Great Skaven Leader Thought of the Day (4)

"Defensive strategy never has produced ultimate victory."




Warlord "Digless" MacArthur

Blog Redesign.

*Neek*

I've posted quite a few step-by-step guides to the minis I have painted recently, and now that these are (slowly...) increasing in number I felt it was worth making them more prominent and easier to find.

So, take a look to the right...

...and hopefully you'll see "Squeek's Skaven Painting Guides".

Each is a direct link to a page outlining the steps that I took to paint the model. A few important things to mention here:

• I'm not posting these guides or pics because I think I'm any good! I'm posting this to experiment with writing a blog and to keep myself motivated for painting all those Skaven units.
• The only reason for I use all GW paints is that I live near a Hobby Center and have never really looked into any others.
• I don't write down the painting process as I paint. This means that each step-by-step is written up later and from memory - and as my friends (and wife) would tell you, my memory is really, really bad - the guide might not be exact in terms of the order or paints used etc. (But it should give you the general idea.)

Thanks!

*Squeek*

Skaven Warlord - step-by-step

That's me - Squeek Vermintide - aspiring Skaven Warlord!

First, a couple of pics, and then on to the painting guide:

Note: As this guy is one of the army characters, I have put much more effort into him than I would on a lowly Clan Rat or Skaven slave. Although this looks like a very involved and lengthy list, it doesn't take too long. So here we go!

A.) Undercoat and Basing:

1. After assembly, liberally apply PVA glue to base and dip in modelling sand.
2. Wait until dry, then undercoat the whole figure and base. (Chaos Black spraypaint.)

B.) Base coats:

EDIT: Following the launch of the latest Citadel Paint range in 2012, please note that the colours listed below are from the previous range. I hope to have time to rewrite in the future, but for the time being, you can use the conversion chart/ list I made here or use the official Citadel Conversion chart here.

1. Fur: Drybrush Calthan Brown.
2. Skin/ Tail/ Feet/ Hands: Tallarn Flesh.
3. Teeth: Skull white.
4. Cloth: (Cloak)
• Regal Blue
• then 1:1 mix of Regal Blue: Ice Blue, leaving just Regal blue in the shadows.
• then, along raised folds of cloth, 1:2 mix of Regal Blue:Ice Blue
• Finally, along edges only of raised folds of cloth, Ice Blue only.
• OPTIONAL: very thin edges of 1:1 mix of Regal Blue: Skull White
5. Cloth: (Robes)
• 1:1 mix of Knarloc Green/ Codex Grey.
• then 1:2 mix of Knarloc Green/ Codex Grey, leaving just layer in the shadows of the folds
• then, along raised folds of cloth, Codex Grey
• OPTIONAL: very thin edges of Fortress Grey
6. Metal: Boltgun metal. (Weapons, armour) Dwarf Bronze. (cloak clasp)
• Dark Angels Green on the "ball" in the middle of the war-pick. Then Snot Green, finally build up around the edges of the Skaven symbol with 2:1 Snot Green/ Skull White.
• OPTIONAL: Leave the elbow cop Chaos Black and drybrush edges later with gun-metal. This provides a nice contrast with the rest of the armour.
7. Leathers: Snakebite leather. (Ropes, pouches, edges of the eye patch.) 
8. Standard: Bestial brown (wood), Dwarf Bronze (Cross piece through dwarf head), Gunmetal (Bolts)
9. Dwarf Head: Tallarn Flesh, then highlight with Dwarf Flesh. 
10. Severed Neck: Red Gore, then highlight with Blood Red.

C.) Apply Washes: Liberally apply Devlan Mud Wash all over. 

This is very important if your primary army colour is something bright. In my case, it is Ice Blue! Using lots of Devlan Mud on the cloak creates great shadows and adds a really dirty feel, offsetting the naturally bright Ice Blue enough that it isn't too bright.

D.) Reapply base colours: Layered up lighter shades/ colours: 

1. Skin/ Tail/ Feet: Dwarf Flesh on raised areas. (Being careful to leave some Tallarn flesh areas and the shadows created by the Devlan Mud wash and the black undercoat - especially on the tail.)
• OPTIONAL: Very thin line of Elf Flesh around lips.
2. Leathers: Snakebite leather/ Skull white (50/50 mix). 
3. Weapon: Chainmail on blade edges.
4. Armour: Very thin edge of Chainmail onto armour edges.
5. Boils, Pus-filled buboes etc. 
• For "Angry sores": Apply a spot of watered-down blood red onto the top of the spot and let it run down naturally.
• For "boils" on tail: Paint the boil Dwarf Flesh. When dry, just touch with a spot of Elf Flesh.

