Christina, Female Cleric: Bones 3 Figure

     I'm happy to report that this past week I found my muse again and painted Christina, Female Cleric, from the Bones 3 Heroes II set.   This was a commission piece for a D&D player who wanted the figure painted as a Sea Elf with blue iridescent skin and green hair.
      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, and then placed the figure in my painting grip.

      Because this was cast in the white original white Bones material, I began by giving it a wash with some thinned Reaper MSP "Grey Liner" to help me see the details.   When the Liner was dry, I painted all her armor, her mace, and the back of her shield with Americana "Charcoal" and her face and hands with Folk Art Color Shift "Blue Flash".  I then painted her skirt and the back of her shield with Folk Art "Dove Grey".

     I then painted her tabard and shield face with Crafter's Acrylic "Dark Turquoise", and her two holy items (censer and reliquary?) and the padded material in her elbow joints with Accent "Mustard Seed".  After that, I painted her scabbard and bottle(?) with Americana "Wedgewood Blue" and then her hair with Apple Barrel "Apple Blue Spruce".

    Next, I painted her belts with Americana "Light Cinnamon".   I then went over her armor and the back of her shield with Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey", and her mace, dagger fittings and bottle top with Ceramcoat "Metallic Pewter".  After that, I gave her face and hands a wash with  thinned Reaper MSP "Blue Liner".

     I then painted her religious objects with Folk Art "Pure Gold", and then let everything dry for a while.  When I resumed, I gave her belts, accoutrements,  and skirt a light coat of some Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash.  As that dried, I worked on her face and hands; painting her eyes, and then highlighting the skin with a mix of the base "Blue Flash" with some Crafter's Acrylic "Cool Blue".  After that, I highlighted her hair with a mix of the base "Apple Blue Spruce" and Crafter's Acrylic "Wild Green".

     Next, I highlighted the armor using first Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver", and then some Reaper MSP "Sparkling Snow".  I then highlighted her mace, dagger fittings and bottle top with Citadel "Mithril Silver" followed with a few spots of the "Sparking Snow".  Next, I highlighted her skirt with Americana "Snow White", followed by some Folk Art Extreme Glitter "Hologram".  After that, I highlighted her tabard and shield with  a mix of the base "Dark Turquoise" and some Folk Art "Patina".
     Up next were her scabbard and bottle which I highlighted with some Crafter's Acrylic "Tropical Blue".  I then highlighted the belts with Ceramcoat "Territorial Beige".   I followed with highlighting the gold religious items with some DecoArt Metallic "Bright Brass".  I finished up by painting  some holy symbols for the cleric on the shield, and some decorations on the tabard.  And, lastly, I painted his base with Americana "Mississippi Mud", and applied some "spatter" around the hem of the skirt.
         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 pleased with how this figure turned out, particularly the face.  And, I'm especially glad to be back painting Bones again!

Sophie the Sage Christmas Ornament Project: Bones 3 Figure

     Happy New Year everyone!  Sorry for the brief hiatus, but the holidays turned out to be crazy busy.  Anyway, I'm back at it now, and wanted to show off a project I did over the month of December: a Christmas ornament based on the Sophie the Sage figure from the Bones 3 Core Set.
     I had actually started planning this project in the Fall of 2018, but events overtook my time, and it never moved past the planning and thinking stage, as well as purchasing the ornament I wanted to use.  This year however I was determined to get it done in time for Christmas to give as a gift to my wife, who is an avid reader and book enthusiast.
      My plan was to make a scene of a wizard reading in her chamber, with books, etc. piled around the place.  I started with the Sophie figure and a circular plaster dungeon terrain piece I had.  I had assembled the figure without the wings, as I wanted the figure to just be a human, and not a succubus.

      I quickly realized I'd need some walls for a backdrop; which I constructed out of cork scraps, and added some window frames made from coffee stirrers.  I then cut the figure off her base, and drilled a hole in the bottom of her gown, and a corresponding hole into the plaster disc.  Next, I superglued a length of paperclip wire into the figure.  After that, I used some greenstuff to fill the slot in her back where the wings were supposed to go.

