My hobby plans for 2020 remain ambitious - the picture above shows what I plan to paint before the end of year. This is actually the 8th Dreamer crew I will be painting. I plan to stick to my swamp theme I have in the Neverborn but to make this keyword stand out a bit more I will be using resin skull bases from Micro Art Studio for the most part.
I will start with Alps as I really like the new plastic sculpts and plan to use dark purple + worn out red on the robes to make them pop more.
I've been into watching some Vassal reports and can give a big shoutout to James Dyson who regularly provides quality content on youtube. As they are not too dynamic, they can work well as background video while I paint minis - can't really do that with bat reps that show actual minis and have different camera angles.
And speaking of youtube, here's a new video from one of my favorite bands.
I know it's a hobby blog but since this cat was present here on many occasions I feel it's right to write a few final words about him.
"Tuptuś" was such a nice, gentle presence in my life that it was truly
heartbreaking to have him put down. He had pretty good 8 years with my
family during which he managed to survive leg amputation and a number of
other serious diseases. Sure, he had his shortcomings like lying in the
middle of my workspace or neglecting to use his litterbox for #1. But
he was also a fighter who lived his life to the fullest despite many
limitations. Having him around has made me a calmer, gentler, more
emphatic, qualities that make me a better person. I guess he used
up at least a few of his extra cat lives during his time with us.
Sadly, the last one wasn't too good. All the infections he'd gone
through had taken their toll on him. It was hard to watch him gradually
fade into the state of pain and confusion. The decision to have him put
down was probably the toughest I've ever had to take but deep down I
believe it was the right call.
his big buddy is already missing him
his last pic, probably not the most flattering one
It's funny how we get used to the company of our furry family members and take them for granted. Still, they do affect us in a positive way and leave many good memories to be cherished. It may seem strange to write it but I do believe having him around has made me a better person. He's also taught my kids (sometimes with the help of his teeth or nails) to be more gentle and kinder to smaller creatures. And those who say that animals don't have emotions couldn't be farther from the truth. My second cat has been miserable for last two days and has been walking around our apartment, crying in what sounded like eerily human-like voice. Time probably heals wounds and all will be fine once we come to terms with it and are able to distance ourselves a little...
Wow, this miniature was fun to work with on so many levels. The model itself is part pewter, part resin. While working on it I started with a basic blue sketch and applied some very basic blue highlights and shades. After that I divided the model into three thematic sections (main body, crystals, Rasputina) that would use the same basecoat, but be different in saturation of blue. It's hard to describe specific steps at this point as I was going back and forth with highlights, shades, and glazes.
The base (Gadzooks gaming transparent crystal base insert) meant another challenge. Paint wouldn't adhere to it so after some experimentation I basecoated it with a thin layer of Army Painter matt varnish and that did the trick. Before gluing it to the base I added a Frozen Lake (Mats by mars ) base inserts. This ensured that the surface beneath the transparent insert would have a nice, bright and realistic look. I painted the stone parts using light blue ink and the crystals with a turquoise one. The river area between the rocks was tricky to work with as I wanted to have some floating ice in it. Fortunately, I had Vallejo crackle medium. Here's a quick tutorial on how to achieve this effect.
1. Take Vallejo crackle medium and throw it away (literally, it is just useless. I've spent hours experimenting with thickness, order of secondary/primary paints). It just doesn't work.
2. Apply a thick layer of GW Agrellan Earth.
3. Highlight it with mix of light blue and white, followed by pure white.
4. Apply 2-3 layers of Vallejo still water mixed with some light blue ink.
These are the last Malifaux minis for 2018. Fire is the main theme here as Kaeris is a master who uses this element to her crew's advantage (and to cause trouble to her enemies).
Here are some pics of the process. I started by priming everything light grey and adding some white to plan highlights better.
After that I did initial sketches of fire with an airbrush. I used only yellow and red here.
This was followed by some brushwork as I worked with both the brightest and the darkest parts. Vallejo fluo yellow was really useful here.
I will work on some more Arcanists in the foreseeable future so stay tuned :)
I grew up watching the show and Eric Idle has always been my favorite Python. When I learnt that he had a "sortabiography" out, I knew that sooner or later I'd get it.
