Commission: Cleric of Good Part III

Here's the final product for the Cleric of Good that I delivered last Tuesday.  Sorry for the delay, but I spent the rest of last week on Cape Cod with the folks, wife and kids.  Great weather and a very relaxing break!

Only a little more was done from the last update: mostly cleaning up the fine highlights on the skin and on the hammer. I also made sure to get the eyes and all of the gems adorning the outfit and book. Another 30 minutes worth of work

It took another 5 minutes to get this guy sealed.  Interesting side note...I used a matte varnish for this guy and a satin varrnish on Gundam John's devel fish at the same time.  The satin one was apparently a little older and left a terrible filmy coating on the model, which would not wipe off...pretty much ruined it.  I stopped by the store to watch Frosty and Gundam John play a game and was telling them about how the satin finish messed up the model...then from across the store says, use a q-tip and some olive oil to take that off. John and I both turn, "Thank you mysterious stranger!"  This worked like a charm!  Should have taken before and after pics in retrospect.  I can't explain how much time and effort this saved me.

Any way... I was thrilled with how it came out and thankfully so was the client.  I'm always nervous to see how it goes.  So far my commissions have been face to face transactions through word of mouth, which is fantastic, but I get anxious waiting for the clients' reactions when they see what they are paying for, even when I'm happy with how it looks.

I was really happy with how the primary colors worked out overall.  The blue was an after thought since I thought it was looking too drab.  The red doesn't scream good guy to me, but since that was the customers request I wanted to tone that down by adding in the blue and the white.  This was a nice escape from the grim dark future, but with an 1850 tournament around the corner, I'm excited to get that army in gear as well.  I'm using much of what I brought to the doubles tournament, so those bikes are set to go.  The devastators are also complete.  I just need to get the guard squared away and get started on a librarian on a bike, wielding the Mace of Redemption.

Cleric of Good Part II

More wrk on the cleric today. Wish I had taken a few more step by step pictures but didn't want to break up the rhythm.

 

Got color all over and then wash. Following the I did some gradual dry blending on the cape. The cape surface was not flat enough for me to get clean wet blend so I went dry and very gradually layered up with brighter red then added some orange for the highest parts. 

I originally went with a bone hammer head since it looked like horn or bone. But ended up going back and making it good.  There were not a lot of specifications by the customer for this piece but making the hammer look flashy and stand out was part of the request. I liked the bone better for my taste but it was too subtle for what was requested. I'm happier with this and thinking it is closer to what the client wanted!

Skin and eyes need a little more detail. Needs a varnish seal after that and we are done. Took another 20-30 minutes to get the base coat finished. 5 minutes to wash. The blending and highlights took just under two hours, not counting time for wash and layers to dry. 

I could t be happier with how it looks so far. Will get a few more shots when all the details are wrapped up. 

Latest Commission: Cleric of Good

Through my connections at FLGS I got a new commission for a Reaper mini Cleric of good.  I'm really excited for this one for a few reasons.  First off I enjoy taking a step away from the grim dark future and instead a typical fantasy stetting type model.  This cleric is as typical as it gets, robes, big hammer and a holy symbol.  There are a few sunburst symbols too, clearly marking him as a good guy.  The other reason I'm excited about this, is that this is for a character that is about as a old as I am...not the fictional age of the character mind you, but the gentleman that commission the piece has been playing the same character in the same campaign for over 30 years.  It is important to me to do a great job on this piece, since the player clearly has a deep attachment to the character and this is the representation he and the other players will know him by.

I was provided a few pictures of the mini currently being used, as a reference point.  The mini is a bit crude, but the main take away is the color scheme, particularly the red robes.  More than anything else I want to match the color on the robe so that the players at the table who have been looking at the same mini for so long don't get confused by not seeing what they expect.  If the players can't readily find their cleric, who knows how many adventurer's lives could be lost!

I'm going to use this mini to talk about my creative process quite a bit and to also track the amount of time that it takes to paint.  Many people are surprised to when they hear what it costs to paint a single mini at a high level (for me it starts at $20).  To that my response is to consider the hourly wage as opposed to the single cost of a finished piece.  If you consider you are commissioning an artist to work on your project for anywhere from 2-5 hours, $20 doesn't sound like that much.  Best case here we're in the ball park of minimum wage!

