First post of the New Year...

...and screw the New Year's Resolutions.

I usually do one of these stupid posts every year and it contains a list of 20 or so miniature painting related "resolutions" that I pretty much ignore by end of the month. Let's be honest, we all at least make an attempt at changing things up... but as always the shit hits the fan and "good intentions" are the first casualty in "Shit has to get done!". 

So... rather than bore you with my crazy love of lists I am going to dive right into the whole miniature painting thing.

So what's new? Giants and Barbarians (technically they aren't new but I got around to working on them). When I think of fantasy, I pretty much immediately think of the art of Frank Frazetta and all those fantastic barbarian pieces he did. And it may come as no small surprise that I have a lot of barbarian miniatures. Oddly enough, I very seldom end up painting any of them. Well... until now.

The two fellows in the foreground are part of my Barbarian collection. The fellow on the left is part of a group of models I bought in 98 as part of a Dogs of War homebrew regiment. Not bad models although they changed sculptors in the middle and so the difference was quite jarring (although I love both Kev Adams and Kev White's work).

The other fellow is from Grenadier and sculpted by probably my favorite sculptor Mark Copplestone. Lucky for me, Mirliton rereleased all of these guys... so I can actually build an army of Conans... or I could if I could remember where my Wargames Illustrated with the army list was.

Painting wise, Barbarian #1 is done in a color scheme reminiscent of Chaos Undivided Marauders. Just can't justify more red considering I also have a pile of AoS Khorne guys to paint. His color scheme has pretty much kept to the three color rule... gray, brown, and flesh. I also used a fake zenithal light technique where I just picked out the "top stuff" with the final highlight. This is a battle line kinda guy... so I'm not really gonna throw a ton of time at shading or highlighting on him.

Barbarian #2 I used a color scheme of  brown, flesh, and gray... but I also added in some accent colors here and there. These are some of my favorite models so I wanted to give them a little more love. I used a style similar to Kevin Dalimore's for this guy... with some glazing to help my layers blend. I've always loved the way his barbarian models looked and I wanted mine to look the same.

In the background you will notice my three Partha giants... that I forgot I bought in 2013. For me Partha was always really hit or miss with their models... there are some real gems and there are some real duds. The giants... total gems. I think the first one I will tackle will be the Frost Giant. I have no idea what I'll use him for... but it's too cool of a model to care.

Once again, I paint a Bones model...

Since Reaper's Bones models came out a couple of years ago, I've been a little skeptical. Low price point and look good once painted... just a little too good to be true. About a year and a half ago, I picked up a few models on Ebay to give them a whirl... to see how they painted up and to see how much time and effort would have to go in to get them to a level I deem acceptable.

I started off with the Orc Champion in 2014. He painted up decently... although I regretted my choice of primer and I wasn't a fan of how bendy his axe was. Still, not a bad looking model when finished.

Size wise, I'd classify him as a Biggun.. but on the lower end of that spectrum. Bigger than a human model, but smaller than an Ogre or Giant.

At the time, the only other Bones model I had was Garnuk, the Ogre Champ. Definitely a potentially fun model to paint, but I wanted to check out some of the smaller Bones kits. As many people know, I am a fan of Dwarves... and if I could collect a big group of dwarf NPCs for under 20 bucks... that would be awesome. And so, I purchased some smaller models... human sized and down.

That brings us to Hellakin. I'd painted him before, so I figured why not go with a more familiar model. It took a bit of doing, but I got him painted up to a decent standard... not close to my usual "old school 'Eavy Metal" level... but close enough to use as an NPC. Again, not a fan of how bendy his dagger was... nor was I a fan of the primer color I used (Uniform Gray was not the best choice for detailed models).

Again, I didn't have a horrible experience with the model... just a "different" experience. I ended up going a little heavier on the Foundry painting style than I usually do, but in the end I think I ended up with a guy who'd prance about the wilderness stabbing folks with a poisoned knife.

And so, like a dumbass, I went smaller. It took forever to come up with a workflow that allowed me to get that kind of detail on the fur as the details were either really shallow... or just not there. I actually ended up hand highlighting some of the fur to get it to pop more. To be fair, a six pack of metal rats would set you back about $6-$7... where as I think these could be got for less than $3. Still, I think I'd have spent the extra $$$ and gotten metal.

After the rats, I decided to up the size a notch and went with a goblin. No photo... I hated that one so damn much I threw it away. 

Which brings me to my newest addition... the Mimic.

