Arakus Landarzad, Wizard: Bones 4 Figure

     It took me two weeks, but I finally finished "Arakus Landarzad, Wizard" from the Bones 4 Grey Beards set in the Core box.   I wanted this guy to serve as a wizard for a Human army I'm building for an under-development set of Fantasy rules called "Wars of Orcs and Dwarves", based on the recently published "Wars of Ozz" ruleset. The army I'm building is generally yellow-themed in color scheme, so I wanted this guy to be yellow too. 

The first unit of Spearmen I created for my army.  These are Oathmark plastic figures.

   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 brown-primed 1.5" fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then placed the figure in my painting grip.  

     Since the units for the army have a yellow, grey and black color scheme, I wanted to do something similar for the wizard.   I began by painting his face and hands with Reaper MSP "Tanned Skin".  I then painted his robes and hat with Americana "Primary Yellow", and his under-sleeves with Ceramcoat "Territorial Beige"

     Next, I painted his cloak with Reaper MSP "Dark Elf Skin", and then his belt with Accent "Real Umber".  After that, I painted his pouch with Americana "Asphaltum",  his staff with Ceramcoat "Black, and his beard with Apple Barrel "Burnt Sienna". 

     I then let everything dry for a bit, and when I returned I gave his face, hands, and beard a coat of Citadel "Reikland Fleshshade" wash.  I followed with giving his under-sleeves, belt, and pouch a coat of "Agrax Earthshade" wash.  I had read somewhere about using purple as a shadow for yellows, and how good it looked; so I wanted to try that with this guy.  So, I mixed some of the base "Primary Yellow" with some Crafter's Acrylic "African Violet", and painted his the recessed shadow areas of his robes and hat.   

          Next, I painted the eyes and then highlighted the face and hands with the base "Tanned Skin", and Reaper MSP "Tanned Highlight".  I then worked on highlighting the robes using the base "Primary Yellow" mixed with varying degrees of Crafter's Acrylic Daffodil Yellow".  I ended up having to use a little of the "African Violet" as well to blend into the shadows properly. In retrospect,  I should have just done the whole robes this way to begin with.  I know some folks like to do the mid-tones, then paint the shadows then the highlights, and I even do it this way when I use the citadel washes; but doing it with straight blending was difficult, since in doing the highlights now, I ended up having to redo the mid-tones anyway in order to transition properly into the highlights.  Anyhow it was a good learning experience.  Afterwards, I worked on the cape, highlighting that with the base "Dark Elf Skin", mixed with a little "Reaper MSP "Dark Elf Highlight", and for the lightest highlights I mixed in some Americana "Dove Grey". 

     I then highlighted his under-sleeves with Reaper MSP "Ginger Cookie", and afterwards highlighted the belt using Folk Art "Teddy Bear Fur", and the pouch with Americana "Sable Brown".  I worked on the beard next, using Reaper MSP "Pumpkin Orange", and Reaper MSP "Hallowed Orange" for the highlights.  After that, I highlighted the staff with Americana "Zinc".

     Next, I wanted to try an experiment with the gem in his staff, and attempt to use Citadel Contrast paint to achieve a gem effect.  So, I painted the gem with Citadel Contrast "Iyanden Yellow", and then set the painting grip so it was inverted and balanced between two craft paint bottles, with the figure hanging upside down.  I hoped this would cause the contrast paint to pool at the top of the gem.  When the "Iyanden Yellow" dried, I had the darker top on the gem I wanted, but the I felt the bottom of the gem had not gotten light enough and was still a mid-tone yellow that I thought wasn't right.  So I mixed a little of the "Primary Yellow" with some Ceramcoat "White", and attempted to blend some highlights into the lower part of the gem.  When I was happy with the effect, I added some highlight light spots to the gem with the plain "White."

      I also decided the staff needed some more bling, so painted the gem fitting and rings with Folk Art "Pure Gold".    I realized at that point that I had forgotten the wizard's little frog familiar, so I painted him quickly with some Citadel Contrast "Militarum Green", and when dry, painted his underbelly with some of the "White".  I then added some tiny black eyes, and gave each a tiny white highlight dot. Lastly, I painted his base with Americana "Mississippi Mud".

      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". When the "Dullcote" was dry, I went back and repainted the gem and frog with a little Americana "DuraClear Gloss" varnish.

