Yellow Thunder #1

I haven't really had many opportunities to use yellow color while painting miniatures. I think my gritty style doesn't really go well with it. That's why painting the Torakage proved a challenge.

I wanted to stay close to the original artwork and its vivid yellow but at the same time I felt I won't be able to completely forget about my painting style. 

Putting them together was fast and easy as all the individual bits fit nicely together. Not much GS was needed. I has a slight problem with the largest one as he barely fits a 30mm base to pinning him to it wasn't easy. I also decided to glue the smallest one in two places as she simply wouldn't last glued just by one small foot. 

The main challenge was that yellow has very weak pigment. At least the paints I used do (Army Painter, Reaper). GW's base yellow paints (I still have half a pot of Tausept Ochre and Iyanden Darksun) helped but they were still way too dark.
It took numerous layers to build the shade you can see in the picture. At the same time, I didn't want the black parts to be too dark and placed a few highlights there too.

In the end they turned out OK I guess, The yellow is rich and saturated but not too vivid and doesn't stand in too much contrast to black. Bright colors on bases also helped with maintaining this balance.

Burnt Offerings 2014

Well, better luck next time I guess. Neither of my entries in the 2014 Wyrd online painting competition was successful. I think that the winning entries were the most eye-catching, either the most colorful or using a background that really drew attention. I'm not saying that with disrespect as all the winners prepared really stunning pieces. It just seems to me that in an online competition you need to prepare something that will be immediately striking and easily memorable to the viewer. In traditional competitions the judges have more time to look at the entries in detail and appreciate all the small nuances. In online contest first impression is essential. I'll have to keep that in mind for next online painting competitions...
Now that the results are officially known I can at least share the pictures here. I'll start with the entry that took the most time to prepare.

Nicodem and his crew - the Open Graves

Nicodem and his undead minions was a natural choice for me in the crew category. I thought that these would benefit most from my gritty style and use of dark colors. I also like painting undead skin and have achieved some skill in getting it to look properly undead. However, I didn't expect to have so much work putting them together. The Punk Zombies minis are so flimsy! They're very thin, especially their limbs. Pinning them to the bases (metal base inserts) wasn't easy.

Mortimer was a fun piece to work with. He is an undertaker, so naturally his clothes are very dark. I had to use various shades of dark brown and carefully work my way up with highlights on black. His backpack with various unhealthy contents proved a much needed element of contrast and I could throw in a touch of lighter shades there.
I used Ghost Town base inserts throughout the whole crew. I think Nicodem is one of the epitomes of Malifaux. A true combination of various, often extremely different elements. There's a necromancer, some steampunk elements, zombies that sport mohawks and Katanas. It only seemed right to add a wild west theme to that mix.

Killjoy is a true beast. In game you don't ever want to face him. He easily unleashes powerful attacks, heals himself and what's more, he can even begin the game buried, popping up in the most inconvenient place for the opponent. He spends most of the time in Malifaux sewers (hence the base with slime coming from the gutter and on his feet).

The miniature reflects much of it and goes well with his fluff. He's quite disgusting, the flabby stomach with intestines protruding from the middle is certainly a nasty sight. His ugly, inhuman face doesn't help either. Working on large skin areas wasn't easy as it required numerous layers of thinned down paint to get the highlights right. I also added some gore effects to the front of the model, focusing on the wounded stomach and weapons. Once again, I used Blood for the Blood God with some addition of Brown and Red P3 inks to keep the color richer and more saturated.

And last but not least - a Ten Thunders Warlord. I had originally intended to enter him in the competition in the diorama category (the piece needed to have at least two models) but the admins suggested moving it to single category. And since Killjoy had already been there, this one has to stay put.
Fuhatsu used to be a respected warrior before he had an accident. As a result, he must be at all times followed by his loyal servants whose job is to make sure he is properly armed for battle. And properly dressed for battle, which is not always a success.
With armor +2 and a powerful minigun that can hand out damage in blasts he can be a game changer.

