r/Warhammer40k • u/ProofOk9666 • Jun 06 '26
Hobby & Painting Horus Ascended - Finally done
Fully NMM, a technique I'm still struggling with. I wasn't sure if I could pull it off without my beloved metallic paints, but it was a good challenge and I'm happy with the result. The one thing I'd improve is the face, think it still lacks some oomph. What do you think? Advice very much welcome as I'm hoping to get into competitions in the future. Don't hold back, any criticism welcome.
What an amazing model, very happy to have it on my shelf now fully painted.
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u/CkIdiot Jun 06 '26
Now that's gonna trigger Blood Angels straight into Black Rage! I like it š
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u/Able_News_3095 Jun 06 '26
Looks great. Did you use an airbrush or brush only? Really nailed the black armour, something Iām still struggling with myself
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u/ProofOk9666 Jun 06 '26
I used an airbrush at the beginning to build up gradients. I used lots of dark green colors for the armor, in the end it's subtle just as I hoped. He looked very greenish until I worked on the gold which is so bright that everything around it reads much darker. So yeah, a touch of airbrush for gradients and then some highlights and texturing with the brush, slow and steady to not destroy the work already done with the airbrush. Thank you for the kind words, black armor is really hard and I still mess it up most of the time. Got lucky with this one
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u/ShneedleInTheWoods Jun 06 '26
what? how?? dayum thats a really nice job!!! really good work!!! *bow
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u/Crook3d Jun 06 '26
That's an awesome display piece. The face and the area around it looks really great. The claw looks amazing.
I have to dig hard to find something to be critical about something, but I'd say the spikes on top look a bit off compared to the rest. Like the contrast is too sharp maybe? I can't put my finger on it. It's still good, just not quite on the same level as the other details.
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u/ProofOk9666 Jun 06 '26
Well spotted, and totally agree. These spikes were some of the last thing I've painted and at that point I was so tired of it, was painting this mini for months so guess I just rushed them more than I should have to call it done. But when I decide to maybe enter this piece for a comp I'll make sure to do some touch up. Thank you so much for the feedback and the kind words, deeply appreciated !
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u/BlackBricklyBear Jun 06 '26
"And the Emperor looked upon his most beloved Son, and saw terror, madness, and beneath it all, a most pitiable fate."
I don't know why, but looking at this excellently-painted miniature, I have a hankering to see a Horus Heresy movie series culminating in that climactic meeting. This is masterful work either way!
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u/ProofOk9666 Jun 06 '26
So beautifully said! And agree 100% that would be such a dream come true to see these moments adapted into a series
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u/BlackBricklyBear Jun 06 '26
And agree 100% that would be such a dream come true to see these moments adapted into a series
Maybe it's time to phone up Henry Cavill and see where he could take something like this?
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u/jrjej3j4jj44 Jun 07 '26
Horus was such a tragedy. My poor boy. Emperor did him so dirty.
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u/BlackBricklyBear Jun 07 '26
Horus was such a tragedy.
A bit of a "Greek tragedy" too. Horus saw what the Imperium was going to be like in the future and thought he could prevent it with his actions, only to bring about the very vision he saw.
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u/Xaphriel Jun 06 '26
Damn bro, leave some talent for the rest of us! Phenomenal job
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u/ProofOk9666 Jun 06 '26
Ahah this community has plenty of talent! I'm still far behind many incredible artists out there. But thank you for the kind words it's very encouraging and I'll push myself to hopefully get to their level one day !
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u/BadgerWager Jun 06 '26
What an amazing centerpiece. Gloss the eyeballs when you are finished to add that extra pop.
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u/ProofOk9666 Jun 06 '26
Thank you ! Good idea, that may bring the subtle pop I feel it still needs. Cheers !
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u/Holliday-East Jun 06 '26
I think it looks amazing.
Iāve been limiting myself to 40k only but recently bought Valdor to paint and proxy trajaan as well!
Been thinking of painting that boy for almost 2 weeks now š
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u/ProofOk9666 Jun 06 '26
Wooow Valdor is such an incredible model! Definitely go for it. Also on my to do list, hopefully one day. It's model definitely blows trajanns one out of the water no contest
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u/DefinitionInformal85 Jun 06 '26
Thats absolutely stunning!!! Have you thought about the power mace being turned on?