     In general I am quite pleased with how this fellow came out.  I like the purple shadows in the robes; I think that looks good.  And I think using the Contrast Paint for the gem turned out much better than I had even thought it would!  The highlights on the cloak aren't great, but I had given a lot to working on the robes when I did those, and just wanted to get the cloak done so I could move on to playing with the gem.  :)

No New Bones Today!

    Just a note to let you all know that I was unable to get a figure ready for today.  A carton of bad milk laid me low on Tuesday, and it took me a bit to bounce back.   Here's a work-in-progress shot to tide you over until next week!  

    So who all backed the Bones 5 Kickstarter, and is excited for its arrival in April?  What sets are you most looking forward to?  For me it's the Dwarf King's Crypt, and Dark Depths.  I got 2 of each! 

Dreadmere Hag: Bones 4 Dreadmere Figure

  This past week I painted the "Dreadmere Hag" from the Bones 4 Dreadmere Expansion.    

      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 brown-primed 1" fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then placed the figure in my painting grip.

     I began by painting her face, arms, and hands with Reaper MSP "Tanned Skin", and then painted her dress with Ceramcoat "Charcoal".  After that, I painted her shawl with Reaper MSP "Alien Flesh", and her kerchief with Apple Barrel "Lemon Chiffon".

     Next, I painted her apron with Reaper MSP "Graveyard Bone", and her over apron with Folk Art "Porcelain White".  I then did her hand rag with Folk Art "Barn Wood", and the knife holder with Reaper MSP "Shield Brown". 

     I then painted the broom handle with Americana "Mississippi Mud" , and the broom head with Americana "Antique White".  After that, I painted the bindings on the broom head with Ceramcoat "Territorial Beige", and then painted the knife handles, and the wrist bands on her right arm, with Americana "Asphaltum". 

     Next, I painted her hair with Folk Art "Medium Grey" and then let the figure dry for a while.  When I returned to it, I gave her face, arms, and hands, as well as the broom, a coat of Citadel "Agrax Earthshde" wash.  I let that dry, and then gave her entire body a coat of Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash.  When the washes were dry, I painted her eyes, and then highlighted her face, arms, and hands, with the base "Tanned Skin" and Reaper MSP Tanned Highlight".

     I then highlighted her dress with Americana "Zinc", and her shawl with the base "Alien Flesh".  I followed that with highlighting her hair with Crafter's Acrylic "Storm Cloud Grey",  and then highlighting her kerchief with the base "Lemon Chiffon" and some Ceramcoat "White". 

     Next, I highlighted her apron with Folk Art "Platinum Grey", and her over-apron with the base "Porcelain White".  I then highlighted her rag with the base "Barn Wood", and the knife case with Americana Sable Brown".  After that, I highlighted the knife handles with Crafter's Acrylic "Cinnamon Brown", and her wrist bands with Reaper MSP HD "Golden Brown".  I finished up with highlighting the broom, using Americana "Bleached Sand" on the head, the base "Mississippi Mud" mixed with a little of the "Barn Wood" on the handle, and the base "Territorial Beige" on the binding. Lastly, I painted the figure's base with the "Mississippi Mud".

     I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave it a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish. I then used some white glue to glue some fine sand to the base.  When the sand was dry, I painted it with a coat of Americana "Charcoal Grey". When this was dry, I drybrushed the sand with the "Mississippi Mud", and then with some Apple Barrel "Rock Grey"; lastly I drybrushed it with a little Americana "Dove Grey".

      Another overnight dry, and I sprayed the figure with Testor's Dullcote".

     I'm pretty happy with this one.  The camera's light meter had a bit of difficulty with the light yellow kerchief and the black dress, wiping the kerchief of all color so it looks just bright white. It's actually a pale yellow-grey.  I love how her expression turned out!  "That was the day Granny decided those frickin' orcs had raided her village for the last time.  And with her trusty kitchen knives, put an end to their shenanigans once and for all!". 😄

Fishwife and FIsh Barrel: Bones 4 Dreadmere Figures

       Happy New Year!  Another year, and more Bones to be painted! :)  And I do mean more, as it's just a few short months away until the expected delivery of the Bones 5 Kickstarter in April; and then every indication is that the Bones 6 Kickstarter will launch in the Fall!  

      This past week though, I got back to work on the Bones 4 Dreadmere Expansion, and painted the "Fishwife and Fish Barrel".    I nice simple figure set to get me back into the groove.
      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 it.  I then glued the Fishwife figure to a brown-primed 1" fender washer, and the Fish Barrel to a .75" fender washer, both with Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then placed the Fishwife figure in my painting grip, and glued the barrel to a craft stick.

