Monday, January 29, 2018

Woody Stumpwimple, Halfling Ranger: Bones 2 Figure

     This past week I painted the Woody Stumpwimple, Halfling Ranger, figure from the Bones 2 Core Set.   I plan to use this figure as a Scout in a Ghost Archipelago Crew I am building made up of Halflings and Gnomes.
      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 7/8" fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue.   And, when the glue was dry,  I put it in my Citadel painting grip.
     I began by giving the figure with a thinned wash of Reaper MSP "Brown Liner".  When the wash was dry, I painted the lower armor with Black, and when the Black was dry, I drybrushed it with Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey".  I then painted his face, feet, and hands with Reaper MSP "Tanned Shadow" and his torso armor with Citadel "Snakebite Leather".
     Next, I painted his coat with Reaper MSP "Christmas Wreath", and his gloves with Ceramcoat "Territorial Beige".  I then painted his belts and quiver with Americana "Sable Brown", and his pouch with Americana "Khaki Tan".  After that, I painted his bow with Crafters Edition "Spice Brown", and the fletchings on his arrows with Americana "Dove Grey".
    I painted his hair (both head and feet) with Crafter's Acrylic "Cinnamon Brown",  and the fasteners on his coat with Folk Art "Barn Wood".  Then, after the figure had a while to dry, I came back and I gave the body a wash with Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" wash, and the face a wash with Citadel "Reikland Fleshshade" wash.   When the washes were dry, I painted his eyes, and then highlighted the face with Reaper MSP "Tanned Skin" and some Reaper MSP "Tanned Highlight".  After that, I painted his sword, first with Americana Zinc", and then with the "Gunmetal Grey".
     I then worked on the highlighting his coat using Americana "Leaf Green", and his leather armor with Ceramcoat "Maple Sugar Tan".  I highlighted the gloves with the "Khaki Tan", and the belts and quiver with Americana "Mississippi Mud".  I highlighted the bow with Folk Art "Teddy Bear Fur", and the Fletchings with White. The pouch I highlighted with Crafter's Edition "Taupe", and the coat's fasteners I highlighted with the base "Barn Wood".   I finished up by highlighting the metal with Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver".
     Lastly, I painted the figure's base with Ceramcoat "Walnut".
     I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave it a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Then, when  the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to flock the base.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed it with Testor's Dullcote".

     I'm really happy with how this little guy turned out, though I don't think his Dullcote dried dull enough.  I may have to respray him.

Monday, January 22, 2018

Spikeshell Warrior Converted to Snapping Turtle

    I needed a snapping turtle for the Ghost Archipelago Bestiary, and the easiest way I could think of to get one was to simply convert one of the Bones 2 Spikeshell Warrior figures (from the Swamp Things set) that I still had lying around.
The one on the left is the one I used.

      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 carefully cut off his arms, legs, and head.  I also cut away his shield and club.
     Next, I trimmed the underside of his shell so it would sit flatter on a base.  After that I trimmed his head and his limbs so they would fit the shell better in what would be it's new horizontal orientation.  I then glued all the parts back together.   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 the whole figure with a 50/50 mix of Americana "Avocado", and Apple Barrel "Apple Black Green".   When they were dry, I gave the entire turtle a wash with Citadel Agrax Earthshade" wash.
      When the wash was dry, I drybrushed the turtle with Folk Art "Grey Green".  After that I painted his eys with Reaper MSP "Holly Berry", and then painted the inside of his mouth with Apple Barrel "Flesh".  Then, when the flesh was dry, I agve his mouth a wash again with the "Agrax Earthshade".  When the wash was dry, I  added some quick highlights to his tongue with the base "Flesh".
     Lastly, I painted the base with Americana "Raw Umber".
     I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave it a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Then, when  the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to flock the base.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed it with Testor's Dullcote".

     I'm pleased with how this little fellow came out.  It was just a quick conversion, but I think he makes a snappy little snapping turtle! :)

