Kitbashing Vampiric Night Lords for Warhammer 40k: Kill Team!!!

[@Plasmathedeathjester]

Translation note. "Pencil Crayons" is Canadian for colored pencils

[@DanaHowl]

ooops hahaha didnt realize that was just a Canada thing lmao

[@Eron2828]

I've always called them coloured leads or lead pencils (Eastern Canada)

[@mollyencrypted2488]

I grew up calling them 'pencil crayons' or just 'crayons' (UK)

[@adrianbk698]

We use 'coloured pencils' in Australia too. The benefit in this case was we could clearly see the product used. For me, crayons are wax (and used on old school dice). 😆

[@EricsHobbyWorkshop]

Those kitbashes are fantastic, I might have to steal this idea! The stormcast head on the one guy has plausible deniability as a sanguinary guard type guy IMO

[@DanaHowl]

Thanks Eric!!! You are totally right lol

[@brittanislarp3850]

@@DanaHowl there’s also KILLER new winged storm cast that could easily turn into a Sanguinor, and lemme tell ya-an DanaHowl-signature colorful Sanguinor would be a badass video.

[@skeeter5076]

@@brittanislarp3850 I've been seeing people using Yndrasta, the Stormcast HQ from Dominion, for the Sanguinor recently and it looks so good

[@whalenonfools]

@@brittanislarp3850 I wanna use the old Sanguinor model as a standard for a Primaris Ancient. Have thought it would look super cool for years now.

[@billiondollarclownfarm]

doing the lightning with pencil crayons is such a sick idea, i wanna try that too they look great

[@DanaHowl]

Thanks Tyler!!! Hell ya the pencil crayons I think can be used for so many things!!!

[@mrmlmxyzptlk6376]

Are pencil crayons and colored pencils the same thing? No shade, just an honest question.

[@DanaHowl]

@@mrmlmxyzptlk6376yup! Same thing

[@d-rex7043]

@@mrmlmxyzptlk6376 ... and I'm guessing 'Poster Putty' is Blu-Tack 😅

[@it_buddy]

'And mostly, to be honest, I just added a lot of bats to everything.' -Konrad Curze

[@fleshbhones]

I just painted my first Night Lord, just for the hell of it to try freehanding lightning. I had so much fun painting it that I bought the Night lords trilogy of books and am now starting an army! This tutorial will help immensely :)

[@TheShyOnion]

I started the exact same! I’m gonna buy age of darkness and then use like 2-3 upgrade sprues to make it nightlords. I’m just wondering when gw are gonna release it…

[@ohmygoditisspider7953]

hope you've made it through the omnibus by now and that your army is coming along.

[@TheShyOnion]

@@ohmygoditisspider7953 no I haven’t and my plans have changed, I have not made an actual army list so scrap everything rlse

[@ChristianMcCreaOfficial]

Most incredible part (as usual) is just your confidence with color, "oh yeah this brown is super versatile" [proceeds to tie together two entirely different colours into a coherent majestic scheme], and always appreciate how you show that any accidental messiness in one step just creates opportunity in the next.

[@graefx]

The kitbashes look spectacular. The giant bat pack was the perfect call. Though as iconic as the nightlords color scheme is, part of me wanted to see more of that chaos warrior scheme with lightning bolts. Guess the skelly boy got their hand back in the end.

[@tconnah]

Where did you get the bay pack?

[@Dementia55372]

"I mostly just added bats to everything" it really is that simple! Fantastic work

[@sadlyanuxtakustan8950]

The pencil trick on the lightning is genius.

[@Bluecho4]

Agreed.

[@michaelcaterina4583]

Love this! My 40k brain would have never considered using those parts for chaos space Marines. Sometimes sticking to the lore can really get in the way of creativity.

[@Ryadic]

"You can never have enough chains." I learn so much from your channel. :D

[@billdefranza4927]

These look REALLY amazing. This is a brilliant kit bash.

[@TheMrFishnDucks]

This is amazing. Kit-bash turned out amazing. They look even more emo goth now. Really like the little mascot creature. The pencil crayons are great for that 🌩🌩🌩🌩. Adding the 🦇🦇🦇 was a master stroke. Keep up the good work.

[@JadeEyeland]

Finally some night lords content on youtube!

[@brittanislarp3850]

I love that Dana knows the Squaaaaaaaaaaarespace that her viewers want. 😂

[@burfscape1]

100%! Any other video I watch, I say it out loud like her :D

[@daverage4729]

Chaos Primaris Marines...Oh well, Fabius will figure it out sooner or later. ;) Figures look great Dana!

[@Vyes]

We all know it’s coming eventually. Might as well future proof.

[@NigeyWigey]

I used to think the more lobstered armour from AoS was a little too obvious in 40K kitbashes but these blend really well! Great result!

