Cultists: Bones II Figures

   This week I also completed the pair of Cultists from the Bones II Expansion Pack I.   I figured they were a suitable follow-up to the Summoning Circle and Demi-Lich I did two weeks ago.
      I prepped the figures in the usual way; soaking them in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving them a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying.  I then glued them each to a 1" black-primed fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue and glued the washers to a tongue depressor with a couple drops of Elmer's White Glue. .
      I began by painting the figures both completely with Black.  I then drybrushed both with Folk Art "Settlers Blue"

     Next, I painted their decorative hangings with GW "Blood Red", and then did trim on them with  Americana "Cranberry Wine".   I then painted the pages of the book with Americana "Buttermilk".

      I painted their faces and hands with DecoArt "Flesh", and the handle of the knife with Americana
"Charcoal Grey".  I then went back and painted the teeth on the one with the book, using DecoArt "Light Antique White".  When these had had a sufficient amount of time to dry, I gave the flesh parts and the pages of the book all a wash with GW "Agrax Earthshade" wash using a wet brush.

     When the wash was good and dry, I began the doing the highlights.  First I highlighted the flesh parts using the base "Flesh".  I highlighted the teeth using the base "Light Antique White".  Then I highlighted the pages in the book with the base "Buttermilk".   I painted all the decorative buttons and skulls on their clothing, and the book, as well as the knife hilt with Ceramcoat "Bronze".  Next, I painted the blade of the knife with Folk Art "Silver Sterling"  I then added a fine "White" highlight line along the top edge of the knife.   Lastly, I painted the base with GW "Khemri Brown".

     I let the figures dry the rest of the day, and that night  I gave them a coat of Ceramcoat "Matte Varnish".  The next morning I sprayed them with Testor's "Dullcote" spray varnish.

    I'm pleased with how these fellows turned out.  Not the greatest paint job, but good enough for gaming use.

Bat & Cat Familiars: Figures 162 & 163 of 265

    I ended up with very little painting time this week; so by Thursday, I realized I wouldn't be able to get a figure done. My solution was to pull out the Familiars Set and selected the two simplest: the Bat and Cat.
     I prepped the figures in the usual way; soaking them in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving them a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying.  I then glued them each to a 5/8" black-primed fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue.

   I began by painting the figures both completely with Black.  I then drybrushed both with Folk Art "Settlers Blue"

     Next, I painted two pin point eyes on the bat with GW "Blood Red".  I then did eyes on the cat by painting them DecoArt "Wild Green", and then adding Black slit pupils.  I finished by painting the inside of the cat's ears with Americana "Shading Flesh".
    After the figures had overnight to dry, I gave them a coat of Ceramcoat "Matte Varnish".  The next morning I flocked the bases, and that afternoon I sprayed them with Testor's "Dullcote" spray varnish.

     Not the most stunning of figures,  but just the thing to get done during a busy week.

Figures 162 & 163; Complete

In Case You Missed It....

Reaper just added this huge 5-headed dragon as a stretch goal to their Bones 3 Kickstarter.  Just over 2 days left.....

Not the "For Scale" figure in the lower right

You can check it out here: Bones 3

Reaper "Bones 3" Kickstarter: Only 3 Days to Go!

  I just wanted to let folks know that the Reaper Bones 3 Kickstarter has just over 3 more days to go.  It's a great opportunity to get a lot of minis for a really reasonable price.  The Core Set has well over 100 minis, and there are a lot of great add-on sets as well.   If you haven't done so already check it out: Bones 3 Kickstarter

Trista, the White Wolf: Figure 161 of 265

   This week I painted Trista the White Wolf figure from the Heroes Set.  When I started on her, I hadn't yet looked up her name.  So, when I decided to go with a red and yellow color scheme, I thought it would be neat to name her "The Red Wolf" and give her red hair. So for my purposes, she's  renamed as Trista the Red Wolf. :)
      I prepped the figure in the usual way; soaking it in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish- soap added, then giving it a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying.  I then glued the figure to a 1" black-primed fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue, and glued the washer to a tongue depressor with a couple drops of Elmer's White Glue.

     I began by painting her armor Black, and when the Black was dry I drybrushed the figure with Ceramcoat "Metallic Pewter".  I then went over this with a lighter drybrushing of Folk Art "Silver Sterling".

    Next, I painted her cloth hangings, and her shield, with Apple Barrel "Yellow". I then painted the wolf head on her shoulder, her two scabbards, and the wolf design on her shield with GW "Blood Red".  I painted her face with DecoArt "Flesh".

I followed with painting her belts and pouches with Folk Art "Dark Brown", her sword grips with Accent "Real Umber", and her gloves with GW "Vermin Brown". I painted the back of her shield "Black".  I used Apple Barrel "Burnt Sienna" to paint her hair.