I framed up the walls using more bits of coffee stirrers and some balsa wood.   When I was satisfied, I glued it to the plaster base with Aleene's Tacky glue.

      I had of course washed the figure  before I had started assembly; 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.  And I had used Gorilla Superglue Gel to assemble the two parts.   It was now time to begin the painting.

      I began by painting her skin with Reaper MSP "Tanned Skin", and her dress with Reaper MSP "Christmas Wreath".  I then painted her staff with Americana "Light Cinnamon", and the book cover with Pathfinder MSP "Urgathoa Red"

      Next, I painted her hair with Americana "Asphaltum, and her belt and pouches with Accent "Real Umber".  After that, I painted the book pages with Americana "Bleached Sand", and the top of her staff with Crafter's Acrylic "Wild Green".

     I then painted the wands in her wand case an assortment of browns, and the book mark with some Crafter's Acrylic "Daffodil Yellow".  After that, I painted her jewelry and the corners of the book with Folk Art "Brushed Metal "Brushed Bronze", and then let the figure dry for a while.  When I resumed working on the figure, I gave her skin a coat of Citadel "Reikland Fleshshade" wash; and when that was dry, I gave her book, pouches and staff a coat of "Citadel Agrax Earthsahde" wash.

  

     When the washes were dry, I painted her eyes and mouth, and then highlighted her skin with Reaper MSP "Tanned Highlight".  I then highlighted her hair with Americana "Sable Brown", and Americana "Fawn". After that, I highlighted her dress using first Apple Barrel "Apple Christmas Green", and then Americana "Festive Green".

     Interspersed with working on the figure, I had primed the walls and base with Krylon Grey Primer, and when dry, I drybrushed the stones with Americana "Neutral Grey", and then painted the walls with Crafter's Acrylic "Light Antique White".

     I finished painting the figure, highlighting the pouches with Nicole's "Brown", and the staff with Americana "Khaki Tan".  I also highlighted the book cover with Americana "Burgundy Wine", and the bookmark with the base "Daffodil Yellow".  After that, I highlighted the book pages with Americana "Snow White', and then painted text on them with Reaper MSP "Holly Berry", and Ceramcoat "Black".    I highlighted her jewelry and the corners of the book with Ceramcoat "Wedding Gold", and then painted the top of her staff with a mix of Folk Art Color Shift "Green Flash", and Folk Art Color Shift "Emerald Flash".    I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave it a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish. 
    I then quickly painted up the pile of books, bottle, and goblet that came with the model, as well as a small stack of books from the Wizkids Wizards Room set.  In addition, I painted up a pair of cats that came with a Dark Sword figure (I forget the name), to look like our two cats.   After drying overnight, these all got their coat of the "DuraClear Matte" varnish as well. 
    I completed the base by painting the wood work on the walls with Americana "Charcoal Grey", and adding a small rug cut from an old tobacco flannel.   The final step was to plot out an arrangement I liked, and then glue it all down.

    Once everything was glued into place, I glued the base into the ornament bottom cap using E6000 glue, and when dry, screwed on the ornament dome.

     I'm really happy with how it all turned out, and my wife loved her unique gift.

Kobolds, Part A: Bones 3 Figures

     This past week I painted 3 of the six Kobolds from the Bones 3 Stoneskull Expansion set.  The last time I painted Bones Kobolds as back in May of 2016, so I referred back to my past color schemes for these guys.
      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 them.  I then glued the figures to 7/8" fender washers with Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then glued the washers to a tongue depressor with a couple drops of the Elmer's glue each.

      I began by painting the figures entirely Ceramcoat "Black".  When the Black was dry, I painted their skin Folk Art "Barnyard Red".  I then painted any pants of leggings with Reaper MSP "Olive Skin", and then painted any tunics/clothing with Folk Art "Dark Brown".  After that, I painted loincloths, if they had one with Americana "Terra Cotta".

      Next,  I painted the armor on the central one with Citadel "Snakebite Leather", and the belts on all three with Americana "Sable Brown".  I then painted the ax handles and the shield backs with Americana "Light Cinnamon", and then did the front of the shields with Folk Art " Deep Tomato Red". AFter that, I painted the glove on the central one with Americana "Mississippi Mud".