E.) Final Drybrushing:

1. Fur: Drybrush Calthan Brown/ Skull White (50/50).
2. Base: Drybrush Calthan brown, then drybrush Tallarn Flesh.
3. Dwarf Head: Drybrush beard with Codex Grey, and again with Fortress grey.
4. Armour: Chainmail on elbow cop, across gauntlets.
5. Ropes: Snakebite Leather/ Skull White (2:1)
6. Metal Clasp: Shining Gold.

E.) Final Basing:

1. Apply dabs of PVA glue onto the base and dip into green flock.
2. For long, dry-grass, put a blob of PVA and insert modelling grass cut to length. Hold or support while the glue dries and arrange the grass as you wish.
3. Paint base sides Knarloc Green.

DONE! (Phew!)

I think I have roughly remembered the steps right...hope you find this useful!

*Squeek*

Island of Blood: New Warhammer Boxed game coming soon...

*Rubs paws with glee!*
"They come, brethren, they come! Brothers from other places to fight-fight!"

"The gutter runner cames with listenings and hearings..."

"Incoming! The Island of Blood The Warhammer world; it is a place riven by battle, where mighty armies clash for glory, honour or the entertainment of Dark Gods. Darkened skies, tortured by cataclysmic magics tear open and rain blood upon the ceaseless combatants and the landscape is wracked by the carnage around it. Trees writhe in mutated agony, lashing out with limb and branch and rivers flow thick with the corpses of the slain. All upon the land are consumed by the unending battle, an age of war in which victory and defeat hang in the balance. Cast against this macabre tableau fight mighty armies -warriors by their million raise banners of defiance or icons of dismay, taking up arms in the clash for survival. Beleaguered and surrounded, the forces of Order fight desperately to stem the tide of the armies of Destruction. Delighting in the carnage and ruination, the Dark Gods look on. The Island of Blood is but one battleground upon the face of the Warhammer world, a mystical and dangerous place that has been twisted and mutated by the warping power of Chaos. In ages past the Island of Blood was a battleground upon which armies have bled and died in the ageless battle for supremacy... and they will do so again. Soon. The Island of Blood is the new boxed game for Warhammer and is released this September. Packed full of stunning plastic Citadel miniatures and containing all the rules, dice and templates you'll need to play, it's the essential purchase for fans of the Warhammer hobby. Meanwhile, if you like the Battle for Skull Pass boxed game (and who wouldn't with all those Goblins and Dwarfs) then it only seems fair to point out that once the last few remaining copies are gone they're gone, and they're never coming back! Pick one up while stocks last. In August we'll feature more information about The Island of Blood on games-workshop.com and the full details will be released in September's White Dwarf. If you can't wait until September to get your hands on the new rules then don't forget that the new Warhammer Rulebook and complete range of accessories are available to advance order by clicking on the image below." *Squeek*

Plague Priest Step-by-Step

*Neek*
It's taken me longer to get around to writing this up than I thought...
Excuse 1: Working on finishing my Warlord.
Excuse 2: A warpstone meteor landed in our garden the other day, necessitating days of painstaking study and repairs to our lair's defences. (As well as a secret operation to hide some of this precious gift from the emissaries of the Council of Thirteen - truly the Great Horned One favors me!)
Excuse 3: A crazed group of drunken Rat Ogres escaped from their pen and ate their way into our supply of slaves...(good job too, as there is significant overcrowding in our Tokyo burrow etc. etc.)

Actually, as a Skaven, all of the above should have the label changed from "Excuse" to "Perfectly plausible reason".
Granted, one of them isn't really believable...
...after all, it is never truly possible to finish painting one's warlord is it?

But to the matter at hand (Paw?) - painting a Plague Priest.

First a couple of snaps, and below that the process used.

Step-by-Step:
Colours used for this model: (All Games Workshop)

EDIT: Following the launch of the latest Citadel Paint range in 2012, please note that the colours listed below are from the previous range. I hope to have time to rewrite in the future, but for the time being, you can use the conversion chart/ list I made here or use the official Citadel Conversion chart here.

