Dark Elf Queen on Throne: Bones 4 Darkreach Figure

      This past week I painted the "Dark Elf Queen on Throne" from the Bones 4 Darkreach Expansion, in my continuing effort to concentrate on working my way through that expansion.
     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.
    I wanted to make the queen removable so I could use the throne both as a simple terrain piece and also with the queen in place if needed.  I decided to use a pair of rare earth magnets to facilitate this.  So, to begin with, I sliced the tab where the queen is supposed to be mounted off the throne's seat, and then drilled a hole in both the throne's seat, and the underside of the queen to fit the magnets.  It was handy to have the site where the tab was on the throne, and the pre-existing hole in the queen, to help align the magnet placement correctly. 

     I then used Gorilla superglue gel to glue the magnets in place, being careful to get the polarity correct.

     I then stuck the queen's magnet onto an alligator clip in preparation for painting.

   For the throne, I used the superglue gel to glue a fender washer into the recess under the seat to help provide a base that would stick to my magnetic sheet lined storage boxes.   I then glued the back piece to the throne using the superglue gel.  When dry, I glued the completed throne to the top of a pill bottle with a couple drops of Elmers white glue.

      I began by painting the queen with Ceramcoat "Black".  When dry, I drybrushed the armor with Folk Art Color Shift "Black Flash".   When the "Black Flash" was dry,  I went over it again with a drybrush of  "Folk Art "Pure Gold".  After that I painted the face, legs, and hands with Reaper MSP "Dark Elf Skin".

     I then painted her skirt with Reaper MSP "Blood Red", and then her cape with Crafter's Acrylic "Purple Passion".  After that, I painted her hair with Americana "Grey Sky".

     Next, I repainted her cape with Folk Art Color Shift "Purple Flash", and then painted her boots with Reaper MSP "Coal Black".  I than painted the edges of her cape with the "Black", and then went over it again with the edges "Pure Gold".
     After that, I let everything dry for a while, and then gave the entire figure a coat of Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash.   Then, when the wash was dry, I painted the eyes, then highlighted the face, chest, legs and hands with the base "Dark Elf Skin", and some Reaper MSP "Dark Elf Highlight".

     I then highlighted the skirt with the base "Blood Red" mixed with some Reaper MSP "Holly Berry", and then further mixed in a little Crafter's Acrylic "Daffodil Yellow" to do even lighter highlights.  I also used the "Holly Berry" and Blood Red", along with a little Americana "Snow White" to paint the gem in her crown.   After that, I mixed some of the "Purple Flash" with some  Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver" to highlight her cape.  Next, I highlighted her boots with the base "Coal Black" mixed with a little Reaper MSP "Frosty Blue", and then I highlighted her hair with the "Snow White".  I finished up by using some Ceramcoat "Wedding Gold" to highlight her crown, armor, and the edges of her cape.

     

     I then began work on the throne, which I decided to paint to look like black marble.  I started by painting all the stone parts with the "Black".   When that was dry,  I used a stiff bristled brush, running my finger across it, to spatter white paint on the throne.  I let it dry some more, and then gave it a coat of the "Nuln Oil" wash.

         Next, I again used a stiff bristled brush, running my finger across it, to spatter white paint on the throne.  I also painted some thin lines to make striations.  After that, I tried to do some highlighting with the "Frosty Blue". 
     I had deliberated on how to paint the cloth running down the seat of the throne, and had decided to try and paint it as an old ragged repurposed tapestry.  So, I looked on Google for images of tapestries, and decided on this one:

     I felt I could easily adapt it to depict a Dark Elf queen executing a prisoner.  Suitable intimidation for anyone coming before the throne...   
     So, continuing on, I painted the cloth with Americana "Antique White" to resemble an old tapestry base material. I then penciled in the design.  This was going to be quite a challenge.  Luckily, the Queen, when seated would obscure part of it. :)

     I then attempted to paint in the design.   I'm not a good artist when it comes to realistic painting,  particularly people, but I made my best effort to get a rough blocked in image.   my fingers were crossed that weathering would help make up for my lack of skill.

