Female Djinni: Bones 4 "Fan Favorites" Figure

  This past week I painted the Female Djinni figure from the Bones 4 Fan Favorites Expansion Set.  I'm thinking of doing the Frostgrave rulebook's "Genie in a Bottle" scenario for this year's Ghost Archipelago campaign, and this figure just seemed like it would be perfect to include.

    When I got the figure, I was a little disappointed in a couple things.  First, it's a very cartoony looking figure; sculpted more in big broad strokes than in the fine detail I expect from Reaper.  Secondly, for some reason, they made the sword so it attached to the figure in a reversed and inverted position from the initial concept art (Compare the illustration above with the production example figure photo below.) Now I have no problem with the Djinni being a lefty but the the sword now hung incorrectly with the bird's head beak pointing up (A good way to impale your palm when reaching quickly for the sword), and the end curve pointed down.   One third and last quibble, the sword is just attached to her butt, without any sculpted straps to show where it would attach to her belt.

(Photo from Reaper Kickstarter Update)

        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.      The next thing I did was cut off the lamp from the trail of smoke (It is cast as one piece as you can see in the above photo.)  I wanted to mount them separately, so I could use the lamp and or Djinni as unique pieces.    I then sliced the tab off the sword, so I could glue it to the figure in the correct position as shown in the concept illustration.  Lastly, I cut the base that comes with the figure into two pieces, and glued the figure to its part of the base, minus the part I trimmed off where the lamp mounts.  

       I then glued the figure to a black-primed 1.5" fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue after trimming the base so it would fit.  I also glued the lamp to its piece of base, and then glued it to a black primed 1" fender washer. I then placed the Djinni figure in my painting grip.

     When I first saw this figure in the Kickstarter, being a child of the 60's and 70's, the first image that flashed in my mind was Jeannie from the classic  I Dream of Jeannie TV show.   I knew that this was the color scheme I wanted to use on my Djinni figure.

     So, to begin painting; I painted her skin with Reaper MSP "Rosy Skin".  I then painted her smoke plume/pants, and top, with Crafter's Acrylic "Cherry Blossom Pink".  (I don't think she is sculpted as necessarily wearing pants, but they way they blended into the billowing smoke cloud, I thought I could get away with it.)  After that, I painted any decorative trim that obviously wasn't metal, with Folk Art "True Burgundy".

     Next, I painted her teeth with Crafter's Acrylic "Light Antique White",  her hair with Accent "Golden Harvest", and any metal decorations/jewelry/fittings/ etc., with Americana "Grey Sky".   After that, I gave her skin a wash with Citadel "Reikland Fleshshade" wash.

     When the "Reikland Fleshshade" wash was dry, I gave her hair a wash with Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" wash.  I followed that by giving her clothing and smoke plume a wash with heavily thinned Iron Wind Metals "Purple" ink.   When wall the washes were dry, I painted all the metal with  Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver".

   After the "Metallic Silver" had a while to dry, I went over the metal parts with Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash.  Then when the wash was dry, I painted her eyes and lips, and highlighted her teeth with Americana "Snow White".  I then highlighted her skin and corrected any errors with  various mixes of the base "Rosy Skin" along with Reaper MSP "Rosy Highlight" and "Rosy Shadow".

     Next, I highlighted hair; first with the base "Golden Harvest", then with the "Golden Harvest" mixed with some Americana "Moon Yellow", then the just plain "Moon Yellow", then the "Moon Yellow" mixed with some Apple Barrel "Lemon Chiffon", then the plain "Lemon Chiffon",  then some of the "Lemon Chiffon" mixed with some "Snow White", and lastly just a little plain "Snow White".   I then painted the flowers in her hair with the "True Burgundy", and the flower centers and leaves with the "Grey Sky".

     I then worked on the pants/smoke cloud, highlighting them with the base "Cherry Blossom Pink", and then with the "Cherry Blossom Pink" mixed with some "Snow White", and lastly, a few hits with just the pure "Snow White".  I then highlighted the dark pink "True Burgundy" areas with a mix of Americana "Burgundy Wine", and Crafter's Acrylic "Tutti Frutti.  After that, I painted the leaves and flower centers in the hair with the "Metallic Silver", and wen dry, I went over them with a little of the "Nuln Oil" wash.   My next step was to highlight all the metal, using the base "Metallic Silver", and then Metallic Silver mixed with some of the "Snow White", and then just a little of the pure "Snow White".   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".  

