Hey Wanderer , have a go with the pastels , if you're not happy , they can just be washed off ! You can use them dry , as a powder , or mix them with a bit of water ( and washing up liquid ) and paint them on as a wash . When they dry , use either a stiff paintbrush or damp cloth to take away the excess . You'll be surprised at how easy it is to get good results . As for my marine , it's being brought "back to basics" even further ! A work collegue has lent me some Warhammer "manuals" which have inspired me to give him a more authentic Warhammer look . The thing is , I've had plans for a while to bash an original Thor figure and some of the features I plan on using seemed to have seeped into my marine design ! ( leather , fur bits, the hammer etc ). Rather than duplicate these details , I've decided not to use them . Hopefully I'll post some pics over the next couple of days .