My Dreadnoughts models for the main character (research)

This project is of a Warhammer 40K Salamanders Dreadnought fighting off a swarm of Tyranids. The dreadnought is surrounded and blasting away with two flamethrowers, trying to hold the line. I was aiming for the look of a White Dwarf magazine cover, dramatic and action packed. I used watercolour for this one to give it a gritty, textured feel to try and make it fit the chaos of the scene.

I drew this when i was bored and dying of loneliness back in January in Iceland

These models are my Salamander Drednoughts and the one on the right is the hero of the fight i had which the story is based on. but due to me being weird i have been thinking to use the older version of the Dreadnought. more details to be added (like in the drawn photo) or use the dreadnought with the arms. reason why i want to change the character is because Salamanders are mostly flamethrower and live on a fire planet (similar to mustafar (jesus im a such a nerd)). My antagonists are horde of Tyranids.

White Dwarf

White Dwarf is a magacine where readers can learn to paint minis, learn some lore, see work from others, see models someone created and in old times it used to teach you how to create a model or weapons for models with just household items. Like use toilet paper role for a gun or a empty paint to become a Ork robot. White Dwarf used to teach people to kidbash a lot until they stopped and made the stuff as actual models

Inspiration video

This animation is from warhammer themself and just seeing that some details are missing on the dreadnought, i might do the same. even though i love drawing details and having everything as it is (thank you FB teacher). But with me also not good with putting shadow, this might help me as well. Full video is owned by GameWorkshop warhammer

Small sketch and thumbnail (ideas)

These are just sketch of the dreadnought of the parts i like of the dreadnoughts  i made and then there are some sketches of thumbnails of ideas. What makes this hard is that dreadnoughts are boxes with legs and making them look dramatic and action can be hard, but possible. Drawing is a quick line and was drawn in around two minutes.

Green is the dreadnougth and the purple are the Tyranids in the thumbnail. Helping to understand what is happening nstead of just having lines. Adding some colours can help show what is happening. Like the orange is the flame from the flamethrower and destruction part of the mashine. Brown is just nature and blue is sky

Lighting of fire and flamethrower

Seeing how the light from the fire works at dreadnought, space marine and how it looks from a flamethrower in model form

Thunmbail i like

What is going on in this thumbnail is that the dreadnought is surrounded and swarm of Tyranids going around him and crawling on him. He has one on his arm and is about to burn those who are close to him. The purple are the swarm of Tyranids and the green is Dreadnought

​I am thinking it can be the cover for this story

Thumbnail detailed

I went and drew the thumbnail a little with more detail. I saw what i liked and disliked and some things i needed to fix so i wrote it down for the next time i go and work on this drawing. Adding the logo of warhammer (lets hope i dont get sued) and the text for White Dwarf to see what it would look like. Plan was to have it as a comic but i might end up just making a cover if i dont have enought time. Im having fun working on this. Adding the flames and adding the details of a Tyranid being burnet and another one dodging gives it a little realism. The big Tyranid behind will be removed. The line is where the info goes ad the barcode

Thumbnail detailed coloured

Adding colours to see how it would look helpes a lot. But what i have problem is which planet they shiuld be fighting in or should i just have the backround red like what White Dwarf does to the books. They dont focus a lot to the background but it is mostly cause they use models now and sometimes art from artists or box art. The green part is mostly empty space before they add barcode and information in it but i am starting to think of using red instead. Having the ground colours wine red and sky purple maybe. Best is to make small sketches to help me see the best colours. Instead of taking an hour and a half to make one sketch

Colour tests

These are tests of three planets the Salamanders fought the Tyranids. The first is their homeland Nocturne, the other is the Crucible of Battle and the last is no mans land battleground. The bottom part is the colour for the book. Different is that the background and the bottom part are almost always close to the same colour. 

These are just the same drawing with "different" colours. It is mostly the background. I am leaning more to the planet Nocturne due to red and green work together

Youtube videos about flamethrower, perspective and watercolour

Blind line drawings and watercolour test (development)

Fire

warpsol instagram account

Rjmason84 instagram account

Two instagram account that work with watercolour. Warbsol works with robots, pen and watercolour and Jmason84 works with watercolour, robots, warhammer, pens and more.

Old vs new ​

The inspiration of the planet

Dawn of war 2 is a stragety game which you play as blood angels but i used a planet in the game as a referense

Should had added more Tyranids. The image feels empty. The flamethrower was drawn after the model with flamethrower when real flamethrowers have white in the middle and get darker in the end.

Final look

Wanted to see how it would look with the warhammer logo on it but legally i am not allowed to use it in any print or sell with the logo. Adding text on the green and barcode next

Outcome