Here be dragons!

[marjedi]

The crystals is a good idea, one i havn't seen tried before, and its cool u research so much before you paint stuff. But i am affraid clear or imitated clear crystal would disapear on the model. And while the gold is ace, i think it needs a shot of a bolder colour to make it "pop"more...a spot color if you want to use a technical term.

 

[kathrynloch]

Well I just got done spending money i don't have. lol! I found these rough gemstones in little bottles for jewelry and craft supplies. I even found a little one of obsidian. lol! They're tiny and inexpensive. I got like six different bottles for about $20. Since I'm working on a miniature, I don't need huge. I got clear quartz - which really has clear and milky spots, Gold Imperial Topaz - which is basically clear with just a hint of gold in it and the obsidian. I figure if this thing does end up going to GD, then I want the real thing on there - not the fake crap. Since it wasn't expensive I went ahead and got it. The samples are so small that I'm not losing much if it doesn't work. Although that means I get to replace all of these spikes when it comes in.

I am planning to add some purple to the gold, probably another flat wash, but I thought it would look better after I hit it with the first gold/silver highlight.

 

[TrystanGST]

Slow down. You're finishing things way too quickly and making me look bad.

 

[kathrynloch]

Slow down. You're finishing things way too quickly and making me look bad.

haha! No that's mar. He's the one who finishes things way too quickly and makes us both look bad.

 

[kathrynloch]

Okay...here we go but before I start posting pics, I wanted to ask...does anyone have that favorite couch or recliner that whenever you sit in it, it's so comfortable you always fall asleep? A long time ago, I had a blood clot in my leg. Well, sitting for long periods of time is the worst thing for it and I run the risk of it coming back or another one forming. Anyway, I have my desktop set up with wireless keyboard and mouse. I have my recliner sitting next to it so I can elevate my legs for awhile. The problem is, my recliner is comfy and whenever I sit down, I want to doze off. It makes it tough to get work done. lol!

Okay onto the pics.

First up - these pics I finished painting gold on the right side and then highlighted with my gold/silver mix.

Then I went back over it with a purple ink wash - matte medium added so I could keep the shiny vs. flat contrast.

Wow! Is that purple or what? lol!

Then I went back over it with regular gold, just to knock down that purple some and took my gold/silver mix and only hit the high parts.

It's funny but it's a lot shinier IRL than it is in these pics! And just because I'm on a free trial version of Photoshop, I wanted to see if it would be easy to transfer the dragon to a background. Backgrounds courtesy of Einion.

It was a heck of a lot easier in photoshop than in Corel PSP. The smart selection tool in Corel is a lot dumber than in 'shop. lol!

But these photos aren't quite up to par. I'll probably have to put him in my photo tent so you guys can really get a sense for what he looks like. Okay, I should probably go to bed before my recliner sucks me in.

 

[Meph]

Woah, good to find the little gems so easily. I'm sure you'll find some good use for them. Y'know and the ones you don't use on teh dragon, you can always use to make some DIY jewelry. Or take a pair of gloves, dip them in resin, and the in the little gems and enter the Bloodsport arena with a mad grin on yer face.

*edit* Oh, and good progress on the gold skin, it's getting some real depth.

 

[kathrynloch]

What did I get myself into? lol! My crystals arrived today. Very fast ship! And the packing...wow! They don't mess around. I felt like I was opening nesting dolls every time I unwrapped a section of bubble wrap only to find MORE bubble wrap.

They weren't kidding when they said itty bitty! But that's exactly what I need so I'm good!

I've got the little bottles on my cutting mat and those are 1 inch squares. Luckily I do have jewelry/bead-making tools here. I find they come in handy when working on both minis and terrain. I'm separating them into bead jars of shapes that I think will work and ones I'm not so sure about. I think I'll first try the onyx on the scales on the back.

The only problem is, I don't know if I should try to glue them on top of existing scales or cut the scales off first. I'm thinking leave the scales on so I've got a good foundation to glue them onto. I've picked out the flattest ones in the bottle. I could probably try modeling paste first to see how it works, that way they aren't superglued on there and I'm SOL if I change my mind.

As for the spines - wow...I don't know. I don't have enough gold ones to do all of the spines. I could just do the largest spines gold and use the quartz for the rest - but they don't seem to have nice rectangular shapes in the quartz. Hmmmmm...I may just have to wing it on this one.

Anyone have a good recommendation on how to cut the spines out efficiently without damaging the area around it? Remember the hand tremors - me and Xactos don't get along so well. In one of the bead-making kits I have these wicked looking little snips that might work too.

 

[marjedi]

First off you are a nutty brave brave girl...

I think you will have to remove the scales, otherwise you might end up messing up the lean shape of the body.

I wouldn't have dared anythibg like this, so the best of luck, fingers crossed, knock on wood, break a leg etc. Etc.