      I let the throne dry for a while, and then I gave the tapestry a coat of Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" wash.  I then painted the spider motif on the back of the throne behind the queen's head, as well as the mounts the throne gems were in, with  Folk Art Brushed Metal "Brushed Bronze".  After that, I painted the gems with Ceramcoat "Opaque Red", and painted the crystals on the throne's base with the "Snow White".

     Next, I did highlights and shadows on the gems with Pathfinder MSP "Urgathoa Red" for the shadows and the "Snow White" for the highlights.    I then mixed some Citadel Technical "Spiritstone Red" and "Soulstone Blue" together to make a purple color, and used that to paint the crystals on the throne's base; then when dry, I added highlights with the "Snow White".  After that, I went around to all the parts I had painted with the "Brushed Bronze" and highlighted them with, first,  the "pure Gold", and then a little of the "Wedding Gold".

       I let the throne and queen dry overnight and the next day I gave them a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.   Another overnight dry, and I sprayed the figure with Testor's Dullcote".   When the "Dullcote" was dry, I went back and repainted all the gems and crystals, with a little Americana "DuraClear Gloss" varnish.

     I'm very pleased with how this turned out.  It's a little gaudy and "busy" looking, but I don't think thats terribly out of place in a Dark Elf setting.  I think the tapestry turned out well; not great, but good enough.  All in all a pretty nice piece I think.

Dark Elf Priestess: Bones 4 Darkreach Figure

     This past week I painted the "Dark Elf Priestess" from the Bones 4 Darkreach 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, and then placed the figure in my painting grip.
      I forgot to take a beginning photo of the figure, so here is a shot from the Reaper online store.

      I began by painting all the armor with Ceramcoat "Black".  When dry, I drybrushed the armor with Folk Art Color Shift "Black Flash".   When the "Black Flash" was dry,  I went over it again with a light drybrush of Reaper MSP "Aged Pewter".  After that I painted the face, knees, and hands with Reaper MSP "Dark Elf Skin".

     Next, I painted her robes with Reaper MSP "Blood Red", and then painted her cape with Ceramcoat "Charcoal".   After that, I painted the tabard-like pieces that hang down from her armor, using Americana "Black", and then did her hair with Americana "Grey Sky".

     I then painted her belt and pouch with Reaper MSP "Coal Black", and also used the color to paint the handle of her mace.  After that, I painted a pattern of black spiders on her robe using the "Black", and then added runes with, first, Reaper MSP "Holly Berry", and then going over them with some Americana "Primary Yellow".  

     I let everything dry for a while, and then I applied a coat of Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash to her skin, hair, armor, and cape. After that, I applied a coat of Citadel "Reikland Fleshshade" wash to her robe. While those dried, I painted the skull in her hand with some Citadel Contrast "Skeleton Horde".  Then, when the wash was dry, I painted the eyes, then highlighted the face, and hands with the base "Dark Elf Skin", and some Reaper MSP "Dark Elf Highlight".

      Next, I highlighted the robe with the "Holly Berry", then mixed a little Reaper MSP "Brest Cancer Awareness Pink" in to do some lighter highlights.   I then highlighted the cape using a mix of the base "Charcoal, mixed with some Americana "Zinc", and then did lighter highlights with just the "Zinc'.      After that, I highlighted the triangular hangings on her front with a mix of the "Charcoal" and some Citadel "The Fang".  I then highlighted her pouch and belt, as well as the handle of the mace, with some Crafter's Acrylic "Cool Blue" mixed with some of the "Black".

