Brotherhood of the Laughing Father part 14

I finished another member of my genestealer cult beastman unit. This is the first Bob Olley beastman I've ever painted. I loved these models before I saw them in person and now that I've gotten to see them in person I'm even more blown away. These guys are amazing! I may go back and do a little bit more work on the verdigris on the shield. I feel like it doesn't look natural enough.

The Jade Specters part 2

The first member of the Jade Specters. I have a few extra hybrids so I decided to start a second genestealer cult. This one is a Slaaneshi gang. I don't have many models for it right now, but I wanted to paint something pastel and I've always wanted to do a Slaaneshi army/warband.

The Jade Spectres part 1

From their flamboyant style and outrageous clothes one would never guess that the Jade Specters were the most feared gang in Maalik.

On one of the few hive layers above ground lies the city of Styx. Rumors of the violence in Styx make their way to many levels in Maalik. Even the planetary governor's men rarely venture into Styx, and only when absolutely necessary. The only laws in Styx are those enforced by the gangs on their own turf. The largest and most violent gang of all is the Jade Specters. The Jade Specters began as just another gang formed from the remnants of decimated gangs. Their future was certain to end as violently as it started, until the Decadent came. Only the gang's inner circle knows what the Decadent truly looks like. Tales of his perfection spread as far as the gangs violent reputation. In truth the Decadent is a genestealer patriarch who fell from power when he led a failed coup against the planetary governor. After loosing his brood and supporters he fled to Styx where he knew the governor's troops would not be likely to follow. From there he began to gather followers again. This time from cast off gangers and violent criminals. To ensure the strength of his brood he made a pact with Slaanesh for the power to rebuild his family in the most violent city in Maalik. The Decadent knew that brute violence alone would not secure his hold on Styx. He needed subtlety and the lure of self-indulgence to gain influence over those in power. As his gang grew his first stepping stone to ultimate power was control of the illicit drug trade within Styx. From there he gained authority over the pleasure houses spread throughout the city. The Decadent uses sex and drugs to gain sway over the few city officials with any real power and many owe allegiance to the Jade Specters.

The gang itself is the most vibrant and ostentatious of all the gangs in the city and is especially known for the perversity of its members. Its territories are the most lawless and wild in the entire city and every vise one can imagine can be found within. None who enter their territory leave the same, if at all.

Brotherhood of the Laughing Father part 13

I've started my first unit of brood brothers. I've wanted to do a teal color scheme for a little while now and decided it was finally time. I think the color of the brood brother units will contrast well with the rest of the army. This is the veteran leader of the unit.

Brotherhood of the Laughing Father part 12

I've started work on my beastman unit. This is the only model I have so far, but its a start. I wasn't sure if I wanted to add this to my genestealer cult or my Nurgle army. I decided it would fit my genestealer cult better. After painting this guy I like the snakemen a lot more than I used to. I got this guy off ebay because he was only $4 and I know snakemen are hard to come by at a decent price. Because of that I'm not likely to have more in the unit so he'll probably be the unit "leader". It think this mini is as Nurglesque as you can get without being a Nurgle made model. His clothes and armor are raged and rotted in great ways.

Brotherhood of the Laughing Father part 11

This is the final hybrid for my Brotherhood of the Laughing Father. I saved the heavy weapon for last so I had something interesting to paint for the last model. The multi-melta was the only Rogue Trader Imperial heavy weapon I had besides a conversion beamer and since you can't take a conversion beamer in the Compilation army list I went for a multi-melta. I like multi-meltas anyway so its not a problem. This hybrid has a very sturdy looking pose and he has more "armor" than most of the other sculpts so I figured he would make a good heavy weapon gunner.

Brotherhood of the Laughing Father part 10

Here is another fourth generation hybrid. I've decided that each generation will share a gift of Nurgle. The fourth generation has Nurgle's Rot as its gift.

Brotherhood of the Laughing Father part 9

Here is my fourth hybrid. This one is a 3rd generation with psychic powers and a shuriken catapult. Just two more hybrids to paint and I'll all D6 finished. The next two have a bolter and a multi-melta.

Brotherhood of the Laughing Father part 8

Since every chaos warband needs a banner I decided that the coven needed one too. Something to represent the coven's connection to Nurgle as well as the patriarch.

