A while ago I began a project to paint a Shadow Collective army for Star Wars Legion which has since been derailed by life, distractions, etc. My process when I paint groups of models is to tackle the larger units of rank-and-file and then "reward" myself with painting a character, a monster or something else that's a little bit more exciting. With the Shadow Collective, I decided to first paint this group of Pyke Syndicate troops.

I think they serve as a very good example of how tabletop painting can still look very appealing and interesting and doesn't have to be a rush job. I put a lot of consideration into the bases, for example. The thinking was to have them in a swampy, Dathomir-style world, which would help to unify what would otherwise appear quite a hodge-podge army.

Star Wars always offers an interesting opportunity to experiment with colours. I always enjoy using muted and earthy colours, and they're very much the order of the day in a galaxy far, far away.