Whew, the end of one year and the star of another - it is always such a hectic time. In addition to more traditional activities, I'm always racing to complete my annual painting goals. I failed miserably as I usually do, but at least the effort propels me into the new year.
For January I wanted to work on a complete series of winter themed models that were very different from my standard meticulously highlighted stuff - these super cute snow golems!
The models are part of a series of winter critters released by Schlossbauer. They are very simple as individual creatures, but the the progression of related models really captured my imagination. Snow flock is a basing material I often use for wintery subjects, and I wanted to carry that effect through on these guys for consistencies sake. It was a delicate balance, though, because I wanted them to reflect the original artistry of the sculpts. To achieve this I spent a good deal of time painting and shading the model in an icy white palate, most of that work was then covered with a thin layer of army painter snow flock. It seemed like a waste of time at first, but a test piece reveled the added depth and tone from the process carried through to the final effect. The bluish mouth isn't very realistic, but breaking up the snow by adding a simple focal point the helps emphasize how cold they are. A lesson I learned from animators & film is that a feeling conveyed by a visual queue is often more important than realism in art.
These charming powder-balls are small, and based on 20mm bases I 3D printed (without a doubt, I print more bases than anything else!). They seem harmless enough, and make me think of the hapless snow constructs from Adventure Time. In numbers, though, they might pose a noticeable threat to hardened adventurers. Well, at least they might perk their curiosity - where did they come from, and just how many are there? A foray into the deeper snow drifts might reveal additional clues....
