Margara, Dwarf Shaman: Bones 3 Figure

     This past week I painted the Margara, Dwarf Shaman, figure from the Bones 3 Original Core Set.  Instead of painting her as a magic user I decided to use her just as a plain old fighter, since I needed another Thug figures for my Dwarf-themed warband for Frostgrave.
      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 it.    I then glued the figure to a white-primed 1" fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue, and then glued the washer-mounted figure to a tongue depressor with a couple drops of the Elmer's glue.

       I began by giving the figure a wash with heavily thinned Reaper "Grey Liner" using a wet brush.  When that was dry, I painted her skin with Citadel "Dwarf Flesh".  I then painted her skirt with Ceramcoat "Denim Blue", and her shirt with Crafter's Acrylic "Orange Spice".

     Next, I painted her over-skirt with Ceramcoat "Raw Sienna", and her apron with Crafter's Acrylic "Cinnamon Brown".   I then painted her shoes with Folk Art "Dark Brown", and the handle of her hammer with Americana "Mississippi Mud".  After that, I painted her hair with Americana "Burnt Sienna".

     I then painted her large pouch with Americana "Bittersweet Chocolate", and the little sack tucked in her belt with Ceramcoat "Territorial Beige".   I also used the "Territorial Beige" to paint the rope holding the little cylindrical container on her front, and then used Accent "Mustard Seed" to paint the wraps under her left arm brace, her headband, the belt buckle and the clasp on the pouch. I followed that with painting all the metalwork and weapons with Americana "Zinc".

     I then went back over the "Zinc" using Folk Art Metallic "Gunmetal Grey" on the rune plates, arm guard, arm bands, and spike; and Accent "Princely Pewter" on the hammer, stein, and cylindrical container on the rope.  I then over painted the "Mustard Seed" on her belt buckle, pouch clasp, and headband decoration, with Ceramcoat "Bronze".
     When everything had a while to dry, I went back and gave a wash with Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" wash using a wet brush to all the figure except the metal bits.  When that had dried, I went back and gave a wash with Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash using a wet brush to all the metal bits.
     I then painted her eyes, and teeth; and afterwards highlighted her skin using a mix of the original "Dwarf Flesh" and Crafter's Acrylic "Flesh".

     Next, I highlighted her hair using Folk Art "Teddy Bear Brown", and then a little Americana "Sable Brown". After that I highlighted her shirt with Crafter's Acrylic "Pure Pumpkin", and then did her skirt with Apple Barrel "Apple Scotch Blue".  Then I did the highlights on her overskirt, the wraps under her arm guard, and her head band with Citadel "Bronze Flesh".  I did her apron after that using Ceramcoat "Territorial Beige", and her pouch after that using the "Mississippi Mud".   Next, I used Americana "Khaki Tan" on the wraps on the hammer handle", and touched a few highlights in her hair with this color as well.  Then I used Crafter's Edition "Taupe" to highlight the sack tucked into her belt, and the rope on which the cylindrical container hangs.
     I highlighted all the metal parts I had painted with the "Gunmetal Grey" using Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver", and the parts I had painted with the Princely Pewter using Ceramcoat "Metallic Pewter".  I then highlighted the parts I had painted with the "Bronze" using Ceramcoat "14K Gold". Lastly, I painted the entire base with Black.
    When the Black was dry, I used some white glue to glue a little sand to the base.  When this was dry, I painted the sand Black.  When the Black was dry, I drybrushed the bases with some of the Apple Barrel "Rock Grey", and then some Americana "Dove Grey".
      I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave him a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed it with Testor's Dullcote".

   I'm really happy with how she turned out.  Not particularly dressed for the frozen city, but I think she'll fit into my Frostgrave Dwarf warband just fine.

    Tune in on Thursday when I'll be posting a special article on the conversion work I've been doing on my Bones 3, Shipwreck Revenant figure.

   Also, don't forget, tomorrow, August 1st, the Reaper Bones 4 Kickstarter launches!  Be sure to register early, and pledge often!

