Bailey03's WIP

[Bailey03]

Yeah, I was pleased with how the tree turned out. The sculptamold was a bit lumpy, but that seemed to add to the old tree look, so I'd use it again. Only thing I may do differently next time is apply a thin coat of modeling compound to the wire and let it dry, then go back and finish filling it out. When it's wet, it tends to slide around the wire and it's more difficult to shape. If it had another layer to grab onto, I think it would have given me a lot more control. Not that it really caused a problem here... but just something to think about. Oh, and if you want a lot of branches, then start with a lot more wires. I had about a dozen, so I could only pull so many off. Again, fine for what I wanted (trunk, roots, and a couple branches to get across the idea).

I'm using crackle medium from Ranger too, it's Distress Crackle Paint - Old Paper. Like so many things, I got that from MassiveVoodoo's tutorial on crackle medium. They have different versions of the crackle medium and that was the one MV recommended. This is my first time experimenting with it, so hardly a thorough review.

Quick black and grey priming of the base.

And here's MV's tutorial on the crackle medium

 

[KruleBear]

I really like the hanging roots...almost looks like fingers gripping the base.

 

[Darthmarsh]

Tree looks cool. The crackle medium makes it look like it's been burnt (which would definitely be a on the job hazard for a dragon hunter)

 

[Bailey03]

Thanks, Krule and Darthmarsh.

Well, jumping back from the base to the figure, I got to work on his freaking huge spear. I guess if you're hunting dinosaurs or dragons then you need a weapon that's on the same scale as your prey. The blending was not easy, I spent a good deal of my painting time for the last two nights working on it. Instead of neutral greys, I used Reaper's Dark Elf Skin triad and the shadow tone from the Vampiric Skin triad. All similar to greys, but just a bit more interesting. The Dark Elf Skin colors were also used on the darker scales and mixed into a few shadows here and there. The Vampiric Skin highlight was used in a lot of places, so all of that adds some consistency to the look. I drew in a few cracks to reinforce the stone feel. The look is NMM-ish, so the cracks help imply stone instead of low contrast NMM.

 

[oistene]

Great work as always, Bailey. Always fun to see some of your fantasy stuff.

By the way, do you ever listen to Wargamers Consortium's podcast? They had a pretty neat shout-out to you in episode 06, some real high praise there!

 

[Demihuman]

It looks like something you would use to harvest whale blubber. I guess Bronto-Steaks require the same thing

That big flat blade might need some tribal freehand!

 

[Bailey03]

Thanks! Yeah, my friend Shades pointed that out. I was surprised to hear them talking about my stuff, very cool though. I've been listing to a bunch of their podcasts while I paint. Some good hobby info there. It sounds like they're trying to do them on a more regular basis, which would be great.

 

[Bailey03]

Ha, really Demi? The figure isn't complicated enough?!? Yeah, that big blade would be a cool place to do some design work. Though I kind of like the simple plain stone. It's a nice contrast to how busy the rest of the figure is. (Plus it means I don't have to redo anything! )

 

[Demihuman]

Ha, really Demi? The figure isn't complicated enough?!? Yeah, that big blade would be a cool place to do some design work. Though I kind of like the simple plain stone. It's a nice contrast to how busy the rest of the figure is. (Plus it means I don't have to redo anything! )

Well I guess you still have to do his dino companion too.

 

[fluisterwoud]

I like the decision to make it a stone spear, really makes the prehistoric vibe. Now I'm a bit conflicted; on the one hand I'd like to see some green/purple/brown glazes to make the stone look more aged and natural, but on the other hand, he's a super fancy-pants elf that most likely takes really good care of his weapons so they would never look old and it might ruin the scene.

 

[Demihuman]

I like the decision to make it a stone spear, really makes the prehistoric vibe. Now I'm a bit conflicted; on the one hand I'd like to see some green/purple/brown glazes to make the stone look more aged and natural, but on the other hand, he's a super fancy-pants elf that most likely takes really good care of his weapons so they would never look old and it might ruin the scene.

What about a touch of pigment powder at the very end?

 

[Coyotebreaks]

looks excellent , the blending on the spear is exceptionally smooth.

 

[Bailey03]

Fluister, I've been having the same debate with myself. I was wondering if I should add some old dried blood stains to the spear head. It's stone, so could he really clean all of the blood off after using it or would some remain and stain the stone? Makes sense that there would be discoloration to show some history. On the other hand I like the look of the smooth gradient and cracks... I don't want to hide all that. Plus, elven equipment seems a bit more magical, so who knows what properties it may have.

