The last two miniatures that I needed to paint for the Valhalla II kickstarter are Odin and Skadi. I saved these two for last as they are bigger than all the others. For Odin it makes sense as he is sitting on his throne but for Skadi I think I got shipped the 70mm version instead of the 32mm that all the others are, not sure why. But it is what it is and we move on. 

Neither needed to be attached to a separate base as they were both big enough and sturdy enough without one. 

Before priming however, I did add some Vallejo Red Oxide Texture Paste to Skadi’s base and in a few places on Odin’s steps. Feeling experimental, I also stuck down a couple of grass tufts to Skadi’s base to see how they painted up. With that done I primed them both with Colour Forge Standard Grey. Once the primer had cured I basecoated the skin with Army Painter Air Nomad Flesh through my airbrush, tidying up any overspray with Two Thin Coats Dungeon Stone. The reason I basecoat the skin first is that if I left it grey when I come to paint it with transparent paints, like Citadel Contrast or Army Painter Speedpaint, the grey undercoat would show through leaving me with very drab and lifeless skin. To bring out the detail I then gave each of the models a zenithal highlight with Liquitex Titanium White acrylic ink. Lastly, before starting the painting proper I gave the skin of each model a wash with Reikland Fleshshade. 

Odin

Odin is perhaps the most well known gods in the Norse pantheon, he has the most attestations and appears the most often in stories. His most well known deed being sacrificing his eye, impaling himself on his own spear and hanging himself on the world tree Yggdrasil for nine days and nights in order to gain knowledge of poetry, runes and magic. 

The first thing I wanted to paint on Odin was his cloak as he’s sitting on it. It was pretty tricky to get to at times but eventually I managed to give an even coat of Blood Angels Red. Next I painted the leather details, such as his boots and belt, with Gore-Grunta Fur. Any fur trim I picked out with Cygor Brown. The wraps on his thighs I painted with Snakebite Leather and the horns on his helmet with Skeleton Horde. While I had it out I also painted the skull with Skeleton Horde. His spear shaft, which snapped several times by the way, I painted with Wyldwood and the wraps on it with Snakebite Leather. The metallic details such as his armour and spear tip I painted with Army Painter Speedpaint Broadsword Silver, then to add a bit of variety I painted his cloak clasps with Imperial Fist. It doesn’t make for the best gold colour, but it will do. 

Moving onto the throne and steps I started by painting most of the throne with Garaghak's Sewer, a nice rich brown that isn’t quite as dark as Wyldwood. The trim I then painted with Army Painter Speedpaint Broadsword Silver. As the head honcho I feel that Odin should have a more ornate throne. As Imperial Fist didn’t work out particularly well, I went over the silver areas with Snakebite Leather. It’s not perfect but it is better than Imperial Fist, almost looks like an old and tarnished gold colour. For the steps I painted random stones with Vallejo Air Dark Grey and Dark Slate Grey, and Vallejo Game Colour Terracotta. All three are thin enough that the zenithal highlight showed through a single coat. To add shading I then gave the steps a coat of Basilicanum Grey. I probably should have tied everything together with a dry brush of a light grey but I was content to leave things there. 

Skadi

In the first article in this series I mentioned that Idun was briefly kidnapped. The kidnapper was none other than Skadi’s father, who was in turn killed for his actions. Upon her father’s death Skadi dons her wargear and marches up to Asgard demanding compensation for her murdered father. The assembled gods agree that Skadi may pick a husband from amongst their number but she can only choose her husband from their feet. He picks the most beautiful feet hoping they belong to Balder but in fact she has chosen Njord, the god of the sea. Their marriage was not particularly happy as Njord preferred the sea and Skadi the mountains, so they spent much time apart. But Skadi does come down from her mountains for a few months a year bringing the cold winter with her. 

Before I started, I carefully used the airbrush to paint the grass tufts with Army Painter Air Jungle Green trying not to get too much green on the surrounding areas. For the actual painting, I started by giving all her leather details like her boots, belt and corset a coat of Gore-Grunta Fur. The wraps on her thighs and the cross-hatched front of her top I painted with Skeleton Horde. For the fur trim I painted that with an even coat of Cygor Brown. Her haired with Army Painter Speedpaint Burnished Red. 

The tabard and the rest of her top I painted with Army Painter Speedpaint Royal Robes, the cool blue colour contrasted nicely with the warm tones currently on the model. With that in mind I painted her fur cloak with Black Templar and giving the inside of the cloak a coat of Army Painter Dark Tone. 

For the bow and arrow, I painted the wooden parts with Wyldwood and the wrappings with Snakebite Leather. And while I had it out I used Snakebite Leather to paint the trim of her tabard. I painted the head of the arrow and her bracers with Army Painter Broadsword Silver. 

Moving onto the base, I darkened the grass by giving them a coat of Creed Camo. The dark green contrast paint ended up flowing down to the base of the tufts creating a nice gradient of light to dark. I painted the rocks with Basilicanum Grey and the earth with Garaghak's Sewer. In my haste I did forget to tidy up the rim of the base. 

I’m pretty pleased with how she turned out, although in hindsight I should have leaned into the winter theme more. I think I was just in a hurry to get the Valhalla miniatures done and dusted. Now to move onto Claudia’s next Kickstarter, Fantasy Elves…