Dreadmere Fishmonger: Bones 4 Dreadmere Figure

    Over the past two weeks I've work on the "Fishmonger" figure from the Bones 4 Dreadmere Expansion.  This figure gave me a lot of trouble and while I thought it was going to be quick and easy, it ended up taking me two weeks to complete. 

       There's a few problems with this figure that really slowed me down.  First, this is a figure that should not come pre-glued.  The cart, its handles, as well as the hands, arms, and front of the bent-over woman are all just too close and cramped, and it is really difficult to get in there to paint any of it.  Second, the cart is designed so there is a lot of areas that should be open that are sculpted solid; for example, the area between the woman and cart is solid plastic, and the area under the cart between the wheels is solid plastic.  Likewise, the cubby hole where the tentacles are is solid.  This means a lot of weird optical issues to try and hide.  And thirdly,  the sculpting of the cart is problematic.  The net areas are sculpted with the net cut as slits into the model, not as raised lines.  This means simply dry brushing, or carefully painting, the lines of the net is not an option.  You have to somehow paint the cuts, either before or after painting what one would assume is the dark shadowed interior of whatever is behind the nets.  Also, the relief of everything sculpted on the cart, the knives, wheels, etc. is very thin, so painting these thin or narrow pieces and staying in the lines is hard, and there was lots of having to go back and paint over mistakes.  

       I prepped the figure in the usual way, soaking it in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving it a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying it.  I then trimmed the figure's integral base a little, and glued the figure to a 1" metal washer with Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then placed the figure in my painting grip.   

     I began by painting her face, arms and hands with Reaper MSP "Tanned Shadow".  I then painted her skirts with Reaper MSP "Fresh Blood", her blouse and apron with Folk Art "Dove Grey", and her wrap, hat, and hair with Ceramcoat "Charcoal".

     Next, I painted the area of netting with a thinned wash of Folk Art "Barn Wood".  When it was dry, I tried drybrushing it with the "Charcoal"  I wasn't entirely happy with this as the drybrushing covered over some of the slits cot to represent the net, obscuring the wash.  I then used the "Charcoal" to paint the solid area that were representing open spaces; the area between the cart and the lady, the area between the wheels, and the area at the bottom where the tentacles are emerging.  After that, I painted the cart and her bracelets with Americana "Antique Gold", the tentacles with Reaper MSP "Bronzed Shadow", and the knife holders and pouches with Americana "Asphaltum"

         Not being happy with the netting, I went back and hand-lined the worst covered portions back in using the "Barn Wood". I then painted the knife and cleaver handles with Accent "Real Umber", and the cleaver blade and wheel rims with Americana "Zinc".   When dry, I repainted the cleaver blade and wheel rims with Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey".  After that, I painted the fish with Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver", and while still wet, blended in some Folk Art Color Shift "Emerald Flash" on the head, fins, and tail.  I then painted the cart handrails and handles, as well as the woman's bracelets, with Folk Art Brushed Metal "Brushed Bronze".

     I let everything dry for a while, and then gave her face, arms, and skirts a coat of Citadel "Reikland Fleshshade" wash.  When that was dry, I gave her blouse, hat, shawl, apron, and the fish a coat of Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash. Another drying period, and I gave the cart a coat of Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" wash, being careful to avoid the net areas.  Then, when everything was dry, I  painted her eyes, and then highlighted her face, arms, and hands with the base Tanned Shadow, and Reaper MSP " Tanned Skin".

      Next, I highlighted the skirts with Reaper MSP "Holly Berry", and then mixed in some Crafter's Acrylic "Pure Pumpkin" for lighter highlights.  I then  highlighted the blouse and apron with Folk Art "Dove Gray", and some Americana "Snow White". After that, I highlighted the hat and shawl with Americana "Zinc" followed by Americana "Neutral Grey"; and then highlighted her hair with Folk Art "Cloudy Day".         

     I then highlighted her pouch and purse with Folk Art "Teddy Bear Brown", and after that I highlighted the cart with the base "Antique Gold", and some Americana "Primary Yellow".  Next, I painted the front signboard with Ceramcoat "White", and when dry, painted a fish on it with Americana "Forest Green" (So even the illiterate peasants will know what she's selling).  I also used the "Forest Green" to paint some simple decorations on the cart's sides.  After that, I highlighted the tentacles with Americana "Terra Cotta", and then a little Apple Barrel "Flesh".

    Next, I highlighted the knife holders with Americana "Sable Brown", and then handles of the knves and cleaver with the "Teddy Bear Brown".  I then highlighted the fish with the base "Emerald Flash", and Metallic Silver.  After that, I highlighted the handrails, handles, and bracelets with DecoArt Dazzling Metallics "Bright Brass".   Lastly, I painted the figure's base with Americana "Mississippi Mud".

