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!

Evil Mage / Red Wizard of Thay

 

All those zombies need an evil necromancer to lead them! This is my stand-in for Hamun Kost from LMoP. Sure, Sure, he doesn't fit the description, and he doesn't even have that classic Red Wizard of Thay robe look, but in my mind the mini was a perfect fit. This piece is an old Reaper Miniatures Bones model - back from when they were all bendy. Despite the cast looking a bit soft upon selection, the painted model came out really crisp. The model itself was sculpted by Werner Klocke, who never disappoints, and has a nice compliment of embroidery details and belts with buckles. I was pleasantly surprised with my results - definitely exceeding my expectations for this project. In particular, I was really happy with the rich reds I achieved (always a challenge).

Zombies (4) #3

 The final installment of human zombies in my current series; whew! Not the best picture, but I'll stick with it for now. They are rotting, after all. These are metal models from Reaper Miniatures and are a nice collection of zombies in different poses. The color palate in this batch is a little too narrow - in retrospect I should've mixed the sets up more for presentation purposes. I still have more zombies to show (and make) - the low level adventures are undead heavy - but I look forward to some different varieties moving forward.

Zombies (4) #2

 

The second installment in my series of human zombies. This time, the models come from a Heresy Miniatures; they have some excellent lines and I particularly enjoy their undead. The sculpting and poses of these zombies have a little more sinister in feel to me relative to others I have done. The weapons are an interesting touch - sometimes zombies are shown as completely thoughtless, and others they retain some spark of their former knowledge - enough to wield tools. Weapons definitely make zombies a more threatening prospect to face!

Of the various batches of zombies I have painted, I think these are near the best - the shading and colors have more contrast and saturation, giving them more un-life.

Zombies (4) #1

 

 Every adventure needs undead, and zombies are endlessly useful.

 Zombies are pretty sloppy monsters, so it was more important that I linked their color palates while giving each some unique elements rather than making each one a masterpiece - The herd is where they make their impact. They were painted at different times over a relatively long interval, so they aren't perfectly consistent, but I think that actually benefits them.  It is much easier to photograph them a few at a time, so I've decided to post small groups over a few weeks. Despite the simple paint jobs, I really appreciate that each is totally unique stylistically.

This first pack of zombies were made by Reaper Miniatures (two of them are plastic bones material, and two are metal). 

As can always be expected with zombies, more to come!

Pumpkin Dragon, Adult

 

 

This is a much larger pumpkin dragon to go along with the smaller one I did recently. I really enjoy all of the pumpkin creatures I got during October - It seems like it would make for a very satisfying fantasy adventure to have the heroes go smashing evil pumpkins. November is still a pumpkiny season, so maybe I'll keep it going. Painting pumpkins is super relaxing, too - I could use a bit more of that vibe. 

This base is a custom oval size - somewhere in the ballpark of 75mm / "huge". 3D printing bases is amazing - I never seem to have enough of the right size and shape; the printer has paid for itself in just bases many times over. 

My color palate here was nearly identical to that of the smaller dragon, but the color of the picture is much closer to the eye than that post - I think the greens and browns in this piece really balance out the image so it doesn't get over corrected by the phone.