As much as I'd like to leave it clean, some sort of weathering would make more sense. I'll probably do some slight work on it, maybe with glazes or with pigments. I save the bulk of the weathering until the end, so I've got some time to think it through.

 

[Bailey03]

As I near completion on Sorondil (and have to take the this week off from painting thanks to a work trip), I've begun to wonder what's next? So I thought I'd share some kits I'm thinking about and see if you all have any opinions/suggestions. After the Bay Area Open (in two weeks), I don't have plans to attend any competitions until next year's Crystal Brush. That gives me a lot of time to focus on my entries and I'm trying to decide on what my 'big' entry will be. Here are some of my options...

Going left to right we have
(1) Captain of the Hussars - 75mm Pegaso. I love the sculpt, lots of great detail, but in the end it would just be a nice looking historical piece. Would it really stand out? Perhaps but it could definitely be out shined by other entries.
(2) Northumbrian Warriar - 54mm Latorre. This is just there for the sake of scale. This is the sized figure I normally do, so you can get an idea of how much larger the other pieces are.
(3) Cyanolith - 90 or 120mm sculpted by Carmine Giugliano. I doubt many of you have seen this kit before, although you may be familiar with the art it's based on, Paul Bonner's Ogre Jockey. It was done about 2 years ago and, with Paul Bonner's approval, was released in limited numbers. I've only just begun assembling it, there are a lot of pieces missing from the picture. It is a fun crazy figure, lots of character. Now this is something that would definitely stand out in a competition. It's also huge. I'd have to fix it so that I could make some parts removable just so I could travel with it. It would definitely be the biggest kit I've ever done. Even if I start it now, no idea if I'd be able to finish in time. I'm also not sure if this would qualify as a large scale figure or if it would have to go into diorama (in my opinion, the toughest category).
(4) Elf Dragon Prince - 90mm Micheal Kontraros. Another neat kit that isn't widely known. Lots of flowing cloth to do design work. I've got a pretty good idea how I want to paint this (in the style of Nuada from Hellboy 2). It's a cool sculpt and, with a lot of freehand, it could stand out from the other entries.

I did well in historical this past time, but next year I'd really like to place in one of the other categories. So I'm trying to find the project that will give me the best chance at that in Large Scale (or possibly Diorama). I think they would all be good projects, but right now I'm leaning more towards Cyanolith or the Elf. Cyanolith would be really cool, but I worry it's too ambitious a project. As big as it is, maybe I should wait until I'm more comfortable with other techniques like the air brush or oils.

What do you all think about these?

 

[ten ball]

Cyanolith , fantastic!! love the dog

 

[BloodASmedium]

Holy shiznitz only you only you indeed!!! Crystal brush maybe? :/ guess I'm fighting for 2nd ...again thanks bail! With friends like you I need no enemies !! Lol genius even what minis he pics to compliment his style he's a pure tactician!! An adept general in the painting battlefront!!!fear him love him its all the same. His brush is spoken in whispers on cold nights to scare younglings into not misbehaving.

 

[fluisterwoud]

Of those choices I'd go with Cyanolith. But you can always wait a month or two to make the decision and have the pirate Orcs from Big Child in the mix.

 

[Bailey03]

10, yeah, I love the sculpt for the dog. Although I'm not sure the sculptor needed to make him quite so anatomically correct...

Blood, lol, well considering I'll probably enter 3 categories at most, that gives you another 10 where you don't even have to worry about it! I paint slowly so there's plenty of time to think about my projects. There is definitely an art to picking your contest entries. When I pick a competition piece I want something that first and foremost I will enjoy painting, then something that can show off my skills, and finally something that, even without me doing anything special, will standout and grab people's attention. That last part is optional, but it can certainly help in the more competitive competitions.

Fluister, yeah, I'm looking forward to getting my hands on those orcs. I'm getting the big bomba, which would be another excellent competition piece (and probably about as big and complex as the Cyanolith one!). I would not be surprised to see several people enter figures from that range in next year's Crystal Brush

 

[fluisterwoud]

Ha, yeah, that's why I'll probably hold off on painting them for a year or so. Probably paint mine for World Model Expo 2017. And I agree about picking out pieces, that's how I got my current large scale entry. It hit all those points, I really love the sculpt, it has plenty of elements to show off skills that I feel I'm best at and other than the box art I've only ever seen one other painted version of it.

 

[Zab]

that large scale gobo and his dog. Hands down.