      I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave it a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish. I then used some white glue to glue some fine sand to the base.  When the sand was dry, I painted it with a coat of Americana "Charcoal Grey". When this was dry, I drybrushed the sand with the "Mississippi Mud", and then with some Apple Barrel "Rock Grey"; lastly I drybrushed it with a little Americana "Dove Grey".  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed the figure with Testor's Dullcote". 

     Well, even though this figure was a bugger to paint, I'm quite pleased with it in the end.  I feel she came out very well, the cart came out good but not quite as good as she did, and the nets are still a mess.  But I did with them what I could, and am not a painter who beats my head on a project indefinitely.  

Gulper (Giant Catfish): Bones 4 Dreadmere Figure

      This past week I painted the "Gulper" giant catfish figure from the Bones 4 Dreadmere Expansion set.  The figure is designed with a flat spot on its underside so you can glue it directly on a base if you want, but I decided I wanted mine to be swimming, so I grabbed a reaper flight stand I had and drilled a matching hole into the Gulper's belly. 

      I then prepped the figure in the usual way, soaking it in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, and then gave it a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsed and dried it.   Next, I stuck it onto the flight stand's peg, and put the peg in a pair of alligator clips for ease of holding.

When painting animals, I always like to look for real world inspiration, so I Googled images of "colorful catfish", and came upon the Redtail Catfish.  I thought it would be a fun pattern to paint, so I looked through a bunch of photos to get a sense for the coloration on this type of catfish.

     Because the figure has a bit of weight to it, I glued the base of the flight stand to a 2" fender washer with some Aleene's Tacky glue.  When the glue was dry, I sprayed it brown.   

     To begin with, I painted the figure with Americana "Dove Grey".  I then painted on the darker pattern with a mix of Americana "Charcoal" and Aleene's "Deep Khaki".

     Next, I drybrushed the light areas with some Americana "Snow White", and then highlighted the darker parts with a mix of the "Charcoal Grey" with the lighter Aleene's "Dusty Khaki"  After that, I painted the dot pattern on his head with Ceramcoat "Black", mixed with a little of the "Charcoal Grey", and then painted the tail with Reaper MSP "Holly Berry".   After that, I painted the inside of the mouth with Folk Art "Milkshake", and then painted the eyes with the "Snow White" and added inner circles with the "Black"

     When the mouth was dry, I gave it a coat of Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash.  I then drybrushed the tail with some Crafter's Acrylic "Pure Pumpkin", and then used the "Pure Pumpkin" to paint the edges of the top and underside fins.   Next, I highlighted the fin edges, and parts of the tail with some Americana "Tangerine", followed by some spot highlights with Crafter's Acrylic "Bright Yellow". 

      I then painted the eels affixed to the Gulper's sides with Apple Barrel "Apple Black Green".  By this time the "Nuln Oil" wash was dry, so I highlighted the mouth with the base "Milkshake", and then a little of the "Milkshake with some Ceramcoat "White" added.   I then painted the teeth with Crafter's Acrylic "Light Antique White", and highlighted them with the "Snow White".    At this point I went back and painted the eels with the "Deep Khaki", leaving a thin edge of the "Apple Black Green" to serve as a shadow, and then highlighted with the "Dusty Khaki".  Lastly, I aded some tiny "Black" dot eyes. 

      I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave it a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.  I didn't shake the varnish a lot in hopes of getting more of a semi-gloss shine than a matte finish. I wasn't going to use my regular Dull Cote final spray on this, as I thought a slightly shiny fish would be better than a matte one.   I then used some white glue to glue some course sand all over the base.  When the sand was dry,  I made a water and white glue mix and painted that over the sand to help it stay in place; since I wasn't going to paint it or spray it.  Lastly, I added some tiny shells and plants.  

     I'm happy with how this turned out.   Doing creatures with irregular color patterns like this never look just right while I'm doing them, especially if in nature the dividing line is not sharp but made up of individual hairs or fur; but I think this doesn't look too bad when viewed at table distance or in photos.

Fishwife and FIsh Barrel: Bones 4 Dreadmere Figures

       Happy New Year!  Another year, and more Bones to be painted! :)  And I do mean more, as it's just a few short months away until the expected delivery of the Bones 5 Kickstarter in April; and then every indication is that the Bones 6 Kickstarter will launch in the Fall!  

      This past week though, I got back to work on the Bones 4 Dreadmere Expansion, and painted the "Fishwife and Fish Barrel".    I nice simple figure set to get me back into the groove.
      I prepped the figures in the usual way, soaking them in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving them a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying it.  I then glued the Fishwife figure to a brown-primed 1" fender washer, and the Fish Barrel to a .75" fender washer, both with Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then placed the Fishwife figure in my painting grip, and glued the barrel to a craft stick.