• Chaos Black, Knarloc Green, Codex Grey, Fortress Grey, Tallarn Flesh, Dwarf Flesh, Elf Flesh, Dwarf Bronze, Shining Gold, Gunmetal, Chainmail, Dark Angels Green, Snot Green, Skull White, Bestial Brown, Calthan Brown
• Washes: Thraka Green, Devlan Mud.

The  process followed was:

A.) Undercoat and Base texturing:

1. Undercoat. (I use Chaos Black spraypaint.)

B.) Base colours:

1. Fur: Calthan Brown.
2. Hands/ Tail/ Feet/ Face: Tallarn Flesh.
3. Spines: Skull White, followed up with a layer of Codex grey and Fortress Grey from the back about halfway up the spine (so the tip of the spine stays white.)
4. Cloth: Knarloc Green/ Codex Grey 1:1 mix.  Follow this with a lighter Knarloc Green/ Codex Grey (1:2) on raised areas of cloth/ edges. If you want, apply a final lighter shade of this mix along the edges of folds of robes.
5. Fumes/ Smoke: Start with the darkest green at the censer, then lighter shades up to pure skull white at the tips of the smoke. E.g.Dark Angels green within the censer, working your way up the fumes using progressively lighter shades...
• 100% Dark Angels Green (Within censer)
• 50/ 50 Dark Angels Green: Snot Green mix.
• 10/20/70 Skull White:Dark Angels Green: Snot Green (from the censer halfway up the smoke)
• 100% Skull White (tips of the smoke.) 
6. Metal: Dwarf Bronze (on Censer and Bells) and Gunmetal (Bell clappers)
7. Rope: Snakebite leather. (rope belt and censer rope.)
8. Staff: Bestial brown on wood. Dark Angels Green on Warpstone.
9. Bandages: Chaos White. (Bindings on staff and around warpstone shard.)

C.) Apply Washes: 

1. Devlan Mud: Liberally apply all over robes, skin, tail, censer rope, censer (censer ball only, NOT smoke or fumes...), staff (but NOT warpstone shard)
2. Thraka Green wash: Warpstone shard, Censer contents. (From ball to approx 5-10 mm up the smoke, but not on any pure white areas of the smoke.)

D.) Reapply base colours: Layer up lighter shades/ colours: 

1. Skin/ Tail/ Feet: Dwarf Flesh on raised areas of face, hands etc.  NOTE: Unlike my Clan Rats, I didn't use too much Dwarf Flesh on the tail of this guy, preferring to leave it feeling dirtier.
2. Metal: Chainmail or Mithril Silver applied to edges of the bell clapper. Shining Gold to the edges/ rims of the bells.
3. Boils, Pus-filled buboes etc. 
• For "Angry sores": Apply a spot of VERY watered-down blood red onto the top of the spot and let it run down naturally.
• For "Pus-filled boils" (mmmMMMM) etc: Paint the boil Dwarf Flesh. When dry, just touch the top with a spot of Elf Flesh.

E.) Final Drybrushing:

1. Fur: (Optional): Drybrush Calthan Brown/ Skull White (50/50).
2.  Rope: Snakebite leather/ Skull white (1:2 mix). (rope belt and censer rope.)
3. Metal: (Optional): Drybrush Mithril silver or shining gold to the bells. 
4. Staff: Lightly drybrush a lighter Bestial Brown/ Skull White mix OR Calthan brown onto the wood.
5. Warpstone Shard: First drybrush Snot green onto shard edges. Then repeat with a lighter shade (Snot Green/ Skull White mix)

Phew! That sounds like a really complicated process, but actually, it took me a couple of hours from start to finish over the course of a day.

The hardest thing by far for me was tackling the fumes from the censer that he is swinging. I think the key here is to take a long, hard look at Plague Priest and Plague Censer images on the web. For the fumes in particular, definitely take a look at the Skaven: Screaming Bell Stage-by-Stage guide on the GW website. The section on "Painting the Bell" give a description of how to tackle the smoke effect (this time on the clapper of the Screaming Bell). I didn't follow it exactly - so of course mine is nowhere near as good, but I think it is good enough, especially when viewed from a couple of feet away.

I hope this is useful. Let me know if you have any comments!

*Squeek*

Skaven Warlord - Finished!

Man things, look upon the face of your foe and despair!

...or at least, be concerned!