[@KeithPare]

TIL Pencil Crayons are just colored pencils. But also, I bought the Aeldari Corsair raiders to paint up in a synthwave style and they're really gorgeous models. Would love to see you tackle those.

[@teoiny1]

Great result! Really flavourful!

[@ethankillett1997]

These look incredible!

[@Likhos1]

giving them AOS parts really help making them look even more gothic. perfect

[@TheWarpForge]

Nice work! If you're wanting these to be in am army, you could count them as Chosen which explains the slight height difference, all corrupted and such.

[@JadeEyeland]

blown away by the pencil crayon thing

[@tonylogan6442]

These are so great! Really impressive.

[@DarkDramon]

Regarding the comment that the kit bash are taller than the normal ones. Keep in mind the night lords primarch was described as unnaturally tall even for a primarch. So its genetic

[@jonbauml225]

Have you done an eldar kill team? I'd love to see you paint some space elves

[@originalarmedprophet7760]

I'd love to see your take on any/all Kill Teams - an outside-the-box take on the Inquisitorial Agents would be really interesting...

[@gfresh513]

Amazing use of crayons! Wanting to paint a night lord squad but was afraid on even trying to paint lightning effects. Thank you.

[@torrentstridestudios6928]

Love these!!! Looks like the skeleton finally took his hand back from the imp at the end showcase there 🤣

[@TheTygre]

Absolutely fantastic! You freehand the skulls so easily! And I had never even heard of using colored pencils on minis, but you used them to make the best looking version of Night Lord armor I’ve ever seen! Incredibly well done! I’m still pretty fresh to Kill Team, but I like the smaller factions that wouldn’t otherwise get attention, like the Arbites and Eldar Corsairs.

[@ceegronlee]

they look amazing, and the pencil crayon is a true certified life hack! the outcome was awesome!

[@Dauberman]

Just wow !!! this reminds me of the squal marines... I love your kitbashing videos sooooo much !

[@burfscape1]

They look fantastic! Nightmare is supposed be delivered to me tomorrow, and now I'm really considering buying some AOS chaos warriors.... Awesome stuff, as always. Thank you Dana! ❤

[@eastoforion]

fantastic looking killteam! wow two nightlords releases in one week with Ninjon, that's a rare chapter!

[@XarfaiEngel]

That bat backpack looks sick! And the lightning with the crayons is really amazing!

[@FuriousMiner]

I enjoy all your videos but this one is especially good, they all look so unique and characterful. I particularly like the leader, she's my favourite.

[@DanaHowl]

Thank you!!! This video didn't get many views but I had so much fun making it, I wanna do more like this

[@CultistRat]

Excellent bashes! These are some extremely charismatic vampires. Pure speculation, as I don't have hands-on experience with colour pencils on minis, but I did work in an art supply store: the grainy texture might be due to a wax binder, cheap pencils or not. Most brands use a wax binder, where some (but not all!) more expensive fine-arts brands use an oil binder. The oil-based pencils typically have a smoother application and blend-ability. Mineral spirits should also work on oil-based pencils for clean up or blending.

[@theLP100]

This is so impressive!!! They turned out amazing

[@tosuga00000]

OK those turned out absolutely wicked. Great work as always, Dana!! 🎉

[@Ruggedtoaster]

I think the grainy look of the pencils works well with the nightlords, it fits with the vibe they give off

[@jakoblundeborg9881]

These look absolutely sick! Great kitbashing!

[@dirtybirdsf]

Oh no the skeleton's hand! Super cool conversions and a great paint job

[@DemonsForge]

Been considering the Chaos Chosen models as a base for a more distinct and not Black Legion look for my CSM. Will definitely move forward with the idea. Love the conversions!!

[@StudioOwlbear]

This video is chock full of useful information for me and my current Night Lord project. I was going back and forth on the Chaos Chosen AoS figures because I love their weapons for conversions but wasn't sure I'd use the bodies but looking at them here yeah, I reckon I can Marine Them Up to be aspiring champions... The pencil lightning looks awesome, I reckon I'm gonna take that too (having just recently decided that I'm probably giving up on my attempts to use a different scheme. My idea is an alternate heresy setting where the night lords end up dedicated to Khorne as a sort of Apex Predator Martial Prowess kind of deal, and I built a really cool scheme using dark red and brass to represent the shift, but it turns out, when you leave off the bat wing motifs because you don't really like them, and paint your night lords in red and brass they just... Look Like World Eaters... Anyway, yeah the coloured pencils for the lightning motif will be real useful tech, and I'm definitely gonna try it out elsewhere too)

[@Bloodfencer1990]

Haven't seen the pencil crayons used for minis in a while! You can counter the grainy finish by dipping them in water first. Just helps them apply a bit more smoothly.