     It was now time to work on the lamp, so I placed it in my painting grip next. 

     I began by painting it with Accent "Mustard Seed".  

      When the "Mustard Seed" was dry, I repainted it with Folk Art Burnished Metal "Burnished Bronze".   When that was dry, I gave it a coat of Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash.  When the wash was dry, I drybrushed it with Ceramcoat "Wedding Gold".   Lastly, I painted the entire base with "Americana "Mississippi Mud".
       I let the lamp 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".

And here's the final outcome:

     I'm really proud of how this one came out.  I know it's a large figure, but I think the face turned out pretty good.  Now if I could only do that good with standard 28mm tall figures! :)  In retrospect, I don't think I used the correct shade of dark red/pink to perfectly match the original Jeannie outfit, but I think it gets the idea across well enough.   My one real regret is that I didn't pay more attention when basing the two parts so that the tip of the smoke plume actually could touch the lamp.

And, once again, please check in Thursday for another bonus post!

Crystal Formations: Bones 4 "Darkreach" Translucent Figures

   This past week I also painted the translucent Crystal Formations from the Bones 4 Darkreach Expansion Set.    They seemed like a nice quick side project to work on while I painted other stuff.
    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 the largest to a black primed 1" fender washer,  and the two smaller to 7/8" black primed 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.

To begin, I gave the crystals all a wash with some thinned Iron Wind Metals "Purple" ink.   When dry, I painted one facet on each crystal point with some Folk Art "Color Shift" Purple Flash".   I then gave one facet on each of the crystals' shafts, located opposite the side of the point I just painted, a wash with a mix of Vallejo Game Ink "Black" mixed with some of the "Purple" ink.
    When the ink had dried, I painted the bases with Americana "Neutral Grey", and when dry, I gave the bases a coat of Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash.  When the wash was dry, I drybrushed the based with some Folk Art "Platinum Grey".
       I let the crystals dry overnight and the next day I gave them a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Once again I decided not to spray varnish these as I have had some issues in the past with the translucent figures getting a little tacky after a while.   So, to finish up,  I painted the crystals with Americana "DuraClear Gloss" varnish to give them a nice shine.

     I'm really happy with these.  The addition of the color-shift paint really makes an interesting and somewhat realistic looking reflective pattern.

"Tormentor" Female Devil to Forest Guardian Faun-Queen Conversion and Paint: Bones 4 Core Figure

    This past week I painted the Female Devil figure from the Bones 4 Bedeviled group from the Core Set.   During the run of the Kickstarter, I had read on the Reaper Forum about folks who where considering the possibilities of  converting the larger Rulers of Hell figure set into some sort of Forest King and Queen creatures by removing their wings and skull iconography.   With the cloven hooves and horns I could see how easily this could be done.  And, while I didn't get that set, I did get the smaller sized Bedeviled group that came in the Core Set.  Looking at the female figure in that set, it seemed to me that she too would be an easy conversion to make into some sort of Faun-like Forest Creature.

   So, with figure in hand, I began.  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.
    The first conversion step I wanted to do was remove the trident-like weapon from her right hand.  Once removed, I replaced it with one of the spear/staff type weapons weapons from the Bones 3 Clear Armory of Virtue sprues.    I then glued the right arm into place using Gorilla Superglue Gel.

      The figure had three holes in her back; the top two for wings, and the bottom for her tail.  Next step was to fill these.

      So, using some 2-part epoxy putty greenstuff, I filled in the top two holes by sculpting in the missing hair; and I filled the bottom hole by sculpting her a more Faun-like tail.

     I then glued the figure to a black-primed 1.5" fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue, after trimming the base so it would fit. I then placed the figure in my painting grip.

      I began by painting all her skin above the waist with Reaper MSP "Tanned Shadow", and her legs with Americana "Light Cinnamon".  I then painted her loin cloth with Crafter's Acrylic "Forest Green", and the underside of her tail with Americana "Fawn".