     I began by painting her face and hands with Reaper MSP Bones "Suntan Flesh".  I then painted her shirt with Americana "Jade Green", and her dress with Accent "Mustard Seed". 

     Next, I painted her leggings with Folk Art "Poppy Seed", and her boots with Reaper MSP HD "Umber Brown".  I then painted her apron with Reaper MSP "Graveyard Bone", and the towel tucked into it with Folk Art "Porcelain White".   After that, I painted the knife holder with Reaper MSP HD "Golden Brown", and the knife handles with the "Umber Brown". 

         I then painted her hair with Ceramcoat "Black", and then painted the handle of the cleaver with Reaper MSP "Shield Brown", and the head of the cleaver with Americana "Zinc".  After that, I went to work on he fish.  I decided the best plan would be to copy a real world fish, so I quickly googled some pictures of trout.  With a general "look" in mind,  I started by painting the underside of the fish with Americana "Grey Sky".  I then painted the back of the fish with Reaper mSP Bones "Dungeon Slime".  While these colors were still wet, I ran a line of Reaper MSP "Rose Gold" down the center line of between them on each side. 

     I let the figure dry for a while, and then applied a coat of Citadel "Reiklande Fleshshade" Wash over her face and hands.  I let that dry, and then applied a coat of Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" over her entire outfit.  Then, lastly, I applied a coat of Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash to he fish and cleaver head.   After all the washes were good and dry, I painted her eyes, and then highlighted her face and hands using Reaper MSP "Tanned Skin", and "Tanned Highlight".

     Next,  I highlighted her shirt, with some of the base "Jade Green" mixed with Ceramcoat "White", and highlighted her dress with Reaper MSP "Bronzed Skin", and Reaper MSP "Bronzed Highlight".   After that, I highlighted her hair with some Citadel "The Fang", and highlighted her apron with the base "Graveyard Bone".  Lastly, I highlighted the leggings with Folk Art "Dapple Grey", and added an eye to the fish with the "Black". 

     I then highlighted the towel tucked in her apron using the base "Porcelain White", and I highlighted the knife case with Ceramcoat "Territorial Beige".  After that, I highlighted the boots and knife handles with Folk Art "Teddy Bear Brown", and I highlighted the axe handle with Americana "Sable Brown". 

     Next, I worked on the fish; basically just using the base colors to highlight it: "Grey Sky" for the underbelly, "Dungeon Slime" for the back, and "Rose Gold" for the stripe.  Then I painted the cleaver head with Folk Art Metallics "Gun Metal", and highlighted it with Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver".  Lastly, I painted the figure's base with Americana "Mississippi Mud".

    I then worked on the barrel, using the "Shield Brown" to paint the body of it.  After that, I painted the octopus with Reaper MSP "Drow Nipple Pink", and the fish with Folk Art Pearl "Aqua Moiré", I also painted the hoops with DecoArt Dazzling Metallics "Bright Brass".

     I let the barrel dry for a while, and then gave the whole thing a coat of the "Nuln Oil" wash. When the wash was dry, I drybrushed the barrel with the "Territorial Beige", and then I drybrushed with some Folk Art "Butter Pecan".   Next, I highlighted the octopus with the base "Drown Nipple Pink" mixed with some Reaper MSP "Breast Cancer Awareness Pink", and then did a few spot highlights with Reaper MSP "Brains Pink".   After that, I highlighted the fish with the base "Aqua Moiré", and then mixed in a little Reaper MSP "Sophie Silver" for some spot highlights.  I finished with highlighting the hoops with the base "Bright Brass".  Lastly, I painted the figure's base with Americana "Mississippi Mud".

      I let the figures dry overnight and the next day I gave them a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish. I then used some white glue to glue some fine sand to the bases.  When the sand was dry, I painted it with a coat of Americana "Charcoal Grey". When this was dry, I drybrushed the sand with the "Mississippi Mud", and then with some Apple Barrel "Rock Grey"; lastly I drybrushed it with a little Americana "Dove Grey".

      Another overnight dry, and I sprayed the figures with Testor's Dullcote".  When the Dullcote was dry, I went back and repainted the  all the fish and the octopus with a little Americana "DuraClear Gloss" varnish. 

     I'm pleased with how this simple figure turned out; it has a ton of character, as so many of Reapers townsfolk have.  My big criticism is the highlights on her dress turned out a little too stark.  It makes the dress look shiny or wet, which with this figure isn't too out of place, but not the look I was going for for.  I'm especially pleased with the big fish! :)