[@carsonglenn1389]

The bat shoulder cape is so fucking cool.

[@lupusamicus]

These are amazing! Can't wait to get my hands on these and convert them to vampire knights :) Also would love to see you paint Felgore Ravagers!

[@TheWarpForge]

I do like the bat wings over the backpack. Deffo wanna do that for a Chaos Lord on foot

[@Matt-md5yt]

Sweet some kitbashing went on, they look wicked sick

[@acledfloyd]

These look great! I love the blue color you chose. Also, I’ve heard of people calling colored pencils “pencil crayons”, fun.

[@NecromediaNetwork]

I found your channel cause of your space sharks collab with midwinter minis so you returning to this well is delightful 👩‍🍳💋👌

[@Doodlebub007]

What happened to the skeleton hand on the lil dude? It's missing in the final turntable shot 😮

[@DoomyDrummer83]

x2 😅

[@spilledpaintpot]

I'd love to see your take on the Corsairs, Mandrakes, and Hand of the Archon

[@ParryHisParry]

your paint jobs are always so gooood

[@jakublhotan9029]

Those are some awesome kitbashes! I thought about using chosen from AoS myself, and This looks really amazing ! I have to try it. Good work 😊

[@panimauser970]

I would love your take on Inquisition Kill Team or Rogue Trader Kill Team. They have a great variety of models, so should be a fun project. Inquisition box adds kitbashing challenge, as there are not enough bodies to build all the options. I sourced the rest out of my bits box instead of buying a second box. And it became even more fun 😁

[@Bluecho4]

Love the idea of using bodies from fantasy Chaos Warriors. It sells the idea of heretic Astartes that have to scrounge for materials to repair their suits. A really effective idea for Night Lords specifically.

[@lazykid0904]

I love the colored pencil tip I can't wait to try this❤

[@magnetic_heart]

Would love to see some more space dwarves! New KT or custom/kitbash would rule!

[@ZhukovsBoots]

Great work, I'd love to see your take on some Alpha Legionnaires.

[@AlexisGraf]

I’d love to see you paint the Mandrakes too!

[@DanaHowl]

coming right up :)

[@richardkinkead7823]

Very nice models. Thank you for sharing the pencil technique for high lighting. I suck at highlighting with a brush. I might give pencil highlight a go.

[@kunochijenkins5530]

Damn, they look amazing! Great work!

[@Mara999]

These look so cool! I prefer to see Night Lords where there is less flayed skin and guts, and more focus on the exaggerated Gothic design-elements. The red bat-motifs have always reminded me of the Evil Horde from MotU, so I think I'd paint Night Lords with much darker blue-ish black. :)

[@eugenius8946]

okay its settled i have to do a kill team of vampire night lords this is literally such a good idea and you pulled it off so unbelievably well. also, in my experience with also using colored pencils on minis, quality doesnt really matter all that much, you're *usually* going to get a grainy finish. i havent tried this out myself, but i think using watercolor pencil crayons might be a more suitable option? because in theory, i think you could smooth out any rough bumpy textures with just a little bit of water on a clean brush. but dont quote me on that i havent tried it.

[@autumnwitchcraft]

It'd be great to see you paint up a Deathwatch KillTeam. I know there isn't a specific Deathwatch set for KillTeam, but the 40k minis are legal in the game, and technically it's a cheaper set than most actual KillTeam boxes, heh.

[@KerkorDragonblood]

I second this as a Deathwatch player! Plus, near infinite kitbash potential!

[@Kidfry]

Great job! Some really fantastic ideas and tips here.

[@QuackJAG]

The bamp (bat-imp) lost his hand, and the skelly doesn't have it at the very end either! It seems we have a hand thief... on... on our.. hands...

[@oliverquickdidnothingwrong]

really like the conversions. I wanna see some Chaos Squats next!!!

[@cpt.s.seiden]

I am stealing that color pencil idea for my Night Lords. Ave Dominus Nox!

[@brokenheroics8223]

I now have to grab some of those Chaos Bodies. ❤❤❤

[@Cursedsama]

I gotta see your take on the Mandrakes. I was thinking of trying something different than the usual myself.

[@alg3249]

As someone who used to paint bjd's and now miniature's..I always wondered why people didn't use watercolor pencils and pastels for miniature's..I always wanted to experiment with Mr. superclear on them it gives the best tooth ever...never got around to it.

[@ohmygoditisspider7953]

I want you to know that this video is good and you should be proud of yourself in general.

[@B__C__]

'Pencil crayons.' All the kids are doing it. Lovely conversion work to true-scale space marines (as opposed to those 5'6" guys we used to have). Also, did the Skeleton get his hand back at the end there, or is it living it's best life (unlife?) on the run under the work bench with all of its hoodlum, dust bunny friends?

