Daemonettes

Well I figure that in order to do this right I should blog in the order that I completed a unit and so I'll therefore be starting with the Daemonettes but first a little history... When I first started painting (waaaaaaaaaaaay back in 1998) the Daemonettes were the reason I was initially pulled to Chaos but I went for the Chaos Marines so I started with the basic models and eventually discovered that at the time I couldn't afford a full unit of Daemonettes (this was back when they were like £10 per 2 model blister pack) so I gave up my dreams of a Daemon host and eventually moved onto the Tyranids when they got a revamp in early 2000. I wandered back to Chaos when the Warhammer Warriors of Chaos army got a revamp and my original plan was to field a massive Chaos host of men, Daemons and Beastmen but I stopped painting before I could do much more than a few warriors and a couple of the old metal Daemons (which weren't exactly painted well I'll admit.
Fast forward to April (I think) of this year when I decided to start painting again and what do I find? Not only are the Daemon models now in plastic kits but they have their own army!!! I was literally in heaven, but then I was brought back to Earth slightly because only half of the Daemon force was in plastic kits. Slight disappointment but not really putting me off. So my friend (gotta love her) sees how down I was about stuff and decides to buy me a Warhammer starter set, so I paint a few of the Elves included but I didn't really enjoy them because I had my heart set on my Daemons once more... First opportunity I get I go and buy... DAEMONETTES!!! Finally, I get the Daemons that started my whole obsession in the first place! I ask the guys at the store to help me with the colours (I had no idea what things were meant to be like now, last time I painted the black screw lids were just being replaced by black flip lids and Skull White and Chaos Black weren't just spray paints) and they start whipping off a million paints saying that this part should be in these 6 colours and so on and I'm like woah, I cannot afford to buy half the paint collection just for one unit so I looked at the back of the box and it has a few suggestions on skin colour and I'm thinking it's nice but I'm not a grey kind of fan so I think waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back to when I first started and remembered Daemonettes were more purple than grey. So I eventually pick up some Daemonette Hide, Xerus Purple and some Druchii Violet (remember I already had the paints from the starter set so I was just adding to them) and got to work. After a while I realised that the colours were just really bland, there was way too much purple so I trotted on back to the store and picked up some Screamer Pink, Pink Horror, Emperor's Children and Changeling Pink which added a splash of colour without being too garish so I ceased to be bored.
The results of my Alluress (first one I painted because I always start with the leader of a unit, then the musician and then the Standard Bearer) are as follows...

So let me take you through what I did step by step, starting with the skin. So I under-coated in black because I wanted my colours to come out slightly darker, to which I then base coated in Daemonette Hide, all over the skin. I left the armour, hair, claws and cloth alone while I did the skin (by the way I paint BEFORE I assemble so I don't miss out on any detail). Over the DH I then did a wash of the Druchii Violet and then went over the skin again with DH, leaving the recesses dark. I then VERY LIGHTLY dry-brushed with Ulthuan Grey (I know I was supposed to go to Slaanesh Grey and Warpfiend Grey but like I said I didn't like that) so then the hair. Base coat was Xerus Purple which took a few layers because it's a layer and not a base. I then did a few DV layers to make it all shiny and then again went over with XP. I then lightly dry-brushed with DH for a little emphasis. The armour I left black but did a slightly wet dry brushing with Ironbreaker so that it shimmers and looks silver in some lights but black in others (very other worldly I think). The claws I originally did in black and purple but I didn't like them so I went with the pinks. Started with the Screamer Pink, then layered over with the Pink Horror, edged with Emperor's Children and dry brushed with Changeling Pink. After this picture was taken I started to use 'Ardcoat on the claws for a little extra shine. The eyes are in Mephiston Red and the teeth are Ceramite White. I originally had the toe claws in white (like in the picture) but they drew attention away from the claws so they're black again now. They're based with Astrogranite and after this picture I started dry brushing the bases in Ulthuan Grey so they look a little better now. 

Below is a picture of the entire unit:

And here's the back:

You may be wondering why my command group is split up (or you may not, but how am I supposed to know?). The reason is that my PHENOMENAL modelling skills have meant that when I put them together in a unit like this, this is the only way they fit together. You may also notice the fact that they're sort of symmmetrical (and if you haven't you have now) and yes, that was intentional. I figured that it would please Slaanesh... And my OCD tendencies. Mostly the second one. Ok entirely the second one. Oh I did their tails the same way I did the claws, just without the 'Ardcoat. 

So that, my friends, is my first unit. Next will be my (sort of) conversion for a Herald of Slaanesh (which has just been completely smashed out of the water by the newly released models that contain enough parts to put a Herald on the various chariots AND build one on foot ¬¬ But more on that next time.