After finishing my first Plague Priest, but not wanting to head back to tackling a big (35+) horde unit just yet, I looked through some of the character models I purchased to see what I should paint next, and came to the Skaven Warlord. This is the model that I would like to use to represent "Squeek Vermintide", the leader of my fledgling Skaven War band.

I like this particular sculpt as there are a number of little details included by the sculptor that give him a bit of character:
- Eye patch! (I reckon he picked that up on his way to becoming Warlord.)
- War Pick (I guess? - two handed so it isn't really a warhammer...)
- Banner with Dwarven head (clasped in his tail.)

I'll post a step-by-step painting guide in the next couple of days, but in the meantime, here are a couple more shots of Squeek Vermintide.

Now that my Skaven army has a leader, we're one (small) step closer to world domination!
*Neek!*

Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online - E3 Trailer is here...

Now Man Things, this IS a Skaven blog, but I've mentioned before that I have dabbled in the war-torn chaos of future battles using the system known as "40K"...
...On the tabletop. (As Tau)
...and on PC. (Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War)

but did I also mention that I like MMO's?
...World of Warcraft. (WOW)
...Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO)
...Star Trek Online (STO)
...Warhammer Online (WAR)
etc.

...all of which means that this YouTube video for "DMO" is really, really exciting:
Warhammer 40K: Dark Millenium Online E3 Trailer

Also, checkout a quick chat with one of the developers:
Devchat with John Mueller, Art Director for Vigil Games

I like the fact that he mentions more than once that the integrity to the "IP" (Intellectual Property) of the title is enormously important to the company, AND that one of the great things about this IP (The Warhammer 40K world) is that there are plenty of races.
(Although, just as one can't play a Skaven in Warhammer Online, I bet the Tau aren't a playable race either...)

You can see more videos with staff on Vigil's website. Also, don't forget to checkout the Official Website for DMO (Although there isn't much there right now...)

Looking forward to hearing more about this MMO as we head through 2010!

Warhammer 8th Edition Rulebook Advance Orders now open!

I just received an email from Games Workshop with Advance Order information for the new WHFB rulebook and associated items. Some of these look really cool and very attractive (if expensive) so I thought I would share them with you here.
(Please note that I am not an employee of GW nor affiliated with them in any way. The information and images below are available on the internet from GW themselves. Links take you to GW UK site and their full description of each item.)

Warhammer Rulebook: (£45)

Collector's Edition Rulebook: (£75) - eek! (Limited to 3,500 copies.)

There are also a range of other tools for playing the game, so of which are limited to "While Stocks Last" and others that appear not to have that limitation...

Warhammer Skull Dice (£7)

Warhammer Counter Set (£8)

Warhammer Template Set (£5)

Warhammer Battle Magic (£6)

Engineer's Ranging Set: (£18)

Warhammer Gamer's Edition: (£75)

First impressions?
There are a couple of items I would like to own from the list above
No. 1: The Collector's Edition...
...for the simple reason that working for a publishing company, I have learned to appreciate the time and effort that goes into printed books of this size and at first glance, this looks very nice. I am sure that there will be people who buy both the Collector's Edition (to admire) and a regular rulebook to use at games. There will also be an equal number of people who feel these rulebooks are hugely expensive and will wait until a Starter Set for this edition appears with a mini rule book...

No. 2: Engineer's Ranging Set...
...because I'm a geek, and somehow using this should be much cooler than using a tape measure. (I'm a bit worried about the durability though.)

No. 3: Warhammer Template Set...
...I like the brass effect. And let's be honest, holding this over the heads of an opposing unit that you are targeting just looks cooler than a plain plastic circle...

Not so interested?
- Warhammer Skull Dice...
...I have dice. I have LOTS of dice already.

- Warhammer Counter Set...
...looks really fiddly. (Although the fact that it functions as an "ingenious combat resolution calculator" is interesting.)

- Battle Magic Cards...
...hmmm, the cards "contain all the spells for every magical lore printed in the Warhammer rulebook"? Then I'll just look them up in the rulebook, thank you very much!

I've no idea if I have the budget to stretch to some of these items, but I'm looking forward to trying to get my paws on them anyway...(isn't Father's Day right around the corner?)

*Squeek*

Skaven Plague Priest - Finished!

After finishing my first Plague Priest unit, I definitely needed a break from the monotony of painting rows of troops one after the other (even ones as amusing and interesting as Plague Monks), so I decided to focus on a character model...a Plague Priest!

