High Elf Colour Schemes? All Gold?

Natarn · **Posted:** Fri Jan 06, 2012 7:48 pm

I've just painted 60 plastic High Elves with the regular GW scheme of gold for the armour and blue for the fabric.

However, I just watched the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring and noticed that the costumes for the Elves had gold fabric as well as gold armour. In the distance, the elven army looked like a sea of gold.

I was wondering what colour schemes you have used for your High Elves and, more particularly, if anyone has painted them as they appear in the film with gold fabric as well as gold armour. I'd be really interested to see what that would look like.

I'm guessing that people wouldn't use metallic paint for the fabric... :?:

Angularity · **Joined:** Fri Jun 25, 2010 7:56 am **Posts:** 144

We e e l l l.. actually I did use metallic(ish) paint for the cloaks etc. I mixed the right shade of blue, then put in some silver to give it a bit of a sparkle. I guess you could do the same with gold, but the silver looks quite good. Just different enough from the Mannish colours.

Valamir · **Posted:** Fri Jan 06, 2012 10:57 pm

Yes, if you want a silk-like appearance for your cloak (no matter who it is for) add one of the metal colors- personally, I always use silvers, treating each rather like a shade of grey (with Mithril Silver- or your brightest silver- being closest to white, etc.) and then highlight from there. It will take some experimentation, though, so be prepared, and mix small amounts until you have acquired the formula that pleases you best.

I'm not sure if the High Elves had gold as their cloak, or a silver... Up to you (besides, mine have blue cloaks, with silver armor, and white other-fabric- long tunic, I suppose?).

Draugluin · **Posted:** Fri Jan 06, 2012 11:04 pm

The ones in the film had more of a burgandy color for their cloaks with the trimming (maybe the inside of the cloak) in gold. Only the leaders (Gil-Galad and Elrond) had blue. I still use blue because it has more contrast with the gold, and I don't want them to look like Easterlings.

Necromancer7 · **Posted:** Fri Jan 06, 2012 11:05 pm

Angularity wrote:

We e e l l l.. actually I did use metallic(ish) paint for the cloaks etc. I mixed the right shade of blue, then put in some silver to give it a bit of a sparkle. I guess you could do the same with gold, but the silver looks quite good. Just different enough from the Mannish colours.

I did pretty much the same thing but with green for their cloaks. It was part of my attempt to replicate the Gold/Green tint that the Elves have at the start of the Fellowshhip film. Never didn't succeed 100% though :/

PowerofWill · **Posted:** Sat Jan 07, 2012 12:31 am

I read somewhere that it's best to never use metallics on clothing, so I haven't painted actual metallics on the cloth, but you might want to try doing what the other people have already suggested and mix it with a regular color. I personally would use the nmm technique, but that would probably be really time consuming, but you never know, you could find a quick scheme that looks good.

aelfwine · **Joined:** Sat Aug 22, 2009 12:23 am **Posts:** 339

There is an old GW article about how to paint Elladan and Elrohir, which was one of the best expressions of how to do cool looking High Elves.

Some salient points: mix some Goblin green (and maybe) scorched brown with the Shining Gold. Build up using a bit of shining gold and mithril silver.

The cloth is a mix of Chaos Black, Codex Grey and Regal Blue. Add little bits of Fortress grey until you do a really thing final highlight in Fortress Grey.

The cloak is a mix of Chainmail or Boltgun Metal (not sure which) and Dark Angels Green, with added metalic highlights. Done right, it looks like silk.

Elros of Numenor · **Posted:** Sat Jan 07, 2012 3:14 am

I would try mixing Chainmail and codex grey, or perhaps one of the Foundations (maybe Knarloc green considering Gav's contribution

), just to tone down the shine so it doesn't clash too much with the armor.In my mind this would work well for a fabric look. You may have noticed that when foundation paints separate, there is a grey-ish/black fluid at the top of the paint. I think this is why they cover so well, and look fairly flat..

Telchar · **Posted:** Sat Jan 07, 2012 1:00 pm

Personally, I wouldn't go with Gold at all, but with silver armour. However, if you want golden fabric, I'd just paint it Shining Gold and wash with devlan mud. It ended up quite well on my Citadel Wood Lothlorien version. Word of Warning: They will probably end up looking rather dull, being just gold with a silver glaive and a tiny hint of a face. I wouldn't do it.

cereal_theif · **Posted:** Sat Jan 07, 2012 4:36 pm

I did gold armour, with red robes and green cloaks.

I paint gold by using a calthan brown 2:1 which ever gold is the darker one
and gradually mix up to just gold. Then wash with devlan mud and highlight with a 2:1 of gold with mithril silver.

This gives a very browny gold finish more like how I think goldEN armour would be and less like armour made out of gold (which wouldnt be very useful for anything, heavy and flimsy)

Telchar · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2012 6:39 pm

cereal_theif wrote:

I did gold armour, with red robes and green cloaks.

I paint gold by using a calthan brown 2:1 which ever gold is the darker one
and gradually mix up to just gold. Then wash with devlan mud and highlight with a 2:1 of gold with mithril silver.

This gives a very browny gold finish more like how I think goldEN armour would be and less like armour made out of gold (which wouldnt be very useful for anything, heavy and flimsy)

"Golden" Armor is in fact just steel clad in a eensy weensy tiny thin layer of gold, so it is effect just steel armor looking like it's made out of gold

Valamir · **Posted:** Thu Jan 12, 2012 1:22 am

Indeed, 'damascened' was the term Tolkien used to describe Glorfindel's armor in 'The Fall of Gondolin.' Which, by the way, my apologies for being completely off topic- there is a much more in-depth version of the Fall of Gondolin in the 'Book of Lost Tales 2,' which for all those who wanted more of it, this is a must-read!

Nice paint scheme, sounds a lot like what I did with my Galadhrim, though I used purple cloaks.

theOneRider · **Posted:** Thu Jan 12, 2012 10:38 am

My first group of High Elves, I went with black and red for the cloth, and Lime Gold on gold for the armor. Gave it a nice, greenish look to the plate.
It's worth noting, though, that I mostly use Testor paints. They work a bit differently than the Citadel range.

High Elf Colour Schemes? All Gold?

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