Speed Painting Sikh Soldiers (whew!) for Bolt Action 8th Army [How I Paint Things]

Speed painting doesn't have to mean ugly. With simple block colours, a shade and a handful of highlights you can get finished miniatures on the table very quickly that you can be proud to lead into battle. It's a method which works best if you're painting in block batches of 5 to 10 miniatures at a time, meaning that by the time you've finished a colour on the final miniature, the first one's dry and ready for the next stage. Go in with a step by step plan, know what colour you're using next, and you'll blaze through painting!
Check out the pre-order page for the new Bolt Action starter set here: store.warlordgames.com/produc... Those new armoured cars are awesome, and the range of starter boxes for Bolt Action being expanded to cover other periods and theaters of the conflict is a great idea.
If you want to see that one week army, check it out here: / cd58pt9szl6 The 'plain' desert troopers would probably be even faster since you aren't having to paint a second colour for battledress!
00:00 - Intro
00:44 - Priming and Basecoats
05:52 - Shading
07:19 - Highlighting
10:36 - The Finished Soldier
Thanks to Producer Patrons Alan Nuttall, Kyrie Crawford, Trainboy, Jimmy, and Rod - as well as all the other Patrons that made this video possible, and Exit23 Games for recording equipment that helps keep the channel ticking over! Find out more at the following links:
/ sonicsledgehammer
/ sonicsledge
/ sonicsledgehammer
ko-fi.com/docwholigan
exit23.games
PAINTS USED:
PRIMERS:
Skeleton Bone (Army Painter)
VALLEJO:
Heavy Skintone (Game Color)
Iraqi Sand (or Green Grey 971)
US Field Drab
Beige Brown
Khaki
Dark Sand
German Grey
Brown Sand
Cork Brown
Basalt Grey
CITADEL:
Iron Hands Steel (Base)
Aly's Brown Liquid:
2:2:1 Agrax Earthshade, Seraphim Sepia, Lahmian Medium, then a little Drakenhof Nightshade.
Screaming Skull (Layer)
Iron Warriors (Base)
VARNISHES:
Vallejo Matt Varnish Spray

[@invictarussuzerain]

As a brown dude, I always appreciate brown dude tutorials. The model and technique look awesome but achievable, thanks as always!

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

It's tough sometimes with certain paint ranges not really having anything super useful for painting guys that aren't Action Man White Dude, so in those instances where I do chance on something that actually works, I really like to be able to share!

[@invictarussuzerain]

@@SonicSledgehammerStudio I’m going to get “Action Man Brown Dude” tattooed on my forehead now.

[@thatorangeguy3646]

​@@invictarussuzerain its even harder making realistic looking brown skin that is not "cadbrey african" too, more mediterranian and arabic skintones is great to see in a tutorial

[@robertstrong6798]

Fantastic , Indian troops played a massive role and are sadly largely forgotten. Indian , Australian , South African many Empire troops 👏

[@apropercuppa8612]

“Boring” he says, lol. I love when the uniform colours come together as an army. Thanks for the tips. I’ve been wanting to paint some Indian Motor Infantry for my Flames of War Desert Rats forces. I’ve never tackled it as I was afraid of using just “Brown” and having them look wrong. I really do like the colours you’ve picked for the flesh. I’ll have to pick some up myself. Thank you.

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

The Game Color range has some really great surprises in there. The Khaki in there is a slightly darker, warmer version of Iraqi Sand - it's another really good base for certain skin tones, and would work here as a highlight too. Plus, y'know. If you wanted to paint something khaki!

[@apropercuppa8612]

@@SonicSledgehammerStudio I may have to grab that also. Can never not have enough sandy colours, lol.

[@robisonwells1]

I really love this. I'm fascinated by the 8th Army, and love to see the variation. Hope you're staying cool in this high heat!

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

The Western Desert campaign is fascinating since for a decent part of the mid-war period, it was 'The War' for many of the Allied participants. There's so many free men of the occupied nations throwing in with the British at this stage, it's a crazy varied stage of things.

[@jamesfirth-haydon7381]

That’s amazing. Such a simple pallet of colours but put together so well that everything pops. Great video dude.

[@alessiodecarolis]

I suppose one day you'll have EVERY unit in the 8th army represented, the British uniforms are surely more easy to do, after a short time they were so sun bleached that it's suffice to use only few types of light browns. It would be interesting seeing a whole squad of these soldiers, with the NCO and bren gun squad.

[@garyclarke4889]

I thoroughly enjoyed this video thank you - very therapeutic as I'm painting some Old Guard!

