It's Commission Time Again!

As I mentioned a month or so ago, I have once again resumed my commission painting service. It isn't a huge business or anything, but its great for getting to paint miniatures I wouldn't usually paint and making a little walking around money. I'll be posting some shots of the models over the next couple of days as I'm diving right in. However, tonight I'll show some shots of the bases for two of the models.

You may recognize them from previous posts over the last year or so. So why am I using them for a commission job? As the commission is from a client that I've painted many models for over the last four years, I like to throw in some extras as sort of a way to thank him for his business over the years. Plus, these actually work really well for his models and will add a little "Zazz!" to the final paint job.

I am also working on my "Not All Plastics are Created Equal" article. It is taking longer than I'd planned mainly due to getting the images cleaned up to my standards (being a graphic designer and a perfectionist can be rough).

That's all for tonight. I apologize for such a small update, but I'll make it up to you with a ton of pics this week.

Mike

Imperial Sergeant Day 2 (or actually Day 1 pt 2).

The Imperial Sergeant is a little further long tonight. I'd say he's about half way done. Maybe a tad further along than half but not much further than that.

I've highlighted his harness, ammo pouch, and gas mask along with starting on the shading on his shoulder pads. I highlighted with Folk Art Midnight mixed with a little Ceramcoat Cape Cod Blue. I then built it up by adding more Cape Cod Blue to the mixture. I then added the green glows to the eye lenses and whatever the thing in the middle of his chest is. Honestly, it could just be a buckle, but the glowing green light in the middle of his chest makes a nice focal point. His shoulder pads were base coated with a coat of Ceramcoat Charcoal mixed with a little Cape Cod Blue. I shaded them by adding a little black to the mixture. I'm still not 100% about adding battle damage to the shoulder pads. I just don't think the model would look right with it. I'll probably wait until the model is "done" and then make the decision. Sometimes adding battle damage and weathering can make a beautiful model look cluttered and muddy.

Don't forget to tune in this weekend as I will be doing a side by side comparison of some of the various plastic miniature kits. Trust me, it will fun and informative and I promise I won't rant about substandard plastic kits. No really, I promise.

Mike

In Progress: Imperial Regulars Sergeant

Today's entry is an in progess shot of my Imperial Regulars Sgt. He is a plastic model that Target Games/Heartbreaker put out in 1998 for the second edition of Warzone. At the time it was one of my favorite games and it still holds a special place in my heart.

My plan for this model is simple in that I am just basing the color scheme on the "factory version". True, I am taking some liberty with it, but it is still the same color scheme the old studio models would have had. Thus far I have only really gotten his "tunic" painted and while you cannot see it in the photo I took with my phone, there is some nice shading going on. When I take the nicer photos with the real camera, it should show up more.

I will probably end up using this model as the example of my "Level Two Command" paintjob for the non GW plastic pricing guide. Honestly, you have to do that sort of thing now as GWs plastic kits are just as good as the Finecast models now. I'll do a comparison of a couple of different manufacturers side by side this weekend to demonstrate what I'm talking about. Trust me, the difference is massive.

Well, that wraps up tonight's update. Check back this weekend for more in depth updates.

Good Night,

Mike

I'm sorry I've neglected you blog.

One of my few resolutions for the New Year has already sort of fizzled. Daily updating for my blog was going fine until Day 3 hit and I had nothing to post. Sad thing is I've actually started several miniatures in the last seven days, but each one seems to hit a point where I notice a gigantic flaw in the color scheme that just seems to bring the whole process to a screeching halt.

I hate to say it but I may have hit some sort of "painter's block" or something along those lines. And while it is a minor setback, it isn't my first "painter's block" and I can guarantee it won't be the last. With that in mind I am going back to something a little more basic to get my painting mojo flowing once more.

I've decided to break out one of my Warzone models from one of the "storage bins of no return" and paint him up in the factory color scheme. Why? With the color scheme pretty much set by the manufacturer, it frees me up to focus on technique. Much like anything else in life, when you take extended breaks from painting like I have you get a little rusty. Granted, my Photoshop-fu is back to what it used to be and my Graphic Design mojo has returned but my painting skills have suffered for it.