Klaus Copperthumb, Dwarf Thief

   This past week I painted the Klaus Copperthumb, Dwarf Thief, figure from theBones 3 Dwarves set.   I have a Frostgrave warband of Dwarves that I never quite finished, that began with a couple Dwarf figures from Bones 2 as the Thaumaturge Wizard and Apprentice.  I had been waiting for all the Dwarves in Bones 3 to help fill out the missing soldiers in the group, and selected this figure to start with, to be one of the warband's Thieves.
     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 it.    I then glued the figure to a black-primed 1" fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue, and then glued the washer-mounted figure to a tongue depressor with a couple drops of the Elmer's glue.

          I began by giving the figure a wash with heavily thinned Reaper "Grey Liner" using a wet brush.  When that was dry, I painted his face with Games Workshop "Dwarf Flesh".  I then painted his cape with Americana "Zinc", and his pants with Americana "Charcoal Grey".

     Next, I painted his undershirt with Americana "Mississippi Mud", and his tunic with Crafter's Acrylic "Navy Blue". I then did all his leather equipment and boots with Black and after that, painted the boot tops with Apple Barrel "Burnt Sienna".

    After that I painted the hair and mustache with Americana "Bittersweet Chocolate", and the handles of his axes with Folk Art "Teddy Bear Brown".  Then, there were also some small bags/pouches on his belt that I painted with Americana "Khaki Tan".   I let everything dry for a while, then I gave the figure's face and hair a wash with some Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" using a wet brush.  I let that dry, and then I gave the rest of the figure a wash with some Citadel "Nuln Oil" using a wet brush as well.

     When the wash was dry, I painted his eyes, and then highlighted his skin with a mix of Crafter's Acrylic "Flesh", and the base "Dwarf Flesh".  I then highlighted his hair and mustache with the "Teddy Bear Brown".  Next, I did highlights on his cape with Crafter's Acrylic "Storm Cloud Grey", and his tunic with Ceramcoat "Denim Blue".  I then highlighted all his black leather parts and boots with Citadel "The Fang", followed by his undershirt with Americana "Khaki", and his boot tops with Americana "Terra Cotta".  After that, I highlighted his axe handles with Americana "Sable Brown, and the little bags/pouches with Americana "Antique White"
     I then did the metallics, painting his axe heads with with  Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey"and then applying highlights with Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver".
   Lastly, I painted the figure's integral base with Black.  When the Black was dry, I drybrushed the bases with some Apple Barrel "Rock Grey", and then some Folk Art "Platinum Grey".
    I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave him a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed it with Testor's Dullcote".

    I am happy with how this fellow came out.  He'll be a great addition to my Dwarf warband.

Breaking News: BONES IV Kickstarter Date Announced!

     Reaper announced the dates for their upcoming Bones IV Kickstarter this afternoon.  The party proceedings will get underway on August 1st.  See you all there!

Reaper's BONES IV Kickstarter Announced!

   For those that may have missed it, Reaper announced their new Bones Kickstaeter will be starting next month.  Exact date is yet to be released.

   Also it looks like this year they will be doing an RPG quest map theme for the stretch goal journey.

      Just like with Bones 3, going into it I feel I'll probably just pick and choose a few things, as I'm quite overwhelmed with Bones minis at the moment. :)  However, when the rubber hits the road I have a feeling I'll fail my will roll quickly, and be going in for the full Core Set.

Brain in a Jar: Bones 3 Figure

    This past week I worked on the Brain in a Jar figure from the Bones 3 Stoneskull Expansion.  This was one of the figures that most draw me to this expansion set, as I saw uses for it in everything from Fantasy, to Victorian Sci-Fi, to Pulp, to regular Sci-Fi.
     It also reminded me very much of my own Brain-in-a-thing creation I had done several years ago with my "They Saved Hitlers Brain" project. 
     I prepped this figures in the usual way; soaking the parts 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 them.
      I was first concerned that the figure's three legs might sag under its own weight, I took a black primed 2" fender washer on which I had glued a piece of card over the center hole before priming, and glued a small section of sprue from one of the clear  weapons sets to the center with a little Aleene's Tacky glue.  This would act as a support for the center of the figure.  I then glued the three legs to the washer with the Tacky glue.  I then used Gorilla superglue to glue the brain to the top piece and the clear chamber bottom to the leg piece.

