Free-hand Tutorial: High Elves Banner

As promised that I will post more tutorial. To match the High Elves Saphery region theme (as followed the shield), I went for moon crest. And to make it very simple, I just painted 2 runes. Picture below shown the finished banner. It seems hard for you at first look. Here I will guide you through with my step-by-step instructions.

Let's begin now.....

Step 1: Make sure you get the based color done as above. I used GW OOP paint 'Enchanted Blue'

Step 2: Paint the moon crest using any foundation color you have. For me, I used GW OOP foundation paint 'Dheneb Stone'. Don't worry with uneven.  

Step 3-4: After I've selected the rune that I wanted from the High Elves army book, I started to paint on 1 of the banner using the same color. Look at the stroke carefully. I used my Chinese Calligraphy technique. The 'thick stroke' mean I pressed my brush; while 'thin stroke' mean I released my brush.

If you are not sure what I meant, watch the video here

  
Step 5-7: For the 2nd banner, I repeated the same process. I've chosen another rune for it. Don't worry too much if you can't get it right. You can do the touch up later.

Step 8: Once I'm done with the rune, I repainted all of it and make sure the Dheneb Stone color are solid. Then painted it using GW OOP paint 'Golden Yellow'.

Step 9: Now is the touching up part. Using the background color which was Enchanted Blue here, shaped and sharpened it. Once done placed them apart instead of closed together. Viola!!! Do you see a very nice moon crest now? Cool eh?

If you are not sure about the touching up, refer back to my previous article here

Step 10: Now for the highlight. I added a bit of white into the Golden Yellow and highlighted those stand out area. (Ratio of Golden Yellow and white should be 2:1)

Step 11: Again I added a bit more white into the previous mixed and highlighted those stand out area. Both steps were layering technique. 

*The picture doesn't really captured the highlighted area but I think you know what I meant. 

Step 12: Now for extreme and more sharper highlight. I again added more white into the same previous mixed. (Ratio should be 1:2 now) You can see the area I've painted now.

Step 13: Final steps will only be using pure white and painted a very thin line on those really stand out part. Don't go overboard on this!! A little bit will do and eyes will automatically look at the brightest paint which called 'spot color'

And there you go....An easy free-hand painted banner. The spearmen was actually painted few years ago except the banner was done recently. I've put it on sell on Ebay now. Here