Realising that I haven't updated this in a while!

 Who would have thought that a return to full time work would have distracted me from updating this blog as I finished painting miniatures? I blame Twitter. Anyway, below are images of the miniatures I have finished before the end of the year:

First up is Ardus Ix'Erebus a lieutenant from Mists of bile hall, experimented with textures on the sword sheathes which was fun.

Then we have the reanimates from the same expansion to finish off the monster grips for that. I found painting 6 in one go a bit challenging given I was trying to fit in 1 hour painting sessions, but happy with how it all turned out as they definitely don't feel like fish troops to the battle and their forehead runes sort of glow.

Then a model I really struggled to enjoy painting at the sorta but loved by the end, the Zarihell lieutenant model. The green skin was a challenge as the reference images were all green but I needed to add in the pinker skin tones to make it pop/break it up. You can't see it but the soles of the feet are also pink-ish

Last model of the year is Kindrithul, went for a non metallic take to experiment with the use of contrast instead of just grabbing the gold/silver paint. Wouldn't go so far as to call it non-metallic metal but did make painting pretty quick with a wet palette so worth the experiment.

Currently working on the next expansion, the chanson that rust, this is as far as I have got:

Finishing off and expanding options

The return to work in September is always a time vampire but I have managed to get back on the painting horse and finish up another Descent monster group. Oh and churn out some wizards!

Brood walkers done! Had lots of opportunities to experiment with some painting techniques but actually managed to get these done pretty quick. 

I wasn't very confident in my choice of blue robes at the start but by the end realised I had channeled my research from from youtube and podcasts about using colour/hue contrast as well as tonal to make things pop, and it would be too similar if I used my usual cloth recipe.

the opportunity to play Frostgrave has given me the chance to paint up some of my old  Zombicide Black Plague models I am probably never gingko use in that game. So here is my Wizard...

...and here is my apprentice. Just the varnish and basing left on both. 

Painting before the return to work!

 Just a quick update on what I managed to get painted before I had to head back into school to teacher proper lessons for the first time since November 2019!

First up is the giant for my Kings of War Ogres that has been sat on my painting table/list for years I think, so long clearly I have forgotten! One of those projects you throw yourself into then hit a brick wall, crawl away fro a few days/weeks and then knock out again. In the end I was very happy with the levels of contrast and variation I got from the leathers/skins on the clothing, though the metal work took on a life of it's own and never really hit what I envisioned at the start. 

Things like the knuckles and bottom lip make me happy that I take the time to experiment with the lessons I pick up from videos and books on how to bring life in to creatures.

I think these may be the quickest models I have painted for Descent yet, and they aren't the worst by a fair way (I'm looking at you Goblin Archers!). Embraced some dry brushing techniques I have been seeing the Artis Opus videos, and whilst leagues away from those skill levels it did give me opportunities to experiment with a technique I really suck at.

Enjoyed playing around to get the eldritch inner glow without having to wash the whole model. A few thinned coats applied to the recesses with care produced the subtle look I had hoped for.

After that I spent time adding magnets to all my models so that I can store them on magna wracks instead of foam!

Nice to be able to see them all together along with easy access whilst playing!

This is the unfinished pile of models that I am working my way through. Aim is to do it before the end of July 2021... no I can't see it happening either.

Getting up close and personal with Lieutenants

Finally finished the three remaining Lieutenants for the Descent expansions I have already painted. I could have updated these as I finished them but I completely forgot!

By the end I really liked this model as it allowed me to experiment with painting red  by using blue glazes for shadows/recess work and reverse tonal shades to try and create glowing internal parts (something I struggle with).

The rock took a few experiments to finally settle on the exact colours as I wanted something that added some contrast with the red without being distracting.

This one was a real journey, I started trying to do grey skin with purple shadow tones and ended up with a purple and mottles skin. really glad I did though as learned a lot through experimenting.

This was the first time I had started to choose colours and designs for a model to try to tell a story or two that wasn't obvious. Once I decided I wanted a different tone for the palms, it made sense that the shields were used to cover another soft spot on the belly. The shields all seemed out of place until I muddied them and then they just fitted right in, the icons linked (mostly) to armies in the FFG miniatures game.

