Mare Solum: Painting a mercenary

Dead industrial atmosphere.

I only just finished converting my jetpack-wearing mercenary for Mare Solum, a less than a week before the event is taking place. This only left me with a few days paint the model, a schedule much faster than I normally like when painting a model. Despite this, I took challenge and even found time to test out a few new techniques!

To keep with the setting, I decided to paint the mercenary in drab, realistic tones.

I used various Scale75 silver and gold paints to paint the metallics on the model. These were then enhanced with a series of GW shades and Ammo of Mig oils.  

When planning out a color scheme, I knew that I wanted the focal point of the model to be the mercenary’s helmet visor and chest lamps. I envisioned the mercenary stalking their prey through rusting shipyards, an eerie glow emanating from their helmet. To achieve this, I painted the helmet visor and lamps with a paint that I created with a glowing pigment called Lit from Stuart Semple. I had never worked with the pigment before, but it was not difficult to mix some with the base they sell and paint it on. I feel that I could experiment with the amount of pigment that I use to get an even more dramatic effect, but as it is, the visor (and lights on her chest) glow quite brightly in dim lighting.

To add some additional visual interest to the model, I painted certain details, like the grenades a deep red.

I used light grey to paint details such as the tread on her boots and the textured grip on her pistol.

For the rest of the color scheme I chose a combination of drab military greens and beaten silvers, something grounded in reality and not so overbearing to take your attention away from the model’s face/helmet. To speed up the painting process, I applied all of the base colors (green and silver) with an airbrush. Once dried, I used a brush to apply highlights to the greens and silvers. To add more visual depth and shadows to the model, I used a series of oil paints which I blended with an odorless thinner. To add a little contrast and interest to the model, I painted a few elements red, mainly the grenades she has at her belt and an arm band.

The visor and lights on the model glow!

From start to finish, including the build and painting, this Mare Solum mercenary took a little less than 2 weeks, a record considering my slow and exacting pace! I am really happy that I was able to take part in the Mare Solum project, even in such a minor way. It was a great opportunity to explore a cool setting and try some new painting techniques. Now I am just excited to watch Dark_Tech_’s Instagram account for updates on the game!

- Adam Wier