Brotherhood of the Laughing Father part 7

Finished the second of my Goodwin hybrids. Hopefully I'll get the arms for my Olley hybrids on Monday and I can start on them next. Once I have one or two of them done I'll post a group picture.

Brotherhood of the Laughing Father part 6

Finished my first, and maybe last, purestrain genestealer. I decided to keep my original color scheme rather than revert back to the "normal" genestealer colores. I'll be keeping an eye out for more purestrain genestealers while I paint my hybrids.

Brotherhood of the Laughing Father Basing Tutorial

Thanks to a request by Miguel Sousa on Facebook I decided to do a basing tutorial for my voodoo genestealer cult. The basing is very easy and takes, maybe about a minute to do if you have an airbrush and hairdryer.

Here is a list of the paints and tools I use for these specific bases.
1. Dirt from the yard or a flower pot. I prefer it from the yard because it doesn't have perlite or vermiculite in it, but since my yard is made of sand(?) I have to use flower pot dirt.
2.Superglue (cyanoacrylate).
3. A flat "drybrushing" paintbrush.
4. A base (duh)

 The paints I use are:
0. Surface Primer (Vallejo)
1. Oak Brown (Army Painter)
2. USAF Green (Vallejo Model Air)
3. Desert Khaki (Reaper Master Series)
4. White (Vallejo Model Color)
5. Brown pigment; I don't remember the name. (Vallejo Pigments)
6. Faded Green pigment (Secret Weapon Pigments)

I start by gluing the dirt to the base. I let the dirt dry out for a couple days first. Its something I recommend doing during a period where you don't feel like painting that way you aren't waiting on it do dry before doing a project. I've heard you can bake it in the oven if you want it to dry faster, but I've never tried it, plus it might destroy any tiny roots you might have in the dirt, which are really awesome looking on the base as small branches and roots.

Then I prime the base using an airbrush. It doesn't take very long for the glue to dry. Its faster than gluing sand because the dirt absorbs the glue more easily. After, I scrape off the primer from the sides of the base. You can use a hobby knife, but I use my fingernail if possible so it doesn't damage the shiny surface of the base. You can paint them black also, or whatever color you prefer, but I find I always rub the paint off the sides when I play with the models so I just leave it as black plastic.

Next I water down the Oak Brown to the consistency of water. When you apply the mixture it should soak right into the base. I usually do the more rocky looking parts in brown and the finer textures in green to simulate moss and such. The dirt should vary in size so you get a more natural look. After this step you should have a very pale base.

I use a hairdryer on the low setting to dry the base. It should be pretty watery so if you add any more paint at this point it will just blend in and not really add anymore color. After it is dry I paint it with the same colors, but at "normal" consistency for painting a miniature. Don't go overboard on trying to get the paint in all the crevices. After you are done painting this step you should notice that the deepest parts are still the lightest. That is the way it should be.

Next I use Desert Khaki to drybrush the entire base. I usually go heavier on the brown areas and lighter on the green areas. I will mix in a little white in further highlights, but not a lot since the pigments will pull the contrast back down anyway and subtlety is key to this style of base.

Before I add the pigments I spray the base with matte varnish. If you do it after it tends to ruin the "dryness" of the pigments and lessens the effect. If I add metal objects, like pipes and steal beams onto the base I use a rust colored pigment as well. I like the Pale Green pigment because it adds a "toxic" feel to the base without using a water effect. For sewer water effects I use Tamiya Clear Smoke straight out of the bottle as the last step, after pigments. I'll mix Tamiya Clear Red with the Clear Smoke for blood effects.

You can use different color pigments and paints to create different environments as well. Hope this helps.

Brotherhood of the Laughing Father part 5

I've started on the hybrids now. The first one is a second generation with an autopistol and a power sword. Because these members of the cult are not seen in public they openly display their allegiance to Papa Nurgle. I love this Goodwin sculpt, but I wish Bob Olley had done some full hybrid sculpts. I need about 5 sets of plastic imperial guard arms to finish my hybrids, but can't find any. I find that the "hybrid" arms are way out of scale for the models and they end up looking like alien gorillas.

