Saga Vikings - first two points nearing completion!

I was able to get some worktable time this weekend, and made good progress on the Saga Vikings I am currently painting. My first group is 2pts of Hearthguard from Wargames Factory - each point is four chainmailed warriors armed with axe, sword or spear, and shield.

I am not an expert painter, by any stretch of the imagination, and despite the fact that I work slowly and meticulously, I consider my figures to be painted to a wargaming standard, nothing more. My technique is, ultimately, very simple. I basecoat in the desired colors, then wash. That's it. These are the steps/colors I used to paint these particular figures:

I usually prime my figures in white. I know most other mini painters prime in black, but I just feel that it dulls down the colors too much to paint them over a black base. I use Vallejo and Games Workshop paints interchangeably, and I will note the colors used if I remember!

I painted the faces and hands with Vallejo flat flesh, and folowed with the hair and beards. I used a variety of colors, including GW Sunburst Yellow, Bestial Brown, Vermin Fur, and Vallejo German Grey (which is almost black).

GW Chainmail went on next, followed by Snakebite Leather on the belts and some leggings. For the helmets, I used Chainmail on the main parts, and followed with Copper on the ridges and face masks.

The spear shafts and axe handles were painted GW Bubonic Brown, as I wanted lighter wood to simulate ash. And the weapon blades and spear points were painted GW Chainmail.

The various tunics and pants were painted in a variety of colors. I used GW Shadow Grey, Space Wolf Grey, Enchanted Blue, Mechrite Red, and a ton of Vallejo greens and khakis. I mixed them pretty much randomly on the figures, just trying to get combinations of tunics and pants that looked good to me. I used GW Bestial Brown on the boots, and the basecoating was complete:

After that dried completely, I applied a couple of washes. First, I used GW Nuln Oil shade on the chainmail armor, helmets and weapons. I used a pretty heavy coat of this, and went over some areas more than once to lose the silvery shine. When that dried, I applied GW Seraphim Sepia shade over the rest of the models, covering hair, faces, tunics, leggings, etc. The wash really brings out the details, and blends the colors into a cohesive appearance.

At this stage, I consider the figures to be complete, except for the basing and the shields:

Since Dark Age warrior shields are so highly visible, they need to look good or else the whole miniature suffers. Since I do not think I can do the shields justice painting by hand, I have some transfers on order from Little Big Man Studios that will make them stand out. I'll post more pictures when they are ready.

Now to get started on my next batch of warriors - more Hearthguard and some Bondi. I hope to have a full 6pt Saga warband painted by the end of the month, and have set that as my goal, since I work better under the pressure of a deadline.

'Til next time!

P.S. To those of you who noticed the non-historically accurate horns on the Viking in the back row. Yes, I know! :)
Long story - when I first assembled these Vikings, the plan was to use them as Skandians (from John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice books). They are Viking analogues that do use horned helmets. That wargaming project never really got off the ground, and when I rescued these figures to use for Saga, I decided not to change his head/helmet.