Tale Of Skirmish Painters season 2 - Month 2 finished pictures, WIP month 3

[Bubbatron]

Grisnik
@Bubbatron: Nice models, the off black armor looks great on the storm troopers. Though the white shirt on the first model almost looks unfinished? But still fits.. dunno what else to say there.

i dont think the big feather he has in his hair helps there, it runs across his shoulders so might be taking some of the impact of the shirt off



GomezAddams
BUBBATRON - The troopers are nice, but the Joss is better. Kinda reminds me of that bloke from the Venture Bros for some reason. How did you get the white that bright by the way (it looks like you did it over a black undercoat?). Looking forward to some Bushido next month

thanks, seem to be getting differing opinions on old Joss' shirt !!

i usually build white up in a simple way, paint white, watered down blue wash heavy white drybrush then go over and pick out the highlights if you look at my Bushido log you can see it on the Prefecture models a bit better

[Hairy Norseman]

Thanks Keravin, I'm liking the gritty feel to your minis.

HN

[Little Joe]

Sorry to be late to the commenting party, here it goes:

@Bubbatron: Great skin and leather on Josh painting on Josh, your Malifaux metal colour is really nice. The Heresy troops are well done, it is hard to use dark in dark and these still show variation of colour all over. Nice basing as well. It is always good to be able to choose, I look forward to see those Bushido miniatures painted by you.

@Killshot: I had to get used to true scale, so fiddly. These look very nice, quite well proportioned to go against those mounts of muscle.

@Rotokultaxe: Wow on that Custodier, nice to see that technique here. The Seed-soldier’s skin is very nice Why not try colours from other companies. Coat d’Arms has old GW colours, not all but some.

@Hairy Norseman: That is a nice mustache! Very nice skin there and you added some green I see. Well isn’t that PreePree cute, to bad Mr. Quaterbane is near.

@EmperorNorton: The speed in which you work is amazing, it all just fits together really well and looks suitably cold. Nice snow effect on the Bases.
Sorry to answer your flowery questions only just now, like all my basing it is home made. I take a small nail and dip the head in PVA to roll it in some saw dust left over from rounding terrain base edges with a machine. After it is dry I dip them in a 1:1 diluted mix of PVA and roll them in sawdust again, now it will stick and is brushable. White basecoat and a layer of thinned purple ink followed by a brush of blue and some dark green on the stem. The leaves are from a plastic plant, the rims need a bit of paint and add it all together on the base. This can be done very fast and easily along with finishing a base as it takes very small amounts of time each step. The stalks from last month are the same with a bit of green stuff to form the head on the nail. Using other colours on the rim of the leaves helps to go for a very different effect.

@tame: Nice and flowing models, well painted and a beautiful base on the first.

@Grisnik: Nice painting but what happened to the eyes?

@Keravin: Competitions work wonders for speed. If it were not for the bases you could use these for the same game, they all have this gritty dark look to them

@Kisanis: Nice ratty Skaven, are you going to use some for Mordheim? So what basing are you planning to do on these?

@Maxxev: Damned nice models, I checked your log on the creation of these and should I want to do a Mordheim gang again it will be dwarfs like these. Great job!

@GomezAddams: slightly fuzzy to forego the dots? Great skin, very natural but also very not so with all the gold. That combination should lure most. The black looks good as well with very subtle variation. I might squeeze some Elvspon in to comply.

@Whitwort Stormbringer: These Quar look nice, something is different about these apart from the girth. Not sure what it is but the painting is ace as usual.

@Harry: Aarrr! That skelly is great and has a fitting shield to boot. And those cowboys look so 70s western but still clean. That Mexican is ace and the

@The Judge: Lets tackle that post by post. I love that gatorman basing, etched brass leaves? The models are very nice and have a lot of detail which is helped by your painting because these look awesome. The mercenary reminds me of an ogre but is very well painted and oozes sci-fi, good choice on the daemon host, that Hell Dorado model is just sick. These Infinity models are the first that scream manga to me; it is not the hair, but the amazing grey of their clothing, very nice paintjob there and again great basing. And even more to come.

Due to me painting some NG not much has been done. Here a WIP from what I will finish today:



These are both from Warploque miniatures and two of my favourites. The Halfling cook Mrs. Buttercup and a Boglin riding a cat fish.

[EmperorNorton]

EN - Lovely stuff, and glad to hear your switching to something else as it seems you haven't been feeling the Malifaux stuff recently.

How do you figure?

