Evolution of a home brew Chapter

So I've been kicking around making my own space marines chapter for quite some time.  To design ones own space marine chapter including a cool name, color scheme, chapter icon, and background is  For myself (and I believe others) the culmination of the creative aspect of this hobby. I think I have finally come up with something that works for me. So before the big reveal I'll run down how I got there.

So my first idea was.....

Space Knights!!!

Cool name, or too cheesy? Kind of like space wolves but Knights! For a while I've been thinking along the lines of a knightly order similar to black templars or something. So I had the split shoulder pad (like a bretonnian grail knights shield) with a dragon as the icon. 

Here's a W.I.P. chapter master  (this is as far as I got)

I thought of an entire background (home planet of Avalon) with icons for all the squads and, names for all of the company captains.

Brother Captain Malakhi of the 3rd company 

Then I got side tracked with other projects like space wolves and my own chapter got put on the back burner, until recently. 

So with the coming of the Blood angels codex, once again I thought of my chapter, as possibly a counts as blood angels chapter. But something wasn't right with the Space Knights. The name, color scheme, icon, just wasn't all jiving for me. So back to the drawing board. 

I'm still thinking Knightly, and I liked the split shoulder pad, but wanted to go more Knightly...like knights in shinning armor style, and came up with this...

 Not bad. I liked the split color,  so I thought how about a split color scheme, and came up with......Blood Knights!! 

No not Knights of blood...this is something totally original (sarcasm) 

So I have an icon (which looks vaguely similar to angels encarmine) a name (original?...not really) and a color scheme, that I kind of like, but not 100%. I want it darker and more gritty! like a space marine, not a candy coated plastic man. 

I started experimenting with my split colors and how I paint red. and came up with this...

Instantly I'm in love with how the Red came out. This is completely different then how I normally paint red. 

Old way: base of mechrite red, blood red over this, with highlight of firey orange.

New way: Base of Dark angels green, followed by successive colors of Scab red, red gore, blood red, blazing orange. 

The yellow, I don't hate, but it's ok. Something is still not 100% sold for me, until yesterday when,  I'm in the car listening to one of my favorite artists and this track come on. 

And it hit me. This was my chapter. Name, check. Blood angels successors, check. on to colors and Icon. 

I was in love with the Red I came up with, and still kind of digging the split thing but wanted to come up with something new and original, here is what I came up with...

(dark angel icon as place holder)

I have to say that I'm liking this 100%. Just need a cool icon...

And I decided to switch the bloody (hammer) arm to the weapon arm.

I give you the Emperors' Bloody Hammers.

 (the main color is hawk turquoise, though it came out pretty blue in the pics)

And there you have it. I have an army to paint now.