Dragons Don't Share Ruined Tower: Bones II Terrain Piece

   This week I finally finished up the ruined tower from the Dragons Don't Share (DDS) add-on set.
I had originally boiled the DDS pieces back in September of last year to get the bent ones back in shape.  I have then been working on them here and there over the past nine months, and finally finished them up this week.

Even with boiling, I needed to clamp the two parts of the tower upper story when I glued them (using Gorilla Superglue) together to help make them align properly.

  Also, I had decided I strictly wanted to use this set for terrain, so I used Milliput to fill in the holes on the piece that the dragon is supposed to mount on.

   I also decided to glue the top story to the bottom of the tower, just so the pieces wouldn't be slipping and falling during game play.  I figured there was enough opening to move figures around inside if they should enter.

   I used Deco Art Traditions Artists Acrylic ""Dark Grey, Value 3" to base coat the pieces.

    The little step piece was my guinea pig piece, and I had actually started working on it back last Fall.  I had tried a couple different base coats on it before landing on the one I used.  After the base coat was applied, I gave the pieces a wash with GW "Nuln Oil" wash using a wet brush.  When the wash was dry, I drybrushed with Crafter's Acrylic "Storm Cloud Grey" first, and then Folk Art "Platinum Grey" second.

     I then gave the pieces a coat of Ceramcoat "Matte Varnish".   When the varnish was dry,  I sprayed the pieces with Testor's Dullcote.

   Here is the finished set, shown with the Female Elf Rogue figure that comes with it, to give a sense of scale.

     I'm really happy with how it came out. It's a real testament to the sculpting that it looks so good with just a ink wash and drybrushing paint job. 

Bones II: Barden Barrelstrap and Thain Grimthorn, Dwarf Clerics

   This week I finished up two of the Bones II dwarf cleric figures: Barden Barrelstrap from the Dragons Don't Share set, and Thain Grimthorn from the Original Core set.   I paired them up as being ideal to fill the roles of a Thaumaturge wizard and his Apprentice for my Frostgrave collection.  And, since I wanted them to be dressed similarly, I figured I would paint them both at the same time.
     I had the idea that they would be followers of the twin gods of metal: Argent and Aur.  So, I decided to paint them in yellow and white as the symbolic colors of their gods.
     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 each figure to a white-primed 1" 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 all the parts I planned to paint as armor with Black.  When the Black was dry, I drybrushed these areas with Amricana "Zinc", and the drybrushed them with Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey".

     Next, I painted their faces, and the hands of the left one, with GW "Dwarf Flesh". I then painted their clothing with either Accent "Golden Harvest", or Crafter's Acrylic "Storm Cloud Grey".  I then picked out the parts I wanted to eventually paint gold, and pre-painted them with Ceramcoat "Raw Sienna".

     Then I painted the beard of the left one with the "Zinc", and the beard of the right one with Accent "Real Umber".  I painted the staff of the first one and the hammer of the one on the right with Americana "Neutral Grey".   Next, I painted the belt and pouches on the left one and the gloves of the righthand one with Nicole's "Brown"

     After the paint had a little while to dry, I went back and applied a wash, using GW Agrax Earthshade" wash applied with a wet brush,  to their faces, hands, the parts I had painted "Brown, the parts I had painted "Raw Sienna", and the beard of the righthand dwarf.     When the wash was dry, I highlighted the beard on the left dwarf using first "Folk Art "RockGrey", and then Folk Art "Platinum Grey".   I then highlighted the right dwarf's beard using Apple Barrel "Burnt Sienna" .  Afterwards, I painted their eyes, and then highlighted their skin with the base "Dwarf Flesh".

   Next, I worked on highlighting their clothes.  The parts I had painted with the "Golden Harvest", I highlighted with Crafter's Acrylic "Bright Yellow" first, and then added finer highlights with Crafter's Acrylic "Daffodil Yellow".    The parts I had painted "Storm Cloud Grey" I highlighted by first mixing "Storm Cloud Grey" with White, and then just using plain White to do finer highlights.   I then highlighted the belt, pouches, and gloves with Americana "Sable Brown".

