In The Beginning...

Before we get to the heart of this post I wanted to show an update on the gladiator dude.

Everything's at least been base coated now and is ready for the small details. He should be finished very soon.

Now for the main point of this post... Around February 20ish 2011 I decided that I wanted to paint some figures that came with the board game Wiz-War. I had never painted anything before so I really had no idea what I was doing. I tried looking things up online, but said fuck it and jumped right in. I went to a craft store, picked up some really crappy size 0 synthetic brushes, only the cheapest would do, and a Reeves acrylic paint starter set. The paint set didn't come with a brown, flesh color, orange, purple or grey so I had to mix those myself. I also didn't know about thinning your paints, things got pretty sloppy. So now, on the 5th anniversary of my starting to paint I'll show you the first things I ever put a brush too:

On the monsters you may notice some very dark brown in the recesses, before started them I had learned about dipping. However, the only varnish I had was about 20 years old and no longer good, but I used it anyway. The results speak for themselves.

About a month later I got another game with minis, Dungeon Run, and wanted to paint them too. By this time I learned that you should thin your paints. I also learned about washes, but I didn't have any so I just thinned down some black paint and went with it. I still didn't have all the colors I mentioned above, but I did pick up my first metallic paints, a gold and silver.

By May of 2011 I decided I wanted to get into wargaming, half because I wanted to play and half because all the things I could paint. I bought an Army Painter starter set, finally got some brown, orange, purple, flesh and washes, and Assault on Black Reach. The first thing I painted was the Dreadnought:

And that was the start of my new hobby.

Orsund Cavalier continues, plus other work (pic heavy)

Still plugging away at the big octopus, or really a septapus since it only has 7 tentacles. After the initial base coats I worked on the inner tentacles, doing all the pinks and purples. Then I began some of the yellow parts which will require hours and hours of glazing over the same spots. Especially once I start doing the pattern design.

Here is what I'm going for with this guy:

I wanted to start another project just so I wouldn't go crazy working on thing for so long. This guy was included as a free gift in the Black Sailors kickstarter, he was sculpted by Joaquin Palacios. Easily my favorite sculptor, everything he's done is amazing. On to the figure:

As for the base, I used something I had made for a previous model that I never finished (Queen of Barbary from the Figopedia indigogo). I added a greenstuff torn banner to include a freehand element to the piece. I'll be using this at the Crystal Brush as well and people love a good freehand so you have to work it in where ever you can.

That's all for now, next time I hope to have more work on the octopus done. And maybe even start working on the base.

Finished Goblin King and WoK update

Well the Goblin King has finally been based and is done. Admittedly the base was rushed. I really had no idea what to do with it and I am bogged down with a number of things, including projects for competitions that need my attention more. The idea is that he's standing on his freshly dug up buried treasure, so there's a hole in the ground, a pile of freshly disturbed sand and untouched sand surrounding the hole.

Next up is the continuation of the Orsund Cavalier from Wrath of Kings. The rider is finished and it's time to start the main body.

That's all for now, there are still many, many hours of work to go. Up next is highlighting, shading and texturing. All the fun stuff.