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.

Moai Golem

 

 

I knocked out this huge size Moai  Golem from Wundervale Games from in just a few days; a speed print and paint, if you will. The hardest part was getting a nice photo in the winter sun. I kept it really simple and close to the Moai inspiration. The size and stony nature of this sentinel would make it a fierce opponent indeed for a wayward party on a remote island.

Heavy Combat Biomech

 

I finished this piece last year (2022) after it languished on my shelf-o'-shame for a few. It is an excellent, and formidable, addition to my Dark Mariners warband. This fellow is big, so a group shot may be in order to convey the threat. I had quite a bit of difficulty with focus in the photos because of the size. These pics aren't great, but they were the best I could manage.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Olley is a boss. I'm happy to add any sculpt by him to my painted collection.

Haniwa Clay Golem

 

A new paint job! Golems are one of my favorite subjects to paint, but it occurred to me that I don't have one of the most common varieties represented in my collection. I found a few options but a free STL by Clay Rade was the obvious first choice for me.. It is based on real world dancing clay sculptures from ancient Japan that were left in funeral mounds. I thought it might work well in both my generic fantasy and my L5R setting collections. 

The paint work itself was very simple - it is nearly a mono-color palate for the golem itself. I decided to paint it as a speed-paint to squeeze it in between the larger projects I am working on this year and it was an excellent "palate cleanser."  I'm not really happy with how the base turned out (I over did it on the sand/gravel) but I don't really want to commit time to changing it. I was hoping it would fit the description of the cave that the clay golem in The Lost Caverns Of Tsojcanth, and it was a near miss.

Stone Golem

 I took this picture in 2013 but I am pretty sure the paint-job predates it by several years, and I think it still holds up pretty well. I remember being very pleased with how the basing told the narrative of an ill-fated sculptor being killed by their creation upon its completion. This probably represents some of the earliest GS sculpting of bases that I did. Even now I particularly appreciate that I went with a non-standard stone color - I believe it was intended to be jade. One for (my) history books!

Animatronic Troll and Kobolds

 

These were among my first completed miniatures from Bones 5 because, well, they were easy. Not much too them, and a simple paint-job at that, but dang, they sure are fun! 

 My metallic paints seem to go bad more quickly than everything else, so I actually struggled to even get the paint on the model. I had to compromise a lot with the usable metallics I had available to me, But it was a "make it work" moment.  It ended up being a good opportunity to experiment with a tarnished and greasy brass look by blending layering and mixing non-metallics with metallics. The reaper bases were great here because the have an empty cavity on the backside and I was able to nest the figures built-in bases inside. this allowed me to match the texture with GS rather than go through the hassle of removing it. For quick paint sessions shortcuts like that are crucial or it bogs down the whole process. for some models it is critical if they already have a very large thick base that cant be safely removed without damaging the model. 

Mikey the Fiendish Flesh Golem

 

Mikey (or Mickey, as he is known in Descent Into Avernus), was painted for MZ4250's monthly painting competition. I went through his catalog and picked out the creepiest thing I could find (and thought I could complete on time) for a the fun thematic contest. I didn't know anything about the character  beforehand - he definitely wasn't something I expected to paint, but man, he was fun! I was able to play with all sorts of sickly and unearthly flesh types in a single piece. Definitely a good learning opportunity. Ill have to paint up his creator ("Mad Maggie") to accompany him.

Despite my best intentions, found myself waaay behind today (submission day), so I sat and cranked a good chunk of the model in one sitting. Still, I'm pretty happy with the paint. The photography, on the other hand, didn't work out as well. I am a poor studio photographer, and I don't really have proper equipment to do it right, so I tend to rely on natural light. Because I finished so late, that wasn't an option, and my crude rig of household lamps made for some unsightly shadows. 

But, hey! something new, and fun, in a ghastly sort of way

Hammerer golem

A speedy paintjob to add tome serious muscle to my human warband. He rounds out the force nicely, I think. He was based using the same theme I use for all miniatures in that faction.

At the time I painted this I had been re-watching BSG, so the slit visor had to be done in that style.

Clockwork owl

I have a thing for miniatures of familiars. They are just so fun and gratifying because of their small size and the diversity of subjects.
I really like the style of the Wargods line, and when I saw they had some amazing KS exclusive minis I had to acquire them. Fortunately I was able to snag an extra set of the KS exclusives  from a fellow who was up for a deal. This classic character  was the first to see paint. I've always loved this concept, since it first captured my imagination as a child, and I am happy to have it in my collection.

Vambrace, Guardian Construct

 

 

As I mentioned previously I will be consolidating all of my various works here. this posting is part of that effort. this model was completed in the summer of 2011.
     I bought this mini on a whim and it is now a favorite in my collection. It was painted by (roughly) following the steps in automaton's step-by-step metallics tutorial. I was pleased with the effect and colored glazes are now part of my normal approach to painting metallics.  In a way this piece signifies a major benchmark in my development as a painter. Not only because I pushed my metallics to a more advanced level, but because I really embraced a tutorial for the first time and learned a great deal from it.
    The base was made with Sculpey and greenstuff and portrays a dilapidated ancient computer core. At the time I didn't really like it because it was clearly a sci-fi element, but the idea of blending futuristic and fantasy themes has since grown on me.  I hope to revisit the concept in future projects.