I have always had a soft spot for Minions, so I was very excited for the opportunity to paint up a Blindwater Congregation army for the recent Painting Challenge we had at the office. I have a bad habit of committing to an army, then falling in love with another army, then turning my first army around in the display case so it can’t watch me work on my new army. I thought this would be a good lesson in discipline to finally get a project completed, start to finish.
Like I said before, I have always liked Gatormen, and part of that appeal is how heavily textured the models are. Because of this, I was able to use very simple techniques, such as inking and drybrushing, to achieve the look I wanted. The first thing I do with all my models after I prime them is give them a guide coat. This is a light drybrush of grey (since I prime black) over the entire model. This allows me to see all the detail in the model, every nook and cranny. I do this so I can see up close what kind of detail I am working with. That helps me to decide which painting techniques to use in the most efficient way possible. My main goal with this project was to demonstrate how to paint efficiently. I believe you can achieve excellent results using very basic techniques combined with careful color choices and paint an army in half the amount of time it takes using complex techniques.
On that note, let’s talk about the Gatorman Posse. I knew I wanted my Gatormen to have a yellowish-brown hue to them, something a little brighter than the typical green so the intricate detail would stand out more when inked with a darker color. I chose two base colors: Moldy Ochre and Thrall Flesh. Alternating between the two to get varying tones, I base-coated all the Gatorman skin. I mixed Yellow Ink and Brown Ink together, and I went over everything I had just painted. This brought out every scale on the model and added the extra layers of color I wanted. I wanted to end with the ink instead of adding another layer of paint because the inks have a natural sheen to them, which leaves the reptilian skin with a slimy finish. Lastly, I picked out all the small details, like the teeth, eyes, feathers, and so on. I then drybrushed the spines to make them a little brighter. I used the same process on all the other models, just with different colors. On models like characters and solos or any non-textured surface like the Wrastler’s mask, I painted on the layers instead of drybrushing. Since the bulk of the army was already finished, I was able to spend some extra time highlighting and making those details stand out.
To wrap up, I am very glad I did this challenge, and I am very happy with the end results. In total, my Blindwater Congregation took me ten hours to paint, not counting assembly time. I learned how to follow my own advice and not over think every step, and now I have a fully painted 25-point army. I hope our readers in the Privateer Press community who struggle with painting find this helpful, and hopefully I’ve inspired someone to try something new.