   I then painted the metal work on the shields with the "Black", and then did the swords and axe heads with Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey".  I let the figures dry for a while, and then gave them all a wash with Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash.  As you might be able to tell, I applied the wash a little too heavily.  The figures turned out so dark, I felt I could get away with highlighting by just using the base colors.  So, when the wash was dry, I highlighted the figures' skin  with the base color "Barnyard Red". I then painted black noses on the Kobolds, and Reaper MSP "Holly Berry" dots for eyes.  I realized at this point that a couple of them had mouths open enough for the teeth to show, so I went back and painted them Crafter's Acrylic "Light Antique White".  I then applied a little Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" over the teeth.

     As I mentioned, highlighting the clothing and armor was done by just re-applying the base colors.  I then highlighted the swords and axe heads with Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver".  Lastly, I painted the entire 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.    Then, when  the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to flock the bases.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed them with Winsor & Newton Professional "Matt Varnish".

     Well, there they are.  I have to say, these were not great figures, and seem almost Bones 1 in their level of quality as opposed to Bones 3; with soft details, and a bit of flash.  And I'm afraid I was rather uninspired to give them really top notch paint jobs.  But, they are perfect for mixing in with all the other Kobolds I have assembled from the other Kickstarters, so will look just fine on the tabletop.

     So, it looks like domestic shipping of Bones 4 will start next week... (fingers crossed) so there is a good chance my box could arrive sometime the following week (week of April 1st).  My plan is to paint up the other three Kobolds that came in Stoneskull for next Monday, and after that I should be able to post an unboxing post; perhaps on Thursday the 4th or Monday the 8th; followed by my first Bones 4 painted figures!

Behir: Bones 3 Figure

    This past week I painted the Behir figure from the Bones 3 Stoneskull Expansion, as I continue to work my way through the remaining figures I haven't painted yet from that set while waiting for the arrival of Bones 4.  At this point, all I have left are the Kobolds and the big Iron Golem.
         I prepped the figure in the usual way, soaking the pieces 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.  Next, I assembled the figure using Gorilla Superglue gel.  I then glued the figure to a 3" fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue.   In my rush to begin, I forgot to pre-prime the washer; so after I glued the figure on, I painted the washer with a brush on clear primer.   The washer didn't fit in my painting grip, so I hand held the washer for painting.
   

     I began by painting the head and main body with Crafter's Acrylic "Tropical Blue", and then painted the top back portion and the body crest with Americana "Forest Green".  After that, I painted the belly scales with Folk Art "Celadon Green".

     Next, I painted the horns with Americana "Wedgewood Blue", and then painted the mouth with Crafter's Acrylic "Tutti Frutti".  I then painted the teeth with Crafter's Acrylic "Light Antique White", and the claws with Reaper MSP "Frosty Blue". 

      At this point, I repainted the main body scales with Folk Art Color Shift "Blue Flash".   I let the figure dry for a while, and then I gave the entire thing a wash with Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash.  When the wash was dry, I drybrushed the main body scales with the base "Blue Flash" mixed with a little Folk Art Pearl "Aqua Moire".  I then hit a few individual scales with just the "Aqua Moire".

        Next, I drybrushed the back and body crest with Folk Art "Color Shift "Green Flash", and then drybrushed the belly scales with the base "Celadon Green", and then a little Americana "Snow White".  I then hit each claw with a dab of the "Celadon Green" as well.  After that, I highlighted the legs with a mix of the "Tropical Blue", and Crafter's Acrylic "Cool Blue".  I worked on the head next, highlighting the mouth with Crafter's Acrylic "Cherry Blossom Pink", and the teeth with the "Snow White".    I then highlighted the horns with Ceramcoat "Denim Blue".  After that, I painted the eyes with Crafter's Acrylic "Margarita " and gave them Black pupils, and then used the Black to paint in the nostrils as well.   Lastly, I painted the entire 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 painted the eyes with Americana "DuraClear Gloss Varnish".

         I'm really happy how this figure turned out.  I have to say though, the way it corkscrews around and has legs sticking out everywhere, it was a bit of challenge to paint.  This is one that might benefit from being painted disassembled first; or maybe assembled into top and bottom halves before painting.

