Surviving Nurgle's Rot...

...okay, not Nurgle's Rot... but I did manage to finally get over a really bad cold. I haven't been knocked on my ass by the common cold like that in almost 20 years. Even though my sinuses have cleared up and I don't feel like I have a head full of rocks, I'm still dealing with the exahaustion from not getting a decent night's sleep (aka more than two hours) for the last six nights.

But enough talk of snot and misery, time to talk about my most favorite things in the world... painting miniatures.

Sunday was a day of celebration as I could once again breathe... so I decided to get some painting in. First up was the Dwarf Miner Standard Bearer from the Battle for Skull Pass Box Set. Thus far, I've opted for the 'Eavy Metal color scheme and I'm using my Foundry/GW hybrid paiting style for this model. The blue is simply Ceramcoat Copen Blue over a Citadel Enchanted Blue/Regal Blue mix. The beard is a mix of Vallejo Red Leather and Ceramcoat Autumn Brown with small amounts of Reaper Saffron Sunset added in. I love the Saffon Sunset color... you'd be surprised how often a desaturated orange comes in handy. He is based on a round Wargames Factory plastic base which has a simple gravel texture.

SIDENOTE -  Yes, I know the round base isn't the standard for Warhammer. Honestly, the chances of these guys seeing any sort of action is slim and none... so I just went for a basing style that was different and aesthetically pleasing to me. Besides, maybe they'll get pulled out for some sort of Mordheim thing... or something along those lines. All I know is, the little voice that screams "What about resale value" inside my head is now dead.

Next up is a Barbarian Prince from Grenadier (Mirliton). I'm doing up what will eventually be a 20 man warband of some sort. While I'd like to add them to my existing Barbarian Horde... I don't know if the models would go together well. What I do know is these are all Mark Copplestone sculpts... and he is the master of miniatures as far as I am concerned.

To the right you can see the bulk of the collection (I still have a couple of barbarians from the early days that pad this out to a 10 man warband). My favorite model is the beardy guy on the far right with the big battle axe. I think I've painted that models about 15 times over the years.

Then there is this guy. The Exotic Idol from Reaper is the latest commission model I've done. I really can't call this a miniature though... more like a piece of terrain (yes, that big). The painting for him was pretty simple, Partha Old Gold base coat followed by a wash of Dark Burnt Umber. Then drybrushing of Partha Old Gold, then Vallejo Old Gold, then a little Pearl White for the highlights. I also did a purple glaze over the model to weather the gold (takes a little of the yellow out of the gold). I did do a little verdigris on him, but I played it safe and only did it in certain areas. Didn't want to get so close to the finish line and then mess it up.

Check back next time when I'll be starting to work on some of my Oldhammer models. Thinking I'm gonna tackle my Chaos Marauders or some of my older Undead models.

No Jake but plenty of Fatman....

This is my "Prototype" Angry Fatty for Zombicide. In case you are wondering, yes... he does seem to have sprouted an exo-skeleton/carapace thing. While I don't know exactly what the deal with that is, I have to admit it's fun to paint (and a nice way to break up big fleshy areas.

Colors used on the model are:

Fleshtone - GW Rakarth Flesh mixed with my own custom flesh blend (Cadian Flesh would work though).

Jumpsuit - GW Macharius Solar Orange mixed with a little Vallejo Light Brown. Shaded with Army Painter Strong Tone (added some water to lessen the ffect... wanted to shade it, not to varnish it).

Carapace - Army Painter Skeleton Bone mixed with a small amount of Loren Green. I shaded with Vallejo Russian Green.

Details - Vallejo Oiled Metal on the zipper, GW Snakebite Leather on the shoes (I think), GW Rakarth Flesh mixed with GW Iyanden Sunset for the hair (again, I think). The metallics were shaded with Apple Barrel Black while the rest with GW Agrax Earthhade. The blood was Blood for the Blood God (applied in very thin layers to set up basic discoloration... then I piled it on the areas where it would pool).

Everything was highlighted by simply adding a small amount of Ceramcoat Sandstone to the mixtures. Glazes of Agrax Eartshade were applied between each layer .

To finish him off, he was mounted on a clear plastic base from Litko.

I plan on puting the other two through a much faster process now that I have the color mix and techinques figured out.

Have to admit, I'm considering purchasing another box of these to paint up for the Gen Con painting contest and basing them on custom wargaming styled bases. Definitely think a base styled after the prison tile set would look really cool.