     I then highlighted the skull with some Americana "Bleached Sand", and afterwards highlighted her hair with Americana "Snow White".  Turning back to the skull, I painted the crown on it with the "Black", and then went over the crown again with Folk Art Brushed Metal "Brushed Bronze".  I finished the crown by highlighting it with Ceramcoat "Wedding Gold".    Next, I painted her belt buckle and highlighted the mace with Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey".  After that, I painted the fastener on her pouch and the skull on the bottom of her breastplate with Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver". 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. 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 really happy with how this one turned out.  There's just something about her stance and gaze that seems to have a lot of character. And I think the spider border on her robe turned out pretty good.  

Dark Elf Female Warrior: Darkreach Figure

      This past week I painted the "Dark Elf Female Warrior" from the Bones 4 Darkreach 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, and then placed the figure in my painting grip.

      I began by painting the figure with Ceramcoat "Black".  When dry, I drybrushed the armor with Folk Art Color Shift "Black Flash".   When the "Black Flash" was dry,  I went over it again with a light drybrush of Reaper MSP "Aged Pewter".  After that I painted the face, knees, and hands with Reaper MSP "Dark Elf Skin".

      Next, I painted her skirt with Reaper MSP HD "Rich Indigo", and her tunic with Pathfinder MSP "Urgathoa Red".  After that, I painted her cape with Crafter's Acrylic "African Violet", her boots with Americana "Charcoal", and then her hair with Americana "Grey Sky".

I then painted her belt, pouch, and sword grips with Americana "Asphaltum". After that, I painted a diamond pattern along the hem of her cape with Reaper MSP "Breast Cancer Awareness Pink" as the base of the pattern, and then added central dots in each diamond with Americana "Tutti Fruitti.   I let the figure dry for a while, and then gave the whole thing a coat of Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash.

 When the wash was dry, I painted the eyes, then highlighted the face, legs, and hands with the base "Dark Elf Skin", and some Reaper MSP "Dark Elf Highlight".  I then highlighted her skirt with a mix of the base "Rich Indigo", and some of the "Breast Cancer Awareness Pink".   After that I highlighted her tunic with the base "Urgathoa Red" mixed again with some of the "Breast Cancer Awareness Pink".

     Next, I highlighted the cape with a mix of the base "African Violet" and some Apple Barrel "Apple Lavender".  I then highlighted the decorative border on the cape with some of the "Tutti Frutti".  After that, I highlighted her hair with Americana "Snow White", and then did highlights on the belt and pouch with some Folk Art "Teddy Bear Brown".
     After that I painted the swords, and belt buckle, with Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey". I followed with giving them highlights with some Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver".  I also used the "Metallic Silver"  to paint the cording hanging from her shoulder. 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. 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 generally happy with how she turned out.  There's couple things I'm not pleased with like the the hair on the back of her head, which I got a little sloppy on; and the border on her cape, which I rushed (I've learned I don't have a lot of patience with repeating geometric patterns).  But for a game table figure I'm more than content.

Cave Spider: Bones 4 Darkreach Figure

     This past week I painted the big "Cave Spider" from the Bones 4 Darkreach Expansion.
     This figure comes on a big 3" integral base, attached by a central stalagmite that connects to the spider's underside.    I really didn't want such a big base, as it makes it hard to put figures adjacent when in combat, and makes it hard to fit the figure into close terrain.

      So, the first thing I did was take my Dremel cutting blade and remove a half inch around the outer edge.  This was made difficult by a pair of stalagmites that fell right about at the half inch mark and were too thick to cut through, so had to be cut around to remove them from the base.
     Once the excess base was cut away, 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 spider to a 2" fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue.  When the glue was dry, I painted around the edge of the washer with brush on Metal Primer, and when dry, I glued the washer to a large pill bottle with a couple drops of Elmer's glue.

     I began by painting the base with Americana "Charcoal Grey", and then painted the spider with Americana "Charcoal.   When the paint was dry, I used some Elmer's glue to glue some black sand on various places around the spider's base.

     Next, I painted the base by drybrushing it with some Americana "Mississippi Mud", and then with some Apple Barrel "Rock Grey", and lastly with a little Americana "Dove Grey".  After that, I gave the spider a coat of Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash.