     I began by painting the bottom and top all Black, and when they were dry, I drybrushed them with  Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey".  Next, I passed over the pieces with a lighter drybrush of Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver".  I then noticed the bad mold line running across the top of the chamber (visible in the below photo), and so took my hobby knife and trimmed it off; then did my best to repaint the section and blend it in.

     I first painted the small circular shape behind the crosshatch on the front panel.  It looked like the mouthpiece of a speaker to me so I painted it Black and did some Americana "Neutral Grey" highlights on it.  I then painted the little light in the upper right corner of the panel with Crafter's Acrylic "Deep Red", and then added highlights with Reaper MSP "Holly Berry" and Crafter's Acrylic "Daffodil Yellow".  I also used the "Holly Berry" to some reflected light effects along the edges by the little light.  Next I painted all the little ovals running around the edge of the base with Ceramcoat "Bronze", and then added Ceramcoat "14K Gold" highlights.

     Next, I painted the brain with Crafter's Acrylic Cherry Blossom Pink", and when dry gave it a thinned wash with some Iron Wind Metals "Red" ink.

     When the ink was dry,  I drybrushed the brain with some Folk Art "Milkshake".  I then painted all the cables attached to the brain with Black.  I then went back and paint the front ones with Ceramcoat "Copper, and the rest I simple added some Citadel "The Fang" highlights too.

     Next, I flipped the top over, and painted the little panels in the lights on each side with Reaper MSP Bones "Dungeon Slime".  When it was dry, I gave the lights, and a small area around the base of the lights, a wash with some thinned Iron Wind Metals "Mid Green" ink.  When it was dry, I went back and added a central highlight to each panel with, first, the "Dungeon Slime", and then a little White.  Next, I lightly drybrushed an area around the lights with Nicole's "Neon Green" to look like reflected light.
     Lastly, I painted the washer base with Americana "Neutral Grey".
      I let the parts dry overnight and the next day I gave the top of the jar, and the base of the walker a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed the two pieces with Testor's Dullcote".  When the Dullcote was dry, I glued the pieces together with the clear cylinder using Gorilla Superglue.

     I'm happy with how the model looks in general, but I wish I had been more careful making sure everything was straight and aligned before doing any gluing.  The legs are a bit more wonky than I would have liked (though in all honesty getting all three legs straight while steaming and reseting would have been a miracle.  This would have been a good candidate for the stiffer grey Bones material.) , and the brain is a little tilted.  The saving grace is that when it's on the table and in a game things like that won't be really noticed.

Dragon Plant: Bones 3 Figure

     This past week I finished up the Dragon Plant figure from the Bones 3 Stoneskull Expansion set.   Since I had really liked how my Death Star Lilies had turned out,  I thought I would use a similar color scheme.  This would also give me the option of using them as a mother and babies at some point.
     I prepped the figure in the usual way; soaking the parts 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 them.   When dry, I assembled the figure with  Gorilla Superglue.  I then glued the figure to a black-primed 2" fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue, and then glued the washer-mounted figure to a tongue depressor with a couple drops of the Elmer's glue.

     I began by painting the body of the plant with Americana "Forest Green".  When dry, I drybrushed it with some Crafter's Acrylic "Holiday Green", and then some Crafter's Acrylic "Wild Green".  I then used some of the "Wild Green" to highlight some of the tendrils on the plants appendages.

     Next, I painted the vines on the plant with Crafter's Acrylic "Citrus Green" and then painted the Leaves with Crafter's Acrylic "African Violet".

     After everything had a few hours to dry, I gave the entire body a wash with Citadel "Dark Green" ink using a wet brush.  When the ink wash was dry, I went back over the tendrils with the "Wild Green", and back over the vines with the "Citrus Green".  I then drybrushed the leaves with the "Forest Green".

     I moved to the "head" and this point, painting the outside of the bloom with Americana "Margarita".  I then applied some thinned Crafter's Acrylic "Purple Passion" to the ribbed areas on the bloom.  When this was dry, I drybrushed over it again with the "Margarita", and then drybrushed the whole bloom with some Apple Barrel "Lemon Chiffon". After that, I painted the inside of the bloom, the edges of the "petals", and the base of the pistil "tongue", with Ceramcoat "Opaque Red".