This warzone model is what my old boss called an "easy kill" or "low hanging fruit". It is a model that I should be able to knock out quickly and get my confidence on the rise (thanks Rich). I will then paint another model a little more complicated on the next pass and continue this approach until I'm once again at top form (and hopefully that's pretty quick as I have a commission coming in next week).

Once I have some in progress shots, I'll post them here on the blog. In addition, I am planning to start posting some of my in progress shots of my Killing Floor level that I am constructing (and perhaps once the video game version is done I'll construct a 28mm scale version for zombie apocalypse wargaming).

Good night everyone. I apologize for not having any exciting content updates this time out, but bear with me and I promise you won't be disappointed when I do post the finished shots.

Mike

A joyous Boxing Day to all....

Imagine my surprise when I found out that didn't mean a day long marathon of fisticuffs.

Rather than make updating my blog daily a New Year's Resolution, I decided to start a week earlier. It sort of makes sense when you think about it as I love to talk about the miniature painting hobby. Honestly, I could go on for hours about the hobby and all of its "goings on". Today's post is a quick one, mainly a "workbench" update.

As you can see I finally finished assembling 10 of the viking huscars from Wargames Factory and have even textured the bases of five of them. I can only paint models at one time as I only have one wooden paint stirrer to mount them to. (FYI, you can go to Home Depot and they will give you a handful for free and they are so great for holding squads of troops for painting.) I have also assembled and primered three Germanians from Wargames Factory along with an Askari from Wargames Foundry. The Germanians are for my miniature painting price guide for the three levels of painting I'll be offering for historical plastics (the levels will be similar for plastics except for the level 3 models). The two barechested fellows will be the level 1 and 2 models while the fellow with the horn and fancy staff will be the level 3 model. Trust me, it will all make sense when I show you the painted versions later on in the week.

But in case you are wondering, some painters used a tiered pricing system based upon the paint job's level of detail. Example: A level 1 may consist of blocked out colors and a dip in brown wash. A level 2 may consist of everything level 1 consisted of, but with some additions such as drybrushing and blacking out the eyes. Level 3 is the usual level I paint my personal troop models...eyes dotted, clean highlights and washes, all the little details painted, and possibly a little bit of freehand here and there. Some even go a level beyond 3 for command models and personality models for what they might call a "showcase" level. I myself paint all my RPG models to that level (see any of the photos I've posted for examples).

You should keep one thing in mind when thinking about "paint job levels" is that not all miniatures are the same.

• Plastics up until recently did not have the detail that metal or resin had (and there are some plastics this is still true of).
• Not all metal miniatures are made the same and you will find varying degrees of quality in sculpting and casting.
• There are some models out there a level 3 paint job just can't fix (I'm looking at you Hero Clix).

Let me assure I speak from experience on these points. Personally, I try to steer a customer away from trying to get a substandard model painted up to more than a level 2 because to go much higher isn't really worth the money and more than likely they have another model in their collection that would benefit from a level 3 or higher. In this economy, it is all about getting your customer the most bang for their buck.

Well, that is all for tonight's post. I hope you guys have found it informative and possibly educational. Personally, I'm going to slap a coat of my custom fleshtone base on the Germanians and then crank up Saint's Row 3 and cause some mayhem.

Mike

Happy Holidays to All!

Diane and I are keeping the festivities sort of low key at the homestead this year. With some of the unforseen changes that 2011 brought, we've opted to spend Christmas at home this year with the boys. Monty is asleep on the couch while Bruno sleeps on his dog bed beneath the Christmas tree all while a Firefly (bleh) marathon plays on TV. Diane is cooking up our holiday feast of ham and a variety of other delicious foods while I assemble little plastic vikings at my desk.

If you don't recognize these fine plastic fellows, they are from Wargames Factory's Hammer of the Gods line (at least I think it is a line). I am currently assembling 10 of these guys as a viking raiding party hence their varied weapons and other equipment. I'm still not sold on the spears at the moment as I find them awkward and unwieldly. Not to mention they make ranking up the models a nightmare. True, I could have based them on 40mm square bases but then it would make using the regiment as skirmishers impossible. So with that in mind, I think those spears will get replaced with swords and axes.