     I began by painting her face and hands with Reaper MSP Bones "Suntan Flesh".  I then painted her shirt with Americana "Jade Green", and her dress with Accent "Mustard Seed". 

     Next, I painted her leggings with Folk Art "Poppy Seed", and her boots with Reaper MSP HD "Umber Brown".  I then painted her apron with Reaper MSP "Graveyard Bone", and the towel tucked into it with Folk Art "Porcelain White".   After that, I painted the knife holder with Reaper MSP HD "Golden Brown", and the knife handles with the "Umber Brown". 

         I then painted her hair with Ceramcoat "Black", and then painted the handle of the cleaver with Reaper MSP "Shield Brown", and the head of the cleaver with Americana "Zinc".  After that, I went to work on he fish.  I decided the best plan would be to copy a real world fish, so I quickly googled some pictures of trout.  With a general "look" in mind,  I started by painting the underside of the fish with Americana "Grey Sky".  I then painted the back of the fish with Reaper mSP Bones "Dungeon Slime".  While these colors were still wet, I ran a line of Reaper MSP "Rose Gold" down the center line of between them on each side. 

     I let the figure dry for a while, and then applied a coat of Citadel "Reiklande Fleshshade" Wash over her face and hands.  I let that dry, and then applied a coat of Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" over her entire outfit.  Then, lastly, I applied a coat of Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash to he fish and cleaver head.   After all the washes were good and dry, I painted her eyes, and then highlighted her face and hands using Reaper MSP "Tanned Skin", and "Tanned Highlight".

     Next,  I highlighted her shirt, with some of the base "Jade Green" mixed with Ceramcoat "White", and highlighted her dress with Reaper MSP "Bronzed Skin", and Reaper MSP "Bronzed Highlight".   After that, I highlighted her hair with some Citadel "The Fang", and highlighted her apron with the base "Graveyard Bone".  Lastly, I highlighted the leggings with Folk Art "Dapple Grey", and added an eye to the fish with the "Black". 

     I then highlighted the towel tucked in her apron using the base "Porcelain White", and I highlighted the knife case with Ceramcoat "Territorial Beige".  After that, I highlighted the boots and knife handles with Folk Art "Teddy Bear Brown", and I highlighted the axe handle with Americana "Sable Brown". 

     Next, I worked on the fish; basically just using the base colors to highlight it: "Grey Sky" for the underbelly, "Dungeon Slime" for the back, and "Rose Gold" for the stripe.  Then I painted the cleaver head with Folk Art Metallics "Gun Metal", and highlighted it with Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver".  Lastly, I painted the figure's base with Americana "Mississippi Mud".

    I then worked on the barrel, using the "Shield Brown" to paint the body of it.  After that, I painted the octopus with Reaper MSP "Drow Nipple Pink", and the fish with Folk Art Pearl "Aqua Moiré", I also painted the hoops with DecoArt Dazzling Metallics "Bright Brass".

     I let the barrel dry for a while, and then gave the whole thing a coat of the "Nuln Oil" wash. When the wash was dry, I drybrushed the barrel with the "Territorial Beige", and then I drybrushed with some Folk Art "Butter Pecan".   Next, I highlighted the octopus with the base "Drown Nipple Pink" mixed with some Reaper MSP "Breast Cancer Awareness Pink", and then did a few spot highlights with Reaper MSP "Brains Pink".   After that, I highlighted the fish with the base "Aqua Moiré", and then mixed in a little Reaper MSP "Sophie Silver" for some spot highlights.  I finished with highlighting the hoops with the base "Bright Brass".  Lastly, I painted the figure's base with Americana "Mississippi Mud".

      I let the figures dry overnight and the next day I gave them a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish. I then used some white glue to glue some fine sand to the bases.  When the sand was dry, I painted it with a coat of Americana "Charcoal Grey". When this was dry, I drybrushed the sand with the "Mississippi Mud", and then with some Apple Barrel "Rock Grey"; lastly I drybrushed it with a little Americana "Dove Grey".

      Another overnight dry, and I sprayed the figures with Testor's Dullcote".  When the Dullcote was dry, I went back and repainted the  all the fish and the octopus with a little Americana "DuraClear Gloss" varnish. 

     I'm pleased with how this simple figure turned out; it has a ton of character, as so many of Reapers townsfolk have.  My big criticism is the highlights on her dress turned out a little too stark.  It makes the dress look shiny or wet, which with this figure isn't too out of place, but not the look I was going for for.  I'm especially pleased with the big fish! :)

Terror Fish: Bones 4 Dreadmere Figure

     This past week I painted theTerror Fish, from the Bones 4 Dreadmere Expansion.
     I prepped the figure in the usual way, soaking it in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving it a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying it.

