Tau Fire Warriors - Bork'an Sept

So to kick off the new segment of Tutorial Reviews, I picked the Tau Firewarrior step-by-step from All Things 40k. As was the intent behind the review concept, I followed the tutorial to the letter, and then rated it off of three different categories; Artistry, Clarity, and Teachability. These three categories then get broken down into an overall mark out of 5. So let's get started; here's what the Firewarriors should look like (painted by the author):

Let's get started, shall we?

Artistry: - 8/10

This is a great looking bunch of models, and the photos are very well done. I never had a problem with clarity of the actual photos (All of which were nicely in focus) and the idea of adding the paint pot to the picture was a good one. When all is said and done, these Firewarriors really pop, with a cool, crisp finish that you don't see often with lighter coloured armies.

In terms of technique, I really can't fault much; these are very good minis, with a stellar paintjob. My only incongruity (In my experience with the tutorial) is that for the tutorial writer to get Space Wolf's Grey to cover in one coat, he must have laid it on really thick. I naturally thin down my paints, and as such they needed a second coat.

In addition, the writer does a stellar job on creating lenses for the Pulse Rifles and backpacks, but didn't put eyes on the Shas'ui... lets see the whites... er, oranges of those eyes! Other than those few nitpicky issues, however, an entire army done up in this colour scheme would look AMAZING on the tabletop, and would turn some heads.

Clarity: - 8/10

The writer is no slouch to creating tutorials (As showcased by the 15 or so he's written to date), but this one isn't always the most clear. It's a very simple and straightforward job he's done, easy to follow most of the time, with only a few hiccups along the way; some steps go into that detail, but others (Such as working on the Shas'ui's topknot), are merely a picture with some dialog. For intermediate painters, this shouldn't be a problem at all!

Sometimes though, there are times when you're left wondering what the intent of the step was, or whether or not you've completed it fully. For advanced painters (and intermediate ones), this isn't really a problem, as we're fairly certain of how he went about getting each effect (Washes, etc). A novice, brand new to the hobby, might have difficulties if they've never used this sort of thing before. This isn't for lack of trying on the writer's part, or elitism, but merely an oversight.

Teachability: - 7/10

This tutorial flip-flops back and forth between being better suited for an intermediate painter and an expert, as it doesn't try much to teach a new painter how to achieve the effects pictured in the tutorial. While this may give newcomers pause when attempting thier Bork'an Firewarriors, it is hardly an issue to higher level painters due to the simplicity of the paint scheme. (And the well documented photo log).

Where the writer really gains points is at the end, when he goes into teaching mode for the snow effects, going step by step and out of his way to get a good effect for the finished project. I for one found it very helpful, as my snow flock would have looked sludge-like and poor had I not followed his advice.

Given that this Tutorial pioneered new ground, however, and was innovative given its lack of prior source materials... since GW seems to think we all want orange Tau, I feel that it did an excellent job preparing me (An intermediate painter) for the task ahead.

Conclusion:

I believe that this Tutorial is a very good one, and is far better than the Games Workshop Tutorial, which only gives users a picture of the Bork'an to go from. I feel it is best suited to Intermediate, or Advanced painters, given the less structured form of it, but the paint scheme is simple enough that new painters should be able to follow it without too much trouble.

FINAL SCORE = 4/5

Last Thoughts:

My experience with this tutorial was a largely positive one, and I will be continuing to follow the basics of it while working on my Tau. Needless to say, I will have to adapt it a bit for the purposes of Crisis Suits, Devilfish, and all other forms of units in the army. In addition to the tip about the Space Wolf Grey I mentioned earlier, I also suggest taking some undiluted Brown Ink and adding it to the Shining Gold part of the Pulse Rifle (Which I too have no idea what it is!). This adds some definition to it and adds to the high contrast look of the model.

My Result!

And now that you've read my thoughts on the matter, what about yours? Have you used this tutorial? Found ones like it, that are better/worse? Got results of your own to show off?

Tutorial Reviews: Overview

Hello again!

So to kick off one of my semi-regular posts that'll be coming up, I'm writing this overview. My plan is to take tutorials that I find on the net and use them to paint certain models (Either where I haven't decided on a colour scheme yet, or where I just want to give it a shot), and review them based off thier usefulness and ability to output great looking models (As well as entertainment value as well!)