 

[Meph]

Some sharp pointy-beaked clippers to cut 'm off, or a sawblade to put into a modeling knife. Then drill a pilot hole and incrementally drill a hole big enough to stick the shards in. I wouldn't glue them 'on' the back, I'd embed them in the back. that way, when you stick'm in after painting they'll look more part of the model.

 

[Chrome]

Hmm, I think I'd have used a large(enough) square nail or other similar object, stabbed some putty a few times to make indentations large enough to mould some spinal crystals out of them and just make those myself using clear resin.

But if this succeeds it'll be way, way cooler anyway.

 

[Aesu]

A bit late to add this but.. if you look up some DIY jewellery or beading stores in your area you can go in and pick out the stones and such individually from the tubs. They should also sell them by weight or quantity and the jewellery section should have a good range of cheap bits that hold the stones.. great to buy or just get ideas from.
They might even be able to help with ideas on securing the spines to the model.

 

[kathrynloch]

First off you are a nutty brave brave girl...

You just nailed me Mar...you have no idea how true that is. I'm crazy and that makes me brave - until I realize I'm in over my head.

I think you will have to remove the scales, otherwise you might end up messing up the lean shape of the body.

I didn't actually remove them but I sanded them down pretty well.

I wouldn't have dared anythibg like this, so the best of luck, fingers crossed, knock on wood, break a leg etc. Etc.

Still in progress. I'm debating if I should post the pics. lol!

Some sharp pointy-beaked clippers to cut 'm off, or a sawblade to put into a modeling knife. Then drill a pilot hole and incrementally drill a hole big enough to stick the shards in. I wouldn't glue them 'on' the back, I'd embed them in the back. that way, when you stick'm in after painting they'll look more part of the model.

Now Meph, you and I are on the same page. This is exactly what I was thinking except gluing them in addition to embedding them. I don't want 'em coming out. Below I have a pic of those "sharp pointy-beaked clippers" I have. :rotfl:

Hmm, I think I'd have used a large(enough) square nail or other similar object, stabbed some putty a few times to make indentations large enough to mould some spinal crystals out of them and just make those myself using clear resin.

But if this succeeds it'll be way, way cooler anyway.

I thought about that but that's actually more work. Besides, if this ends up good enough to take to GD, how cool will it be to have "semi-precious gems/crystals" on him? lol! I've never seen an entry form but I would imagine they might have something where you list what you used on the model, especially if it's considered "customized".

A bit late to add this but.. if you look up some DIY jewellery or beading stores in your area you can go in and pick out the stones and such individually from the tubs. They should also sell them by weight or quantity and the jewellery section should have a good range of cheap bits that hold the stones.. great to buy or just get ideas from.
They might even be able to help with ideas on securing the spines to the model.

That is a FANTASTIC idea Aesu!!! Thank you so much! I really don't have anything here (small town) but there's a flea market every weekend and there might be something there, or I can go into Beaumont and I know I can find something there. I want to check the flea market first because it will probably be cheaper.

Okay, onto the project - first off - this is driving me batshit nuts! ARGH! These tiny tweezers I got for beadmaking would be fantastic if they'd actually hold onto the piece. But I pick it up and ZING! It flies out and across the room where I can't find it. Lost two pieces of Onyx like that. grrrr! I'm wondering if I should tape the ends of these tweezers to give them a little traction.

There is no such thing as test fitting. You can't get it to stay or even placed for a second or two to see if it will look decent. The only way to do it is put down the super glue, and try to get the piece in the right spot the first time. The tweezers do help because I've got about a second or two to adjust the stone before the super glue grabs it for good. So I can tap it with the tweezers and put it into place.

It looks dorkey right now but I'm not finished and it will definitely look better down the road. I can at least see where I'm going with it now. So you guys might think it looks awful but it will be okay...trust me on this!!! lol!

At the bottom of the pic you can see those snips I was talking about.

The spikes are staying for right now because they are actually helping me place the onyx. Once the onyx is finished, I'll replace the spikes with the other crystals.

The last pic is what I still have to do. Note to self, stagger Ebay auctions a little more...a half-dozen ending at the same time is not a good idea.

 

[marjedi]

Very interesting effect Kath...looking forward alot to more progress.

Good luck

 

[Noddwyr]

Very interesting Kath, you certainly are brave, it would have taken alot for me to cut up an expensive mini, but I guess its motivation to get it done. I like the effect so far and am looking forward to seeing the more transparent crystals on there.
My only concern is that the onyx is going to look flat next to the painted bits, but then again it looks good so far so what do I know.

 

[StillLifeMiniatures]

Wow.. he is really coming along. I love the addition of natural stones and crystals, especially because the scales look just like pyrite.

 

[Meph]

Those are some medieval and nasty clippers you've hot there!
And those stoney thingies on his back look like the bees-knees. This is going to be awesome girl!