     Next, I painted her hair with Accent "Real Umber", and her hooves with Vallejo "USA Olive Drab".  After that, I painted her belts and wrist wraps and guards with Accent "Mustard Seed", her staff with Ceramcoat "Walnut", and her horns with Folk Art "Barn Wood".

     I decided I wanted to add a little color to her loincloth, so I gave it a border with Apple Barrel "Yellow".  I then painted her belt buckle and fittings, as well as her wrist guard and the fittings on her staff, all with Folk Art Brushed Metal "Brushed Bronze".   I let everything dry for a while, and then I gave the entire figure (except the clear end of the staff) a wash with Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" wash.  When the wash was dry, I painted her eyes, and gave her some Folk Art "Metallic Emerald Green" eye shadow.  I then highlighted her skin with the base "Tanned Shadow" mixed with some Reaper MSP "Tanned Skin", and Reaper MSP "Tanned Highlight".

     I then highlighted her hair with some of the "Light Cinnamon", and then some Folk Art "Teddy Bear Brown"; and, next, I used these same two colors to highlight her legs.   After that, I highlighted her loin cloth with Folk Art "Hauser Green Medium", and the border with Crafter's Acrylic "Bright Yellow".  I then highlighted her tail and her horns with some Crafter's Acrylic "Light Antique White", and her hooves with a mix of some Americana "Mississippi Mud and the base "USA Olive Drab".   Next, I highlighted her belts and arm bands with some Accent Golden Oxide, and then a little of the "Golden Oxide mixed with some Ceramcoat "Maple Sugar Tan".  I wrapped up the highlighting by doing her staff with Folk Art "Dark Brown", and the metal fittings on her belt, staff, and her wrist guard with Ceramcoat "14K Gold".  Lastly, I painted the head of the staff with Tamiya Color "Clear Green", and the whole figure 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.    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".  After the Dullcote dried, I went back over the head of the staff with Americana "DuraClear Gloss Varnish".

     I really am pleased with how the conversion from demon to forest queen worked out on this, as well as the paint job.  And it was quite a nice sculpt to begin with as well.

     Be sure to tune in Thursday for another bonus post this week!

Raft and Rowboat: Bones 4 Dreadmere Models

   This past week I also painted the Raft and Rowboat from the Bones 4 Dreadmere Expansion Set.  We're doing a water based Ghost Archipelago scenario later this month, and I wanted to include these if needed.
       I prepped the pieces 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 assembled the raft, by gluing in the oars and the fish basket, using Gorilla Super Glue Gel.   (It also comes with a pair of loose fish, but I thought I'd save those to use somewhere else.)    After that, I glued 1"x1" steel bases to the undersides of both models using Gorilla Super Glue Gel.

     I started with the raft, and began by painting the bark of the logs with Americana "Charcoal Grey".  After that, I painted the ends with Americana "Fawn", and the ropes with Folk Art "Barn Wood".

     When the raft had dried for a bit, I gave the whole thing a wash with Citadel "Agrax Earthsahde" wash.  Then, when the wash was dry,  I drybrushed the bark with a 50-50 mix of Americana "Neutral Grey" and Americana "Mississippi Mud", followed by a lighter drybrush with Americana "Dove Grey".  I then drybrushed the ends of the logs with Americana "Antique White", and the ropes with Americana "Bleached Sand". 

     I then started on the rowboat.  I glued that to a tongue depressor for easier handling, using a couple drops of Elmer's glue.

      I began by painting the entire boat with Folk Art "Barn Wood".  I then painted the netting with Folk Art "Porcelain White", and the fish basket with Americana "Fawn".

      Next, I painted the lamp with Folk Art Burnished Metal "Burnished Bronze".  I then painted the plank patches on the outside of the boat with Folk Art "Grey Green",  Folk Art "Dapple Grey", and Americana "Mississippi Mud".   After that, I painted the rope with Americana "Neutral Grey",and the fish in the basket with Folk Art Color Shift "Blue Flash".

    I let the paint dry for a while, and then I gave the entire raft a coat of Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash.

