The Flamespyre Phoenix is clearly a popular miniature at the moment as every other email that I've received has contained a picture of one. Today's dose of fantastical phoenixes kicks off with this beautiful miniature painted by Graham Welsh, who has faithfully replicated the 'Eavy Metal colour scheme, even down to the black stripes on the wings.

The Flamespyre Phoenix can be an intimidating miniature to paint, especially with the abundance of flames streaming from its wings. If you're after a few painting tips for it then why not check out Paint Splatter in May's White Dwarf, where we feature a stage-by-stage guide on how to paint it. Having tackled the model myself, painting the flames does take a bit of practice as you need to highlight the recesses and shade the tips to make them look realistic, which is the opposite to the normal method of painting. Graham has clearly mastered the technique, producing a miniature that will look stunning on the battlefield.

Hot on its fiery heels was this Flamespyre Phoenix painted by Jarrett Lee. Rather than assemble the whole model, Jarrett undercoated the body of the Phoenix with Chaos Black and the flames in Skull White. This meant that when he came to paint them there was a strong contrast between the dark body of the bird and the bright flames, especially at the point where they join where the flames are painted almost pure Ceramite White.

Jarrett painted the majority of the model using an airbrush. A solid basecoat of Khorne Red mixed with a little Abaddon Black was followed by layers of Mephiston Red and Evil Sunz Scarlet, both sprayed at an angle to the miniature to allow shadows to form in the recesses. Washes of Carroburg Crimson and Fuegan Orange helped blend all the layers together. The flames were painted in a similar way, but with Yriel Yellow as the main colour and washes of Fuegan Orange and Lamenters Yellow to blend the colours.

Maxime Boulanger is the Manager of Games Workshop Paris 15 who, in his own words, "loves to paint monsters." For the Flamespyre Phoenix he used several layers of drybrushing to achieve a smokey, burning effect, working from Mephiston Red up through Evil Sunz Scarlet and Troll Slayer Orange to Yriel Yellow and Hexos Palesun. The Frostheart Phoenix was painted using a range of blue paints, followed by washes of Druchii Violet and Guilliman Blue to help represent the magical frost trailing behind it. Notice how he added Modelling Snow to the base to represent the Frostheart's Blizzard Aura.

In other news:

I recently got my hands on the iPad Edition of the High Elves army book and found some very cool features hidden in it. Along with the usual iPad features - 360º pictures in the miniatures gallery, interactive content and easy-to-navigate rules - I also discovered a new feature in the army list section. When you select a Lord or Hero you get a drop-down menu of magic items that they can take from the magic items found in the army book, making it easier for you to write your army list. It's just another great reason to get your hands on an iPad edition of the High Elves army book.

Our flood of High Elves continues today with this beautifully painted collection by Matt Walley, which includes Dragon Princes, Swordmasters, White Lions, a Dragon, a pair of Mages and plenty more besides. This sizeable force was actually an experiment by Matt to see if he could paint an entire army using only his lunch breaks at work, a feat that he achieved over the course of several months (around 100 hours of painting).

"I was actually inspired by Matt Hutson's High Elves army*, which he painted for the Tale of Four Painters series that was featured in White Dwarf a few years back," explains Matt. "I liked the darker tone to his army and thought that I would take a similar approach rather than the traditional white."

Before he started painting his collection Matt carefully planned out the colours that he was going to use to help him get the models painted quickly. All of the models were basecoated with Macragge Blue - the primary armour colour - and then washed with Reikland Fleshshade to darken the recesses. The application of Reikland Fleshshade is a clever colour theory technique that involves using a complementary colour (in this case a red-brown) to shade a colour instead of black. You can find out more about complementary colours by looking at a colour wheel. With the wash dry, Matt applied another layer of Macragge Blue to tidy up the raised areas and a highlight of Teclis Blue along the edges. Large models, such as the Dragon and the Griffon, were painted using an airbrush, which helped Matt achieve the smooth blending on the leathery wings.

But wait, this isn't an Elf! Like many High Elves collectors, Matt has added The Island of Blood boxed set to his collection, which means that he's also got a small force of Skaven lurking around. The Screaming Bell is just one of the miniatures in his collection and, while it may not be a High Elf, I just couldn't resist showing it off.

*Coincidentally, you can see Matt Hutson's High Elves again in this month's Battle Report, albeit with many of the new models added to their ranks. There are even a few painting guides in Paint Splatter should you wish to replicate his colour scheme yourself.

It's only been a week since the new High Elves came out, but the White Dwarf Daily Inbox is already fighting a losing battle against emails packed with pictures of beautifully painted High Elf miniatures. First into the inbox were these two Phoenixes painted by Myles David.

"High Elves were my first army," begins Myles, "and the new releases are the most exciting in the history of the Asur. The Phoenix, which has always been so closely tied with the imagery of the High Elves, is now a miniature that I can add to my collection!"

"I wanted the Flamespyre Phoenix to look as if it was alive with fire, so I pushed the contrast, highlighting the flames from pure white and shading them with pure black. The Frostheart, by contrast, has slightly more subtle shading befitting its old age and maturity. It lacks the bluster and vibrancy of the Flamespyre, but it feels more elegant and serene.

I found them a real challenge to paint because they use colours that are at opposite ends of the spectrum - one is all about hot colours while the other is cool. Despite their different colour schemes they look great next to each other and spectacular on the battlefield."

"I assembled both kits without the riders attached and painted the pieces that sit behind the neck separately too so that I can swap them out for the riders between games depending on how I want to use them in my army.

For the bases I used bits of dried bark mixed with oregano and basil to create the foliage on the ground. The sombre, realistic tone of the base contrasts with the high fantasy feel of the Phoenixes and hint at the decline of the High Elves as a force in the world."