New Etsy Listing- Lesser Beholder

The beholder's been around since the inception of D&D, and is one of the most memorable and long-lived of the monsters which were created with the game. This particular sculpt (technically called a Spectator) is a brand new one, only, as I recall, available for the past week or so. It was packaged along with a pair of even smaller Beholder kin- which while I have yet to list these (and I may not), I'll go ahead and stick at the end of this post.

The color scheme may look a little familiar, as it's the same tones I used on my Doctor Who Zygons. I was concerned at first that it might look a little too lobster like on the caraprace, but it turned out looking really well.

I wanted the tongue and mouth to stand out, and so I painted these a pale, almost corpse-like white. The eyes were inspired by a handy array of concepts in an art book from the LotR films- I have a feeling I'll be referring back to that when I eventually paint this figure's larger cousin!

I tried to differentiate elements of the casing by painting the horns and eye stalks a more reddish tone- it does help to break up the monotony of the armor.

The base is very simple- I just painted the bottom of the clear plastic support a medium grey. I find I often prefer that to a more elaborate set-up, largely as it makes the model more easily transferable to different settings.

And the smaller version! I've grown pretty attached to it, as I really like the disgruntled expression on its face. It's only about the size of a standard human's head, and would work well for a familiar. I've got another of these, which will probably get painted a blue or purple.

As always, check out the Etsy listing here.

New Etsy Listing- Frog Shaman

Bullywog, Grippli, Squog- call them what you will, frogmen have been a part of D&D since 1981's Fiend Folio, although I'd imagine that the Old One Tsathoggua (which also inspired one of my favorite DCC patrons, Bobugbubilz, the Demon Lord of Amphibians) played a role in games before that. This particular frogman sculpt is Mudcroak, Squog Shaman from Reaper Miniatures.

I painted him up as a Strawberry Poison Dart Tree Frog, as I liked the contrast between the red body and blue limbs. He does, however, have some pretty fearsome teeth that few tree frogs possess. Also, the gear he has seems more like that one would find around a coral reef- while frogs don't (to my knowledge) live there in this world, these must have adapted to salt water.

He's also got a fair amount of suitably shamanistic gear- ranging from sacks and dried grass to a pufferfish on a driftwood stick- well prepared to face meddlesome PCs...

This sculpt, along with a pair of warriors has been on my painting pile for a couple of years- I'd had trouble deciding when I purchased them how, exactly, I should paint them- I ran across a picture of some Poison Dart frogs recently, and decided it was high time they get completed.

They'll also go well with another figure on my stack- Reaper's Coral Golem. Perhaps the shaman has awoken his tribe's coral home to defend against attack, or as part of a small-sized force for Frostgrave's Ghost Archipelago.

Be sure to check out the miniature on Etsy as well!

New Etsy Listing- Wraith

This miniature is a striking sculpt from Reaper Miniatures, transferred fairly recently to the Bones line. I prefer a much more realistic minimum to my sculpts than some of Reaper's miniatures, but this is a great, simple, classic wraith.

And, in this case, a simple sculpt deserved a simple paint job! It's just a plain black cloak, animated in the approximate shape of a floating humanoid. All the crevices and folds in the cloth were enjoyable to layer, and I'm pleased with the resulting tattered appearance.

If I had one qualm about the miniature, it'd be that my primer/black basecoat is a touch glossy compared to the grey middle and topcoats. This does give it something of an ethereal look in person, though, and is simply different than how I originally envisioned it.

Check out this miniature and other listings on my Etsy Shop!

New Etsy Listing- Female Wizard

I got a new Etsy listing up yesterday, the first in a long while. This particular miniature is from Wizards of the Coast's recent Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures line, and was packaged together with another I posted a couple years ago. I like the more realistic sculpts seen in the NMM line, in particular the females- they almost remind me of the simple style seen on early TSR miniatures.

I used the same colors on her dress as my recent Eowyn miniature. I've recently grown to like a heavy contrast between my base color and highlight. You can see this most clearly on the hair, which started as a dull dark brown.

This cloak is pretty much the opposite- with a soft, layered transition between colors. It's the first time I've used this color as a highlight on a large area, and I think it goes well alongside the sharper contrasts elsewhere on the figure.

I enjoyed painting the spell effect like a meteor of sorts- a burning red with a smoky purple tail. The book also got an intricate pattern of words and images, meant to evoke the spell sections in the actual D&D rulebook.

Take a look at my Etsy Page for more prepainted miniatures and custom order information!

Host of the Dead- Draugar

Draugar (or the singular form, Draugr) are undead from Norse legend, which form from the corpses of especially malevolent warriors. It was said that, as these warriors died, their will to live proved so strong that their soul could not leave their body, and reanimated it as a Draugr. They retained a semblance of their intelligence, and were tied more or less to the place of their burial, typically a large barrow. 

While many modern sources, from D&D bestiaries to MMORPGs have portrayed the Draugr, the original creature of legend was much less well defined- depending on the power of the soul animating the Draugr, it could have different powers and appearances. Some sources even differentiate between standard and aquatic Draugar.

The method of destruction also varied: while some were 'killed' by the same methods as a living man, others could only be destroyed by fire, or by spending the night in its barrow with its severed head on ones knee.

These particular miniatures are from Games Workshop's LotR line, sold as Army of the Dead. I prefer the sculpts as Draugar and thoroughly enjoyed making them look as nasty as possible, adding mold, leather rot, verdigris and rust to the clothes and gear.

