It has been another weekend at the painting desk. I’m slowing down which I’m not sure is a win as Chaos Cultists probably don’t need to be this carefully highlighted. As the title implies I also cleaned and ultimately bought some new brushes to see if that will make my life better.
Some in Calgary seem amazed that I can get any paint on the models without poking my eye out with the brush. It is true my vision has gotten worse and I actually have taken to painting fine details without my glasses on, bringing the model closer to my face, but I’m getting stuff done and my lowered standard is still higher than battle ready standard.
Painting Purple and Black Robes
I’ve already given away all my top secret techniques for painting robes and I think I used to be better at it, but my black highlighting technique relies on Foundry Charcoal Black triad #34. I also usually use another Foundary triad, #19 Royal Purple and I still may. Currently in the banner that is Hormagaunt Purple with just a thin wash, it doesn’t look that bad, but considering I did like seven layers of grey, I’ll probably do more layers of purple.
This purple doesn’t match the purple plague marines, but that is OK. I’m not sure how many more purple plague marines I’m going to paint, maybe one, maybe three. I could even do four, but honestly I have over thirty done and the most I can field at once is 20 unless I create a third squad.
My black robe highlighting technique or a simpler version can be seen on numerous goblins. I did not do purple flames because I didn’t think it was very Nurglish. So instead I painted parts of the robes purple. I plan to do some browns, khaki, and lots of metallics.
Corax White
I bought this pot a while ago, likely from the Sentry Box and it isn’t mixed well so I spent time mixing it. This is why I finally threw away so many old pots, I didn’t want to spend time trying to save them. I may give this paint another chance as I often prime black and I want really bright flames and I want them correct so lightest color at the bottom. Usually when I paint flames especially over black I paint the darkest color and work towards the centre of the flame going lighter.
These cultists will have pale blue flesh, I’m not sure if I’ll use Contrast paint or a thin wash or what. A lot of my old paints have died and been throwaway and I don’t need everyone to have the same coloured flesh, I usually just mix up something and try it.
Priming over Grey
This was popular and something I experimented with. Some Ork players do it and then use washes to get their green Ork flesh. A lot of the best painters were using grey primer for a while, now Zenithal priming has become big. I don’t own an airbrush and I have limited space for painting and no garage, so I would have to use rattle cans.
So next time I’m in the Sentry Box I’ll get another pot of Corax White, likely another backup pot of Wraithbone and finally a pot and a rattle can of Grey Seer if possible. I need to speed up my painting especially of Chaos Cultists. When Contrast paints first came out I thought it looked best and most Nurglish over Wraithbone and that is how I’ve done numerous Nurglings and now one Chaos Spawn but for cultists I may try Grey Seer as primer. I also may get a Grey Contrast paint and maybe Dark Angels Green because that might be the closest to the green used on my Diseased Sons.
Painting More Cultists
When I was literally dripping in sweat highlighting cultist robes with only slightly lighter greys, I quickly realized I couldn’t do ten more like this let alone thirty. The Chaos Spawn has some fine details but I proved at least to me and Bill that I can paint Contrast carefully enough to have bright colours beside each other. That and controlling washes was a problem with the Nurglings and Necromunda models I did earlier.
I still think a little grimdark or a heavy wash or even actual dry brushing is OK. Our campaign is just for fun and I won’t be entering any tournaments or likely painting competitions this year. I just want to update my army for 9th Edition and apparently once again I was ahead of the trend as Poxwalkers are becoming less popular as you need troops that can actually think and perform actions and if rumours are to be believed, Cultists will have a bigger role in the upcoming new Chaos Codex.
Having painted between 100 and 200 Chaos Renegades, I can run a very infantry heavy army and have ran all footslogging armies many times, but I appreciate the lowly Rhino more than Bill, but with the trend towards more and more elite armies, I’ve also embraced the cheaper portions of the Codex. A Chaos Spawn is 23 points or one PL. So I can place it down and draw out something more valuable. A cultist is 5 points, you can’t arm them with much, but in theory there must be ways to boost them, they have the Death Guard keyword but not Contagions of Nurgle so I’ve been cheating slightly. I do plan to give them a chance, so ten more if not thirty more will be coming and they won’t have seven layers of carefully painted grey.
What of actual Diseased Sons?
I’m going to build and paint three new Plague Marine models to boost the Burning Sores so they can have the maximum number of plague flamers. I also will paint my Forgeworld Death Guard Terminator and they’ll be primer-ed black and whatever greens I have, which depending on when I get my Warcolours order may include the original green, grey, and purple that I used back in the 90s or a very close approximation.
I’ll also embiggen more bases, likely Gangrene will be next followed by five more members of Syphilis. Then likely five members of the Scarlet Fevers. That will give me four squads of plaque marines. Those are easy additions to my campaign army. But what might help more is Foetid Virion. I will do a Plague Surgeon first as I think it will have the biggest impression on the campaign as it unlocks an agenda. But I also plan to do two Foul Blightspawn as I’m using the Chosen Sons plague company rules and I want a Tallyman and I don’t see why I won’t ultimately do the bell and the bottles guys, that would give me six, so two Elite slots worth of boosting auras. Alas I don’t think they help cultists much, they are not Bubonic Astartes or Core.
If you have thoughts on how to highlight black robes or purple robes or the best primer to use with Contrast paint you can leave a comment below. If you have a favourite Foetid Virion you can tell me which one is the best below.
Musk's Miniatures 
I think Cultists are in a bit of a rough spot in the 9th Edition Codex, the lack of Objective Secured, Core and the contagion makes them of questionable value. I’m preferring Poxwalkers, they’re more expensive now but they do have Objective Secured and they are immune to morale so won’t run away after taking a hammering.
I think you are probably right. If they could spread contagion that would help, but I’m playing in a campaign and I need cheap units that can grow. Plus so far none of my Cultists are the same model and only two of them are “cultists” so I’ve collected and bought a lot of models to be cultists and I’m going to finally paint them and get them on the table, but I’m a slow painter, so I gotta get back to it and I gotta do like 4 at a time. My army will be mostly Plague Marines and I’ll do more characters, not sure if I want to paint any tanks or daemon engines because I’m a slow painter, so I’m going to keep with them, maybe the new CSM Codex will help them, that is the rumour. I’m sticking with the Death Guard this year, but I have lots of non Plague Marine models painted so eventually I’ll try another list or soup, but we’re doing a campaign, maybe starting this weekend and the cultists are in, they are cheap, my one spawn is cheaper, I just want to have more units, it helps in deployment and in many missions. I also need to add some speed so I’ll do a drone or hauler eventually. I really am just trying to get through my painting backlog and cultists have been on the “ta-do” list for years.