     Next, I took some Crafter's Acrylic "Tutti Frutti", and blended it into the red base of the pistil, and then painted the rest of the pistil with it as well. When dry, I gave the entire pistil a wash with some Iron Wind Metals "Purple" ink using a wet brush.  While this dried, I painted the "teeth" along he edge of the petals with Americana "Bleached Sand", and then went back over them with White highlights.   When the pistil wash was dry, I went back over it and did highlights on each of the little bumps using Crafter's Acrylic "Cherry Blossom Pink".
     Lastly, I painted the washer base with Ceramcoat "Walnut".
     I let the figure dry overnight and the next morning I gave it a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish. When that was dry, I flocked the base. Another overnight dry, and I sprayed it with Testor's Dullcote".

       I can't say that I am a huge fan of this figure.   I find the pose and sculpt in general to be rather awkward and simplistic.  And, this is another one of those really hard figures to photograph, as there is no true "front".   I think it could have been executed better.  That all being said, my heart wasn't in the paint job, and while I think it turned out okay, I'm not to thrilled with it.

Jurden, Half-Orc Paladin: Bones 3 Figure

     This past week I painted Jurden, Half-Orc Paladin , from the Bones 3 Heroes I Set.   A few weeks ago I had used him as one of my first test weapon-swap figures, and I thought it was about time I actually painted one of them.  In looking at this figure, there wasn't anything particularly orc-ish about it, so I decided to just paint it as a regular human.
      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 it.    I then glued the figure to a black-primed 1" fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue, and then glued the washer-mounted figure to a tongue depressor with a couple drops of the Elmer's glue.

      I began by painting almost the entire figure with Black, being careful not to get any on the clear blade.   When the Black was dry, I drybrushed the figure with  Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey".  I then passed over it with a lighter drybrush of Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver"

      I used the Black again at that point to paint the back of the shield. I painted his head with Americana "Shading Flesh", and while that dried, I painted his tabard and the front of his shield with Crafter's Acrylic "Bright Blue".  I then went back to the head and went over it with some very slightly thinned Americana "Asphaltum".

      I then painted his eyes, and did his hair Black with Americana "Zinc" and  Americana "Grey Sky" highlights. After that I did the highlights on his face with a mix of the "Shading Flesh" and the Asphaltum".  I also carefully painted the hilt of the clear sword with Black at this point.  Next, I painted his clerical stole, scabbard, and the bull's head on his shield with Ceramcoat "Black Cherry", and then highlighted his tabard and the edges of his shield with some Reaper MSP Bones "Tropical Blue".   I then went back and highlighted his stole, scabbard,  and the bull's head on his shield with Crafter's Acrylic "Christmas Red, and painted the eyes on the bull's head on his shield with White.

     Next, I painted the crown on his shield, the small bull's head-like clasp on his front armor, the ends of his stole, and the hilt of his raised sword with Accent "Golden Harvest".  Then I painted the grip of his sheathed sword, and the strap on his shield with Americana "Raw Umber". After that, I went back and re-painted the crown on his shield, the small bull's head-like clasp on his front armor, the ends of his stole, and the hilt of his sword with Ceramcoat "Bronze".  I mixed some of the "Black Cherry", and some Ceramcoat "14K Gold", and tried to paint a bit of a paisley pattern on his stole.  I then used some Ceramcoat "Wedding Gold" to highlight the crown on his shield, the small bull's head-like clasp on his front armor, the ends of his stole, and the hilt of his sword.  After that, I used some of the "Metallic Silver" to go back over the figure and do some specific highlight painting on his armor.  I finished work on him by painting highlights on the sheathed sword grip, and the shield's strap using Folk Art "Teddy Bear Brown".
     Lastly, I painted the figure's integral base with Ceramcoat "Walnut".
     I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave him a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish, being careful not to get any on the sword blade. When dry, I flocked the base. Another overnight dry, and I sprayed him with Testor's Dullcote". Before spraying though, I taped a piece of folded paper over the sword blade to protect it from the spray paint.

    Well, I have to declare my first painted weapon-swapped figure to be a big success.   I'm really happy with the way this guy came out; and I think the crystal look of the sword was worth the extra effort it took to keep paint off it during the whole process.