Not a bad model... although you might notice the line where the teeth got a little offset from the rest of the mouth. I tried to minimize it as much as possible, but there is only so much you can do... plus it's a Bones model and there is no way in hell I'm breaking out putty for it.

Still, I'm pretty happy with the end result. I'd be proud to place this on the tabletop and let it devour foolish adventureres. 

  

So yeah... finally got around to doing some painting.

If there is one thing I do not have large supply of, it is spare time. However, I have managed to squirrel away a few hours ever couple of nights and get back to my commissions.

  

Ah... the LotR/Hobbit line from GW... we've had a rocky relationship. Way back in 2001, I got the Fellowship box game and the Fellowship box as a gift. While I loved the metal models... the plastics were kinda meh. Don't get me wrong, the Men of Numenor were pretty good, the Elves ok, but the goblins were atrocious. After that, I kinda kept my purchases to the metal models and decided I'd just collect them.

Now here we are in 2015, and I'm painting plastic Wood Elves... and they are really nice models. I don't know if it's improvements in the casting process, but these are so much better than the original plastics. 

For this one, I went with an autumn themed color scheme. I had originally done the trousers as a light tan, but it felt too "happy" for an autumn. Plus, I wasn't seeing a light tan in any of the leaves in my backyard... but i was seeing plenty of gray. I also went more desaturated than I originally did... really helped push the whole autumn theme more.

Her base was done as a more dried and dead earth... hence the wasteland flock. Definitely think it works well with her color scheme.

Oh yeah. I painted this Wargames Factory Skeleton for Frostgrave way back in August when I got back from Gen Con. Couldn't really get a good angle as he's leaning forward to stab a dude. As I said, he's part of my Frostgrave "monsters" and also part of my big Undead collection. That collection consists of a variety of undead models from Reaper, GW, Wargames Factory, Ral Partha, and Grenadier... and probably more as I come across other really cool undead models.

I've organized my collection into something of a horde of undead... which is inspired by the GW Undead Army book from the early 90s. An Oldhammer styled horde... but with mainly new models. 

I amaze myself sometime at how bad I am at photography...

Quick update this week... got two finished models and two in progress models.

First up the finishes... keep in mind these are quick shots with the phone and not with a proper set up with the backdrop or good lighting (amazed how bad the lighting in my office is).

First up is Foxy Brown (or whatever the actual name of the model is). I finished her back in April but never took a photo of her finished. Planning on using her as a proxy for Zombicide. I'm actually planning that for many Chronoscope models. While I kept her color scheme and painting style simple, I am pretty happy with her fleshtone. I tried a new approach to darker skin tones and I ended up with a much more natural look than I thought I would. Planning on using this skin formulation on some upcoming fancier models (the ones where I do blending).

Next up is the Colnel. Another Chronoscope model which I've painted up for a friend for Xmas. While I'm happy with the painting on the model... I do have some gripes with the casting (I hope it's the casting as it's a Bob Olley model). I honestly thought it was an Old Glory model... but no.. it's a Reaper model. I also have the three pack they made to accompany him... which I am not going to paint. But since he has the same problems as an Old Glory model... I opted to paint him in the same style I paint all my Historical models in... the Foundry method. I think it works to help hide some of the models sculpting flaws.

Next up is a Skeleton from Wargames Factory. I like these models quite a bit.. they remind me a lot of the older Citadel Plastic Skeletons from the early 90s (and just as fragile). I'm giving them a suitable Oldhammer styled paint job and he'll be joining the ranks of my D&D collection.

Mr. Beefy got some work done. His head and back got some attention this week. I plan to give him a bit more over the weekend.

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I've pretty much stuck to my standard layering method on this model as he's huge.

On a sidenote, you might have noticed I've been opting to go with more layering as of late. My biggest reason is time... layering is a nice fast way to get a neat appearance with good amounts of contrast. When you have maybe two hours a night during the week to paint and not much more than that on weekends, you need a shortcut or else you end up painting 4 models a year. Plus, I have a ton of Zombicide on the way shortly... so I need to work on speeding things up.

Any progress is still progress... I guess...

I actually scored some time to paint this week. Not as much as I would have liked, but with my schedule I take what I can get. Across the top are my four current projects:

• A British Colnel from the Anglo Zulu War which is a Bob Olley sculpt from Reaper. Since it is essentially a historical model, I went with a Foundry style paint job (although I did do a little bit of glazing on the jacket). You can see I did a fair bit of black-lining on where the straps meet his tunic. Still iffy on the blue for his pants. They are supposed to be Prussian Blue (I went a little lighter since he's a man of action and thus his trousers would have faded). You might notice his base is missing (but the gravel for it isn't)... welcome to the newest hell that has plagued me over the last couple of months. I've actually reattached it to the base using Gorilla Glue Gel... it's not the greatest fix, but once it dries and I touch up the paint it'll be fine. Once he's done I'll glue on a couple of dead grass bits and he'll be ready for whatever.
  
