WIP - Wrath of Kings

Progress is going so slow on my Wrath of Kings Teknes faction.  I am now dissatisfied with my old approach to batch-painting, and I'm experimenting with different approaches.  My old approach makes liberal use of washes, and while I always enjoy applying washes, I'm becoming unhappy with the results.

Since I usually concoct my own wash mixes, results can vary, depending on proportions, paint manufacturer, paint age, etc.  Results can vary depending on the material and texture of the miniature, too.  I can probably achieve more consistent results by relying more on commercial washes, but I have a nagging reluctance to over-rely on them, since I taught myself how to make home-brew washes long before the market became glutted with commercial ones, and I have some attachment to my self-taught skill.

In any case, the hair on these Linemen ladies (Linewomen?) in the front row initially came out too grungy with only a wash, and I had to go back and paint individual strands.  Not a good way to batch-paint!

Add to that hair-painting exercise, experimenting with painting faces and eyes, trying to correct a masculine-sculpted face, and I'm seeing this project really beginning to stall!

I also experimented with different approaches to paint the copper piping.  On the ladies and the middle guys, I used fully opaque colors, starting from darks and working all the way to highlights, a standard and basic technique that I almost never use (and really should).  On the front gents, I painted high- to mid-tones and then washed down.  At this scale, for that particular texture and detail, the opaque approach is much sharper and much more to my liking. 

I really need to incorporate the shade-to-highlight sequence more into my habit.

I have a goal to force me to finish this faction.  There's an upcoming, single-day Wrath of Kings event in Chattanooga that I'm thinking of going to.  So that should force my hand to wrap this project!