Blood Ravens Shrike Proxy - Step 2 (lots of pics)

A lot more procedural steps here involving red and metallic/silver.  If you are painting tabletop quality, just follow the steps until you get to the red you like then skip to the metallic.  I really wish my cameramanship (if that's not a word, feel free to refudiate) was better.  I'd really like the differences between these steps to be more evident in the photos.

First step is to basecoat with Mechrite red. Make sure to use multiple thin coats as much as possible to minimize acrylic texture as the paint dries. Don't worry about being 100% neat at this point. Covering all the right areas is more important than going out of the lines a little.

Next, wash the entire model with Devlan Mud.  Keep the wash moving if it pools up anywhere to prevent it from drying too thick in any one place.  You will probably end up with "tide marks" somewhere, but we'll deal with those later.

The right leg (left on the picture) has some tide marks.

Paint Citadel Red Gore (I used the Vallejo Game Color equivalent) over the larger areas of power armor, focusing more on the areas that face upward.  Again, use multiple thin coats to make the smoothest transitions.  The tide mark on the right leg are gone, faded into the color of the leg using multiple coats of Red Gore.

This might be a good place to stop on the red for tabletop Blood Ravens.

Highlight with a 50/50 Red Gore / Blood Red mix.  I know I'm a broken record, but thin coats will ensure good transitions.  Controlling your brush load allows the thinned out paint goes on where you want it rather than wicking into the mini like a wash.  Use something like a coffee filter or paper tower to draw excessive paint off the brush if needed, touching the side of the bristles to the edge of the paper.  You should see the thinned paint soak into the paper.

Further highlight with straight Blood Red, being very selective about the areas painted.  Pick areas that are perpendicular to the lighting direction, or edges that would pick up the light.

Say it with me now:  multiple.  thin.  coats.

Apply medium silver (Citadel Chainmail or similar.  I used Reaper Master Series Honed Steel.) on the flex joints and other metallic areas.  Touch up and areas you accidentally get metallic paint on with Mechrite Red.

Selectively wash the metallic areas with Badab Black.  We'll be touching up the metallics later so feel free to liberally apply the wash, but keep it on the metallics and don't let it slop onto the other areas.

In the next step I'll cover the bone colored areas and small details like lenses.