@EM: I think this group looks fantastic! The iced effects on the golum and little guys is great, as is the work on the solo caster there in the thigh highs.

Thanks for noticing the thigh highs. I'm fairly proud of those, since it's very fiddly work.

@EM: The crew looks great as a whole. Looking forward to Retribution though.

I've started working on them, but it might yet be a while until I finish anything. Malifaux came in the way again.

@Emperor - Trolls are probably a few months away. Need to clear these Merc Jacks first and I think I'm going to be painting Pink Everblight soon for a Breast Cancer Brawl army for October.

Ah, it's probably good I don't get exposed to any Trolls right now, because I am in grave danger of getting into them and I really don't need another project.
Do you have more information about the Breast Cancer Brawl army? It's a cause that is important to me.

@EmperorNorton: The speed in which you work is amazing, it all just fits together really well and looks suitably cold. Nice snow effect on the Bases.
Sorry to answer your flowery questions only just now, like all my basing it is home made. I take a small nail and dip the head in PVA to roll it in some saw dust left over from rounding terrain base edges with a machine. After it is dry I dip them in a 1:1 diluted mix of PVA and roll them in sawdust again, now it will stick and is brushable. White basecoat and a layer of thinned purple ink followed by a brush of blue and some dark green on the stem. The leaves are from a plastic plant, the rims need a bit of paint and add it all together on the base. This can be done very fast and easily along with finishing a base as it takes very small amounts of time each step. The stalks from last month are the same with a bit of green stuff to form the head on the nail. Using other colours on the rim of the leaves helps to go for a very different effect.

That is very cool. I never would have throught of that.

[Keravin]

Ah, it's probably good I don't get exposed to any Trolls right now, because I am in grave danger of getting into them and I really don't need another project.
Do you have more information about the Breast Cancer Brawl army? It's a cause that is important to me.

The event I'm running is in October. Just trying to sort out a few details before the rules pack is finished and I can start getting people signed up for it.

The army I'm doing is to inspire other people to get involved. We're also getting a Skorne starter box painted up by a pro painter as a prize for the event.

At the moment the Everblight armies are going to be based around the battle box Lllyth and Epic Thagrosh so one will be very heavy on the beasts whilst the other will be more troop based. I'm hoping to get things rolling on both the rulespack and the army by the end of the month.

[Maxxev]

MAXXEV - Welcome aboard, lovely dwarf lasses. Don't worry about the painting, they look fine to me Any chance we'll be seeing those necromacer cultists from your blog soon?
EDIT: Actually, those croc games figures instead please, chop chop!

Yes and no :P.



More piccies on the blog .

[tame]

Late for the comments, not much hobby time lately...

@Bubbatron : Love the black troopers and the skin on the first mini too!

@Killshot: Great minis, and good work on them! I like the great use of constrast and the bases.

@Rotokultaxe: That Reverend Custodier is just awesome. SENMM scares me, but you really did a great job here.

@Hairy Norseman: Nice job, especially on Galan's face.

@EmperorNorton: Great work, nice choice of colors to tie them together

@Grisnik: Love the Cawdor, always had a soft spot for Necromunda

@Keravin: Nice figs. Really nice conversion and paint job for the Inquisitrix.

@Kisanis: Great looking skavens !

@Little Joe: Good job, loving the bases work.

@Maxxev: Flawless conversions, they already look pretty good, got something planned for the bases already ?

@GomezAddams: Nice Succubi you got here!

@Whitwort Stormbringer: Weird minis, great paintjob

@Harry: Your minis put the rest of us to shame...

@The Judge: Woah, I love them all! Seriously impressed by the Gators and I really like the Daemonhost / summoned Slaaneshi Daemon. Where does that mini come from ?

[tame]

Also, Thanks about the comments on my minis ! Not really worried about the height of the bases, since I'll only be playing with friends anyway, so we'll make sure all our terrain is high enough to keep even the minis on the higher bases out of sight.

[Harry]

I tell you what there are so many minis here I don't know I feel like I have been living in a cave.

Sorry for the late comments but here goes ...

@Bubbatron: Don’t know those minis but they look great. Especially the flesh on the first guy. And the black looks good. Not easy painting black successfully.

@Kilshot: Hello mate. Fancy seeing you here. Don’t like these minis as much as the barbarians but …. As always the painting is excellent.

@Royukutaxe: Great job on the SENMM. Never tried it myself but it does not look easy and for a first try ….
Also. I think I might have a pot of Liche purple you can have if you are running out.

