white as a colour for the more "elite" units too, the cleaner white seems to make them not so common 

Great looking mini`s 

nice styles!

1 Q: why does every1 keep adding plastic teddy bears into the mix?

Love the bear, love the fluff, love the paint scheme. Makes me wish I was starting my army over... well, not really, but I'm impressed nonetheless!

Pleased to hear I'm not the only one who does "wet brushing", exactly how I painted my own knights and the flesh on 400 beastmen... not a delicate technique, but it works.