     When the wash was dry, I drybrushed the boat with Americana "Dove Grey".  I then drybrushed the net with some Crafter's Acrylic "Light Antique White" mixed with some of the base "Porcelain White", and drybrushed the fish basket with some Americana ""Antique White". After that I drybrushed the lantern with some Ceramcoat 14K Gold, and put some color on the fish with Folk Art Metallics "Metallic Emerald Green".  Lastly, I painted the panes of the lantern with Ceramcoat "Black".

     These were nice simple pieces to get done.  I didn't spend a lot of time with them, but I think they turned out looking pretty good nonetheless.

Bufo (Frogman) Bones 4 Dreadmere Figure

  This past week I painted Bufo, the Frog-man (or maybe he's a Toad-man since "Bufo" literally means "Toad") figure from the Bones 4 Dreadmere Expansion.  Since most all my frog figures are painted like colorful tree frogs and poison dart frogs, I thought I'd continue that pattern here, and paint Bufo like a Red Eyed Monkey Tree Frog. I love how full of character this figure is, and had been looking forward to painting him since the Kickstrater ran.

       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 1.25" fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue, and then placed the figure in my painting grip.

     I began by painting his body with Crafter's Acrylic "Wild Green".  When it was dry, I gave it a wash with some thinned Citadel "Dark Green" ink.  Then, when the ink wash was dry, I painted his belly with Americana "Bleached Sand", and the border area between the "Wild Green and "Bleached Sand" with Ceramcoat "Denim Blue".  The "Denim Blue" also went up the undersides of his arms, and the insides of his legs.

    Next, I painted his hands and feet with Crafter's Acrylic "Pure Pumpkin", and his apron (tabard?) with Apple Barrel "Yellow".  I then painted his belt with Americana "Terra Cotta", and the basket on his back with Accent "Golden Harvest".  After that, I painted the bottom and top of the basket with Reaper MSP HD "Golden Brown", and the lamp pole with Reaper MSP "Olive Skin".

     I then painted the trident shaft and the axe handle with Americana "Light Cinnamon", and then the wrist bands with the "Terra Cotta".  After that, I painted the lamp and its fittings with the "Golden Harvest", and the axe and trident heads with Americana "Zinc"  I also painted the strapping on the trident with Anita's "Burnt Sienna".

   

     Next, I painted the trident and axe heads with  Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey" and the lamp and its fittings with Folk Art Burnished Metal "Burnished Bronze".  Then, after the figure had a chance to dry for a while, I put some Citadel "Reikland Fleshshade" wash on the feet, hands, belt, apron, wrist straps, and trident straps.    When that was dry, I applied some Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" wash to the basket, lamp pole, trident shaft, and axe handle.  Then when that was dry, I applied some Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash to the lamp, and trident and axe heads.

     When all the washes were dry, I highlighted his belly with Americana "Snow White", and the blue areas with Crafter's Acrylic "Tropical Blue".  I then highlighted his body with the base "Wild Green", and his feet with Reaper MSP "Hearth Fire".  After that, I painted his eyes with Reaper MSP "Holly Berry", and then gave them ceramcoat "Black" pupils.

 

     Next,  I highlighted his apron/tabard using Crafter's Acrylic "Bright Yellow", and then painted a cattail badge on it using the "Holly Berry".  I then highlighted his basket using Americana "Moon Yellow for the weaving, and Americana "Sable Brown for the lid and bottom.  After that, I highlighted his belt, wrist guards, and the strap on the basket with Accent "Golden Oxide"; the lamp pole with Reaper MSP "Olive Skin Highlight"; and the trident shaft and axe handle with Folk Art "Teddy Bear Brown".  Wrapping things up, I highlighted the strapping on the trident shaft with Americana "Shading Flesh", the trident and axe heads with Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver", and the lamp with Ceramcoat "14K Gold" followed by a little Ceramcoat "Wedding Gold".   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 went back and hit is eyes with a little Americana "DuraClear Gloss" varnish.   

     I'm really happy with how this one turned out!    It's a great little sculpt with a lot of charm.

    Be sure to tune in Thursday, for another bonus entry on the blog! I'll be posting a couple more of the Dreadmere pieces!