@Hairy Norseman: Great mini and great paint job, Good luck with the baby and the Dragon. My children are just at an age where we have played our first games of Heroquest, Warhammer quest, Spacehulk and Talisman… Happy Days

@Emperor Norton: Love these guys. Love the minis, love the wintery theme and the limited palette. Great job.

@Tame: I think the minis look great and as for the photography … Don’t know about the ones you trashed but the ones you used look great. I think light is the key. I don’t use any artificial light at all. Just set up in the sunniest window I have and that has always worked well for me.

@Grisnik: Very Nice. I always liked th Cawdor Gang so look forward to seeing them painted up to this high standard.

@Kerevin: More minis I don’t know. Great paint job. Love the reds but the overall look very striking with the limited palette.

@Kisanis: Getting anything painted whilst moving is a result. Painted well is a real challenge and you have done a great job on these guys. What are the plans for the bases? I do like to see bases.

@Little Jo.: You minis are great but your basing …. … Is something else. Stunning bases. Really great job.

@Maxxev: Great minis and not much wrong with your painting that a quick wash with those citadel washes wouldn’t fix. But the bases … got to love your bases. In the words of Our Lord Dave Andrews … ‘faces and bases’

@GommezAdams: Cracking mini. Can’t tell from the phot … is the flesh shaded? Highlighted. The lighting has washed it out a bit and its hard to tell. I really must get some stuff from Reaper they do some lovely minis.

@Whitwort Stormbringer: More minis I don’t know … but again very nice. I know that feeling sometimes I would really struggle with everything I was trying to get done for the Tale of painters but then there was always a very satisfied feeling that I had got so much done and it really motivated me to crack on with the next months stuff … hope it has worked that way for you

@The Judge: I tell you what you didn’t just make up with it with quantity but with quality as well. Stunning paint jobs. Can’t get over you can get that much done to that standard in a month. The crocs are my fave.

[Harry]

Thanks to everyone who has said such nice things about my efforts. Always appreciated.

@Harry: Yaaargh :P, Cool bunch of fighters, what game are you planning on using them for (if for a game)

Legends of the High Seas is what I have ... may need to write a few rules. .... but may take a look at Cutlass.

@Harry - nice to see an old veteran on here - the skellie that is !! how old is that model out of interest ?

Ha Ha! Marauder miniatures ... must be about 20 years old.

@Harry - Great classic model. It must have been difficult to finish just one guy this month

Ha Ha! You may laugh ... But it is a guy I would not have got done without this tale and it is a guy I got done in addition to the other stuff I got painted that would have not happened but for this tale and it is one step closer to being able to play another game with painted minis.

@Harry: Great band of fantasy pirates you've got started, what game will they be used for? Model selection is great, who else are you planning to add to the crew?

See above for the answer to the first question. As for additions ...I have mentioned the saratosan Pirate and for a human, my favorite guy from Black scorpion, and a chinese pirate from foundry, another old marauder mini ... this time a Sea elf an even older Citadel dwarf, I have a Black Scorpion Elf and a Goblin ... so it is an eclectic mix.

@Harry: What species belonged the owner of that skeleton to? It’s so short…

People vary in size ... he was just a little fella.

HARRY - Really looking forward to the Saratosa pirate, one of my favourite GW minis of all time and should make a nice little addition to the collection so far

He is done now ... but I will save the photos for the next thread

@Harry: I remember him and definitely remember that shield. He seems to be a parrot down compared to the other two

LOL They don't ALL need a bloody parrot.

@Harry: Aarrr! That skelly is great and has a fitting shield to boot. And those cowboys look so 70s western but still clean. That Mexican is ace and the ....

What? "and the ..." what? Don't leave me just hanging here.

@Harry: Your minis put the rest of us to shame...

Not at all. I feel that other peoples painting puts mine to shame. There is bags of talent here all round ... Oh wait ... were you just talking about the minis not my painting? There is also lots of very interesting minis here which I would be aware of without my involvement. I am very happy to be amongst such esteemed company.

Looking forward to next months thread.

[Grisnik]

@Little Joe.. eyes are not done on purpose.. as per clients request.
@Harry.. thanks.. rest are finished up now.. so will post them up in the next month's thread.

[Maxxev]

@Maxxev: Great minis and not much wrong with your painting that a quick wash with those citadel washes wouldn’t fix. But the bases … got to love your bases. In the words of Our Lord Dave Andrews … ‘faces and bases’

They have already been washed..... if it makes you feel any better i'm crud at faces too :P. lol I rarely finish the eyes or eyebrows....