[@andreaspenzkofer]

A great result for speed painting! I hope there is a chance for a few other WW2 speed painting tutorials in the future. Great job!

[@sagebrother]

I enjoy your videos and learn something every time I watch one. Keep up the excellent work.

[@prioryrail3675]

Great video as always! So tempted by that new starter box!

[@johnkelley9877]

The model looks great as a game piece or for a diorama! Thanks for sharing this.

[@ratelmike8825]

Fantastic paint guide. Im going Warlord games for both 8th Army and DAK but for Chain of Command. Damn, so simple but came out so well!!!

[@daddomgaming6472]

Definitely has made me wanting to buy the new box set from Warlord. Keep up the good work fella

[@stevewingate3023]

A very well-presented and informative tutorial - thank you. I was contemplating buying into Bolt Action, and with 'A Gentleman's War', I'm sold.

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

Excellent choice! That starter box is *brilliant*. The others are pretty good, but I think Gentleman's War has the perfect mix of infantry and a couple of ubiquitous light vehicles.

[@jmaccsarmiesofmiddleearth]

Stunning as always. Love it

[@darioscomicschool1111]

I'm Gonna Paint my Parry and Warlord 8th Army Soon! Thank you so much for this One!

[@ARed-TailedHawk]

I love this so much I’m going to steal it. Thank you for this! You’re the best.

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

Can't steal it if it's shared willingly! ;D

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you , Troy. 🐺

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

Straight in there!

[@jacobhope6164]

Brilliant! Simply brilliant.

[@dariostabletopminatures]

Looks Great!

[@crossbones8956]

Just picked up the 8th army box and will most likely get the new box as well. Always go straight to your channel for a tutorial, and you never disappoint! Any thoughts on going back to your old vids and adding in the list of paints used? Need some help with Maries using Vallejo. Either way, love the channel!!🎉

[@6TypoS9]

Awesome mini one of your coolest

[@AF-kj2zl]

These came out great!

[@UnderdogPainting]

I really enjoyed this video I have been toying with the idea of doing a desert rat army as my grandad was a tank commander in the desert rats and would love to do something around that but no idea where to start

[@nickdavis5420]

Ohh nice definitely need too pick up some of these.

[@escaperealityhobbies]

Looks grrreat! Very smooth, ready for North Africa!

[@tiny_worlds]

Just started an 8th Army... army (well, technically 4th/5th Indian Infantry Division), so will definitely be pinching a few techniques.

[@davidnandrin8825]

Wow, nice result !

[@OldPaw]

Great video.

[@allanburt5250]

Fantastic thanks for sharing 👍

[@musoseven8218]

Superb! 😊👍

[@brenttterry8259]

Very cool to see how you painted a model with so much brown be interesting to the eye. I wonder what you could do while painting in greyscale? Just goes to show that contrast is the key.

[@mikecif4123]

Inspiration for my Tallaren force. Thank you.

[@stevenbuerkle9329]

Looks great as always. 🍻🍺🍻🍺

[@russeads2995]

I think the butt plate of the SMLE should be brass. I have an SMLE made in India in 1944 and it has a brass butt plate.

[@mudyinsquall]

Fantastic guide, out of curiosity do you remember what you used for basing? Looks awesome

[@michaelrossel7339]

I bought enough for 5 pots of Alys Brown liquid und 3 of the Marine Juice :)

[@danchapron5276]

Awesome just what I needed for my Indian part of my 8th army project this summer! Any tips on how to paint sunburn on my more British soldiers, not used to the African heat? This heatwave we're having over here gave me the idea. Or even for my artillery guys (who are topless) I thought it would be fun to maybe give them a "farmers tan". Any tips or ideas would be great just got the new army painter skin set to help me out. Thanks!

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

For just a little too much sun, what I'd suggest is paint the skin like you ordinarily would, but highlight slightly more than normal, and pick a starker final highlight than you usually do. Then take a really warm flesh wash like Reikland Fleshshade or Vallejo Flesh Wash, thin it down to a glaze, and go over the skin again with that. Just enough to glaze with a little more reddish-pink than you'd usually see. Works well and it's super easy.

[@huwtindall7096]

I've got a cheat for 8th Army uniforms and it's the Halfrods Khaki spray for the base coat. Then brush in skin socks, webbing, weapon, etc. Agrax earthshade wash. Single highlight of an ivory colour. Done and done. Doesn't look quite as good as your stuff here but bloody fast and more than good enough for tabletop standard.