 

[kathrynloch]

Very interesting effect Kath...looking forward alot to more progress.

Good luck

Thanks mar! Don't worry, I'll get it to work out one way or another...I just might be missing most of my hair by the time it's done...but it will grow back...I hope.

Very interesting Kath, you certainly are brave, it would have taken alot for me to cut up an expensive mini, but I guess its motivation to get it done. I like the effect so far and am looking forward to seeing the more transparent crystals on there.
My only concern is that the onyx is going to look flat next to the painted bits, but then again it looks good so far so what do I know.

Thanks Nodd, and thus far, I haven't actually "cut" anything...just sanded the scales down. Now the spikes, that will get a little nerve-wracking, but even if the crystals don't work, I can substitute something.

I'm hoping they will look a little on the flat side...remember what I said earlier about contrast...shiny vs. flat. I think they've got enough shine not to get lost on the dragon but flat enough to give it some contrast. At least that's the plan. :fingers-crossed:

Wow.. he is really coming along. I love the addition of natural stones and crystals, especially because the scales look just like pyrite.

Thanks SLM! Oh cool! I'm glad you see the pyrite...that's what I was going for! Yay! (Doing my little Snoopy happy dance!) lol!

Those are some medieval and nasty clippers you've hot there!
And those stoney thingies on his back look like the bees-knees. This is going to be awesome girl!

Aren't they just wicked? I haven't tried them yet so they might be just all bark and no bite, but we shall see. And thank you! I sure hope the Apis have patellas in this case or I'm pursuing an untamed ornithoid. lol!

 

[me_in_japan]

just chipping in to agree with folks and say howdy

clippers: scary
stones: looking like a Very Good Idea (tm) indeed.
dragon: shiny!

incidentally, there's type of modelling filler I've been using a bit recently that might be good for securing the stones. I find superglue to be a bit on the fragile side. It's a Tamiya modelling filler, but I daresay any brand would do. It's a two part putty like green stuff, but it has a texture like toothpaste and stinks like the devil's own armpit. It cures to a kinda rubbery texture in about 10 mins, then rock hard in a day or so. The big benefit that it has over superglue is that it is gloopy enough to fill in wee gaps, and strong enough that you could use the dragon to knock out a late-night intruder without worrying about damaging the onyx Anyway, it might be good, if you can find it locally. I found it in a local model airplane shop, so you might find it in a similar kind of place

 

[Elric2k]

Wow those spikes look crazy..crazy awesome! I like what you've done here, you have bigger marbles than I do, I wouldn't dream of trying to alter such an expensive piece. It totally paid off though, coming along beautifully!

 

[kathrynloch]

just chipping in to agree with folks and say howdy

clippers: scary
stones: looking like a Very Good Idea (tm) indeed.
dragon: shiny!

incidentally, there's type of modelling filler I've been using a bit recently that might be good for securing the stones. I find superglue to be a bit on the fragile side. It's a Tamiya modelling filler, but I daresay any brand would do. It's a two part putty like green stuff, but it has a texture like toothpaste and stinks like the devil's own armpit. It cures to a kinda rubbery texture in about 10 mins, then rock hard in a day or so. The big benefit that it has over superglue is that it is gloopy enough to fill in wee gaps, and strong enough that you could use the dragon to knock out a late-night intruder without worrying about damaging the onyx Anyway, it might be good, if you can find it locally. I found it in a local model airplane shop, so you might find it in a similar kind of place

Well, Tamiya has been kinda scarce in the States since their boondoggle with labeling issues. I haven't been able to get Tamiya primer for almost a year now. But rumor has it that a couple places have it back in stock. So I imagine various products are going to start rolling back in.

You mentioned the stink - does it have Toluene in it? I've got some Squadron white putty and it sounds very similar except its not two part. It just comes in a basic tube and you apply like you mentioned, toothpaste. Does it dry clear or is it opaque?

Anyway, I managed to get all of the onyx done - but I will keep it in mind for the future. I had thought about it but I wasn't sure if I wanted to test it on the onyx.

I've started on the spikes. I got one done so far! lol! I'm being anal but hey, I just want it to look good. It looks funny right now because I've only done one. But here goes nothing!

Wow those spikes look crazy..crazy awesome! I like what you've done here, you have bigger marbles than I do, I wouldn't dream of trying to alter such an expensive piece. It totally paid off though, coming along beautifully!

lol! Thansk Elric. It's really not that big of change...I mean, some of the scratchbuilt/customs I've seen folks do...it's like they turn it inside out and upside down.

Anyway, I'm not feeling so hot. I think I'm going to put this guy away and lay down. Time to relax the rest of the evening.

Oh - those snips...pure crap! I can't get 'em to cut nothing! Luckily my sprue cutters work great.