    After the paint had time to dry, I gave all the non-metal parts a wash with some Winsor-Newton "Peat Brown" Ink using a wet brush.

     When the ink wash had time to dry, I began on the highlights.   First, I drybrushed her hair with the base "Burnt Sienna". I then went back over it with a lighter highlight using American "Burnt Orange".   I then painted her eyes, (see my Eye Tutorial) and did her lips with Americana "Shading Flesh", adding lip highlights with a bit of the "Shading Flesh" mixed with White.   I followed up with doing highlights on her skin with the base "Flesh", and then added a little White to do finer highlights.
     Next, I highlighted all the yellow parts with first the base "Yellow", and then with some DecoArt "Daffodil Yellow". The red parts I highlighted with the base "Blood Red".  The belts and pouches were highlighted with Crafters Edition "Spice Brown", and the gloves with the base "Vermin Brown".  I then went back and did spot highlights on her armor and sword with the "Silver Sterling".   Lastly, I painted his white integral base with Cermacoat "Walnut".
       I let the figure sit overnight, and the next morning I gave it a coat of Ceramcoat "Matte Varnish".  Later that afternoon I flocked the base.   The next day I sprayed the figure with Testor's Dullcote.

     I'm pleased with how this basic figure turned out.  Nothing too challenging, but it makes for a nice fighter character figure,

Figure 161 of 265: Complete

Summoning Circle & Demi-Lich: Bones II Figures

  This week I also completed the Summoning Circle and the Demi-Lich from the Bones II Expansion  Set I.  The two pieces make a nice set, and are both pretty simple, so I thought I'd paint them at the same time.
      I prepped the figures in the usual way; soaking them in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving them a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying.  I then glued the stone circle to a 2" black-primed fender washer, and the Demi-Lich to a 1" black-primed fender washer, both with Aleene's Tacky glue. I glued the Demi-Lich's washer to a tongue depressor with a couple drops of Elmer's White Glue. The 2" washer was big enough to just hand hold.

I began by painting the stones a random mix of DecoArt "Storm Cloud Grey", Apple Barrel "Rock Grey", and Duncan "Slate Grey".  I painted the parchment with Apple Barrel "Apple Parchment", and the skulls with Americana "Buttermilk

      Next, I painted the Candle with Deco Art "Light Antique White", and the unidentifiable blob next to one of the skulls with Black.  The mossy areas I did with DecoArt "Forest Green", and the knife's grip with Americana "Zinc".  Lastly, there was one object that I could not identify other than it resembling a hot dog in a bun; so I painted it that way, with a Folk Art "Butter Pecan" Bun,  GW "Tanned Flesh" dog.

     I then painted the knife, the metal rings, and the plate the hot dog is on with  Ceramcoat "Metallic Pewter.  After everything had time to dry, I gave the entire piece a wash with GW "Badab Black" wash using a wet brush. 

    When the wash was dry, I worked on the highlights.   I added highlights to the parchment with the "Light Antique White", and I highlighted the skulls and the candle with plain White.  I added script to the parchment, and a wick to the candle, with Black.  I also did some red highlight letters on the parchment with Folk Art "Deep Tomato Red".  The black blob I highlighted with a little drybrush of Folk Art "Settler's Blue".  The hot dog and the moss I highlighted with their base colors.  The metal parts I highlighted with Folk Art "Silver Sterling".  Lastly, I painted the whole base with GW "Khemri Brown". 

     I let the circle sit all day, and that evening I gave it a coat of Ceramcoat "Matte Varnish".  The next morning I sprayed it with Testor's "Dullcote" spray varnish.

     As I worked on the circle, I also worked on the Demi-Lich, adding paint to one, while waiting for a color on the other to dry

     I began by painting the whole thing Apple Barrel "Apple Lavender" I then painted the bones with the "Light Antique White"

     When these colors were dry, I gave the entire thing a wash with Iron Wind Metals "Purple" ink using a wet brush.

     When the wash was dry, I highlighted the purple with the base "Apple Lavender". I then mixed in a little White with the "Apple Lavender" and did lighter highlights.  I then highlighted the bones with White.  I pained Apple Barrel "Yellow" eyes in the skull's sockets and gave them "Deep Tomato Red" pupils, and I painted the inside of the skull's mouth with Black.  Lastly, I painted the whole base with GW "Khemri Brown". 

  I let the figure sit all day, and that evening I gave it a coat of Ceramcoat "Matte Varnish".  The next morning I sprayed it with Testor's "Dullcote" spray varnish.

  Here's a shot of them together.  Next, I plan to work on the pair of Cultists to go with this set-up.

    I'm not real excited about my results. While thy are both fine and serviceable, in the end everything looks a bit too bright and cheerful.  I think I should have gone for a darker palette for both pieces.

