Corpse Counters (2)

That about sums it up. Due to personal and professional challenges this year I haven't felt like posting, but I have decided to resume at a slower pace. 

These counters were made from basing bits that previously come with the Heresy Miniatures Paul Muller ghouls (OOP). A preview, as it were.  

Kobold Soldier (2)

 

These diminutive hoplites represent the apex of kobold military might. So, not that impressive. still, we are finally getting to the rank-and-file of the kobold warband that I have.

 That these are based on square bases is a clear indicator that this is one of my older projects. I have so many models based this way that I feel obligated to carry it forward, despite my preferred choice being round bases.

These were painted with a simple and fast layering of washes. It falls flat in some parts of the miniatures, but the metals end up looking nice and become the focal point.

Crazed Owlbear

 

This is a really wild model from Reaper Miniatures. It definitely doesn't look like a classical owlbear, instead it is a slim, wild-eyed and berserk mutant. while this isn't what I had in mind for my run-of-the-mill owlbear encounter, I think it works perfectly for the crazed owlbear found in Cragmaw Castle of LMoP, so it found a home in my collection. The end effect with the tiny pupils isn't perfect but it is definitely unsettling. It was nice working with the different shades of brown on this model, but it wasn't an overworked piece so the work is otherwise unremarkable. I tried to play up the crazed angle in the paint by adding details such as a frothy mouth and bloodshot eyes for a "that owlbear isn't right" effect.

Because this model is so specific, I still want to complete a regular one for the random encounter table of LMoP. I'll do another with a very different aesthetic now that I am nearing a complete LMOP set.

 

Ancients of Atalan Hunter-Killer Mech

 

Sometimes one picture tells the whole story of the paintwork. In this case, it is all about the gold metallics. I spent most of my time on this ....giant robotic stingray washing, blending and highlighting to get a nice warm gold luster. 

The model itself is for my ever-growing Deepwars collection (made by Antimatter Games / Dark Sword Miniatures) and gives the Ancients of Atalan some really heavy firepower.

 Unusual subjects are often the best to work on because of their extreme nature, and I really appreciated going to the gills with the flashy metallic gold.

Animated Broom / Broom of Animated Attack

 

Happy New Year! Time to clean house. While the broom of animated attack is a notorious PC killer in Death House, I can definitely see why an evil house would keep one around. Its a good way to end the year, I think. Sweep away the dirt, and start anew.  

This is a very clean (free) STL by Cult Miniatures - It printed well and I completed the paint work in only a few very brief sessions. This was the final miniature I will complete this year and, happily, I hit my annual paint goal of 52 completed models just in time. 

Old Owl Well / Old Shitty Well

 

I don't often post terrain, but I am hoping to include more pieces in my collection, particularly if they fill a thematic role in one of the modules I am working to complete. With that in mind, you can't have an encounter at Old Owl Well without an old well! This free sculpt from EC3D fills that need perfectly - it doesn't get better than that.Yes, it is called "Old Shitty Well", but it's great. This is also a support free model which ended up ended up being a really pleasant hobby experience. It went from file to done in no time, which went a long way to reinvigorate my painting mojo this fall. I'll have to start using more support free models to make prep a more relaxing experience. 

I'll close with a rough shot of the whole encounter. I apologize for the  photo edit - I didn't have a backdrop big enough to capture the whole group. I'd like to do more encounter shots like this as my collection grows, so ill need to work out a better system for photography.

Actually, this photo makes me wish that I had also done the tent for this encounter - more terrain to come, it seems!