• A plastic LotR Wood Elf Ranger. I think I first posted photos of him in April... close to this stage. Scary thing is, I had done up his color scheme in such a way I could "mass produce" his buddies... but then life gets in the way and my plans go flush. As he is now, he's about 95% done... he just needs some tweaks to his flesh, his quiver, and a generous application of Red Pepper Flakes... then he'll be done. Yes, Red Pepper Flakes... DIY autumn leaf litter.
  
• The Harbinger of Darkness. In case you are wondering, he also fell victim to the gravel on his base giving up the ghost. So I rebased him on a lipped plastic base... I guess this way he'll fit in with the Thoth guy I did a few years back. He is also about done... probably 90%... just needs some details finished and the base needs another hit of black paint.
  
• GW Minotaur #1... or as I call him Mr. Beefy. I think this is the largest model I've painted in years (non terrain). I painted his head and face back in September and he's been in limbo awaiting for me to build and paint his base. Simple enough, but again... life happens and plans go flush. He's been painted with a muted reddish brown... mainly as Minotaurs are NOT covered in fur. Seriously, these models and the Mantic Werewolves are basically nude except for tufts of fur and loincloths... frikkin' wierd man. I'm figuring he'll drag on for a while as he's literally the size of three models and has large flat areas that require some blending in order for them to look nice.

And that kids is pretty much all the painting I've done since the summer. I'm hoping once things settle down I can get caught back up on things (my commission pile is huge and I have xmas gifts to paint).

43 by 44

The last couple of years have been an absolute bust as far as painting goes... hell the last 5 years have been a total bust. Since we moved back in July of 2010, I think I may have painted 40 models grand total... which is just awful. I used to paint 4-5 models a week... and now I'm lucky if I finish one in a month. Last time I finished anything was in July... remember these:

Yeah... two Zombicide models were the last things I completed almost three months ago. Since then, a lot of false starts and a lot of sabotaging myself.

So the time has come to kick myself in the ass. I'm setting a goal for myself and that is to paint 43 miniature before my 44th birthday next year. 

Time to forget about the high school shit show that is posting on CMoN... the futile bullshit that is selling on eBay... and just focus on one thing, painting what I like in the style I like. No more trying to do something fancy... no mini dioramas on bases... no zenithal lighting... no gimmicky airbrushing... just good old fashioned late 90s/Early 2000s 'Eavy Metal style painting with a bunch of Foundry style swirled in. 

And goddammit... to not only paint 43 models by next September... but go way over that goal.

FYI... Mummy dude up there is gonna be #1. Would have finished him had his base not given up the ghost in the middle of painting him (technically the Aileen's Tacky Glue holding the gravel on the base gave up the ghost... not the base itself). Definitely an Oldhammer style color scheme and painting style on him.

This week I'm all about Mordheim... again... kind of...

While I was on vacation this week, I dug out my old Mordheim rulebook and gave it a looking through. It inspired me to dig out my old half painted Reikland warband and give them an updating as they have been sitting in a plastic bin for about eleven years now. Alas, they didn't so much need an update and a complete strip down and repaint...

So, first thing that happened was all the metals went into the Pinesol jar... Captain, Champion, Youngbloods, Trollslayer, and the Ogre... all in. I also have some Marienburg Youngbloods that I picked up when I was doing an Estalian warband... so I need to figure a way to work those guys in as well. Maybe as young duelists or something like that.

Next up were the six plastic mercenaries. Luckily, those have only been assembled but never primered or painted. I popped them all apart and gave them a thorough cleaning for mold lines and flash (I built these in 1999... didn't do nearly as good of a job cleaning them as I do now). I also took the opportunity to reconfigure their weapons and gear... less for gameplay and more for "cinematic" effect. The only thing I don't have represented from the original sprues is an archer and crossbowman... I figure I'll add those on eventually.

In addition to the six headless bodies, I am also prepping their heads seperately. This is just a personal preference... I  paint the heads separately from the bodies whenever possible

Everyone will be mounted to a 1 inch fender washer base with sand. I had thought about using fancier resin bases... but I think I rather go DIY with these.