     I then drybrushed the spider with a mix of Americana "Zinc" and Crafter's Acrylic "Purple Passion".  I followed with a lighter drybrush of a mix of Americana "Grey Sky", and Apple Barrel "Apple Lavender".  After that, I painted the fangs with the "Purple Passion", and then painted the pincers with a Reaper MSP Sample paint that was a purple color (shown in the background of the photo below)

     Next, I painted the eyes with Americana "Forest Green", and then highlighted the fangs with a mix of the "Purple Passion and the "Apple Lavender".  Afterwards, I went over the pincers again with some Folk Art Color Shift  "Purple Flash", and then I lightly drybrushed the plate ridges and spikes on the spider's back with the "Purple Flash" as well.   I finished up by going back over the eyes with some Folk Art "Color Shift ""Emerald Flash", and then added some Americana "Snow White" highlight dots to the eyes. 

      I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave it a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Another overnight dry, and I sprayed the figure with Testor's Dullcote".    When the "Dullcote" was dry, I went back and redid the eyes with a little Americana "DuraClear Gloss" varnish.

Shown with the Dark Elf I did a couple weeks ago to give a sense of the size.

     Well, I'm not terribly thrilled with the outcome.  To me the drybrush ended up looking a bit messy.  And I kept feeling like I should be doing more colors, but I felt a spider that lived in caves and rocks would generally want to blend in, and not stand out with bright colors.   Still it's a perfectly serviceable monster, and will do just fine for the game table.

Deep Gnome Warrior: Bones 4 Darkreach figure

     I continued to work on the the Bones 4 Darkreach Expansion his past week, and painted the "Deep Gnome Warrior".
     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 7/8" fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue, and then placed the figure in my painting grip.

      I began by painting the figure entirely with Ceramcoat "Black".  When the Black was dry, I drybrushed the figure with  Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey".  I then drybrushed the gnome with some Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver, and then passed over it with a lighter drybrush of Citadel "Mithril Silver".

     I then painted his ears, and the area of his face within the visor with Americana "Sable Brown" and then his axe handle with Crafter's Acrylic "Cinnamon Brown".  After that, I painted his gauntlets and belt with Americana "Charcoal Grey", his pouch with Americana "Terra Cotta", and his scabbards with Apple Barrel "Burnt Sienna".

     Next, I painted the bit of cloth in the opening in the back of his chain mail armor with Ceramcoat "Territorial Beige", his boots with Americana "Asphaltum", and the little tassel on his pouch with Americana "Grey Sky".   I let the figure dry for a while, and then I gave his face and ears a coat of Citadel "Reikland Fleshshade" wash. After that wash was dry, I gave his axe handle, gauntlets, pouch, belt, scabbards, fabric in the opening in his armor, tassel, and boots all a coat of Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" wash.  After this second coat of wash was dry, I painted his eyes, and then highlighted his skin with, first, the base "Sable Brown", and then a bit of the "Sable Brown" with some Americana "Fawn" mixed in.   I also painted the axe head with Ceramcoat "Metallic Pewter".

     I then highlighted the axe handle by drybrushing it with some Americana "Mississippi Mud", and I highlighted the gauntlets and his boots with Nicole's "Brown". After that, I highlighed the pouch with a mix of the base "Terra Cotta", and some Ceramcoat "Maple Sugar Tan", and the tassel with some Americana "Snow White".  Next, I highlighted the scabbards with some Crafter's Acrylic "Orange Spice", and the fabric in the opening in his chain mail with the base "Territorial Beige" mixed with a little of the "Fawn".  I then went around and did spot highlights on the armor and weapons with the "Mithril Silver".    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. 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 the "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".

     This was a fun little figure to paint.  Doing the eyes within the visor was a real challenge, but I think it really adds to this figure to have him peering out of his helmet.   These gnome sculpts have a lot of character and I look forward to working on the rest of the set.