     I then moved to the metals.  I first painted all the parts I had originally painted with the "Raw Sienna", this time using Ceramcoat "Bronze".  I followed up by adding highlights with Ceramcoat 14K Gold".  I then painted the parts I had originally painted "Neutral Grey", this time using Folk Art Metallics "Silver Sterling".   After that I added highlights to the boots with a mix of Ceramcoat "Denim Blue" and Black.   Lastly, I painted the figures' bases White.
           When the base was dry I glued on a section of sprue cut to look like a stone block on the first dwarf's base, and some course sand on both bases.   When the glue was dry, I painted the block and sand Black, then drybrushed the sand with the "Neutral Grey", followed with Folk Art "Platinum Grey". When everything had overnight to dry, I gave the figure a coat of Ceramcoat "Matte Varnish" early the next morning.  Midday, I flocked the white areas with Woodland Scenics "Snow" flock and late that afternoon I sprayed the figure with Testor's Dullcote.

      I'm really pleased with how these two came out.   I think they make a good pair, even though they originally came in separate sets.  The yellow and white were a bit of a challenge but I think they came out looking okay.

Bones II: Female Elf Rogue From Dragons Don't Share

   This week I also painted the Female Elf Rogue from the Dragons Don't Share Set.  If ever there was a figure destined to be used for Frostgrave, this is it; posed as she is, nimbly climbing down a pile of ruins with a skeleton laying half buried nearby.
      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 washers 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 ruins on the base with Americana "Neutral Grey".  I then painted her outfit with Crafters Edition "Navy Blue", and then her face and hands with Crafters Edition "Flesh".

     Next, I gave the ruins on the base a wash with GW "Badab Black" wash using a wet brush.   When this was dry, I painted the figure's boots, arm guards, pouches and belts with Black.  I then drybruhed all the blue and black parts with Folk Art "Settlers Blue".

   I worked on the ruins some more at this point, drybrushing them first with Crafters Acrylic "Storm Cloud Grey", and then with Folk Art "Platinum Grey".  Then I painted her hair with Anita's "Burnt Sienna", and the grips on her weapons with Americana "Asphaltum".  Next, I painted the skeleton head and hand with Americana "Buttermilk", and what appeared to be a sleeve and shoulder of a garment with Folk Art "Dapple Grey".    I then gave a wash to her head, hair, hands, and the skeleton and his partial garment, using GW "Agrax Earthshdae", using a wet brush.  I then painted her shoulder guards and the studded band on her boots with Ceramcoat "Metallic Pewter", and the blades on the two weapons with Folk Art "Gun Metal Grey".  Before I moved on to the highlighting, I gave her shoulder pads a quick wash with the "Badab Black".

         I then moved on to the highlights.  First, I drybrushed her hair with the base "Raw Sienna", then added highlights with Crafters Acrylic "Orange Spice".   I then painted her eyes, and gave her Americana "Shading Flesh" lips.  Afterwards, I highlighted her face and hands with the base "Flesh".  I then painted the band on her left arm with GW "Vermin Brown" and then highlighted it with Citadel "Snakebite Leather".  I highlighted the skeleton with Crafters Acrylic Light Antique White", and his partial outfit with Folk Art "Gray Green" .   I then highlighted all the metal parts with Folk Art "Silver Sterling".  Lastly, I painted the outer edge of the base "White", and added some "White" splotches here and there between the ruins.

      When everything had overnight to dry, I gave the figure a coat of Ceramcoat "Matte Varnish".  Later that afternoon I flocked the white areas with Woodland Scenics "Snow" flock.   The next day, I sprayed the figure with Testor's Dullcote.

    I'm really happy with how this figure turned out.  I think she will make a great edition to a Frostgrave warband.