Monday, January 15, 2018

Arael, Half Elf Cleric

     This past week I painted Arael, Half Elf Cleric, to round out the basic crewmen for my Ghost Archipelago warband.  Even though he is billed as a cleric, I thought there was a bit of swashbuckle about his appearance that would make him a good ship's crew figure.  As far as I know he wasn't part of any of the Bones Kickstarters.
      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.  This figure was going to be the first I tried in my new painting grip that my friend, Buck, gave me fore Christmas.  I was pleased to see that a washer mounted figure fits in the clamp plates nice and snugly.
     I began by painting his face and hands with Crafter's Acrylic "Flesh", and then painted his tunic with Folk Art "Cloudy Day". After that, I painted his pants with Folk Art "Celadon Green", and then pianted stripes on them with Folk Art "Hunter Green".
     Next, I painted his boots with Americana "Mississippi Mud", and the boot tops with Americana "Avocado".  I then panted his armor with Folk Art "Dapple Gray", and the two studded streamers hanging down from his front with Crafter's Acrylic "Bright Yellow".  I also painted the bit of under shirt peaking out at his neck, and between the studded streamers, with Crafter's Acrylic "Cool Blue".
     Next, I painted all the pouches and the sword grip with Crafter's Edition "Spice Brown", and any odd belts and straps with Nicole's "Brown". I then painted the sword and dagger scabbards with Reaper MSP BONES "Tropical Blue", and the long sash with Crafter's Acrylic "Dark Turquoise". After that, I painted the sword, scabbard fittings, and any buckles with Crafter's Acrylic "Storm Cloud Grey". 
      I painted his hair with Americana "Sable Brown", and then repainted the long sash with a 50/50 mix of Folk Art "Metallic Blue Sapphire" and Folk Art "Metallic Emerald Green".  Next, I repainted the sword, scabbard fittings, and buckles with Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey". Then, after everything had a chance to dry fro a while; I gave the entire figure, except for the head and hands, a wash with Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash.
    When the "Nuln Oil" wash was dry, I needed to touch up the hands a little,  using the base "Flesh" color, where some of the "Nuln Oil" had got on them.    I then gave the head, hands and hair, all a wash with some Citadel "Reikland Fleshshade" wash.  Then, when that wash was dry, I painted his eyes, and then highlighted his skin with the base "Flesh", and then a little of the "Flesh with a little White added to it.  Next, I highlighted the hair with Reaper MSP "Tanned Highlight"
     Next, I highlighted his tunic with some of the base "Cloudy Day" mixed with a little Crafter's Acrylic "Cool Blue".  I then highlighted the armor with a mix of the base "Dapple Grey" with some Folk Art "Grey Green".  The belts, pouches, etc were highlighted with Americana "Khaki Tan", and the scabbard and dagger sheath were highlighted with the base "Tropical Blue".   I then worked on the boots, highlighting the tops with Duncan "Olive Green", and the rest with a mix of the base "Mississippi Mud" with some Folk Art "Barn Wood".   After that, I worked on the sashes, highlighting the small studded one with the base "Bright Yellow"; and the longer one with some of the "Metallic Emerald Green mixed with some Folk Art Pearl "Aqua Moire".   I wrapped things up by highlighting all the metal, and adding the studs and buckles, with Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver".   Lastly, I painted the figure's base with Ceramcoat "Walnut".
     I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave it a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Then, when  the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to flock the base.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed it with Testor's Dullcote".

     I'm rather pleased with this guy, even though I rushed him to get him done on time.  And, he fits in quite nicely with the rest of my crew.

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Lindir, Elf Archer

     I'm posting a bonus figure this week as I rush to get my crew completed for the inaugural game of this year's Ghost Archipelago campaign, which takes place this Saturday.  I painted Lindir, Elf Archer, to be the second Archer in my Ghost Archipelago Warband.  I don't think he was ever part of one of the Bones Kickstarters, so I ordered him directly from Reaper.
        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 thinned Reaper MSP "Brown Liner".   I then painted the face and hands with Crafter's Acrylic "Flesh". Next, I painted his tunic with Folk Art "Teddy BEar Brown", and his pants with Accent "Golden Harvest".  After that, I painted the little diamond of under shirt, that shows at the front of the tunic, with Americana "Bleached Sand".
     I then painted his boots, wrist guards, and shoulder armor with Crafter's Acrylic "Cinnamon Brown", and the decorations on his tunic and his sash with Crafter's Acrylic "Holiday Green". After that, I painted his bow with Folk Art "Grey Green", his scabbard and quiver with Vallejo "Brown Violet", and his hair with Americana "Antique White".
     Next, I painted the decroations on his quiver and scabbard, as well as the fittings on his bow, with Ceramcoat "Raw Sienna".  I then painted the fletchings with Americana "Dove Grey", and the grip on the sword and bow with Americana "Mississippi Mud".  I also painted a little area between the sword grip and the end, and the grip and the sheath, with Americana Zinc.
     When everything had a while to dry, I gave the entire figure a wash with Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" wash.  When the wash was dry, I painted his eyes; and then highlighted his face and hands with the base "Flesh", and then a little of the "Flesh" mixed with a bit of White.  After that, I highlighted his hair with Apple Barrel "Lemon Chiffon", and then a little of the "Bleached Sand".
    Next, I highlighted his tunic with Reaper MSP "Tanned Shadow", and then highlighted his pants with a mix of the base "Golden Harvest" and some Americana "Buttermilk".  I then did the highlights on his boots, wrist guards, and shoulder armor, with Crafter's Edition "Spice Brown".  After that, I highlighted the trim on his tunic with a mix of the base "Holiday Green" with some Crafter's Acrylic "Wild Green", and did the highlights on little diamond of under shirt using Crafter's Acrylic "Light Antique White".  I next did highlights on his bow with the base "Grey Green", and then highlighted his scabbard and quiver with Americana "Avocado".  I highlighted the fletchings with White, and the grips on the sword and bow with Americana "Khaki Tan".  I then turned to all the metal parts, highlighting them with Ceramcoat "14K Gold".
     Lastly, I painted the base with Americana "Raw Umber".
     I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave it a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Then, when  the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to flock the base.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed it with Testor's Dullcote".