[Harry]

They have already been washed..... if it makes you feel any better i'm crud at faces too :P. lol I rarely finish the eyes or eyebrows....

Mmmmmm ... bit of devlan mud all round? Try using different washes. bit of orgryn flesh on the face and hands or to warm up the gold. Just for a bit of contrast? But to be honest the painting is fine ...... the bases, however, need help.

[Hairy Norseman]

@Little Joe - Cheers...with a nose that big I just couldn't resist adding some snot! Looking forward to seeing the Halflings painted.

@Maxxev - Those cultists are looking cool

@tame - Cheers!

@Harry - Merci sir! Must be cool to share your hobby with the kids. We took the wee-man to Salute but being only a couple of months old it wasn't really his thing I know what you mean, the tale has already more than doubled my painting output.

HN

[Little Joe]

@Harry: Sorry, I usually type my comments in Word and got distracted by the big hat. It reminded me off a TV series and I thought the figure was called Hoss, so I wanted to check and something came up.
I just did what I had to do and it checked out, I like that there are many different hats on these. Much more stylish this way, maybe I was just shocked to see a different basing style on your miniatures. Actually I like the choice of colours a lot, leather and beige cowboys and slightly more colourful Mexicans.

I think basing adds a lot to a miniature, especially when in small numbers. It can help to get a story across or to put a miniature in the right setting. For my Halfling cook I want it to be “do not touch the vegetable garden”. I picture these Halflings in a nicely tended and groomed environment, hence the straight lines with the boards and the grass. I did not want too many vegetables on the base so, so I went for a big crop of salad (easy to do with green stuff). The stone and the slightly higher tuft of grass are just colour additions. Here a picture:


Help for bases NR.1
How I add static grass to my bases

I use two kinds of PVA glue, one normal and one diluted 1:1. The diluted one is used for surfaces and the normal PVA glue is for tufts of taller grass.
When adding grass to a base I use two or three different mixes, up to five for larger bases.
Before you can apply grass I advice to glue sand onto the base (better texture for gluing grass to) and giving it a few dry brushes of different browns.
For short grasses I use a static grass application bottle from NOCH, you can easily make one yourself. It helps to get the grass upright onto the base. I start with the short static grass and apply the glue to the base, and then I put it in a big box and shoot the grass into the glue from about 15cm above the base with the applicator. I leave the last bit to the rim free because it looks neater that way; I even use a knife to get the grass there to stand up as well.
After it has fully dried I brush all the excess material off. Then a blob of normal PVA is applied and I push some longer static grass into the glue. I have these large jars with big and high rimmed caps in which I store the grass mixes. The cap is ideal to put a small amount in and with some stamp tweezers (long flat end at an edge) I build aligned heaps of grass. These are picked up with the tweezers and put between my fingers. Then I push them a bit on one side to get the ends at about the same place and push it in the glue. With a pointy object you can pluck it apart a bit and with you thumb gently mould the tuft into shape.

[Maxxev]

I have to get like 100 figures ready for a co-op mordheim capaign.... the bases will all be sand!! lol.

[Bubbatron]

been having a bit of a "lull" this month so decided to give something a try ive not done before, some source lighting, think ive not done too bad for a first attempt but ive seen a lot better, so any tips will be greatly appreciated !

first up are 2 temple dogs (cant remember their name !) so have gone for the standard glowy eyes effect on them, they actually look better from far away !

then for this wraith i got a bit adventurous and tried to make it look like the glow was coming from where its jaw should be a kind of underlight

[Kisanis]

@All

Nah, those skaven are for Normal fantasy, but i don't batch paint anything anymore - I just sit and look at a paint job that I go through quickly, and hate that I know that I can do it better. So I paint at that level - even for normal skaven.

That said I use them for DnD or Pathfinder rather regularly.

Hence why I'm not in the Fantasy painter league...

It's bending the rules, but its the only tale that seems to work. Besides, i now want to try 5 new games just from hanging around here

[Little Joe]

@Bubbatron: I have not done that technique often, but you need to almost paint up to a white at the centre. The temple dogs already look quite good and just need one or two highlights at the centre. With the red, add a bit of warm yellow as a highlight to get some contrast and then paint the source over orange to yellow into white/bright yellow.

Many better painters here, I hope they can shed a light.

[Maxxev]

Trying to finish off the dwarves, though I still have one more slayer to convert up.
I have to do more work to thier skin though, at the moment they are mostly sunburnt looking.... lol

There are more angles / individual shots on my blog.

Group shot