Painting raptors

Introduction

I bought a raptor pack to go along with the larger dinos, just for fun. I decided to take inspiration from real world lizards. 

Disclaimer

I gathered these pictures of lizards several months back, when I planned these guys. Unfortunately I saved no copyright information, so, erm, all rights to the respective owners.

Turqoise/orange

I initially basecoated the head in Gryph Hound Orange, but it was too orange... so I wet blended in Iyanden Yellow.

I tried Akhelian Green for the body... still too much on the blue side.

I replicated the dark blue on the body with diluted Leviadon Blue.

I still wasn't happy with how orange the head was. I had some Ghost Grey lying around on the wet palette... decided to drybrush it away. Normally this is a very bad idea, don't drybrush from your wet palette! But here, it left just the right amount of thin paint on the head and limbs.

Iyanden Yellow on the head, Skeleton Horde on the feet.

Snakebite Leather between the fingers, just for separation.

Black Templar eyes and pattern.

Other dots and the spikes along the back in Wraithbone.

Blue/pink/orange

I would never come up with this color combination by myself...

Talassar Blue and Volupus Pink.

Deepen the blue with diluted Leviadon Blue. Paint the center of the forebody with Gryph Hound Orange.

Ghost Grey dots.

Gryph Hound Orange and Aethermatic Blue for the lighter patterns on the back.

Brown patterns

Start the patterns on the back with Snakebite Leather. Looking back, I should have mixed in Gore Grunta Fur, for that hint of orange. I painted the ridges on the back Nazdreg Yellow, but there is not enough separation.

Hexwraith Flame and Aethermatic Blue for the lighter colors on the limbs. Nazdreg Yellow underbelly. I was deceived by this color, as it looks very pale on silver, but here on this grey, it's still a rich darker yellow.

Using a detail brush, I drew Black Templar lines, and circles around all the ridges to make them pop. Dots as well at a later stage.

Add in some variety with Hexwraith Flame across the limbs.

Green/blue/purple

Ork Flesh is not vibrant enough on its own, so I undercoated Hexwraith Flame.

Then diluted Ork Flesh. Talassar Blue for the upper body. Diluted Volupus Pink on the hind legs.

I tried to reproduce the pink spots with a basecoat of Ghost Grey and Volupus Pink. Almost, but not quite... and there is no purplish hue on the blue.

Also use the Ghost Grey for spots.

So I did another coat of Volupus Pink across the spots, but not lifting up the brush, so as to tint the blue areas with a slight purple. The camera doesn't capture it.

Light blue/yellow

Undercoat diluted Aethermatic Blue. This gives the tone for the underbelly.

Aethermatic Blue across the body. Then paint over with Grey Seer on the colored spots, and cover with Iyanden Yellow.

Line the ridges Hexwraith Flame. Draw the lines using Black Templar.

Spots using Ghost Grey. Also undercoat where the red goes.

Blood Angels Red. Also Hexwraith Flame stripes going across the back, tinting some (but not all) of the  white spots.

Common elements

Basecoat the claws, teeth and inside their mouths using Wraithbone. Paint the mouths Blood Angels Red. Paint the teeth and claws Skeleton Horde. Then on the claws also Agrax Earthshade. Highlight Off White.

Basing

The usual swamp. 

Finished!