I'll be rating each tutorial out of 5. Three factors will go into making up that 5 points:

Artistry: Namely how good the models will look when all is said and done, and how good the quality of the pictures are that the tutorial writer is putting up. They're rated on a scale of 10, where...

• 1-3 means the models will look subpar at best (3 colour minimum, or poor painting skill), and/or the pictures are terrible (blurry, off centered, etc...)
• 4-6 means the finished product will be tabletop standard, looking good in a massed force from three to six feet away; Pictures are decent, but not incredible.
• 7-9 means the finished product will draw attention from gamers that you face, where they will want to get down to table level, or ask to pick it up for a better look; these are what I'd consider models that would stand a good chance of getting you best painted, or possibly winning a painting contest. Picture Quality is good overall, no blurryness and well focussed.
• A perfect 10 means the photos are run through photoshop, and this model could compete in a Golden Demon, if not win it! This is what I expect from people who've been in the hobby for years on end.

Clarity: Specifically how clear the instructions are, and the detail that the person goes into describing what all you need to do to paint the model(s).

• 1-3 is earned because there are little to no instructions at all: Either no pictures accompanying the instructions, or just a picture with the name of the paint to apply next. These instructions are very vague and require you to fill in the blanks for much of the model.
• 4-6 means the instructions are simple, and straight forward. Pictures are included, and the process is divided into steps that may contain multiple colours of paint being applied all at once. The instructions, while fairly clear, still leave holes and miss portions of the model.
• 7-9 is received because the instructions are clear and detailed, showing you step-by-step in photos how the look was achieved for the model. If anything is missed it's one or two small details, like a button on a panel. For each step you only apply one colour of paint, with an accompanying photo.
• A perfect 10 comes because there is no possibility for error. The tutorial designates what paint we're using, why, and on what portions of the model. Multiple pictures may be taken for this step, and they each have indicators of where the paint is going. The instructions are step-by-step, with nothing missed.

Teachability: This indicates how helpful the tutorial is in teaching new skills or pointing out trouble spots in the process of the tutorial, possibly by providing links to other sources on how to perform techniques, or noting different ways of acheiving certain effects.

• 1-3 is a tutorial that doesn't attempt to help readers achieve its affects, using terminology and techniques that a brand new painter wouldn't even have heard of yet, let alone hope to accomplish. An example of this would be a tutorial that uses Non Metallic Metals to achieve a gold look, and for the step involving it says: "Use NMM shading to highlight the gold on the armor. When you're done, move on to step two."
• 4-6 describes a tutorial that gives basic hints on how to achieve techniques stated, but doesn't go into much detail. It assumes you're at least an intermediate level painter, with a solid understanding of techniques involved, and are willing to try for more complicated ones. Example: "Use Non Metallic Metal shading on the Gold Armor. You're going to want to do some blended highlights, with the lightest colours on the bottom edges of the armor to achieve this. Once the armor is done..."
• 7-9 is a tutorial that goes into great detail, step by step with techniques and actively tries to teach the new painter to paint to a higher level than what they've done before. It provides examples and photo advice of how to achieve particular effects, and points out trouble spots involved with what you're trying to achieve. An Example, using the Non Metallic Metals above, would be one that starts like so: "Non Metallic Metals are a great way to get a metallic sheen on your model, without actually using metallic paints. This is a multiple step process, however, and you need to pick your colours carefully. To do the gold armor...." And proceeds to split the gold armor up into several steps.
• A perfect 10 provides multiple resources on how to achieve different techniques, and teaches as though the painter was just picking up a brush for the first time, giving them practice ideas, or alternatives to more difficult ideas. In Example, using the NMM techniques above, the tutorial writer would also add something like this: "Now, if you're not ready to try Non Metallics, this is how we achieve the look of gold with the metallic paints..."

These three categories will be what I use to generate my mark out of 5 for the Tutorial in general, and then there will be a blurb underneath about the level of difficulty that I ascribed this one (Beginner, Intermediate, Expert).

After that, I'll move onto my own experience following the tutorial, anything that I choose to alter from it, and my finished efforts that I came up with, followed by a comparison between the tutorial outcome, and my own. Finally, if I feel that certain areas weren't covered well enough, I'll post up resources on techniques that will help.

That being said, I'm off! I'll be posting my first review soon, on a Tau Firewarrior tutorial for the Bork'an sept. Until then, feel free to comment on the idea, if you have ideas, and sign up as a follower!