I've decided it's the right time to work on my reef-inspired Dropzone Commander PHR army. The Neptunes were inspired by the clownfish (black-orange-white) but the walkers look just like happy little crabs 🦀 (brown-to-red, with yellow and purple accents) — here is my painting recipe and some progress shots.

All minis were primed using airbrush with the usual Vallejo Mecha Black Primer that was slightly thinned with the Vallejo Airbrush thinner (I will post soon someday how I think the primer to always have great results and avoid clogging). 

It was just to make sure the surface of the miniature is ready for the paints, with a slight satin finish. Nothing to write home about or photograph ;-)

This is where things start getting interesting. I've applied these paints using my medium drybrushing brush and stippling the paint from the top and sides, avoiding applying it from the bottom:

You could call it a slapchop but it was very general and directed from the top to give nicely shaded gradient. I applied the paints in three phases: burnt red all over the areas to paint, then vibrant red mostly from the top and on the knees, and the orange went only on the top and the cockpit bulge to make it visually more prominent.

Underside and areas where I will apply metallics or accent colors was left completely black. 

I've decided to use the details very sparingly and go very light on contrasting colors: many varieties of crabs have orange and white dots.

I went with groups of (mostly) 3 dots in various sizes in pure orange where the unit's armor is most protruding. I think it gives a nice something that catches the eye. Additional highlight on the edge of the transport mounting socket and voila!

Finishing these miniatures was as understated and subtle as possible to keep the red-ish gradient the star of the show: purple wash over the visible mechanical parts (leg, guns, toes), and metallic drybrush over the guns and exhausts. I've used following paints for that:

I am extremely happy with the result. They look very on-point with what I've envisioned in my mood board and have a simple, repeatable, and efficient paint scheme that works great for the 10mm scale of the Dropzone Commander game.

The main focus is the crabby, almost dark coral palette with very subtle and yet eye-catching purple accents. It takes a while to fully notice those purple accents but they really add to the dimension of the miniature, making the color pop out and more vibrant in contrast. Love it.

Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments and ask questions, I will answer them as soon as I can. Stay happy painting and painting happy ;-)