The model is... well, it's way over the top to say it's not ridiculous. But it makes him even better. A mad giant with an enormous weapon pushed into battle by two scrawny peons. I used a Zen-themed base insert with stairs as I thought it would add even more dynamism to the miniature. Also, the red added a bit more warmth as the servants' clothes are painted using colder shades.
I'm going to paint a few more minis from Ten Thunders. I am currently enjoying plenty of free time so some updates on my current TT project should appear here later this week.

And one more thing - new issue of Wyrd Chronicles was released yesterday. As always, lots of cool stuff inside. New Fate Deck (in light and dark versions), a battle report, some stories, painting article and Gencon previews. I think I will be getting Dreamer and Lucious. And maybe a few more things is more stuff is released.

Update: 2014 Miss miniature has been revealed, it's a Teddy called Miss Ery

It's this time of year again...

...and Wyrd is beginning to show more artworks of their new releases. So far this one has been my favorite :

I think I'll be getting rid of the old metal version of Pale Rider. It's OK but I've never been a big fan of that version. The new one is going to be much better for sure.

Children of December #4

I've spend the last few days painting. As a result, I've finished Rasputina's crew and also managed to paint the Lone Marshal up. First off, here's Raspy and her totem - the Wendigo.

I wasn't a nog fan of the 3d render and the artwork for this version of the classic Malifaux master when I first saw them. She seemed plain and uninteresting. Rasputina is one of the most complex characters in the world of Malifaux. Her story has been an essential part of the universe since the release of book 1. At first glance I thought the new model doesn't do her justice. However, having painted it, I changed my mind. In game she is quite slow and calmly walks the battlefield dealing huge damage to her opponents from the distance. In the fluff, she is presented as completely alienated from other humans, and, to speak plainly, crazy. I think in the end her new pose reflects all that. She calmly stands and looks coldly at her next victim. I had an extra bit that was packed additionally in the box (it originally goes on Ice Golem's arm) so I thought I'd use the spare one for some extra height.

Wendigo is a great model. It's very dynamic and has a feral look. Similarly to other models in this crew, I based the color scheme on the box artwork. This meant using whitish colors both on the body and the fur. I've added a touch of brown to the furry parts and kept the rest bright grey. I used Blood for the Blood God on its tongue and painted its horns using much darker brown. I also painted the eyes working up the color from red, through orange and yellow, to a touch of white.

While I like the idea and the execution of the other part of the model - Wendigo's victim, I still think it's a bit too large and draws attention away from the totem. I saw that some people choose to use only Wendigo's model and I think it can work pretty well on its own. The victim cal always be used as a Guild Guard/Latigo Pistolero on it own.

Children of December

I also managed to paint another big model - the Lone Marshal. I used a Ghost Town base insert for extra height and a touch of special atmosphere to the piece. 

Painting the horse was more time consuming as it's quite big and has some extra details (rope, gun holster, reins). It has a very nice dynamic pose that goes well with the rider positioning himself for a good shot. It's basically a mounted Death Marshal so I kept the colors dark, adding some variety with blue glasses and red bandanna. 

I'm going to take a short break from painting for a while now but I'll be back in August with Ten Thunders. I've already had a chance to paint Jakob and McCabe's crews from this faction but I look forward to working on Misaki's crew. Some really great models in it and a chance to work with much brighter, more vivid colors.

Children of December #3

Here's another update with more Ice Gamins and an Ice Golem.

I painted one Gamin to try out the color scheme so I simply followed the remaining two the same way. I introduced some variety by adding rocks made of cork for some extra height. The cracked ice looks a bit different. I think that might be because I applied a thicker layer of Agrellan Earth.

The Ice Golem was a looot of work. Working up highlights and shades on such a big miniature is not easy and requires patience. It became particularly tricky with the back where there are numerousIt took a while but I'm pretty happy with the result. It looks like a huge and angry chunk of glacier.