Yephima, Female Cloud Giant to Uncharted Seas Giant Conversion: Figure 160 of 265

    Some of you may remember way back in February of 2014 I did a conversion on one of the Yephima, Female Cloud Giant, figures that I had received in a trade I made at the Historicon convention following the receipt of my Bones I Kickstarter box. If you want to check it out, you can see my original post here: Yephima, Female Cloud Giant Conversion; but to summarize, I removed the legs, and re-positioned the club, on the figure in order to make it suitable to use with my Uncharted Seas fantasy naval warfare collection.

     This figure had been knocking about my painting table for over a year now, and I thought it was high time to get some paint on it.

      I began by painting her skin with Americana "Shading Flesh". I then painted her loin cloth with DecoArt "Daffodil Yellow"; and in an attempt to mimic the darkened look of wet fabric , I painted the lower half of the cloth with the darker Apple Barrel "Yellow".  I painted the under layer of her wrist guard with Folk Art "Butter Pecan", and then her shoulder armor and wrist protector with Accent "Real Umber".

     I then painted her hair with Accent "Mustard Seed", and her club with Crafters Edition "Spice Brown". I liked how the main body of the club appeared reminiscent of a ships figurehead, as if the club might be fashioned from old ship parts.    Next, I painted her armor and decorative items with Cermacoat "Bronze".  The fittings on her club I painted with Ceramcoat "Metallic pewter"

      After all the paint had time to dry, I gave the entire figure a wash with GW "Agrax Earthshade" wash using a wet brush.

     When the wash had dried, I began on the highlights.  First I worked on her hair, drybrushing it with Ceramcoat "Maple Suger Tan", and then Americana "Buttermilk"; and using a fine brush to highlight the strands that fell on her shoulder. I also added eyebrows at this time, with first the "Maple Sugar Tan" and then the "Buttermilk".  Next I did her eyes, with Black sockets, White whites, and Black pupils.  I then moved to her mouth, mixing a little Folk Art "Deep Tomato Red" with the "Shading Flesh" to do the lips, and then adding a little White to do highlights, and then just white to do pinpoint highlights.  I then highlighted her skin with the base "Shading Flesh", and then added a little Apple Barrel "Apple Flesh" to the "Shading Flesh" to do finer highlights.

     I then highlighted her loincloth with the base colors I had used, and highlighted the club by drybrushing it with Americana "Sable Brown".  The under-layer of the wrist guard I highlighted with the base "Butter Pecan", and the top strap of the wrist guard, and the should armor I highlighted with Folk Art Dark Brown".  I then highlighted her armor with first the base "Bronze", and then finer highlights with Cermacoat "14K Gold".  I finished up with highlighting the metal on her club with Folk Art "Silver Sterling".   
     I let the figure sit overnight, and the next morning I gave it a coat of Ceramcoat "Matte Varnish".    When that had dried, I mixed some tube acrylic Blue and Green to use to paint the "sea water" on the base.  I used the thicker tube acrylic so it would give some texture to the water.    After the "sea water" had overnight to dry, I painted on some White sea-foam effect using my plain bottle acrylics.   That afternoon I sprayed the figure with Testor's "Dullcote".   The next morning I gave the "sea water" a coat of Americana "DuraClear Gloss" Varnish to help with the water look.

Shown attacking an "Uncharted Seas" Orc Battleship

Shown next to the giant produced by Spartan Games specifically for used with Uncharted Seas, to see a size comparison.

I'm pleased with how she turned out, though I think I could have done better on her face.  I wasn't really mentally prepared for the added amount of attention such a larger face demands.

Figure 160 of 265; Complete

Yes, I'm In: A Bones III Confession

   Just wanted to let you all know that I caved, and went in on the Bones III Core Set. :-)  I was planning to just go in for a dollar to pick and choose, but the inclusion of all the Lizardmen (I'm a sucker for Lizardmen; see my other blog for posts on the 10mm Lizardman Army I'm currently building), and the inclusion of the Yeti (Chill Out) stretch goal (which will go great with my winter-themed fantasy side-project) helped convince me to go in for the whole set.
   I haven't been swayed by any of the buy-in add on sets yet though, but time will tell...
Here is a link to the Bones III Kickstarter

  So who else has succumbed to the madness?? :-)

Update! Reaper Bones III Kickstarter Begins Tomorrow

  Just wanted to let you all know that the Reaper Bones III Kickstarter launches tomorrow! For more info, see the eReaper Website

Sorry, No Posts This Week

  Just wanted to let my readers know that I won't be doing my usual Monday and Thursday posts this week. I have been busy with friends visiting this past week for the 4th of July holiday, and this week my wife and I are going to visit her folks for a couple days.
   Tune in again next Monday, July 13th for my next completed figure.