[@Swarbie8D]

Wow these look excellent! I’ll have to try out some coloured pencils for freehanding on banners etc

[@archangel0891]

What a nice job.. pencil work turned out real well. One criticism is.. those are Nightlords, they need gored up.. I mean LOTS of gore!!!!

[@richardrussell7082]

"I've had these bodies lying around for a while now" If somebody caught that snippet out of context 🤔 🤣

[@erikengerdenglish]

I'd love to see you paint a gene stealer cult kill team!

[@DrCamf]

Very intresting idea with the highlight will be trying

[@morridin8]

Please paint the new brood brothers! That would be lovely

[@rccarguy3696]

Dear Dana Howl, Naomi Sword ‘n’ Steel, Lyla Mev, Ninjon, and Brent Goobertown, I wanted to reach out to you all and say thank you! 4 months ago I was involved in a motorcycle accident which left me with a shattered left leg. It’s been a long recovery, and I still have a long way to go. I’ve had 4 months of sleepless nights dealing with so much pain (and a little depression), but watching your videos helped ease my mind, kept me company, and got me through some of those very long nights. For that, I will never be able to thank you enough. The results of this accident have been life changing. Next week I will be returning to work on light duty, with hopes of returning to full duty in 6-8 months. (I’m hoping to get just 1 more year of patrol in before I retire.) But unfortunately, my days of riding motorcycles are sadly over. But that’s okay, because I can still build and paint. Again, thank you all for what you do and for being part of my journey to recovery. You’ll probably be seeing a lot less of me in the comments and stuff, but I promise I will still find time to ‘slay the grey’! God bless you all. Most sincerely, Kevin Romans 8:28

[@JeiFaeKlubs]

They turned out amazingly! The kitbashes make them so much more interesting than the standard builds haha. I'd love to see your take on Elucidian Starstriders, if you're looking for more KT to paint :D

[@fischziege]

Very nice conversions, creates a fantastic mood. I'm jealous of how vibrant your ProAcry red looks. I'm using the exact same color and I never get it that bright. Any hints? More layers? Shaking the pot more?

[@freakishuproar1168]

_"And mostly, I'll be honest, I just added a lot of bats to everything."_ - *Konrad Curze, detailing how he fell to the ruinous powers of Chaos* They look awesome Dana :D The kind of the over-the-top theatrically high gothic flair of having winged mice flittering about these bygone looking Traitor Marines is such a fitting depiction for the Night Lords. The squad leaders backpack looks _so_ on brand for the legion.

[@angusbyers]

These are awesome!

[@joshbecka6110]

I love treasure imps. Look at them lol’ butts.

[@silence_dais]

I'm surprised you havent' done a Mordheim Warband, you might be able to kitbash something interesting with that second copy of Cursed City thats also ready to play for any local tournaments like an Undead Warband.

[@definitelyhooman7939]

I know this a little random, but I'd love to know what the paint scheme at 0:46 is! Its inspired me to paint up some Emperor's Children again, and I'd love to imitate that look. Any tips would be great, and thank you for the awesome video!

[@ZombieMonkey7]

Check out AK's Weathering Pencils if you want to explore a more hobby tailored version of those colored pencils, I've only seen Ninjon use them in a video so I don't know more than that.

[@subedai]

They look great! I'll get some crayons to try this too. Should be good for painting slogans (KIL! KIL!), tattoos etc. on figures too, or so I hope. How easy is it to take the crayon off if something doesn't go to plan, and how does it react to varnishing over the top?

[@adrianbk698]

Lots of great ideas as usual, Dana! A question with the coloured pencils/pencil crayons - is there a chance this will rub off the mini? Do you recommend a coat of varnish to 'seal' the pencil? I've not seen this technique before, and thought it's use for lightning motifs has a lot of potential (given my ability with the brush at that size is limited).

[@intzbk1]

Wow, these turned out awesome, much better than the original models imo. In the end shots, your bat demon lost his hand so I'm guessing Skellie-Jenkins got it back?

[@Iudayus]

did you need to varnish after the pencils crayons? I know with graphite tinting it rubs off super easy.

[@brotquel1592]

How do the pencils react to further paint applications or water? If I was to apply a brush-on matte finish, would the pencil line blur or lose saturation?

[@MrJamesula]

Would love to see your take on Hunter Clade!

[@darlong9917]

wondering if you might kitbash ork kill team or do something with gargoyles?

[@aliceliddell9436]

oooh the baddest guys

[@armin8306]

The pencil crayon idea is kinda interesting It doesn't have much risk of like flaking the paint right? And is it easy to topcoat?

[@JudasCrusader]

Dana, these models are cool as shit.