So what goes into a commission?  The first thing I did was discuss what the customer wanted, giving some them some things to consider...

Bright colors vs. dark
Tattered and worn vs. clean
old weathered armor or pristince glowing magic weapons etc.

Other considerations are the basing and any customization.  Special basing is not usually a big deal and would not effect the price much, but converting the models can depending on the changes.  Not a big deal to swap out one weapon for another, but if I need to sculpt a cloak or change the stance of the model, it could be a really big deal.

This model required no conversions or special basing, so we're looking at base cost and not too much prep time...or so I thought. First is to scrape off the mold lines (this model had barely any). I did the usual cleaning with soapy water that I do for resin and metal models.  There is a powder on them, so that they come out of the cast cleanly, that can make the primer and base coat look a little funny.  This only takes about 5 minutes with a gentle toothbrush, then let it air dry.

There was minimal assembly out of the package. I just needed to glue on the arm holding the war-hammer.  Litte bit of zap a gap does the trick...well it usually does when the cast is clean.  This one was just a bit off and the forearm would not quite stick into the elbow.

 I ended up needing to drill into the arm on both ends and add some piping in, to pin it in place.  The fit was just not clean enough for the glue to hold them together.  Also, the metal bends easily so I had to be careful not to snap the hammer or bend it too much while drilling and holding together for the glue.  No issues with any of these steps, but definitely not time I had anticipated. 

The next step is priming.  This is another very simple step and not overly time consuming, but these add up: another 5 minutes in this case.  I spray outside and usually just place the model on some cardboard.  For priming I like to use as little paint as necessary on the model.  The more primer you use, the more details on the model are filled in with paint.  When I spray, I point the nozel on the cardboard and lightly drag across the model in short bursts, being careful to never begin or end the burst on the model.  When you start and finish a burst there is residue that can come out and clump on the model.

I usually start with the most recessed areas first and move out when painting.  This way I can clean up the messy lines as I work my way out.  I took a slightly different approach with this model though.  I have been focused on the color of the cloak and wanted to make sure I matched that first. The reason being is that the other colors I use are going to purposefully contrast or compliment that color.  If I start with the recesses and get to the cloak last, I may find that the other colors I used are off, which presents a whole bunch of problems, ranging from having to repaint an area (wastes time and you lose the details of the model with each coat, to having to strip the whole model and start from scratch).

Here's the first few colors of the base coat on the model. The red cloak, yellow sunburst tabard, brown base, metal armor and flesh tones on one hand and face are applied.  The base coating on there right now is about 25 minutes worth of work.

The next step is to finish the base coat, meaning there will not be any white primer showing anywhere on the model and each color is essentially mapped out on the model.  From there I'll wash some areas to help with the shading, like the cloak or to make it look aged, like the greaves and pauldron.  After that I'll do some blending on the cloth to create more dimension.  I'll get some scratches and dents on the armor after that.  Then highlight the face and hair to make it pop out. There are several areas in the armor where there is a gem.  I need to figure out the best color for these then work on getting the light reflection looking realistic.  The last point will be the hammer and the holy symbol.  The symbol needs to be glowing and the hammer really needs to stand out as special artifact.  I'll have more pictures to follow the progress soon!

Crisis Suit and Tau Armor (WIP)

Most of my updates lately have been about my Dark Angels and my slow adaptation to 6th edition. In a complete change of pace and keeping with the times, here are some Tau I have been working on for Gundam John.

First off is a Crisis Suit based off of some Gundam Wing guy or another (I love how they look and like the shows, but never enough to remember which is which!).  This one was done a while back but it was one of the first Tau I had done and needed some cleaning up as my technique has improved since. Here's a look....

 

The highlights are much improved and I added some nice details to the plasma gun to make it stand out. Very excited on how this came out.

 

Also, working on this bad boy with all the options.  I'm still cleaning up the edges and trying to get the white nice and crisp. This is tedious but I am rather enjoying the focus and attention it requires.  More to come on this as it progresses.  I still need to clean the lines, highlight a bit and get a nice glossy finish on before all is said and done.

Shark Marines!

This post is chum full of pictury goodness!  Bring on the Shark Marines.  Here is the background that I was provided going into this commission.  Not much to say here so I'll let the pictures do the talking so to speak. Enjoy!

