Tyranid Black Carapace w/ Red Feathering

[HF Izanagi]

I was looking for some help with my Tyranids. I'm pleased with the scheme I came up with, but I definitely want to expedite the process of the carapace detail. Can anyone help me with a progression of paints for the red portion?
View attachment 2419
My approach was Mecharite Red, Scab Red wide-feathering, Scab Red and Codex Grey (?), and finally light Codex Grey fine-feathering? Can't see that? That's because it started coming out pinkish/grey and I tried fixing it with successive Baal Red washes to no effect. Then I tried using a really thin blood red to get the color more to red... and that ended up with the two versions you see above. The color I want is like this-

http://www.diosa.net/circus/wp-content/themes/circus_diosa/images/MichelleObamaElectionDress.jpg

Not a politics person, I googled "black widow hourglass" and got that- Mrs. Obama's dress just happens to be the general color I want with feathering highlights that don't detract too much from that color. Anyone have any ideas using GW paints?? Thanks in advance!

 

[ganglerisson]

I would hightlight up to a blood red with maybe some orange mixed in for the final edge.

 

[cheelfy]

Highilight up to Blood Red with a little bit of Elf Flesh. Then apply some glazes of Blood Red. By the way, I think you could blend a bit more the red area as it looks just like a stripe aside the black area and doens't make your tyranid look realistic.

 

[HF Izanagi]

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll try that. The two definitely had the proper feathering on them, but by trying to darken-down the color w/ a super-watery blood-red "glaze", I ended up making it look exactly as you say- a stripe, and crappy in my eyes. The biggest thing is that when I highlight-feather, the color will inevitably turn orange-ish, (I have a post of it up on my personal blog- see below)
View attachment 2421

If I wanted have the feathering end up the color to Mrs. Obama's dress-color-red in the end (so the overall color is exactly like that- see first post), what color/blend should I start with initially?

 

[Tinweasel]

I'd suggest over white primer, that you start with a basecoat of 1:1 Mechrite/Blood Red for coverage, and work in something like Vomit Brown or Dwarf Flesh (depending on how fleshy you want it to look) for the highlights. So something like Mechrite Red/Blood Red > Blood Red > Blood Red/Vomit Brown > extreme edge highlight of Vomit Brown.

Then block out your totally black areas with something like Adeptus Battlegrey, and then transition between the red and the black (and shade the black at the same time) with 1:8 GW Black/thinner (or thinned GW Badab Black, except the coverage is crap) or whatever the dark color of your choice is. If you do it right, all you should have to worry about is highlighting the black, if you even go that far.

The bottom line - don't start with black, and transition the black out from the red (not the other way around.) I did the same with a red/blue scheme, myself, and it was both easy to do and turned out looking like it would make for a good TT force when I eventually work round to Tyranids again: