Goblin Reinforcements / Bloodbite Goblins (2)

 I've decided to do some Paint Club stuff, so while I work on a new project I thought I'd play some catch up on existing factions I have going. These two handsome fellows are additions to my Ogres and Goblins warband from years gone by. They are slightly bigger than the originals, but also sculpted by the great Bobby Jackson in the same style. They bring a bit of muscle and chaff to my goblins, giving me nearly enough to run some of the encounters in published RPG modules, but still not quite the numbers needed to make a goblins-only battle group. I have some additional "command" models and I recently acquired a large number of new goblin recruits from the same range, so I  expect I'll be adding more to their number in the near future. 

Stone Juggernaut

 

This subject is way off script for any of my paint project goals, but the rule of cool wins! This TPK machine comes from one of my long running 3D sculpting subscriptions: "Roleplaying & Miniatures." This sculptor takes his queue directly from subscriber suggestions which are then voted on monthly. Its a pretty cool system, and sometimes my pitch makes the cut! The stone juggernaut was one such suggestion of mine that gained the favor of the masses, and immediately earned a spot on the printer. 

Now, what possessed me to request one, if I have no real plans for it? It is friggin' cool! Stone juggernauts always struck me as one of those horrible and hopeless encounters for PCs - a giant fantasy steamroller made of solid rock set on squishing the heroes to goo? Seems totally unfair! Some are even magic users, which makes me want to evil-laugh. It makes sense that every piece of artwork I have seen of one portrays people running frantically away. Staring down the business end would definitely make me run.

Hobby-wise it was a straightforward project. The hollow print was easy, and the paint-scheme is simplistic; it's just a rock. I couldn't quite figure out how I wanted to handle the base on this boxy construct and I had a few false starts. Eventually I decided to gore-up a flagstone base I had sculpted to represent the remnants of prior victims. It seemed appropriate enough and I don't often do gore, so it was something different. I created the bone fragments and flesh-pulp with a mix of course spices, eggshells, and shredded toilet paper in Modpodge. I think it works pretty well despite being a crude basing technique.

Wight, Monk / Dreadmere Wight

 

My painting has been sluggish with a slew of spring projects to tackle, so while I work on something new here is a piece from the display cabinet that I have never previously shared. This rotten fellow is from the Reaper Bones 4 Kickstarter, and was the first piece I painted when the loot came in. I was feeling inspired and knocked him out as fast as I could as a speed-paint. 

It is a nice standalone piece, and I really appreciate that it is an undead with some character! The living dead are often stripped down to rags, or just bones, so an undead with some personality, or at least personal history, is much appreciated. It is also one of the few robed undead I own - the old manuals are stacked with robed corpses and the concept is nostalgic for me, but they are surprising hard to find as miniatures.

This wight remained unshared for so long mostly owing to how difficult it was to photograph - it has a forward lean which throws much of the model into shadow under natural light. I'm happy with these shots, after a few prior failed attempts, which I achieved by using a vertical light source.

I really enjoy painting the dead; they are one of the few times I allow myself really let loose with a gritty style and "ugly" models, with lots of haphazard washes. Of course, that is a self imposed concept. At one point I remember finding a miniature artist who did everything like that, in a limited unusual color palate to really great effect. I envied the stylistic commitment which I could never fully push myself to adopt.

Wolf Eel Familiar

 Another tiny sea creature from Reaper. I modeled this paint scheme after one of my favorite local species, the wolf eel. Not a true eel, but so cool! They get really big, so this would be a smaller specimen. 

I had a lot of fun with the stippling on this piece. Its a technique used commonly in canvas painting, but rarely gets used by miniatures artists. 

The toothy smile is really fun and not unlike the real thing.

 This may be my favorite of the set, so far.