Ancient History

You have seen me post a few articles on the Green Stuff World texture rollers already, with runes, knotwork designs, and many other very handy basing themes!

This time, you will see an all new texture, a Greek/mosaic tile.

I will be using the extra firm grey sculpey once again.

I used the clear roller to set up the sculpey sheet.  I will be trying out a few thicknesses with this roller.  Normally I use my clay extruder (AKA pasta machine) to roll out a thin sheet, but I also wanted to try out a thicker sheet.

I attempted to make the sheet be as similar in width to the roller, so that I could pick up as much of the fantastic textures as possible.

Depending on how long you make the sheet, the more repeat textures you will get.  Eventually, I want to make some kind of runners to keep the roller moving evenly.  For now, I simply wanted to see what the texture looked like!

This was another sheet that was rolled.  You must remember to either cool the sculpey first, or use the firm variety.  That keeps the roller from 'tearing' the sheet, or carrying it along with the roller.

This piece is about 2.5 times as thick as the previous sheet.

It did make it easier to get a nice deep texture.  Plus, I won't have to put this sheet on to a piece of cork or something similar to give it the extra strength.

Here's a few sheets that I pressed and baked.

As always, bake the sculpey on some kind of ceramic tile!  The metal baking sheets transfer too much heat to the sculpey.

I will try to make you another post with the first bases made with this new texture!  Stay tuned.

A link to Green Stuff World:

http://www.greenstuffworld.com/en/51-textured-rolling-pins

Somua Surge!

This newest armored edition to the Bolt Action French force was very fun to paint!  After painting so many versions of this tank for Flames of War, it was very nice to have the additional details that the 28mm scale (or close proximity) provided.

I have to admit, it was pretty interesting to use the exact same colors on something that was so much bigger!  It certainly made the freehand a lot easier!

I did avail myself of the use of a few Secret Weapon weathering powders on the treads, exhaust pipes and a few other elements.  Using the sealer medium to create a watercolor style wash, I could get the rust and dust to settle into crevices without the need for a spray coating to hold in the goodness.

Since this was larger, the tank commander figure was a real treat to paint!  Darn those one man turret rules!!!  The bane of my existence.

The view from above shows a little of the soot and scorching that was applied to the vents.

The parade ground view!!

One more look... and then perhaps on to the battlefield.  Or perhaps not, if the Char Bis is completed first. ;-)  Stay tuned!

The Lion Heart

This is a figure that I have been itching to show off for a long time.  He is from a line of miniatures created for Demigods Evolution, a strategy board game.

There are a host of fantastic characters, from a variety of races and creatures.

This impressive character is The Protector, for obvious reasons.  I have done a few unboxing posts on these figures, and those illustrate the weapon options that are typically available for each figure.

For example, I could have gone with a shield in each arm, or weapons in both hands.  There are often different weapons for the same arm, creating even more options and choices.

I did something slightly different with the snow on this base.  First, it gave me the opportunity to try out the Gamer's Grass winter shrubs.  Second, I modified the Secret Weapon products that I normally use for snow.

In addition to the usual crushed glass and realistic water mix, I added the white powder which is normally used to create mud mixtures.  This gave the snow an even more brilliant white appearance.  It was helpful on the more thinned down areas on the small branches and even on the figure itself.

I absolutely LOVED the lion motif on this, and the back of the cloak was incredibly fun to paint!

Each character has a significant back story, which I will pass along to you in the next post.  You can see more of the fantastic miniatures on their facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/DemigodsRising/

This image shows you how large he is!  He certainly towers over all his enemies!!

He's also here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/322133669796?

On the prowl

It's been a while since I've had some of the Raging Heroes Wereshewolves on the blog, but that's not because they are forgotten. :-)

This version has a slightly different color scheme, with purples and greens in the darker areas to compliment the warmer tans.

I also tried to have a few transitions to other shades, some pushing a little more red, as well as a darker more grayish tone on the lower legs and the hands.

I also tried to pick out some foliage that would match the various subtle tones.

The final Wereshewolf in the set is ready to go, so you will be seeing pictures of that, followed by some group shots!  I have a second set, which I hope to use for the Google Hangout painting sessions!  Stay tuned.

Bear Hug

Here's the latest character from Wild West Exodus.  His name is Avanaco, and he's smarter than your average bear.  Well, maybe not, but he sure packs more firepower than the average bear!!

Just like the rest of the Dark Nation, he uses the dreaded RJ-1027 energy which the enemies of the Warrior Nation have chosen to avoid.  This energy source is powerful, but it also corrupts.

While he can dish out major pain with this gun, he is no slouch when it comes to close combat either.

As usual, the Vallejo fluorescent paints were used to create the glowing effects.  When you have this many elements that are glowing, it can be pretty crazy to figure out where all the OSL should be placed.  There are times where you have to fudge a little, and skip an area here and there.

This was also unusual in that most of the figure was done in muted browns and less in cooler tones.  Normally I try to accentuate my glow colors by having the 'opposite' color temperature, but that is not always possible.

 In this case, I went with the muted vs highly saturated contrast.  Also, I made the fur and skin somewhat darker than if I was not trying to establish that glowing effect.

The Anti-Hero

This interesting and evil looking character is from Gamezone Miniatures

I had a lot of fun with the Dragon Motif!  I got a chance to play around with all manner of red tones.  Some warmer, others cooler and more muted, etc.

I tried to continue the dragon imagery on the base as well!

He's also here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/222134916175?

In Memory

For this Memorial Day, we have an experiment.

I wanted to see what would happen if I mixed weathering powders with my wash and glaze colors.  I have mixed them with the Secret Weapon sealer, as well as with rubbing alcohol, which turns them into a flowing paint.

They dry just the same as if I had applied them "dry", but I have the advantage of getting them to sink into the crevices, and mottle them a bit more.

I also did some splotches of darker wash colors over the dusty areas to see if I could create some interesting effects, especially on the flat surfaces of the upper hull.  I got some very fun results!

To all those who have served and sacrificed, many thanks.