Author Topic: "The red period" (Read 6361 times)

Maza · « **on:** January 05, 2012, 09:09:58 PM »

I have seen some talk here about GW's "red period". Flipping through the Empire army book from the early 1990's, it is obvious that they did indeed use a lot of red. But they also used a lot of blue and yellow.

These colours are often painted in exactly the same nuances, independent of what they are painted on - clothes, wheels, weapons, details et c. For red, it is often a blood red basecoat highlighted by mixing in yellow, for blue, it is enchanted blue highlighted with mixing in white, for yellow, i don't know. Sometimes, a model will also have something painted in goblin green (highlighted with yellow). The basecoats are generally very bright.

Perhaps this was more of an observation/reflection than a question or an argument. I don't really know what kind of response I'm looking for, but any feedback will be appreciated. My question might be: Wasn't it really more of a "primary colours period" than just a "red period"? (Or do you mean another period altogether when you talk about "the red period"?)

Delthos · « **Reply #1 on:** January 05, 2012, 09:32:27 PM »

They used a whole lot of red on everything back then. Both Warhammer and Warhammer 40K. They also painted their bases in bright goblin green as well. However, the red was most recognizable. Take a look through old white dwarfs and all the army books.

Maza · « **Reply #2 on:** January 05, 2012, 09:54:30 PM »

Yes, my impression is just from the old Empire AB, don't have much other material left.

I have to admit that I still like the look you can get from painting sanded bases green, maybe not goblin green in particular, but... I experimented a bit with that when I started painting again, but soon fell for static grass anyway.

ZeroTwentythree · « **Reply #3 on:** January 06, 2012, 05:05:17 AM »

It was across the board red. So while Empire was primary, you would then have something like wood elves with greens & browns but bright primary red bows and spears. Same thing with otherwise drab undead, etc. Or in 40k everyone's bolter or chainsword was red.

It had a very toy like feel to it. Can't say I was fond of that phase. I think GW's painting has come a long way since then.

petey241 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 06, 2012, 08:04:01 AM »

Man I love the look of the red spear shafts and stuff it added flavor to a lot of really monotone paint jobs and gave them life!

cheers,
Pete

Delthos · « **Reply #5 on:** January 06, 2012, 02:09:28 PM »

Yeah, that's what they were thinking!

Maza · « **Reply #6 on:** January 06, 2012, 02:31:53 PM »

I see what you mean about the red colour "across the board".

What about my impression of the same bright colour "recipes" repeated again and again in different places?

Yes, the painting has come a long way. Still, I remember thinking some 20 years ago that the paint jobs displayed in GW publications were of an almost inhumanly high quality! I just could not figure out how it could be possible to paint like that! I still like them and by no means want to compare my own painting with them, but now I can at least imagine how they were done.

I think red shafts on weapons may look good, but perhaps not as a routine.

ZeroTwentythree · « **Reply #7 on:** January 06, 2012, 02:49:46 PM »

Mike McVey.

He was/is my "first wave" painting hero. His painting was anything but "monotone" and he really brought life, color & a new standard of quality to the painting scene, before and after the dread Time of Red.

A friend has some of the old Marauder chaos dwarves he painted for GW, and I am still totally in awe.

Mathi Alfblut · « **Reply #8 on:** January 06, 2012, 03:09:55 PM »

Thing is that I would not mind a bit of tha gaudyness to return for some races. Most are pretty drab these days. Thing is that red spear shafts have been seen in some periods. From danish bog sacrifical sites from the roman iron age and the migration period it seems pretty clear that the germanic, especially the north germanics digged red. War shields were traditionally painted red and spear shafts that have been preserved have beautifully carved patterns and show signs of, yes you guessed it, red colour coming from iron oxide, known to help protecting wood against weathering.

I would like to paint an army with red spearshafts.

petey241 · « **Reply #9 on:** January 06, 2012, 07:46:38 PM »

Mathi are you a history buff?

It seems every post I read there's you in the background shooting out awesome history facts its great!

cheers,
Pete

ZeroTwentythree · « **Reply #10 on:** January 06, 2012, 08:03:23 PM »

Quote from: Mathi Alfblut on January 06, 2012, 03:09:55 PM

Thing is that I would not mind a bit of tha gaudyness to return for some races. Most are pretty drab these days.

*cough*cough* http://www.warhammer-empire.com/theforum/index.php?topic=20815.0

Erkenbrand · « **Reply #11 on:** January 07, 2012, 03:42:58 AM »

I painted all the axe and hammer shafts of my dwarfs red when i first collected them, just copied how they had painted the hammerers, really liked how it turned out.

petey241 · « **Reply #12 on:** January 07, 2012, 04:12:48 AM »

My Middenheim (If you can call it that

) army has all red spear/halb shafts along with red hats! I find it's a lovely looking color!

Cheers,
Pete

Maza · « **Reply #13 on:** January 07, 2012, 06:42:53 AM »

I think it would also suit armies with a "tribal" feel - Skaven, O n G, even Wood elves.

Quote from: Maza on January 05, 2012, 09:09:58 PM

they did indeed use a lot of red. But they also used a lot of blue and yellow. For red, it is often a blood red basecoat highlighted by mixing in yellow, for blue, it is enchanted blue highlighted with mixing in white, for yellow, i don't know.

It seems that the Red, Blue and Yellow scheme was associated with The engineers' guild. In the steam tank painting guide, they recommend Go Fasta Red and Moody Blue.

Justnorth · « **Reply #14 on:** January 07, 2012, 07:51:01 AM »

Quote from: ZeroTwentythree on January 06, 2012, 02:49:46 PM

Mike McVey.
A friend has some of the old Marauder chaos dwarves he painted for GW, and I am still totally in awe.

I have some of the Man O War ships he painted for the original box set pictures that went in the white dwarf. I copied them verbatim to finish my fleets and they were worlds better than if I had not had a template to copy but they were still inferior to his work from 20 years earlier.

The Chaos models really suffered from the red period, they were one colour across the board.
McVey cops the blame for it but I doubt whether he had the full say on what colours were painted where. in the studio back then.

petey241 · « **Reply #15 on:** January 07, 2012, 08:48:49 AM »

Just in the nature of this beautiful thread I painted us a gift!

Love these little guys just threw him together for shits and giggles!

Cheers,
Pete

Justnorth · « **Reply #16 on:** January 07, 2012, 09:56:34 AM »

Nice red coat

I like the yellow waist coat as well.

petey241 · « **Reply #17 on:** January 07, 2012, 10:01:43 AM »

Thank ya had to rock the red! although the pics don't do the model justice

!

Cheers,
Pete

Maza · « **Reply #18 on:** January 08, 2012, 03:20:16 PM »

Nice petey! Good base also!

Fbjorn replicated the steam tank paint scheme from early 90's in a lovely way: http://warhammer-empire.com/theforum/index.php?topic=28572.150

Delthos · « **Reply #19 on:** January 09, 2012, 03:10:32 PM »

Indeed thanks Petey, although it doesn't truely embrace the obnoxiously bright blood red everything got from those days. This is a much more subdued dark red.

petey241 · « **Reply #20 on:** January 10, 2012, 07:41:19 PM »

well i will need to paint another!

Delthos · « **Reply #21 on:** January 11, 2012, 03:01:04 PM »

Yes, I think you should!

News:

Author Topic: "The red period" (Read 6361 times)