The recent Sylvaneth release added several new units to the woodland warriors, including bug-mounted Spiterider Lancers and the terrifyingly tentacled Lady of Vines. Veteran Sylvaneth commander – and expert painter – Andy Wardle grabbed all these new additions for his army, and wanted to show them off to the world.
We love gorgeously painted models, so we weren’t going to argue. Here’s Andy to talk about his collection.
Andy: Back in the days of the World-that-Was, the Wood Elves were always my favourite army – so naturally Sylvaneth were my first choice when the Age of Sigmar dawned. When the Arch-Revenant came out it was really exciting, as it felt like the Sylvaneth had come into their own in terms of aesthetic.
I started this army in 2019, and the latest additions have really refreshed my love for the faction. I think the Gossamid Archers are my favourite unit now – the models are such a showcase of modern miniature design. They’re incredibly dynamic, and even the height of their bases gives them added presence to the battlefield.
After a break from painting my Sylvaneth, it was really nice to come back to them. At the time I thought it would be cool to use a non-metallic metal technique throughout.* I slightly regretted this as it was a time-consuming process, but seeing the results on the Lady of Vines reinforced it as a good decision.
I spent most of my time painting the focal areas, such as the face and gold. To balance out this time investment, I painted other areas, such as the wood, very simply, with just one or two fast highlights.
Choosing which areas to spend time on is key in army painting, and after adding these two new units I don’t regret my choices any longer. The bright greens and gold are what makes them my army, and every other element was very fast – so I guess it was worth it in the end.
I’m looking forward to growing this army even more, perhaps with some Spite-Revenants and Drycha. Alarielle is something I’m saving for later down the line. For now I’m looking forward to trying out the new battletome and seeing how my new and existing units perform on the battlefield.
Thanks to Andy for sharing this stunning collection! If you’ve been inspired to paint your own arboreal army, you can get both the Gossamid Archers and the Lady of Vines – alongside a trio of Kurnoth Hunters and a mighty Treelord – in the Echoes of Doom battlebox.
If you’ve been inspired to share your own painted armies, head to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and show off your finest models – who knows, maybe you’ll end up in an army showcase just like this!
* Non-metallic metals – or NMM – is a way of painting metallic areas of models with non-metallic paints, using careful shading and highlighting to make them look like reflective, shiny metals. You can find a guide in White Dwarf 463, on the Warhammer Vault.