This mostly entailed drybrushing in probably 8-10 different shades, along with some overall ink washes. The subtle differences in color  make a large difference in the effect, although it can be difficult to tell in pictures.

The sculpts and design are excellent, looking ancient in comparison with a medieval Norse aesthetic. The later medieval 'heater' shields are a slight anachronism, and when I paint more I'll probably replace them with circular shields, but I got these three used, and already assembled. 

Ghash!

One of the most frightening and memorable sequences in the Lord of the Rings is the Mines of Moria. Tolkien did a great job of building up the tension towards the climatic fight in the Chamber of Records, and the well-written excerpts from the Book of Mazarbul  make the approaching threat come alive. In painting Games Workshop's Moria goblins, I decided to try for a creepier, more troglodyte look than is seen in the movies, to better reflect the sense I have of them in the book- I think I succeeded!

Most people, including me, think of goblins as green. While this works great for most goblins, what about those who dwell in caves, never venturing out under sun or moon? It would make sense that, as they became more adapted to an underground environment, they would begin losing the now useless pigmentation, as seen in cave fish. Unlike cave fish, of course, these goblins still have eyes that have become accustomed to the dark, like Dungeons and Dragons darkvision.

Also, in an environment such as Moria, certain materials like leather or wood are very hard to come by. Because of this, the goblins' bows are made of metal- some kind of lightweight alloy of the Dwarves, perhaps. The straps and other items usually made of leather are painted a dull green- maybe troll skin?

I'm really happy with how the armor turned out. I wanted it a good bit darker than, say, that of an elf, so I drybrushed Army Painter gunmetal over the very dark Vallejo paint of the same name. 

This still left the problem of weathering- no self-respecting orc would ever wear shiny new armor. This was solved by more drybrushing, this time using various shades of brown- a technique similar to what I used on my Uruk Hai, but it worked much better here.

So, these are albino cave goblins, who don't even need the light of torches to see by. But what happens when they do encounter torches? Especially, what happens when a fiery Balrog starts stirring in the depths they call home?

The answer lies in the red stripes present on the goblins armor and clothing. As seen throughout history, indigenous cultures are quick to adapt such cataclysmic events as religious ceremonies or cults- and the goblins are no different.

A cult of fire has sprung up among this tribe, present on these models primarily as caste markings. The more warpaint (red pigment is a valuable commodity among goblins) on a goblin, the higher up on the totem pole it is. All of these miniatures are lower ranking warriors, with only a small amount of pigment available for decoration.

When I paint warleaders for this growing band, I may also add a small number of charred mutilations- most likely as a sign of extreme bravery or religious devotion, as goblins are not known for their high pain tolerance.

Greatest and Chieftest of all Calamities

There's been something missing for a while in my miniature collection, something no self-respecting fantasy nut can do without- that greatest of all legendary beasts, the dragon!

Perhaps my first proper introduction to this king of the bestiaries was, of course, in The Hobbit. I had the advantage to first read it in a Michael Hague illustrated edition, and the image of his Smaug, sitting atop a mountain of treasure, inspired this dragon's color scheme. The miniature is a Reaper Bones model by Julie Guthrie, called Narthrax.

I may do something a little more interesting with the plain base, but, for now, he's perched atop some lonely mountain peak, making a snack of any burglars who pass by.

He's a big beast, almost too big for this photo set-up! This is definitely the largest, most involved miniature I've ever painted, and not just due to the size. Each scale had to be individually painted in four different reds, followed by an over all dry-brushing of metallic gold- and that's not even counting the wings or horns.

Unlike his inspiration, he lacks a diamond-studded waistcoat- or any gaps in his armor- on a shelf full of meddlesome heroes, survivability trumps style.

The mountain smoked beneath the moon,

The Dwarves they heard the tramp of doom...

Giant Scaly Attack Chicken!

The holiday season has, of course, been busy for me, but not so busy that I haven't had a chance to do some painting- even if all of the miniatures I have finished in the last few days are from the limbo of my to-be-completed pile.

First is a Nolzur's Marvelous Miniature, from a relatively new line by Wizards of the Coast. The line is sold pre-primed,which is a interesting concept, and is much more anatomically accurate than is usual for fantasy (especially female) miniatures. The color scheme I chose is much like my Una McDonnel miniature.

I am very happy with the wizard's book, which I modeled after some 14th-century tomes. Sharp eyed readers may notice a white Graveworm on the left-hand page. That is a representation of a custom sculpt of mine, which I need to get posted sometime.

This is an Etsy-listing for when I finally get my shop revived. Be expecting more like it in the future!

This is a  Reaper miniature, from Monte Cook's RPG setting Numenera. This particular model, I believe, is called an Ithsyn, but it looks more like a giant scaly attack chicken to me. I went for a slightly twisted, prehistoric look to the beastie, especially on the head, with its true double chin. As you can tell on the tongue, I have started using gloss varnish to add some effects to my miniatures. It can really make the eyes (or giant purple tongues) pop out at you.

This is actually a Christmas present for my girlfriend, who loves dinosaurs. When I got the miniature, it was bent at an angle (the one problem with Reaper's Bones line), as you can still see. I decided to keep it how it was, as it makes the whole miniature look more dynamic.

Speaking of scaly beasts...

Suffice it to say that Malakili is very happy.