     I'm really happy how this figure turned out.  I like it's elegant simplicity; just how I would imagine a down-to-business Elf archer.

Monday, January 8, 2018

Lendil Blackroot, Wizard: Bones 3 Figure

   This past week I got back to panting figures for Ghost Archipelago, and painted Lendil Blackroot, Wizard, from the Bones 3 Original Core Set.  I plan to use this figure as a Storm Warden in the game, so decided to start off with a blue and grey color scheme.  I liked how the pose of the figure almost looked like he was standing in a strong wind.
    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 his face and hands with Reaper MSP "Tanned Skin".  I then painted his robes with Citadel "The Fang", and his cape and hat with Americana "Zinc".
     Next, I painted his boots, belt and staff with Black, and then painted the orb on top of the staff with Folk Art "Metallic Blue Sapphire".  I then painted his hair, and his inner sleeves with Americana "Dove Grey", and the rope wrapping the top of the staff with Americana "Raw Umber".  
     On the back of his cape, I took a bit of foam from a blister insert, and using some Black, and a bit of the "Dove Grey", tried to dab a bit of storm cloud pattern onto the cape.
     Then, when the figure had a while to dry, I gave the whole thing a wash with Citadel "Nuln Oil Wash.  When this wash was dry, I painted his eyes, and then highlighted his skin with firs the base "Tanned Skin", and then Reaper MSP "Tanned Highlight".  After that, I highlighted his hair with first the base "Dove Grey", and then plain White.
     Next, I highlighted his robes with Folk Art "Cloudy Day" mixed with a little of "The Fang".  and I highlighted his hat and cape with Crafter's Acrylic "Storm Cloud Grey".  I then went back and painted the cord wrapped around the base of his hat with Folk Art "Platinum Grey".   After that, I did some quick highlights on his inner sleeves with Folk Art "Porcelain White".  I painted the chains on his belt, his medallion, and a couple of the charms on his hat, with Cermacoat Bronze.  I then painted one of the charms on his hat, the stone in his medallion, and one of the charms on the belt, with the "Metallic Blue Sapphire".  The other charm on his belt I painted with first Anita's Violet", and then over-painted it with Folk Art Color Shift "Purple Flash".   I wanted the charms hanging from his belt to stand out a little bit more, so I traced around them with some Reaper MSP "Grey Liner".
     I then turned my attention to his staff, and highlighted the shaft with Aleene's "Slate Grey".  I also used this color to highlight his boots.  Next, I highlighted the wrap on the top of the staff with Americana "Mississippi Mud".  I did a highlight on the orb with Folk Art Pearl "Aqua Moire", and then over-painted the whole orb with Citadel Technical "Soulstone Blue".
     Lastly, I painted his base with the "Raw Umber".
     I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave it a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Then, when  the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to flock the base.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed it with Testor's Dullcote".
      Here's a look at the storm cloud pattern I tried to sponge onto the cape.  I don't think it really reads as storm clouds, but still looks ok as just a mottled pattern for a Storm Warden's cape.
     Overall, I'm pretty happy with how he turned out.  He perhaps looks a little too Gandalf-y; but the sculpt, and the color choices I made for the type of Warden I want him to represent, kind of lends itself to that.

Monday, January 1, 2018

Torture Equipment- Stock: Bones 3 Figure

 With all the Christmas and New Year stuff going on this past week, I again picked something quick and easy to paint, so this past week chose the Stock from the Bones 3 Torture Chamber set.
    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 trimmed the base a little, and glued the figure to a primed 1"x.5" steel base 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 stock with Nicole's "Brown".  When the "Brown" was dry, I gave it a wash with Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" wash.
     When the wash was dry, I drybrushed the stock with Americana "Mississippi Mud", and then Folk Art "Barn Wood.  I then took a little Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash and painted it in the crevices where the two boards forming the stock would naturally separate, and along the uprights too, to help make it look like all the wood parts were actually separate pieces.
     Next, I painted the rope loops with the Mississippi Mud", and the bolts with Americana "Bittersweet Chocolate".  I then gave the ropes and bolts a wash with the "Agrax Earthshade" wash.  When this wash was dry, I highlighted the rope with Crafter's Edition "Taupe", and the bolts with Crafter's Edition "Spice Brown". After that, I painted the base with Americana "Neutral Grey", and then gave the cobblestones sculpted into the integral base a wash with some thinned "Nuln Oil" wash.
     I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave it a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Then, another overnight dry, and I sprayed it with Testor's Dullcote".
Nothing to get excited about, but it is another piece painted for 2017.  :)

I want to conclude by saying Happy New Year to everybody, and thanks for your continued support!