Finished the wee Goblin....

Yes... that's a penny. Like I said... tiniest goddam goblin I've painted other than snotling hordes. I'm starting on one of his goblin brethren today... and more than likely employing my Foundry style of painting since they are so tiny. Should go by pretty quickly as my sleep schedule is normal now and thus all my cylinders are firing properly once more.

Colors wise, I kept him simple.

• Fleshtone was achieved with Waagh! Flesh (or Ork Fleshtone if you still have the old paints) which was built up with Ceramcoat Kelly Green. I added a little grey in towards the end and added Pure White to do the highlights. This kept him from going too yellow (or Workshoppy).
• Tunic was painted with Miniataire Ecchymose. I mixed some Reaper Anti Shine in to keep it from going glossy. The highlights were done by adding Warlock Purple to the basecoat. Definitely added more antishine as old GW paint gets kinda glossy.
• Leathers and bow were done with Snakebite Leather.
• Goody bag and fur trim on the bow were done with Vallejo Khaki.

Again, simple colors as it's a tiny model and very easy to overload. Should look really nice in a group with all of his goblin buddies.

JTFC... that's a tiny goblin...

Over the past couple of evenings, I've been working on this fella when I have had a spare moment. This is a goblin archer from Red Box Games and sculpted by Tre Manor. Like all of his minis, this one is really detailed and chocked full of little bits. Also, it is really, really tiny. The model itself is the size of a penny and makes the goblins from the LotR game look huge. 

The only real gripe I have with the mini is the casting. Some rough surfaces on the flat areas aren't really visible until you paint over it. Had the same problem with a viking warrior model they did... he's going in the Pinesol this week so I can clean him off and then fix the worst of the imperfections.

I've opted to go with a classic Warhammer color scheme (although my fleshtone is much more desaturated than the models from the 90s were). This model also marks the first time I've used Reaper's Anti Shine additive as I used some of Badger's Minitaire paints for the purple. Without the addtive, those paints dry really glossy and shiny... and damn near impossible to knock the shine off of.

The model itself is about 90% done... just needs his legs painted and some of his equipment finished up... and maybe some of the tinier details picked out (claws, teeth, eyes). 

The goblin is part of a big commission job I'm just getting started on. I have three more Red Box goblins to paint along with previously mentioned viking, a "ranger" styled mini, and what I think is a halfling archer (although it may not be a Red Box model).

In non commission painting news, I'm starting to put together an painting instructional for Zombicide models. I'm dividing them up between the various types and sets (Walkers from Season 1, Fatties from Season 3 and so on). I'm probably going to start with the Fatties from Season 1 and I'll be doing them up in the color scheme from the box set. Don't really know what format I'm going with... more than likely PDF as video would require Diane to sit there and film me painting. The painting style will be along the lines of the "Everyday Joe Guide to Painting Models that Don't Suck Ass" mentality.

Now I'm gonna go try and sleep for a few more hours... my sleep schedule has been screwed for the last two weeks and there is no sign of it improving any time soon.

Warhammery goodness...

Worked on my Dwarf Miner Standard Bearer and my Reikland Mercenary a bit this evening. Not a huge amount of progress, but I still think I can wrap up the Dwarf Friday night. I got his gloves finished, along with the candles and the fleshtone. I used my custom fleshtone mixed with a little Bugman's Glow to give the dwarf a ruddy complexion. Candles... Ratskin Flesh basecoat and I tried to blend in some yellow at the bottom and red at the very tips of the flame. I think a little bit more glazing around the transition and the flames will be acceptable. Really trying to keep the techniques simple on the dwarf as I'll have to replicate it 7 more times to complete the Skull Pass Miners. Yes, I plan on painting the complete Skull Pass Dwarfs force by end of this year. I'll probably paint the extra Dwarfs I have and sell those eventually.

Reikland guy... besides attaching him to his painted base, I based coated his trousers with Mechanicum Red and his shirt with Army Painter Bone White. I'm keeping his color scheme simple... again, I have to replicate that paint scheme and style at least 2 more times after he is done. I think four mercenaries plus my Reikland metals should make a base size Mordheim warband.  Should make nice opponents for my Witch Hunters and Amazons (who also have to get painted at some point, but they are metal so they'll get extra attention).

Once I finish the Dwarf, I'll be diving back into commission work as I have a pile of it. I should have dived back in earlier in the week, but after getting nothing done while I was sick... I had to get a personal model in.

Possibly might paint an Ebaying model in the near future as well... although what I don't know.

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.

"Loving you is a dirty job..."

I'm gonna hold you 'til the end of time

I'm gonna love you 'cause it's now or never

I'm gonna kiss you till I make you mine

Lovin' You Is a Dirty Job

Lovin' You Is a Dirty Job

Lovin' You Is a Dirty Job

Yes, those are lyrics to the song Ratt tried to foist on us twice...once in 90 and again in 97. Also yes, hair metal is one of my guilty pleasures (that Winger guy writes some catchy songs dammit). Can't be all death and doom metal all day everyday.

So I finished three of six rats from Reaper. Still not the biggest fan of the casting on these models with the new Bones material. The fur texture doesn't really come through as nicely and no segmenting at all on the tails. I still might blend a little pink in from the tips of each tail just to add a little more umph to them. 

Sure, I give the Bones stuff  a hard time... but in all fairness it's only to the smaller stuff like critters and things like that. I actually really like most of the line... I just want to caution anyone thinking about buying them is that they are not the same quality as metal or resin. I actually have a seperate rate I charge to paint Bones as they aren't as detailed or elegant as their metal counterparts. 

This fella is Hellakin. He's also a Reaper Bones model... one of the first I bought. He's not a bad model if you look past his kinda bendy knife and futzed up detail on his feet (they get kinda crummy). Painted up relatively quick (did him over a weekend) and makes a great NPC.

Plus I'm sure you've seen the Orc Warboss (he's the big orc below).

If I didn't have the metal model to compare to, I'd have never noticed the minor casting problems.

But that's the deal with Bones... the bigger the model is, the better it looks. If I can somehow score that big ass metal hill giant from the new wave, I'm getting it (even though I have the metal one as well).

So to wrap up... Ratt was never a great band and the bigger Bones models are pretty sweet.

Finally scored a little bit of time to paint...

Juggling three huge books tends to eat up one's time. However, I managed to score an hour and half of painting time this evening and here are the results:

On the left is a Reaper Half Giant I am painting on commission for a friend. If you haven't noticed, the model is incredibly top heavy and awkward. He's actually fallen off everything I mounted him on... I finally had to epoxy his big ass on a 40mm round base (and epoxy 4 metal washers under the bottle cap to keep him from tipping over). His paint scheme is black armor with grey trousers... sort of loosely based on Blade of the Berserker. Not the greatest miniature ever... but certainly not the worst either. Hoping to wrap him up this weekend so I can quick knock out 5 more rats.

To his right is my personal project I've been working on while the big guy dries (including the 24 hours I let the epoxy on big guy's base cure). Standard second gen Sons of Kronos warrior... and I believe he's a Kev White sculpt (I'd be shocked if it wasn't). Waivering back and forth on throwing him in the Pinesol jar as he just isn't popping the way I want him too. Maybe it's because I only started messing with him because he was primered... which is not a great reason to paint a model.

Anyway... come back by next week when I'll be showing off some more Zombicide models and hopefully a completed half giant with several rat friends.