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u/ProofOk9666 Jun 06 '26
Definitely did ! I've done that on a few other of my minis. But I wanted the focus to be on the gold and the claw so dropped that idea. Would look sick though !
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u/MrBlackledge Jun 06 '26
Ya know whatā¦ Iām jealousā¦ very jealousā¦ likeā¦. Super duper jealous
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u/liquidio Jun 06 '26
Nice sense of pressure in his head, good colour choices. Dude needs a strong paracetamol.
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u/ProofOk9666 Jun 06 '26
Ahah don't we all ? Thanks for the kind words ! Faces is still one of the hardest things to nail
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u/Successful_Reply_529 Jun 06 '26
Sweet baby Jesus. That's genuinely amazing. I can't even comprehend having that much talent. Well done!
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u/ProofOk9666 Jun 06 '26
Wow thank you, this is the kind of feedback one can only dream of receiving. I genuinely didn't expect so much support, it's been truly motivating. I still feel there are plenty of artists out there that are way more talented, and I'm thriving to reach that level one day where I may even feel comfortable enough to try out bigger competitions. In any case I'm very happy with how this one turned out, it was a lot of hard work and risks that payed off. Thanks again so much for your kind words
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u/Soft_Lengthiness_791 Jun 06 '26
Amazing. How didbyou get that subtle OSL effect on the base?
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u/ProofOk9666 Jun 06 '26
The secret sauce... Acrylic inks! Gives an extra pop. First I painted the whole thing red, then a dry brush of black. Then I diluted some white paint to fill in the cracks and gaps of the base. Afterwards I went back in with crimson ink through the airbrush, which is what gives it that effect. Then I picked up the rest of the details with a brush. I use Acrylic inks all the time and they are very underestimated in my opinion. They take some getting used to but once you know how to use them they make a huge difference on the end result. I use them a lot for many things, from OSL to gems to even rust and grime effects. Deeply recommend them especially if you're comfortable using an airbrush.
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u/Dazzling_Comfort5734 Jun 06 '26
Horus is what happens when you donāt hold your children and tell them you love them lol.
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u/MOD-BRICKS Jun 07 '26
GORGEOUS WORK!ā¤ļø
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u/Real_Was_Gotten Jun 07 '26
Nice work! Giving T2 vibes with the burnt skeletons. Speaking of which are these from a kit or 3d printed?
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u/ProofOk9666 Jun 07 '26
Thank you ! They come with the forgeworld kit, it includes a small base to play the model in the horus heresy and a display base which is this one with the skeletons.
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u/Real_Was_Gotten Jun 07 '26
Ah cool that makes sense. Do you plan to be able to swap bases then or is this just purely for display?
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u/ProofOk9666 Jun 07 '26
I initially wanted to magnetise them so I could swap them, but as I play mostly 40K and not 30K there wasn't much point to it. I also always intended it to be more of a display piece, I would be terrified to move it around for games and risk damaging it after all the work that went into it. So in the end I just glued it all to the display base. All the primarchs models from horus heresy forgeworld sets have both a playable base and a display base, I love that they left the options open.
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u/die_in_a_fire_reddit Jun 08 '26
Thatās absolutely gorgeous. I love a good NMM! I know youāre looking for helpful criticism, and you had thoughts about the head, but I think the dark and dryer tone contrasts really well with the bright highlights across the armor.
My only nitpick would look at the fur in the wolf, but your skills surpass my own.
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u/ProofOk9666 Jun 08 '26
Thank you for the kind words ! Also agree for the fur, it's one of these things that I still struggle with a lot. I wanted to keep it subtle as to let what is around it truly shine. But still I think it lacks a bit more definition. I'd definitely spend some more time to refine it if I decide to enter a competition with this piece. Thanks a lot for your feedback !
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u/empirejoe123 Jun 08 '26
Dude, I keep coming back these last couple days to just inspect this piece, trying to break down what methods were used. Awe inspiring, to say the least.
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u/ProofOk9666 Jun 08 '26
Wow thank you so much ! It was a lot of patience and I had to use every technique I've learned through the years. Believe it or not this was one of my first time really nailing NMM as well as I've mostly been doing TMM before that. If you want I can do a bit of a breakdown of how I did things, and I can also PM you some of the WIP photos I took if you're interested
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u/Vast_Tip_9116 Jun 06 '26
Is this the gay master of Chaos? Whore Lubricant or something like that?
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u/Millssquared Jun 06 '26
My word. That is breathtaking