Its skin is painted the using the same color scheme I followed for the Gamins. I painted his teeth the same way pieces of ice are done on Gamins. I think it adds a much needed element of contrast while still being coherent with the rest of the model.

I've always wondered what it would be like to paint Trolls from WARMACHINE and I think I have a pretty good idea. Blue is tricky to work with but with a lot of patience and many layers, the effects can be satisfying. 

And finally, a quick group shot of the creatures. Now I just need to paint Rasputing, Wendigo and its victim. I've already started and I may be able to finish it this week.

Black Queen 2014

Black Queen is an international miniature painting competition organized by a Croatian gaming club called UMS "Agram". It takes place every year in July and it always accompanies other big hobby tournaments. I've followed the event for the past two years and each time I admired amazing works of artists taking part. I have taken part in a few online painting competitions but never in a "real" one.
I had originally planned to take part in the Malifaux tournament but various factors made me postpone it (again!) until the next year. Fortunately for me, the club's president (and a friend of mine), Marko Paunovic, suggested that I send the miniatures I want to enter by post. I did that, choosing some of my best Malifaux minis, sent them and... kept my fingers crossed.
The miniatures I sent weren't new work but the competition rules stated that the only restriction making it impossible to enter is if they'd been in another Agram painting competition before.

My results were much better than I had expected.
1st in Single miniature (Abuela Ortega)
2nd in Large/Mounted miniature (Hooded Rider)
1st in Unit/Squad (McCabe)
2nd in Masterclass (mounted McCabe)

I often write that "pics don't really do minis justice/are a bit off/are the result of bad weather/poor lighting, etc.). I guess I can now say that I haven't been just making excuses now that my work was appreciated in an actual painting contest. Online competitions are fine as I have enjoyed taking part in them and improved my skills but the possibility to look at the finished model in person gives the judges much more objectivity. I couldn't be happier with my results, especially that my works were put there against entries prepared by some of my favorite painters.
My only regret is that I couldn't be there. Having seen a couple of pictures and read some comments, I am sure it was a great event. I will do my best to come to Croatia next year!
Many thanks to the organizers, and congrats to all the winners and all the prize-winners along with the rest of participants.



p.s. Did I mention the rewards? Today I received a parcel that contained the minis I'd sent along with other goodies. Vouchers that I can use in online stores, a fantastic Winsor & Newton brush, Hangar 18 photo background, Infamy Miniatures bust, and... diplomas and medals! All the rewards are great but having something nice to put up on your wall is a real treat. The medals are large, very nicely designed, and pretty heavy. What's more, there's even a small pic with a printed photo of the entry on the reverse! They do feel special.

Children of December #2

Here's the first minion from Rasputina's crew - Ice Gamin. I painted this one as a sample model to try out a color scheme for the rest of the Children of December. I used cold colors  with a light touch of brown in the recesses and black around the eyes to add a little depth.

It also took me a while to get the technique of making cracked ice down. I had two attempts that were not satisfactory but that changed when I stopped using drybrush technique. I'm really pleased with the effect. I haven't used Agrellan Earth before and now I can see that this technical paint has great potential. If I had known it works so well, I would have used it on the bases of Ortegas instead of buying resin ones. 

So, once again, props to AnythingBut for sharing this method on the Wyrd forum. I modified the method slightly as I started by applying a solid layer of LGS to the bottom to make sure that once Agrellan Earth dries and cracks, the ice is on the same level as the rim of the base. I've also applied two layers of Vallejo Still Water effect for the glossy look.
I painted the icicle he's holding to match the color of cracked ice. In the box artwork it's all the same shade of light blue but I thought some variety will work well here.
I'm pretty happy with the result on this one so I'm going to use the same color scheme and type of base for the rest of the crew (at least for the two remaining Ice Gains and the Golem). Painting the Golem will be a bit tedious as he's a large one and this color requires numerous layers of highlights but I loook forward to working on it anyway.