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

The Halfords sprays are one of the things I most miss about living in the UK. 😂

[@euansmith3699]

If you left the grass tufts off the base, you could have been speed painting Sikh soldiers on the seashore. Another great looking mini, enhanced by a cool paint job. I love the condition of the "fairly large brush".

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

Well, a fairly small brush or an almost entirely regular brush just wouldn't do the job!

[@michaelstgermain2832]

Brilliant, DAK up next?

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

Already done and in the archive. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYqXq3Z4e5ppjNk

[@FKHendy]

Do you think the Marine Juice mix would work as a substitute for Aly's Brown Liquid as I have 3 pots of that mixed up?

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

They're different colours, for a start. You could try it and see what you think; the Marine Juice won't alter the colour on the miniature as much and will have slightly darker shading, but it's fairly universal. Otherwise, using Army Painter Soft Tone is close enough to this.

[@brendon9238]

I don't know if you've been asked this before, but where did you get the paint pot holder? Or did you make it? I made something similar after spilling a brand new bottle of Agrax, but it's just cardboard and cardstock, lol.

[@clintondowling]

Where did you get the paint lid holder opener? It would be amazing for my use of washes which always want to have the lid slam shut.

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

It's a 3D print from a file on Thingiverse. You can find paint pot holders online tho if you don't have a printer.

[@TheStoicArmyPainter]

Sikh has always fascinated me, if I was to choose a religion definitely choose the one with badass daggers lol 🗡

[@finnmelia4572]

Hi sonic he looks amazing! I have two questions. With Vallejo paints how do you water them down as I always find I over water it and can’t find the sweet spot? With the shades mine never come out matte like yours, I have tried shaking and shaking them and they still try shiny and grainy. Thanks.

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

When thinning paints, don't take the water from your container to the blob of paint you're using straight away. Set the water to one side close to the paint and add a tiny bit at a time; you don't need very much in your brush to thin out most paints, but it's really down to each colour. Add just a little, rinse your brush, dip into the paint and try tracing out a straight line. That'll usually give you a good idea what you'll leave on a miniature. As for the shine, it's something ordinarily mitigated by the Lahmian Medium which is naturally quite matt compared to the shades. Otherwise I always matt varnish my miniatures when I'm done anyway, so it's not really noticeable.

[@finnmelia4572]

@@SonicSledgehammerStudio that’s absolutely amazing Thankyou!

[@thomaswallace7577]

How do you get this army?

[@93broome]

If one doesn't have enough for mixing that wash, is there a wash that would work well for a good result? Like just an agrax earthquake perhaps? Or is that mix generally needed for a particular effect for this?

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

Army Painter's Soft Tone is pretty close.

[@hedonia2497]

@@SonicSledgehammerStudio Would you still mix Army Painter's Soft Tone 1:1 with Lahmian Medium? Many thanks for all your efforts by the way!

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

@@hedonia2497 A little medium wouldn't hurt, just to change the flow properties. You don't want to thin it down too much, but a few drops of medium will get the Soft Tone moving a lot more fluidly which will work well.

[@hedonia2497]

@@SonicSledgehammerStudio Many thanks! P.S. More WW2 please - if you get time!

[@jhnlk]

Forgive my ignorance - would this colour scheme work if I used the highlander heads?

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

Yup. The highlander hats might be a very different shade of beige, but the uniforms themselves would be all but identical. At this scale, the same colours will work fine.

[@jhnlk]

@@SonicSledgehammerStudio Thanks Sonic!

[@93broome]

Does wraithbone work well for this afterall as the bascoat spray?

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

As long as you're still going over the uniform with the Ushabti Bone, it'll work fine.

[@93broome]

@@SonicSledgehammerStudio I can't see in the video where you used ushabti bone. Are you talking about where you highlighted with screaming skull at the end?

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

@@93broome In this case, I hadn't. Once you've primed with Wraithbone, go over the uniform with Ushabti Bone and it'll give you the same colour as if you'd primed with Skeleton Bone from Army Painter. If you're painting straight over the top of Wraithbone it's going to look almost white when you're done.

[@93broome]

@@SonicSledgehammerStudio awesome thanks mate. Will Gove this a whirl :) tried painting mine up using your contrast method for 8th army but just wasn't a fan of the finished product. This still looks quite easy to accomplish

[@irishtom30]

Your channel should come with a content warning: these videos will make you want to start Bolt Action

[@M0R7_7]

How come my khaki is brown and you’re looks green

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

If it's Vallejo Model Color Khaki you're using, once you shade it, it will ordinarily darken a little and look to turn more green.

[@M0R7_7]

@@SonicSledgehammerStudio yes using that but it’s a brown colour lol, oh well it still looks good I guess