Shark Marines

A fleet-based Chapter, a third founding chapter, malformed progeny from the ranks of Space Sharks (Carcharodons)

Banished from the ranks of Space Sharks to a life of exile, Shark Marines patrol the outer edges of the galaxy far from Imperial support. Still loyal to the Emperor, they use highly questionable and unorthodox methods in their crusade to carry out His will. Knowledge of the Shark Marines has been banished from all but the most secret Imperial records.

After the Badab War, in which the Space Sharks played a pivotal role and began to emerge to prominence as a Chapter, a number of Space Sharks began to display signs of their Chapter's secret curse: The Sharkness. Their skin became tough, rubbery and grey. Their teeth became jagged. Their eyes became pools of black hatred. Their sense of smell increased thousand-fold, scenting their targets from miles away. Rumor has is it that they can survive the deep pressures underwater, and some veterans it was whispered did not even need to use a rebreather.

The Chapter is on the verge of extinction. Unable to replenish supplies and take quotas from Imperial forces, the Shark Marines slowly grind toward oblivion.

Here are the pictures, enjoy!

1850 of Shark Marines

 

 

 

Rhino Door Emblem

Drop Pod, Chum Bucket

Veteran Marking

 I ended up having more fun doing the shark logo than I had anticipated.  I orginally was only going to do it on the drop pod and Rhinos, but added it to the shoulders for the terminators as well.

Commission Updates: Thundarr and Griffon

I've been working on two projects since the tournament, both of which have gone much better than painting my own models!

The first which is a WIP, is a Griffon for Simon.  This is actually just a converted Basilisk. I chopped down the barrel and added a lot more armor plating around the sides.  I also converted the back so that it sits much lower and has a side entrance rather than back for the ladder. The back part is more of an effort to make it more distinctive from the Basilisk design at a glance.

Since these Guard are part of a Sisters themed army overall, I added some decorations to the front to tie this in with the rest of the army and have done the same to the two Manticores as well, which are also assemlbed and have some green on them.  The conversion took a lot more time planning than it did to execute, and I could not have been happier with how it turned out.  I really feel like no one could mistake this for a Basilisk once it is fielded.

The other project that I just wrapped up is Thundarr and Ookla themed paint job for some Reaper barbarians. 

Ookla the Mok

 Ookla for me was all about working on creating realistic battle damage with metallic metals. This is really about using combinations and blends of washes over a metal paint.  To get this look I actually used blue, purple, brown and black washes.  The purple and blue don't show well in the picture, but it gives a shimmering effect that enchanted armor might posses.  The brown and black layers help to give it an aged look.  I started using Chainmail, then washed that with black.  Then I used Mithral silver to put on the faded scratches and chips that you can see on the interior of the surface.  Next came the blue and purple, followed by brown to age it.  More silver along the edges to get some highlight.  The last step was to wash it with a watered down black before doing some more silver highlights that are the bright, obvious ones on the edges.

The cloak didn't come out quite as well as I would like.  Wet blending from black to gray is much harder than I had thought.  It still looks solid.  While that didn't work out as well as I would have liked the gray fur pelt ended up just like I envisioned it would.  Dry brushing the grays and blacks was much more successful than the blending.

 The other half of the set was Thundarr! All muscles and leather the figure was looking really drab by the time I had gotten all of the base coats on and started adding some wash to the fur and chest.  I had planned to paint the stones hanging from the fur in a granite earthy look, but they would have just faded into the rest of the model.  Instead I thought some bright Jade pieces would pop out nicely.  They bring a little more story to the character.

Thundarr

 Thundarr would not be complete without his Lightsaber Sunswords.  The character has just one but the model has two, so the model is twice as awesome as the character right?  Really looking forward to dropping these guys off this week or next to see how well they go over for the customer.

Sunswords

With the Thundarr and Ookla done, I'm considering pushing a bit more to see if anyone else wants single model commissions done.  The quality above is my top of the line work and I find I really enjoy spending that much time on single models.  I still have way too many models of my own and for friends' armies to consider doing armies or squads on a commission basis, but the change of pace of putting everything I have into a single model is really satisfying.

Next on the list is a female Marbo for Simon and another special Gundam Broadside for Gundam John.