WIP: Reaper Pathfinder Red Dragon

The bulk of the work on this figure was done with my airbrush. I used Reaper Dark Elf Shadow as a base color, then highlighted with RMS Dark Elf Highlight. I used VMA Black for the deepest shadows. Then I used VMC Dark Prussian Blue (a fabulously beautiful color!) to begin the blue areas on the wings, frills, and body. After that, the blue areas were taken up to RMS Surf Aqua. Then, for the final lights on those areas, I used VMA White and then RMS Surf Aqua again. Putting the white first allows the Surf Aqua to be brighter. The transparent nature of these paints means that even if a bright color is used, if it has a dark base it will not appear bright. Putting that white “barrier” in between the dark and the aqua helps that.

The airbrush really made quick work of it to this point, but now it was time for the detail-work.

The plan was to make the scales, especially the chest, appear iridescent. To that end, the next colors used were a bright green and a violet-red.

After that it was the horns. I base-coated them with RMS Weathered Stone.

After that, I washed them with Army Painter Dark Tone Ink, and then highlighted them back up with RMS Weathered Stone.

About this point in the painting, the owner of this dragon asked me to add a washer in the base so that it magnetic counters used in D&D would stick to it, so I dug a hole in the cork to place it so that the surface of the base could remain flat.

Next, I covered the washer with Vallejo Red Oxide Paste.

After that dried, I began painting over it to blend that area back into the base, and I decided the eyes should be a bright orangey-yellow instead of bright blue.

And here he is finished:

This dragon was a ton of fun to paint. I really enjoyed the colors. However, the Bones plastic was such a pain! Mould lines would just appear out of nowhere! I will probably paint a couple more of these dragons this year.