These putrescent priests are "the most degenerate ratmen of the Disciples of Decay..." and that makes them perfect to lead a Clan Pestilens themed army or a contingent of Clan Pestilens troops. I haven't used any of these guys on the battlefield yet as I haven't painted up my army, and opinions of them on the net are pretty mixed, but the model is pretty cool. I really like the fume-filled censer he is swinging and the style of the robes and staff.

Here are the pics:

Painting the Plague Priest after gaining some experience with the other Skaven models I have painted so far was helpful (although not by design...) as I got some good experience that really helped with this model:
- My Warplightning Cannon gave me some experience painting Warpstone.
- Plague Monks gave me a good chance to paint buboes and boils etc. as well as the chance to play around with making robes and cloth look suitably dirty.

Although I think that I could do a bit more to make the boils etc really stand out on the Plague Priest I think they are starting to look suitably unpleasant! (Thanks to a very watered-down Blood Red and some Elf Flesh highlights...)

This is the model from the Screaming Bell/ Plague Furnace set, so he doesn't come with a base. I'll have to base him up next.

Painting Skaven Plague Monks - Step by step.

After finishing my first 30 Skaven Plague Monks I thought I would post a step-by-step guide to the colours I used. I'm no painting expert, but these steps ended up giving me a unit painted to "tabletop" quality.

EDIT: Following the launch of the latest Citadel Paint range in 2012, please note that the colours listed below are from the previous range. I hope to have time to rewrite in the future, but for the time being, you can use the conversion chart/ list I made here or use the official Citadel Conversion chart here.

First, here is how the unit ended looking up:

Colours used: (All Games Workshop)
Knarloc Green
Codex Grey
Tallarn Flesh
Dwarf Flesh
Dwarf Bronze
Gunmetal
Chainmail
Mithril Silver
Skull White
Chaos Black
Devlan Mud (Wash)

The  process followed was:

A.) Undercoat and Base texturing:

1. After assembly, liberally apply PVA glue to base and dip in modelling sand.
2. Wait until dry, then undercoat. (I use Chaos Black spraypaint.)

B.) Base colours:

1. Fur: Calthan Brown.
2. Skin/ Tail/ Feet: Tallarn Flesh.
3. Cloth: Knarloc Green/ Codex Grey 1:1 mix.  Follow this with a lighter Knarloc Green/ Codex Grey (1:2) on raised areas of cloth/ edges. (Robes)
4. Metal: Boltgun metal. (Weapons, belt buckles, staff tips, banner chains)
5. Leathers/ Belts: Snakebite leather. (rope belt, wristband, armour crosspiece on the back of the Clanrat.)
6. Banner: Knarloc Green.
7. Parchment: Snakebite leather. (Lighter shades will be applied later - see H. below)
8. Ornaments: Chaos White. (Skull pendants om troops, staves and banners etc.)

C.) Apply Washes: Liberally apply Devlan Mud Wash all over. (Parchment optional)

D.) Reapply base colours: Layered up lighter shades/ colours: 

1. Skin/ Tail/ Feet: Dwarf Flesh on raised areas of face.  NOTE: Unlike my Clan Rats, I didn't use Dwarf Flesh on the tails for these guys, preferring to leave them a darker, dirtier feel...
2. Metal: Chainmail or Mithril Silver applied to blade edges, nails etc.
3. Leather/ Belts: Snakebite leather/ Skull white (1:2 mix). 
4. Flag: Knarloc Green/ Skull White (1:1 mix) on raised areas and into the center of the flag.
5. Parchment: Several layers of increasingly lighter shades of Snakebite Leather/ Skull White.

E.) Final Drybrushing:

1. Base: Drybrush Calthan brown, then Tallarn Flesh.
2. Fur: (Optional): Drybrush Calthan Brown/ Skull White (50/50).
3. Metal: (Optional): Drybrush Mithril silver (Weapon edges) buttons etc. (e.g. Rivets if the model has a shield etc.) or just apply as an "Extreme Highlight" on the edge of the weapon.
4. Robes: (Optional) Lightly drybrush Calthan Brown around the base of the robes.