As far as the painting for these guys goes I don't know really exactly what my color scheme will be. I do know that I am going to use earthtones and I'm fairly sure that the colors green and red will be used a great deal on the tunics. What I do know with absolute certainty is that I really need to sit down and plan out my color scheme thoroughly as I am painting 10 models rather than just 1 or 2 and they need to look good as a unit as well as individually.

But that sort of brings me to the point of today's post and that is planning your project. I have always been the kind of painter that loves to jump in head first and just start painting. Sounds great, but that route often leads to minis getting thrown in the Pinesol jar because the color scheme didn't work. Just the simple act of putting thought into your color scheme and possibly a little backstory to your models can mean the difference between a nicely painted model and one that will knock your friends' socks off.

An example of a model where I planned out the color scheme and came up with a little bit of back story is my Goblin Boss from GW:

The plan was that I was going to use a classic goblin color scheme with various greens and reds. Furthermore, my plan was also to use a muted palette for this model as to play down the "Christmas Color Scheme" that I so hate about GW's paintjobs. The last bit of my plan was to come up with a little backstory for the models since he is a character model and backstory always seems to make me feel a little more invested in the paint job. For this Goblin Boss, I decided that he was a veteran of many conflicts in the north and had survived a battle with a massive force of Nurgle tainted Marauders but not without becoming slightly tainted. That little tid bit at the end is the main reason why I used very desaturated tones for highlighting his flesh. Just that little something special to make the model unique and personalized.

So for the upcoming new year, I challenge you all to make a resolution to just take five to ten minutes and put some thought into your new projects. Trust me, it will add a little bit of spice to your work and will help you paint something exceptional.

That is all from me this afternoon. Hopefully I'll have some in progress painting photos later this week as well as some in progress shots of the refitted Paintshop of Horrors site that has been absent for the last three years.

Mike

The Workbench...or what I am painting this week

On the workbench this week I have:

Goliath Ganger with Shotgun.

Originally, I was working on an Escher with a las-rifle but after careful consideration I decided to strip the less that stellar primer job and globbed on paint off of her. Hint: Just because someone gives you a mini with primer and paint on it does not mean you have to work with it. I strip everything and reprimer it myself to avoid any problems such as bad coverage or just bad primer color choice.

As for Mr Biceps here, he was primered with Krylon Gray Primer. It is cheaper than GW primer and it comes in three colors rather than two. I the last couple of years, I have really come to enjoy painting over the gray and white primers from Krylon.

The fleshtone you see here is my special blend that I make from three different fleshtones from various manufacturers: Delta Ceramcoat, Folk Art, and Americana. I used to use only Ceramcoat, but they changed their paints formula (and not for the better) so I had to make some alterations in my mixture. But, besides those three colors, I add Charcoal Gray and Spice Brown to the mix in small quantities. The end result is a more realistic fleshtone (or at least that's how I think it looks). Far too many companies make their fleshtones to orange or too pink. However, everyone has to find a fleshtone that they like whether it is straight from the bottle or a mixture.

As far as the rest of his color scheme, I am probably going to stick close to the Necromunda rule book color scheme but with some more elaborate patterning on the trousers and possibly tattoos. Very iffy on tattoos as if you go to elaborate it muddies the figure, but if you don't go elaborate enough it looks cartoony and crappy. I do know that I am going with a solid color for the hair and NOT the snowcone look I have seen on some Necromunda Goliaths.

Next up is the Illyrian Scout from Reaper.

He is still in what I consider a brainstorming phase. I know I want to use a bright color for his flesh, hence the white primer. However I don't know what color yet. I am leaning towards an orange rust color...sort of like Jar Jar Binks or something. His base is a standard gravel base as I sort of see him as a member of some rag tag interplanetary group of adventurers.

Well, that is it for tonight. Check back again in a few days or so and I should have some serious progress on the Goliath. Haven't decided if he will be auction material or not. I do have extras of certain models for the Goliaths, I just have to check and see if he is one of the extras.

Good Night and Good Painting!

Mike