Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Crushed Glass Snow Effect on Winter War Germans





To give these guys a proper winter war effect, I grabbed some SWM crushed glass, which was last used years ago on a NOVA Open charity model. I mixed it with water effects, and tried to dab it onto the bases as realistically as I could. One thing the snow does, is make it hard to see the miniature on top. I'm wondering if maybe I need to add more snow and just cover up all the leaves and rocks I added during the first basing step. These guys looks like a total mess from three feet, but rather nice up close. That is an effect I am not too keen on. It is one of the reasons I rarely paint camouflage. When camo works, it ruins the model.

So, where are we with the army? I have one more squad to add snow to, and I then I need to decide what to do with the remaining vehicles. I love how they look pre white washing, so it is hard to jump in and cover all that careful work up with sloppy white.

Does anyone else field winter armies?

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Another Winter White Wash Snow Camo Attempt





I wasn't thrill with my first attempt, so I air brushed on some more white wash, and set about chipping the paint. I followed up with winter streaking grime from AK-Interactive, and a lot of mud. I haven't added crushed glass to the model yet, but that will stand in for snow mixed in with the mud on the road wheels. This looks better, but is definitely outside my wheelhouse. How does this attempt stack up to the last one?

Saturday, December 8, 2018

Experimenting With Washable White Winter Camo







I'm in the process of painting a winter war german force, and figured it was time to experiment with Mig's washable white camo. I decided to grab an old panther from the shelf and test it out. After a few minutes scrubbing the white off with a wet brush, here is the result. I'm not sure about it. It doesn't resonate with me. Do I need to remove more of the white? Where am I going wrong?

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Basing With Dirt





It surprises me that more folks painting miniatures don't base with dirt. When I want a dirt like texture, the best way to achieve that is to just use dirt. Nothing complex here at all. I just wander into the median near my home a grab a few spoonfuls of dirt. I use elmers white glue to affix the dirt, and a soft brush to clean off the models afterwards.

Sometimes I don't even paint the dirt.

Dirt: The ultimate weathering powder.

Friday, October 12, 2018

OOP Metal Scouts & This Weird Ultramarines Captain



I painted these yesterday during a rainy day. These models are old metal space marine scouts, as well as a very iffy space marine captain from the dark days of GW past . I think he looks fit to lead these guys into combat.

Is it time to paint something modern? I'm not sure. My desire to paint old stuff that has lingered for years is still strong.

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Calgar & Honor Guard







Back from vacation, and needing a little painting time, I completed my old school metal Ultramarines. I love the older sculpts, and am having a blast creating a retro force. The down side, is that metal models chip like crazy. I think I dropped the banner bearer at least a dozen times while painting him.

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Ultramarines Banner WIP


I've had this metal miniature for ages, and while I may not have enjoyed painting it when I first bought it, It is quite enjoyable now. I think the trick has been to have no expectations. This miniature is being painted in the same carefree way as the rest of the squad, and I think these early photos are starting to show the advantages of that. Like before, this guy was airbrushed and then wet-blended and glazed. I'm looking forward to having the united completed so I can see it all together and compare my regular style to it.

Friday, September 14, 2018

On The Painting Table: Calgar & Honor Guard


More old metal models receive paint! These were put away at least a decade ago before I finally decided to paint them this week. I'm painting really loosely here, blocking in color, partially finishing an area, and then arbitrarily moving to other more interesting areas to paint. I think they are turning out well, despite this ad-hoc approach.

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Tyrannic War Vets Completed











I had fun with these. The enamels did not work as expected, turning grainy on me, but I think that was a case of grabbing the wrong thinner. The fuzziness comes from AK-Interactive ultra-matte, which I failed to thin down enough. All problems aside, these tiny miniatures are a lot of fun to look at. I'm happy they will be joining my Oldhammer force.

Monday, September 10, 2018

WIP Old School Tyrannid Hunters




Painting the original whirlwind and razorback gave me an itch to paint more old models from my collection. What you see here are three metal veterans, and four metal Ultramarine tyrannic war veterans. I love how characterful these old models are. However, they are absurdly small compared to Primaris marines. I'm not sure a force would look reasonable with both types of model. Anyone else on an old-hammer kick?

Saturday, September 8, 2018

Old School Whirlwind & Razorback






After a wonderful NOVA Open, I needed a painting break. So, I did what many long time collectors do. I dug down to the lowest, dustiest, most forlorn part of my collection and pulled out some janky old models. I never had these when new, but I managed to cobble them together after a few years of convention bits collecting. As damaged as these were, I knew they needed to be weathered heavily. So with the freedom that comes from painting purely for the experience, I set to work and painted these over an evening. I'm happy with them. I think they can stand with any of the modern kids. (provided you don't look to closely for gaps!)

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Display Base WIP


I had the pleasure of taking a three day painting class with Roman Lappat this past weekend, and had a tremendous amount of fun.  I tried painting with only primary colors, which required me to mix everything from red, blue, yellow, white, and black. I chose a desaturated color scheme for this base, with little pops of color from the butterflies and snake. The model that goes on it is purple, so the colors work well together. If you ever have the chance to take one of Roman's classes, I highly recommend it. He is a great teacher, and a great guy.  

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Adeptus Custodes WIP 2






I think this is my third day painting these guys. I'm fairly pleased with my rate of progress. My next step is to paint 5 sisters of silence to add to the force. Then I can go back and paint all the gems and do any final highlighting. It wouldn't be painting if there weren't a fuzzy varnish problem. I had the jetbikes frost, however another spray of semi-gloss fixed the problem moderately well. Will I know how to play this army at NOVA? No. Will I have an army to play. Yes. I'll count this as a win. Anyone else in the midst of convention preparation?

Saturday, August 11, 2018

Adeptus Custodes WIP


The army I planned for the NOVA Open is finally underway. A lot of thins prevented me from starting this force. However, after a day and a half of painting, I finally have a WIP worth showing. For a ludicrous reason, I painted the red first, and then started on the gold. Definitely not the right order!

Will I finish these for NOVA? It is only two weeks away, so I really don't know. 

Monday, July 2, 2018

Win This Warlord!



























I'm donating this model to a raffle for Doctors Without Borders. If you like it, you have the opportunity to win it with just  $5.00 donation to the non profit Nova Open Charitable Foundation. (which is separate from the Nova Open LLC). The NOCF will ship the model anywhere in the world!