  I thought the figure reminded me a bit of those deep sea fish that have the little illuminated antenna that hover over their head to attract prey; so I set about modifying the figure to resemble one of those.  First, I sliced off one of the spikes on its head.  I then drilled a little hole where the spike was, and inserted a a short bit of translucent plastic string I had; gluing it in place with superglue.
     I then glued the figure to a black-primed 1" fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue, and then glued it to a tongue depressor with a couple drops of Elmers glue.
     For fun I thought I'd base the color scheme off of the Dory character from the animated movie "Finding Nemo".  Dory is based on a real fish called a Royal Blue Tang.

      I began by painting the body of the fish with Americana 'True Blue".  I then painted markings on the body as close as I could to those that appear on Dory, and I painted the eyes, with Ceramcoat "Black".   When all the paint was dry, I gave the painted areas a wash with Citadel Nuln Oil wash.

     Next, I painted his tail fin and side spikes with Accent "Golden Harvest".  After that, I painted the inside of his mouth with Apple Barrel "Apple Lt. Pink", and his teeth with with Americana "Bleached Sand".

     I then painted the tip of his antenna with Tamiya "Clear Yellow", and then gave the inside of his mouth a coat of Citadel "Reikland Fleshshade" wash.  After that, I gave his teeth, tail, and side fins a coat of Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" wash", and then painted the rim of his eyes with Americana "Grey Sky".

     Next, I highlighted his body with Reaper MSP Bones 'Tropical Blue", and highlighted his tail and side spikes with Crafter's Acrylic "Bright Yellow".  After that, I highlighted his feet and his black markings with Citadel "The Fang", mixed with some of the base "Black"; and then highlighted his teeth with Crafters Acrylic "Light Antique White".   I also highlighted his antenna dot with some of the "Bright Yellow" with a dot of Americana "Snow White".  I also used this white to add eye highlight dots.   Lastly, I painted the entire base with "Americana "Mississippi Mud".
      I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave it a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Then, when  the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to flock the base.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed it with Testor's "Dullcote".   When the "Dullcote" was dry, I went back and hit its eyes, the light dot on his antenna,  and this teeth with a little Americana "DuraClear Gloss" varnish.

     I'm really happy with how killer Dory came out. :)   I like the addition of the light antenna, and I think the color scheme is kind of fun.

Goroloth: Bones 2 Sea Monster

     This week I painted up the Goroloth figure from the Bones 2, Expansion Set #1, add-on set.  In looking at the figure, I decided I wanted to paint it like some crazy wizard decided to cross an Octopus with a Shark.  (Crazy you say?! Behold the glory of my Sharktopus! Who's crazy now, I ask!!  Muuwahahahaha!)  :)
     I prepped the figure in the usual way; soaking the pieces over night in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving them a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying them.   I then assembled the model using Gorilla superglue. When the superglue was set, I tested the fit of the mounting hole in the model with a spare Reaper CAV flight stand I had, and was very happy to see it fit perfectly.

     I began by painting the front of the "Sharktopus" with Americana "Shading Flesh", an the rear of the figure with Americana "Wedgewood Blue".  I then made a mix of the two paints and carefully blended the front and back colors together.

    Next, I painted the underside of the tentacles with Americana "Mocha".  I let everything dry for a while, then gave the entire figure a wash with Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash using a wet brush.

     I then drybrushed the front part of the figure with first a Reaper Free Sample color that was a nice Salmon hue, and followed that with some Folk Art "Almond Parfait".  I then drybrushed the back of the model with Crafter's Acrylic "Tropical Blue".

     I then painted two lines running down the tail, one above and one below the circle indents, using Folk Art "Metallic Emerald Green".  After that, I painted the circle indents themselves with Folk Art Pearl "Aqua Moire".  I then moved to the eyes, painting them a mix of Crafter's Acrylic "Orange Spice" and Ceramcoat "14K Gold".  Next, I drybrushed the underside of the tentacles with Crafter's Acrylic "Light Antique White".  I then went back and gave the circle indents a wash with some Iron Wind Metals "Medium Blue" ink using a wet brush.  I then returned to the eyes, and painted White pupils, and then gave them Black centers.   When the ink wash was dry in the circles, I repainted the center of them with the base "Aqua Moire".
    I let the figure dry overnight, and the next day I gave it a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Since this has a slight sheen to it, rather than being true matte, I decided to go with just this as my final coat.  I did however go back and paint the eyes with Americana "DuraClear Gloss" Varnish to give them an extra shine.