Helldrake you say?

So the Helldrake is coming along quite nicely, now that the base is finally looking like I want it to. The first layers of weathering have been added and are drying. Soon it will be time to add a bit of pigments and call this one done.

I'm also really happy that I finally found a use for the monoliths I got from Secret Weapons Miniatures about 5 years ago......

So here are a bunch of pictures to make up for not posting about this model in a while.

Our first painting class!

Today I held my first painting class at Game Links in Fowlerville MI. We had 9 students show up and it was a great time. 

We started by talking about brushes, brush care, sable vs synthetic and how they are used. After that we talked about cleaning brushes and how important brush soap is to the longevity of your brushes. 

Priming was next up on our list, followed by base coating, highlights and shading. 

We worked on undercoating gold and why its important. Then moved on to silvers. 

Next up we tackled skin tones and how to make them more realistic. 

Then the big one.... 2 brush blending. 

All in all a great day

Cryx Update.

So work continues on Gorshade. I am really happy with just about everything on the model so far, except the sword. I think a bit more two brush blending is going to be needed to bring to all the way from a yellow down to a blue. That and the face needs a bit more work as it is blending in with the armor.

The Countdown to WMW Continues........

In my quest to get fully painted for Warmachine Weekend. I have been working on getting all the models needed to at least a table top standard. What is table top you ask? Well to me its all about the 3 foot rule. As models on the table are seen from about thee feet away its all about looking good from that perspective. This is wildly different from a competition or display piece. A table top standard model usually take about 1-2 hours per and largly consists of blocking in your main color, contrast color and accents. Followed by a heavy wash and a dry-brushing of the highlights. Display pieces and especial competition models can take hundreds of hours. And then you though on the basing and on and on.

So with that in mind, and seeing as I only have another 4 days to be done. It's time for some fast and dirty painting.

Here are 2 units of Khador Greylords. As they are the same models in two seperate units I wanted a way to not only speed paint them but be able to see which are which at a glance. I kept the color schemes the same (again for speed. Seeing a pattern here?) and use the base arc markings to differentiate the two. One unit has my standard red stripes the other I went with a neon green.

As an addition speed boost I worked on the Koldon Lord at the same time. As he is kinda-sorta a grey lord he shares quite a few of the same features/colors.

So here is what I have for table top on these two units and the solo. The pictures were just taken with my phone on the painting table as I didn't feel like they were worthy of the light box and the good camera, nor did I want to spend the time in editing photos for these.

In case you are wondering, this leaves me with about 20 models to go before I leave Thursday morning!. 

Happy painting everyone, You know I will be!

Display Base for the Kodiak.

Alright folks, I have decided to enter the Khador Kodiak into the painting competition at Warmachine Weekend. In looking at past entries from this and other competitions it's clear to me that I need a display base. As I have never actually made a display base I did what we all do in times of need and headed to The Google. I found a few fantastic articles on Massive Voodoo and other sites and a few painters have offered me some great advice.

So with a bit of research in hand and a whole lot of "hold me beer while I try something" I decided it was time to get it done.

I started with the plinth. I picked up a good size piece of wood at Hobby Lobby for about $4, after which my wife suggested that I probably would have been able to get the same piece from a hardware store for free..... I then sanded it down and rounded off the edges. While at the Hobby Lobby I grabbed a package of air dry sculpting clay for the ground on the base. I am using clay for a few reasons. First it allows me to create slopes and uneven terrain, Second it gives me something to ancore the "trees" and "rocks". Last but by no means least its a heck of a lot cheaper than using Green Stuff.

For the trees and rocks I sent my kids outside to look for sticks and bark. In 28mm scale twigs look a lot like a tree. I've let them dry in the basement for a few weeks to get any moister out.

On to assembly. I started with getting my fingers a bit wet to work with the clay. Once it was in place and I was happy with the slopes and stuff. I basically stuck the trees into place. Then added the bark that will simulate rocks. Now its time to let the clay dry for a few days and then it will be time for the paint, bushes, snow etc.

As a last thought. The more I look at the base, the more I am thinking of removing the front piece of bark and going with maybe some run off water from melting snow.

Khador Berserker 1.0

This is a really old model. I think it might even have been one of the original releases from Privateer Press back in the old days of Warmachine Mark I.

That being said, its still made out of white metal. It is  2lbs of awesomeness. I started with the usual as in priming with a medium grey. I left the primer to cure over night. Then it was time for the undercoats. I have shown this before, I start with Vallejo Model Color Black/Grey, then add Vallejo Game Color Stone Grey for the highlights. Once dry I use FW Red ink to give it a good dark base of red. Then its on to the second highlights. I used Vallejo Model Color Bright Flesh and it was off to the second red ink this time using P3 Red Ink.

On to the details. I went back over some surfaces with VMC Black Grey (on the shoulder pads etc.), added P3 Pig Iron for the base silvers and VAM Old Gold and VMC Brass.

So here is where we are now. Just the highlights and cleanup is left to do. Not bad for about 6 hours on a Sunday.

Contest Model 6.0 - And Finished!

Rocinante is done and in the display case. This was a really fun model to work on. I love how PP Warjacks have largish but not overly so areas to work on. Just enough room to give good detail and do a few fun things with.

So where did we leave off.... Well after the gloss coat had time to dry. I was able to mix up a black oil wash and all the Silvers and golds were given a heavy wash to bring down the shine dramatically. Then I mixed an orange wash to add to the rust effect.

Once dried I applied some Secret Weapons Miniatures rust pigments across most of the model. It adds a bit of depth and also brings down the shine. I like doing this with the oil wash stage because it helps keep the pigments in place for the final matte varnish.

So here are some pictures. Please leave some feedback and let me know what you think!

Diorama 3.0

Let's talk models for this bad boy.

So the terrain part is just about done. I still have to make a gnarled old tree which I am going to do with twisted brass rods (that will be it's own post later). It's time to think about the models that are going to be added into the scene. If you notice there are 4 small base holes on one side of the sandbag wall, and on the other side are a medium and large base hole as well. The 4 smaller holes will be for a few Cygnar models I have already painted and don't have a use for. The large base holder is for Khador's Behemoth. I had already owned and painted one but had to sell it some time back for lack of rent fund. So it was with some joy that I got a new one. Then I rememberd having to put the 2lbs of white metal together..... I also picked up pButcher because really if your gonna do something like this you need a big bad model to really drive it home.

Here are the modes in their very early WIP form. Both were primed with Vallejo Grey Surface Primer and allowed to cure over night. Then Behemoth was base coated in a mix of Vallejo Model Color Grey - Black with two drops of Wych Purple (old GW paint).

I also started adding a bit of water effect in some of the holes on the diorama base as well. 

Next up will be to make and add the tree in, add some powders to give it a more gritty feel, and possible some static grass here an there for color. 

Paint up the models and BLAM.....science...

The next blog post will be back to the GW Vindicator and Predator. 

See ya'll soon. 

Moving kinda sucks.

Ok the part where you pack all of your stuff into boxes, then carry all of the boxes out to a truck, drive the truck to a new place, and then unpack them sucks.

That being said. I'm glad to be in the new house. It's huge and beautiful and has nice big windows in the basement. I got the painting are set up and now I'm about ready to get some acrylic stuff onto some plastic stuff.

Check out the new digs.

Snap Jaw!

I painted this model up about 6 months ago but didn't have a suitable base for him. I finally got some swamp bases from Secret Weapons Miniatures and was able to get him squared away.

Normally I would not leave a model glossy but I figure he is a Gatorman and he would be all wet from jumping out of the murk.

Let me know what you think.