This was one of the quickest large miniatures I have painted. Probably something to do with how thin it is, nut I have also really got into using the wet palette to try to finish one section at a time and then be able to identify what needs more detail and what can be left to just support the other features without distracting the eye.

Really needed the reference material for some of the features, and even then I ended uo having to repaint parts as I finally realised what they were and that I had them as completely the wrong colour (cutlery is not the colour of straw!). 

I wanted to create some visual clues as to what may have animated this golem, so I made the books look a bit like spell books, the cloth on the other leg skin instead and candles a bit like a ritual circle. the leaves changed hue and tone four times as I experimented with ideas, as it runs out it meant there was the range of colours you would expect from a random assortment of foliage. Happy accident!

This was the most challenging OSL work I have done and mostly happy with it, tried to view the model from the angle of each candle to work put where the light might hit. Glad I had the courage to try it, and think it works well enough not to detract from the look of the model, even if it isn't as stunning an effect as I had in my head.

Expanding the party

I started painting up one of, what I thought was my last, Lieutenant models and lost enthusiasm as it is a big old dragon and I lost most of my painting time due to lock down. Undeterred, I switched to painting my hero versions of the ally/lieutenants I had just finished as they are small enough to be able to make progress in just 20-50 mins painting each session. Add into the melting pot that I have been watching some amazing video tutorials/listening to painting podcasts and I became inspired start experimenting with more textures and consistency in using glazes instead of washes. Results below:

Finishing up Lieutenants

Finished two more lieutenants for Descent and realised I am up to 10! One left to get the whole collection for the expansions I have already painted the minions for. Haven't really scratched the surface of the Hero and Monster packs yet though.

The sculpt on this one was really good and it felt a lot more like painting a GW model for most parts.

Going solo for the first time

A while back Will sent me a text saying he had been playing through Some Mansions of Madness scenarios that we had attempted (and thoroughly died at). At the time I thought it made sense given the strong narrative nature of the game and the fact that there are so many variables that you can get tons of replay. I have recently started thinking about how easy it is for most of my favourite games to be played solo as they are cooperative games, or at least have cooperative modes like Descent. So I thought I would embark on a journey in to the dark, and stereotypically lonely, world of solo play by playing through some of the Descent campaigns. 

Today I sat down for about an hour and a half and played through the first mission in the Rise of all Goblins campaign that I have previously played and filmed on the Missing Geek channel. 

As you can see it all fits quite nicely on to the currently unclaimed computer table, just don't ask for a shutoff the rest of the room as it is covered in foam trays!

Finishing another Lieutenant

Finished up Ariad as my first lieutenant from the Labyrinth of Ruin expansion for Descent, and was a classic case of feeling pretty terrible about it half way through then rather pleased with myself at the end. I started to really focus on some of the advice I had been listening to on the Trapped Under Plastic podcast about the application of time on different painting jobs. particularly how you can spend time on key features rather than the whole model when painting model that are actually going to be used for games rather than show pieces.

Really pleased with the use of a pale green to caret the gems on the chest and head to contrast the red tones as this wasn't on the art work but I thought it would add a more Queenly air and break up the gold.

The neck bandarges were annoying at first but after I had finished I felt they really helped make the head  and bodice stand out from each other.

Really wanted to try NMM gold but I am actually pleased with the way the metallic parts have come out, especially the face 

My go to for bandages would always be the beige cloth kind but the art was clearly blue/grey tones and I think it worked a lot better in the end, even though it meant I had to make a few visits to the games store to pick up the different greys I needed as I went along.

Finishing up painting, finally!

It turns out that a full time job and parenting are a distraction from painting miniatures, who knew? So it has taken me quite a while to get my act together and finish off the last of my lieutenants from the Descent base game. Really happy with how it turned out especially as I hadn't painted in a few months so always takes a while to get back on the horse.

Tried out a couple of lighting effects (eyes and belt buckle) and generally happy with how they turned out

Still a surprise how much the shading/highlighting changes when you varnish a model, though with time you start to subconsciously plan for it

The wings are far more purple then the art (see below) but I didn't have the confidence to go for a near ly completely black model

Tried going lighter on the face but it just went a bit pinky so settled for matching the wings

Don't think it is too far away from the art work, wish I had had the confidence/time to practice NMM to the standard needed to do this art in full but there are so many more models to paint for the game that I will take greater pleasure in getting one step closer to completion!