The audiobook is red (or I should rather write performed) by the author himself. It gives an interesting background to his story. As a child he was growing in the WW2 aftermath era, going through the period of despair and then welfare. Life wasn't easy as Eric's father died in a car accident as he was returning home from the war. Yet despite his harsh upbringing he managed to make humor his way of life. Learning about his early career and getting unique insights into his celebrity life with his relations to other famous musicians/actors is what this book is really about. If you're a Python fan, I don't even have to recommend it. And..
I own the plastic version of this model but this one has so much more character to it! I plan to use this mini exclusively from now on. Painting it was quick and rather straightforward. It's a really well designed model, so all I had to do was make sure I highlight the edges and fold of material. Resin forest-themed base from Micro Art Studio was chosen for its base to add a bit more height and some extra flavor.
Once again, life's been filled with ups and downs. Shortly after being released from hospital, my 3-moth old daughter needed another major surgery. Seems like the problem with her thin intestine and colon is fixed for good now, which gives me more hope. I'm mostly at home with my older kid (3 years old) while my wife is with the little one at the hospital. It's a tough experience but we're pulling through. It's hard but seeing other kids and families with much more serious problems and facing them bravely is a humbling experience.
And yet again, painting has been a way to calm down and briefly escape other problems during late night hours. I've painted two models recently, both for my own collection.
Serena Bownam is a model that was added to Malifaux as a result of Divergent Patch campaign. I don't really know much about her background fluff-wise but she's definitely been through a lot. Her body is covered with scars and it looks like her skin was partly flayed and then randomly stitched back.
In game, she is Discuised and has Thick Skin, which protects her from blast damage. And as far as protection is concerned, she doesn't really need much of it as she is resummoned in your deployment zone if she dies in game. She can give Black Blood to friendly Nightmare models and then attack through them (looks like much more limited version of Reva). And then there's some extra utility she brings in. An ability to heal and remove conditions is huge, though suit-dependent. Another big one is her special upgrade, which allows friendly minions and enforcers to be deployed as with "From the Shadows" option. I've used her only once in a friendly game but I want to try her a few more times with the Dreamer.
I used box art as reference for painting, keeping the colors toned down. It made the pale skin pop more in contrast. The model was very easy to assemble and I needed no GS to fill in the gaps as all the parts fit together very well.
Lazarus a special model that can be "purchased' for 10 Guilders. It's made of a slightly different material - the plastic has a more "rubbery" feel to it and as such, removing mold lines requires slightly different approach. Rather than scraping them off, you
need to cut them away with a sharp hobby knife. It's definitely more time consuming and requires more precision. The model makes me think of illustrations from Stanisław Lem's novels. It has a slightly comical, exaggerated feel to it but overall it is well proportioned and nicely detailed. Lazarus comes from the Outcast faction, so I wanted to make sure he looks different than my Neverborn models. That's why (similarly to Hannah). I used primarily yellow on his armor, keeping the base in theme with the rest of my faction of choice.
Lazarus excels at shooting. His grenade launcher can fire three times per turn so any movement tricks (obeys/pushes/lures) to get him in right position can prove very effective. Neverborn have access to numerous ways of moving their models so this might prove useful.
I've used them only one when I fielded one in my Titania crew. Its pounce attack can be really effective combined with Tooth's "lure" and pushes after attack. They hit pretty well, have Hard to Kill, can heal and can cause pushes (which can lead to even more attacks).
I like the idea of ancient wolf-like giant undead hunters but I think the design falls short of capturing the essence of their nature. The left one is meant to be in a classic "howling to the moon" pose but it looks a bit as if it was squatting. Also, the part where his fur and part of skin is removed is marked too neatly (on both minis), as if it was surgically removed to form a round, even shape.
It took me a while to paint them as I wanted to have a look of ancient, matted, partly rotten fur. I started with bight colors and gradually toned them down with plenty of washes and glazes.
Now, a fair warning. What's been seen can't be unseen so bear it in mind if you decide to watch the video below. The title goes well with the content of the post but the rest is, well... weird to say the least.
"Black Hole Sun" freaked me out when I first saw it as a small kid. Maybe it's not the best tribute material but for me this has always been first association when I heard Cornell's name. Truly a unique talent who passed away in his prime, he will be missed.