Brotherhood of the Laughing Father part 4 Voodoo Pepper

Meet Pepper Laveau aka Voodoo Pepper. Pepper is the voodoo queen of Second Heaven and high priestess of the Brotherhood of the Laughing Father. Its rumored that she has the ear of the Administratum representative of New Heaven and many powerful officials regularly visit Pepper for advice. None of them know that her true allegiance is to the Brotherhood as well as to Nurgle. Pepper had already earn a powerful reputation as a priestess before the Brotherhood took her into their fold. Her reputation and power have grown greatly since she has been initiated into the cults inner mysteries. As a show of the Laughing Father's favor Pepper has been gifted with a daemonic familiar in the form of a nurgling, though "Jenkins" stays well hidden when she is among the uninitiated.

I think the gun came out pretty good. I had to make it from scratch because the previous owner cut it off from above her finger up. The right hand was missing as well so I had to replace it. She was a joy to paint and I can't wait to get a hold of more models like her.

The Brotherhood of the Laughing Father

Deep beneath the surface of Kalfu in the underhive city of Maalik lies New Heaven.

In one of the titanic layers of Maalik, which was flooded many hundreds of years ago by a disastrous failure of an upper level's water system, a vast swamp has grown to encompass nearly the entire level.There are three massive spire cities within the layer and these are the only means of reaching higher levels. The canals of these cities are just as likely to be plied by vicious gang members as they are the Imperium's enforcers. The spire city of New Heaven is rife with gang warfare and violence. Worse still are the vast swamps that stretch between the cities. Dark creatures live in the forbidding swamps that have grown in the hive. The swamps provide safe haven for mutants and beastmen who escape persecution in the cities. They breed and flourish among the mangrove forests of the fetid swamps forming "families" of inbred monstrosities.

Deep in the heart of the spire city of New Heaven a rot festers. The Brotherhood of the Laughing Father appears, at first, to be a harmless religious group which emphasizes family ties and ancestor worship. Above all sits the Laughing Father, a father figure who looks upon his followers' deeds with parental pride. Below the Father are the First Sons, the most blessed of the cult's followers. But this appearance is only skin deep. It is known to the gangs of New Heaven as one of the oldest and deadliest groups in the city. The Brotherhood ruthlessly hunts down and slaughters any of the gangs that encroach on its considerable territory. There are rumors that the Brotherhood travels into the swamps at night to converse with families of unspeakable countenance. Those who spread these rumors are mercilessly crushed by the followers of the Laughing Father.

The truth of the Brotherhood of the Laughing Father is far darker than any of the gangs suspect though. In truth the Brotherhood is a coven of genestealers whose goal is to spread their influence throughout Maalik and into the other hive cities of Kalfu. Darker still are the pacts they have made with the Plague Father's daemons. For a hundred years the cult has been spreading its influence throughout New Heaven. They have secured allies both in the city and beyond. An army of beastmen and mutants lurks in the swamps surrounding New Heaven awaiting a call to arms from the Brotherhood. While within the city limits members of the Brotherhood have infiltrated several levels of Imperial law and the group's illegal activities and violence are largely overlooked. As the years pass and the Brotherhood's influence grows it will soon be too late to stop them from taking the city and spreading to the other layers of Maalik.

Genestealer Cult of Nurgle part 3

You can't have a Nurgle genestealer cult without Nurgle. I just finished striping and repainting my Great Unclean One for my genestealer cult. I was going to use him for 3rd ed fantasy, but its really difficult to take one in a chaos army, except for a daemon army, so I decided to use him for Rogue Trader instead.

Nurgle's Trinity. The Great, Great Grandfather, Great, Great Grandson and the Unholy Daemon.

Genestealer Cult of Nurgle part 2

A few last minute additions and he was all Blanchitized. Hide ya wife, hide ya kids here comes the Voodoo Magus!

Genestealer Cult of Nurgle part 1

So the good people of the Emporium of Rogue Dreams have convinced me that rather than trade away my genestealers I should paint them into a cult. Since Nurgle is my copilot, and I've never seen a genestealer cult dedicated to Nurgle, I decided that he would be the cult's patron. Along with that I decided that I didn't want to paint him the same color as a "standard" genestealer so I went with the complimentary colors of the standard colors instead. His name is Papa Justify though I haven't thought of a name for the cult yet. I was thinking of doing a voodoo themed cult. One of the rewards I rolled for him was slime trail so I had the idea that he would be tracking industrial waste from the hive's runoff around with him.