Lord of Blights WIP

This is my attempt at following Darren  Latham's video mastrclass series. it's available on youtube for free and you're going to struggle to actually find better content there. While I don't have most of the paints he uses, i feel i can still benefit a lot from the theory that is presented in these videos. I've learnt a lot about composition, pulling colors together for more coherent color scheme, and placing smooth highlights. I've also gained new level of appreciation for those who paint minis on competition level. If you haven't checked it out yet, go over to Darren'r profile

A rotting sorcerer

This mini has been sitting half painted on my shelf for several months and I pretty much had to force myself to finish it. Much as I like the sculpt, I struggled to keep the colors dark and still distinct from one another. In the end it turned out OK I guess.

I used Vallejo still water in the puddle on the base and some glowing medium for the symbols on his cloak and whatever it is that is dripping from the staff.

Necromancer

I painted this mini a few months ago but somehow forgot to post it here. I bought it on ebay as I wanted to have a chance to check the quality of this type of models - characters/leaders cast entirely in plastic.
Much to my surprise, the quality was excellent, all the parts fit nicely (the base, together with the skeleton is actually an original part of the model too) and apart from several mold lines there were no problems. I only used a little LGS to fill in a small gap on the back.

Seeing that this model has many flat surfaces, I decided to forget about my painting style for a while (smooth highlights, many subtle highlights) and painted this one using more contrasting highlights. I painted thin lines of base colors and worked them up to lighter shades.
The stuff was highlighted in a more "traditional" way for me but I ended up giving it several glazes to get this old, rotten look.
It was an experiment but I'm overall pleased with the outcome, I'm particularly happy with the face as I managed to get the look I had planned.
And that;'s it for now, happy Easter everyone!

2011: Year in review

Some of the early WIPs for 2012

Time to make another one. I think that while the previous year had been a period of major changes and challenges, 2011 was a year of stabilization. I kept my job and started working extra hours in a language school. This meant less free time but it also forced me to organize my time better as working from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. or later does require that.
On a hobby level, I painted a total of 233 miniatures, which is an improvement compared to 179 in 2010. I also added more paints, brushes etc. to my workshop. I painted mainly LotR models but managed to work with a few from other systems. Malifaux was probably the best "discovery" I made last year - a great game with an amazing atmosphere and amazing miniatures. I also took (for the first time) part in a painting competition and ended up with a pretty decent result. My painting highlights would probably be the Death Marshals as painting these great models was particularly enjoyable and I'm quite pleased with the final effect. Another model that could be considered my painting highlight is the Cryx Helljack model as assembling it and thinking about the way to incorporate all the elements on this one was a lengthy, but an enjoyable process too. I should probably mention Darksword miniatures here as their miniatures are extremely well cast

Now, as far as resolutions for 2011 are concerned, here they are:
- expanding my Cryx force (at least one more unit, some solos and a few jacks)
I did paint a few more models but can't be to happy with the result.
- playing more (4 games in 6 months isn't a good result by any measure)
This one's no good - I completely failed here. In fact I'm even considering selling my WARMACHINE models but time will tell.
- writing more and more often on the blog
I guess I partly succeeded here as the overall number of posts has improved significantly. Still, I feel I could have done more here.
- buy a car :]
This one went well, I have a car and got used to it to such a degree that can't imagine life without it now.

Now, as for my hobby resolutions for 2012 (I'll try to be more realistic this time);

- keep on updating the blog as often as possible,
- paint more Malifaux models for my Lady Justice Crew and possibly start another crew (most likely the Dreamer),
- play at least one game of Malifaux,
- paint at least 200 miniatures :)
- prevent this little fellow from playing around with the minis I work on (which he seems keen on doing ;)

Leader of the rats

Sometimes I'm able to quickly find a suitable song to match the mini/minis presented here. The one below is a good example, so let me start by putting it here:



I painted this model a while ago.
I bought it along with some hobby supplies just to paint something from WFB mini range. The model itself is quite nice. I really liked the idea of a Skaven hero squatting on an old ruined column.
The painting took about two evenings. I tried to avoid using only drybrush on the base and gave the column several glazes of brown washes and a green one.
Tretch Craventail is a here from the Skaven army whose speciality is assassination and disappearing. I think that the choice of weapons and small bits like the skull or dwarven hair are great additions to this model. They seem to add him a lot of character. Not to mention a skull and a small rat on the base, which are also pretty cool.
I enjoyed painting this mini, it was a nice break from WM/Lotr minis I've been working on recently and a good opportunity to practice using dry pigments to achieve realistic rust effects. I think I'll put this one on ebay soon, will post a not here when I do that.