Vegypygmies: Bones 3 Figures

     I continued to work through the Bones 3 StoneSkull Expansion this past week, and painted the pair of Vegypygmies that came in that box.
     I prepped the figures in the usual way; soaking them in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added and then rinsing and drying.   I then glued them to 7/8" black-primed fender washers with Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then glued the figures to a  tongue depressor with a couple drops of the Elmer's glue each.

      I began by painting each entire figure with Americana "Avocado", and then painted their cloths with  Americana "Forest Green".   After that I painted their hair with Apple Barrel "Apple Black Green".

     Next, I painted their spear shafts, and the back of the shield with Folk Art "Dapple Grey", and the spear points with Americana "Zinc". I then painted the face of the shield with Ceramcoat "Black".   After everything had a while to dry, I gave each figure a complete coat with Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" wash.

          When the wash was dry, I highlighted their bodies with  a drybrush of Aleene's "Dusty Khaki", and then painted their eyes with Americana "Margarita"with "Black" pupils.   I then used Americana "Festive Green" to highlight their cloths, and Folk Art Artist's Pigment "Hauser Green Medium" to highlight their hair.  Next, I picked out the design on the shield with Crafter's Acrylic "Citrus Green", and then highlighted the spear shafts with Folk At "Grey Green".  I then decided against painting the spear points a white metal (which I had intended), and go with a bronze look instead; so I first painted them with Folk Art Brushed Metal "Brushed Bronze", and then did highlights with a bit of the "Brushed Bronze" mixed with Ceramcoat "14K Gold".
     Lastly, I painted the figures integral bases with Americana "Bittersweet Chocolate".
     I let the figures dry overnight and the next day I gave them a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Then, when  the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to flock their bases.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed them with Rustoleum "Matte Finish", since I unfortunately ran out of Testor's Dullcote" without having time to replace it.

     Well, I'm happy with the figures, but not thrilled with the Rustoleum "Matte Finish".   I definitely think I'll hit these with some Dullcote when I get a new can.

Gutrags, Stitch Golem: Bones 3 Figure

   This past week I painted Gutrags, Stitch Golem from the Bones 3 Stoneskull Exxpansion.    I think I'm going to try and complete the Stoneskull Expansion box before Bones 4 arrives.  We'll see how that goes... 😄
      I painted one of the other Bones 4 Stitch Golems back in October of last year: Lesser Stitch Golem. So I had had then blog entry to guide me in painting this bigger one.
      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 1.5" fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue, and then placed the figure in my painting grip.

  I began by giving the figure a wash with Reaper MSP "Brown Liner"; and when that was dry, I started painting by doing the large square of fabric on his belly with Apple Barrel "Lemon Chiffon".  I then painted some of the textured sections of fabric with Americana "Antique White", some textured section  with Folk Art "Butter Pecan", and others with "Sable Brown"

        Next, I tried to finish painting the textured fabric bits, using Folk Art "Barn Wood", and then Americana "Mississippi Mud".  I then painted his head with Reaper MSP "Hearth Fire", sections of his arms and legs with Reaper MSP HD "Rusty Red".  I also used some Reaper MSP "Christmas Wreath", and Anita's "Violet" to help finish the remaining fabric sections.

      I painted the small patch on his back with Crafter's Acrylic "Storm Cloud Grey, as well as one other small section of fabric I found.  I then painted a tartan pattern on the fabric sections i had painted "Christmas Wreath", and a little blue flower pattern on the large "Lemon Chiffon" square on his belly.  After that, I painted the buttons an assortment of random colors I had around the table, his claws and needle with Americana Zinc, and his open mouth and belly rip with Ceramcoat "Black".

          Then, after everything had time to dry, I gave the entire figure a wash with Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" wash.    After the wash was dry, I began highlighting by drybrushing all the brown/tan/beige colored cloth with the "Antique White", and then did a lighter drybrushing with Americana "Bleached Sand".   This was followed with highlighting his head with Crafter's Acrylic "Bright Yellow".

