Will-O'-Wisp /Will-O'-The-Wisp (3)

This "string" of will-o'-wisps is a fun first October post. They are very atmospheric and mysterious creatures and really ratchet up the tension, even if only as a set piece. Their real world story and history is no less intriguing; well worth a read. 

 October is a time-of-plenty in the miniatures world and I am happy to get caught up in the moment and work on spooky projects. I'll make a point of sharing sinister models from years gone by while I paint up some new horrors & delights.

 The 'wisps were printed slightly smaller than normal - they sit on 15mm bases. I got a little creative with the bases and played around with painting over flock to give it a mossy bog-like environment that they needed. It is a sloppy approach, but gives the flock some extra variation and depth that enhances the look significantly. The sculpts were made by Crippled God Foundry, an STL company that I follow. Their catalog has great depth and, despite being finely detailed, print very well. 

I kept the paint theme classic for these tiny spirits - dancing lights in the mist of a swamp. Cloud and smoke effects can be challenging to pull off well, but the added benefit of acting as a flight stand is very convenient and worth the abstraction. I used some neon paints, and even a touch of glow-in-the-dark paint, to really give the orbs some pop when viewed with the naked eye. The green is my go-to "undead energy" color, so it made sense to start there with 'wisps, but Id like to expand into other common colors for them. There are some great wisp models that match up with these well, and I have a handful of neon/black-light/glow color pairings id like to experiment with, so they might be on the short list for speed-paint projects this month.

  

Three-headed Pyrohydra / Tryclyde

This three-headed beast was wayyy off script, but it was a really fun way to finish off my painting goal for 2024 - model number 52! I try to average at least one model a week every year, and almost always fail horribly, but in 2024 I squeaked under the deadline with this huge sized monster. I went with it because it was a great opportunity to play with the airbrush I had just gotten for xmas. With big blocks of color I was able to knock out the base coats in no time at all, even with my ham-fisted spidery airbrushing. In retrospect, red was not the best starting point for my first color palate (so tough to highlight well), but it definitely gave me confidence to bring the airbrush into my regular rotation of painting techniques. I'm a little embarrassed it took me this long to try out - it was intimidating at first, but actually pretty easy to do. The paint work isn't perfect, but, dang, it was definitely fast for a model of this size. Of all the different elements in this piece, I really like how the eyes and tongues turned out. The scales need more pop but, hey, I was on a deadline. 

The sculpt itself is great - another gem from Schlossbauer. I really appreciated the Mario-D&D crossover potential. I know a three-headed pyrohydra isn't normally a D&D thing, but that is a missed opportunity (Wizards, take note). I stayed true to the tryclyde color palate, or at least my interpretation of it, and I'm happy I did. In fact, I'd like to make some shooting fireball models so I can really geek out on the Mario style encounter. 

Hydras are a favorite monster of mine, and all too often I find myself "saving" models like that until some magical future time when I am "good enough" or "have enough time to do it justice," but I end up just keeping them in the pile-o'-shame. But, not this time! I committed to try something new, and my first hydra is done! Only like 50 to go.....

Mud Elementals / Mudmen (2)

 

These are a pair of classic Ral Partha mud elementals. They are simple to paint, and really fun on the game table. Mud elementals are among my favorite adversaries because of the interesting tactical challenges they present by merging with terrain. These were painted roughly 15 years ago (at the time of writing), when I was first experimenting with gloss effects, but I have never shared these before. 

Otyugh

 

This is a heavy metal miniature from WoTCs Chainmail line, long defunct, and painted many years ago. I tried to make the base as trash and waste filled as possible, befitting its reputation. Unfortunately, the idea was better than the execution and the final result is too low contrast. 

Other than that, aberrations are always fun to work on with their bizarre and twisted forms. The central feature, the mouth, came out suitably gross. So, while some aspects of the project were disappointing, others were satisfying.

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.