F.) Final Basing:

1. Apply dabs of PVA glue onto the base and dip into green flock.
2. Paint base sides Knarloc Green.

G.) Final Details: Banner

1. Outline the Horned Rat symbol on the Banner in Chaos Black. Once satisfied, fill in. HINT: Practice first on a piece of paper at the same size as you will actually paint onto the banner. This will give you an idea of how it will look and it is good practice...
2. Horned Rat eyes: Snot Green. When dry, lighten with a Snot Green/ Skull White mix (1:1)

H.) Final Details: Parchment

1. Gradually build up to a lighter shade, using a Snakebite Leather/ Skull White mix in lighter and lighter shades.
2. Carefully add symbols and script using a slightly watered down Chaos Black (and a fine detail brush.)

Now I have some Clan Pestilens troops in my army....excellent!

*Squeek*

Skaven Plague Monks - Finished!

Phew, after worrying about what colour wash to use, I finally finished my first unit of 30 Plague Monks to a level I could put on a gaming table! (Thanks to the advice of the experienced Skaven Warlords over at The UnderEmpire forums...)

I'm hoping that these Clan Pestilens troops will be a hefty part of my Warlord's army as I have around 80 of them in total (which I will use with my Plague Furnace in larger games). I'll post a "Step-by-step" when I can, as there were a couple of firsts for me here, such as painting the parchment on the single "Bringer of the Word" figure and trying to paint a unit banner freehand for the first time.

In the meantime, here are some photos...

As usual, photos make all the little mistakes and things I have forgotten to paint immediately (and depressingly) visible, but at least I have a second unit to my army now if I had to play a game tomorrow.

I'm going to take a break from painting units for a week or so, and take on one of the characters in the army...
The pestilent, repulsive, Plague Priest!

*Squeek*

Great Skaven Leader Thought of the Day (3)

It is not sufficient that I succeed--all others must fail.

Ginkhiss Khaaaan 

Painting Plague Monks - Washes

Unclean, unkempt and certainly unhealthy (to their foes...) your Skaven Plague Monks want to end up being looking pretty dirty and diseased on the tabletop. The models themselves offer lots of opportunities to get this effect due to the detail on the excellent new plastic models. Bandages, torn robes, boils, buboes and bulbous growths are all really well modeled.

Although I haven't completed my first Plague Monk unit yet, I have made some progress and thought I would put up some photos of some experiments I did with Games Workshop washes to give you and idea of the difference they can make to the overall look of a model.

For my base colour, I used a 1:1 mix of Codex Grey and Knarloc Green, which gave me a "Seasick Green" (Not an official colour!). It looks like this:

Onto the edges of this, I applied a lighter line of the same colours, (2:1 Codex Grey/ Knarloc Green) - no picture available sadly - and then I had to decide what wash to use to add depth and shadows. As my paint collection is quite small, I only have Thraka Green and Devlan Mud at the moment. First, here is what happens when a coat of Thraka Green is liberally applied...

It looks pretty green! In fact, this fellow wouldn't look out of place in Sherwood Forest...not quite what I had in mind. Now let's look at a model where only Devlan Mud is used...

A much muddier effect (obviously), but the underlying colour now looks quite washed out. That isn't necessarily bad as the robes looks older and dirty, fitting in well with the Plague Monks theme and with an army in the field (or that has just come of their tunnels under the earth...)

To make the difference even clearer, here are a couple of samples side by side:

Quite a difference!

I'm undecided which I like better at the moment...

...any comments or preferences?

Plague Monk Painting Update...

*Neek*

I haven't updated the site for a few days - my role as a corporate (Skaven) slave has kept me busy - but here are a few pictures of the unit of Plague Monks I have been working on and a quick update...

They aren't finished yet as I'm about halfway through the painting process. I have added most of the basic colours and have started to do some of the detailing (belts, weapons, bandages etc.) but haven't started doing highlights, drybrushing, washes or bases etc.

At this point, I'm in two minds about the colour of the robes, which consists of a 1:1 Knarloc Green/ Codex Grey mix. I think it is quite a "good" green for plague monks and it fits in with their theme, but overall it is just a bit too close to a standard Knarloc Green to be interesting. I'm hoping that the following might all magically combine to dilute the current "sameness" of the green and make the overall unit look more interesting.
...some washes of Devlan Mud or Thraka Green
...some highlighting
...a decent unit-banner (which may be a total failure as I have never done a banner before!)
...some variety provided by the different colours from some Plague Censer Bearers I am working on.

More updates to come soon!

*Squeek*