     Next, I highlighted the flower pattern cloth, as well as some of the lines on the Tartan sections with a little of the "Lemon Chiffon".  I also highlighted the Tartan sections with some Crafter's Acrylic "Holiday Green", and then highlighted the "Rusty Red" sections with some Crafter's Acrylic "Orange Spice", and the "Violet" sections with Apple Barrel "Apple Lavender".  After that, I did the stitching, using both the "Bleached Sand", and the "Black" in different spots.  I highlighted the buttons a variety of colors I had sitting around, and then painted the claws and needle with Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey", and then highlighted them with Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver".
      Lastly, I painted the figure's integral base with Americana "Bittersweet Chocolate".
     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".

     Well, I'm really pleased with how this fellow came out. I had a fun with all the different fabrics.  I'm looking forward to getting the third (and last) of these Stitch Golems painted up, and then I'll post a picture of the trio.

Pulp Era Professor: Bones 3 Figure

  This past week I continued working on the group of Pulp Chronoscope figures I got in a trade, and did the Pulp Era Professor, from the Bones 3 "Mythos Expansion: Part 3".
       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 placed the figure in my painting grip.   

      I decided I wanted to paint him in a tween suit, so went to Google and found one I liked.  I wasn't sure how to paint tweed though,  so I headed over to the Reaper forum to ask some advice: Tweed?  Armed with this information, I thought I might be able  to pull off something good enough for the game table.  However, I didn't want my professor to be quite as sharply dressed as the man in the example  photo, so I decided to make a few adjustments to the outfit, to make him look more "absent-minded".

      I began by painting his face and hands with Americana "Shading Flesh".  I then painted his suit with a mix of Ceramcoat "Territorial Beige" and  Vallejo Model Color "Brown Violet" .  After that, I painted his vest withAmericana "Avocado".

     Next, I painted his shirt with Americana "Dove Grey", and his bowtie with Accent "Golden Harvest".  I then painted the cover of his book with Apple Barrel "Apple Maroon", and the book's pages with Americana "Antique White". After that, I painted his shoes with Crafter's Acrylic Cinnamon Brown", and his hair with Americana "Neutral Grey".

      When everything was dry, I gave his face and hands a wash with Citadel  "Reikland Fleshshade" wash.  When that was dry, I gave the rest of his body a wash with Citadel "Agrax Earthshade",  and his hair a wash with Citadel "Nuln Oil ".    I then painted his eyes, and highlighted his face and hands with the base "Shading Flesh", mixed some Crafter's Acrylic "Flesh".  After that, I highlighted his hair with Americana "Grey Sky". 

     I then highlighted his shirt with Americana "Snow White", and highlighted his tie with Crafter's Acrylic "Daffodil Yellow".   After that, I highlighted his vest with Americana Jade Green" mixed with a little of the "Avocado" and dded highlights to his shoes with Americana "Sable Brown".  I then went back and did a check pattern on the vest with the "Daffodil Yellow.

     I now attempted my tweed effect.   Using Aleene's "Dusty Khaki", heavily thinned, I attempted a fine, light, crosshatch pattern on the jacket and pants.   I tried to do it a bit heavier on the highlights, and I didn't do any in the shadows.

     I wasn't happy with the results at all.  The crosshatching was much too heavy, and contrasty, and looked more like someone had scribbled on his jacket than a texture.  I also wanted to see if I could add the random black spots you see on tweed.   So, first I mixed some of Ceramcoat "Black" with a little of the "Dusty Khaki" to "grey" it just a little, and then heavily thinned it, and add some short random lines here and there across the whole suit.    When dry, I took some of the original "Brown Violet" and heavily thinned that, then applied it as a glaze over the whole suit to help tone down the cross hatching.  I ended up applying a couple layers before I was happy; but in the end got it to a place I was happy with.
     Lastly, I highlighted the book under his arm with some Folk Art "Burgundy", and applied some decoration and a title to it with Ceramcoat "Wedding Gold".   I then painted the figure's integral base with Americana "Bittersweet Chocolate".
     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".

     Well, I'm rather happy with how the tweed came out for a first attempt.    And I think the rest of the painting is good enough for the tabletop, so in general I'm please with the figure.  Like the rest of the Pulp figures I've painting in the last few weeks, this one too has a very odd pose; leaning back the way he is.