Rust Monster / Oxidation Beast

 

A classic foe, but I wanted to do something more original with its paint. To get some extra color in I played on the oxidation concept with  bronze/ golden metal and a blue-green rust effect along the antennae and back. The colors work well together and I think the result is recognizable but much brighter than the standard rust-all-over color.

Painted in 2017.

Bone Constructs / patchwork skeletons

 These wonderful "skeletons" are from the underappreciated Crucible line, sold as "Bone Constructs." I think they are really clever! Skeletal amalgamations have become more common in the age of digital STL files, but they are nearly always "large" - very few "medium" scale undead are available, which is a shame. These guys are particularly creative with their inclusion of various animal bones and otherwise odd anatomical structure.I always found it curious that necromancers always had perfectly formed skeletal minions, rather than skeletons such as these. I think they will work perfectly as the phase one skeletons in The Skull Dunes of a The Ghosts of Saltmarsh (or the original Isle of the Abby) campaign. Plus, it gives me an excuse to make more with swarms and a juggernaut! some of the previously mentioned bone golems should fit the bill, but I don't expect the collection to come together quickly. That is fine with me, though, I'll savor their simplicity when they hit the table. Even the bases are super simple - virtually nothing there, but I think it works perfectly. sometimes less-is-more.

These were originally completed in 2017, but I'd paint them just the same today.

Nothic (3) / Nothics

 Painted in 2021, these nothics were the first time I had used Army Painter "tone" washes as a shade, believe it or not. Game changer! While the various "dip" paints get a bad wrap from many painters they really do speed things up, and these days speed is the name of the game for me. I tend to use them as a middle step in combination with classic layering, lining and washes, so my process is still a bit more involved than the standard Strong Tone paint-job. 

I intentionally went very muted palate for the bodies so that the focus would be on their most remarkable attribute and weapon, the eye. Don't think bad thoughts around these fellas!

 These models are 3D prints from Epic miniatures. Note to self: print more of their stuff! they have a huge catalog of things I need on the table. 

My most immediate need was for LMoP, where a single nothic appears early on. I feel like I'm getting close to having all of the combat encounters in the module done! I'm sure I will finish next year sometime. I have started adding a label for monsters in that module so I can track my collection. 

Demilich

 

I had prepped this guy some months ago and and it earned a spot on the shelf of shame. Having recently completed a brutal short-term project on the biggest piece I have done to date (the adult black dragon that was posted recently), and I was in dire need of a palate cleanser, and this tiny fellow fit the bill - ready to go, simple, and a planned PJ. On Ssturday I knocked it out in a single-sitting two hour session, and touched it up the following morning. For me, that's great! As I've mentioned before, I really struggle with completing projects quickly - compulsive analysis paralysis and endless touch-ups are my curse as a painter.  By that standard, this represents real progress because the paint needs more work. I called it done, and I like where it is at!

Flameskull swarm!

 I needed a single flameskull mini for the Lost Mine of Phandelver, and after some hunting I settled on these nice designs from Mini Monster Mayhem. It had a few different poses and some grouped models so, naturally, I went a bit nuts printing a whole swarm of them. I found the models to be too large, so I shrank them down to half-size to be a little closer to "tiny" (still a little big, but...urm...they are magic, so...yeah, big heads). I used several base sizes for singles, pairs, and the 5 head swarm (gulp!).

 It wasn't until after making them that it occurred to me just how terrifying an encounter with a swarm of flameskulls would be - sooooooo many fireballs. 

I went with red fire because I tend to overuse green for my undead and there was a demilich on deck with a similar effect in blue-green. I didn't push the skulls to cream/bone because I thought a darker tone would make the fire pop a bit better; it worked out pretty well and I think they read as scorched.

Gray Ooze

 I said I would post more Oozes, and I delivered! I painted this nice little ooze earlier this year in a single session. It was a free 3D file from "Amalya" on MMF, and it was just too well done to pass over. the paint work is simple: monochromatic and lots of gloss, but I think it is really effective as a gray ooze. it is simple enough that I should be able to make similar models myself (a good exercise) so that I can field enough to run most modules (1-3 should do it). 

Gray-on-gray probably wasn't the best photography choice, but I suppose it plays to the monsters skill set.