A detailed account of my various commission/hobby projects.
Malifaux – I have a regular client that sends me stuff after Gen Con each year and doesn't need it back until the following year. This is really cool as it gives me plenty of time to work it in, but somewhat bad because I tend to push it back for hotter deadlines.
Read MoreMalifaux – I've made pretty swift progress on the gremlin models. It helps that they share quite a few common elements throughout the range so painting them assembly line style made it easy to accomplish quite a bit in a short period of time.
After putting down a foundation base coat to block in all the colors I went back in and began adding highlights. For the Gremlin skin I used the edge highlight I mixed up for the Dark Angels project followed by a lime green final highlight to help bring it all together and smooth the transitions I applied a Biel-tan Green wash to all the skin elements. I'm really happy with how bright the green turned out as it's going to pop against the brown murky water bases and vegetation I plan on adding after painting is finished.
For the pigs I blocked in a Cadian Flesh base coat and washed that with earthshade. I then applied highlights of elf flesh and washed it with Ogryun Flesh wash. I think this has given them a fleshy pink feel without being the bright pink I usually associate with pigs.
To get the earthy brown color on the base I started with a light brown base, followed by an earthshade wash. Once the wash had dried I used a light dry brush to bring out the detail in the base. A wash of brown ink then filled in the color and brought out the rich earthy look I was trying to accomplish.
After adding some grass tuffs and course green brush I sealed these up to prepare for the water effects. I use Envirotex light for my water effects as it's simple to mix and easy to apply. I mixed up a small batch and added some green and brown ink to create the murky water. Then using a small stir stick I carefully covered the depressions in the Hell Bases, being careful to not apply to much. Envirotext is self leveling so it will flow into the gaps and create a nice smooth surface.
While I enjouyed painting these models and love the level of character they have, they don't really fit my playstyle and as such I don't feel the need to hold onto them. If you'd like to own this crew with all the limited edition goodies check out the auction here.
Malifaux – I realized I have several boxes of Gremlins sitting around that I wanted to paint. Every now and then I need a distraction from my main project to keep my eyes fresh and avoid getting bored painting the same thing over and over again. I really have no interest in playing gremlins but the models are cool looking.
I'm going to try and assembly line these since they share quite a few colors and the process worked well for the Guild models I've done recently. I'm using the skull bases I made up for Hell Dorado, I used one on a undead crab I painted a while back and they made a passable swamp, so we'll see if we can get the same effect with the Gremlin Hillbillies.
Most of the sculpts are easy to assemble being a single piece sculpt or just needing to add the arms. The warpig is a pain to get together, there's not an obvious spot to mount the gremlin on its back so finding the right attachment point was a bit annoying. Also the head doesn't seem to fit perfectly in place and I'm going to have to do some greenstuff sculpting to fill the gaps. The amount of flash is pretty reasonable only existing around the fingers and slim elements so it was easy to clean them up.
After pinning the models to the bases I used a grey primer. I was contemplating using a rusty red to save some time on painting the earthy elements, but since I've decided to paint the coats dark grey and black. I figure for Sommerteeth he probably looted his cloths from a Guardsman. With Ophelia's clan I'm going to mimic the color scheme of a recent Ortega commission.
I haven't decided if I want to hold onto these models once I'm done with them or sell them off to a collector. I personally never felt much of an attachment to the Gremlin models other than finding them fun and having a desire to paint them up as the models are really cool.
Malifaux – So I've been hard at work on a Gremlin Village for a commission. The shacks have turned out really nice, and I'm working on some animal pens. I also built an outhouse to go with the shacks.
The shacks are built with a foamcore shell and covered with craft sticks. I used some salvaged vinyl siding scraps to make the doors and window frames. I really like how the window frames turned out, they give the impression of a throw together mess.
I'm also working on some ice pillars.
I carved the pillars out of high-density foam and then made a mold using this compound I found at the craft store. The pillars were then cast out of polystone, I prefer to use this as it won't shatter like plaster of paris and is slightly lighter weight. The combination of a cheap mold making compound and the undercuts on the pillars destroyed the mold after 6 casts. I'll have to devise a better way to make the mold for the next set.
I've been getting several requests custom shrinky dink tokens. If you are interested in getting custom tokens made please email me with a list of what tokens you need. The cost is $0.45 per token with standard first class shipping coming in at $2.00 - $3.00 depending on weight. The corpse, scrap and blood tokens are available in packs of 5 for $5.50. I also have ice pillars available a pack of 2 is $8. Once I have your list I'll request payment through paypal and have then in the mail in 2-3 days.
I've also received several requests for custom terrain. The same process applies email me with what you want and I'll send back a quote. Once payment clears I'll build it and mail it priority within 1-2 weeks depending on the complexity of the project.
I hope to have a storefront up on this site soon. If there's anything you need in the meantime please email me.
