Zomtober 2015/5: End of the Line

Not quite ready for his closeup

Officially, Zomtober 2015 ended last Sunday. That won't prevent one last bite of the apple.

In that spirit, here are some WIP shots of the Boss Red Ghoul, Reaper's Dreg Chieftain; a Paul Muller sculpt with some seriously crazy hair. That hair was key in showing that the clown ghoul theme could, nay should, be carried beyond FD's Perribos.

 

 

The washes are complete, establishing the shadows. For the flesh, the darkest of these went to the usual suspects (armpits, groin, and under the jaw). This guy also sports a goiter, pot-belly and man-boobs, all of which received similar treatment.

A fair amount still needs to be done to re-establish the midtones and highlights plus some detailing and the base.

There will be at least one more post featuring all five minis once they're all truly completed.

Thanks are due to Pulp Citizen of Eclectic Gentleman Tabletop Gamer, Simon Brummie Quinton of Brummie's Wargaming Blog and Rob Bresnen of Four Colour Super Minis, for organizing another successful Zomtober. Well done, one and all.

Zomtober 2015/4: The Next in Line

Another week... another red ghoul in the bag (fourth overall, the third and final from Otherworld Miniatures). In terms of painting, he's similar to the two previous OW minis except that both green and fleshtone washes were used (in addition to purple and blue). The first used fleshtone but no green, the second green but no fleshtone.

As is typical with Paul Muller's work, the face is outstanding. Last week I had a fiendish grin to work with, this week a full-on snarl. Great fun to paint.

Like his compatriots, the base needs further attention. Unlike his compatriots, I finished with time to spare. This may allow me to complete a fifth boss ghoul by Halloween. Time will tell.

Zomtober 2015/3: A Modest Proposal

The subject of today's excursion is one of three minis (that I know of) by the incomparable Paul Muller featuring an infant in imminent danger of becoming lunch. What exactly does this Muller guy have against babies, anyway?

All kidding aside, this mini from Reaper is one of the sculptor's finest (and for the record, I'm sure Mr Muller thinks babies are just swell... as do I).

It's vile. It's horrid. That's the whole point. Representing an irredeemably evil, undead cannibal leaves no room for nice.

I threw squeamishness to the wind and tried to make the piece as harsh and nasty as possible. Lots of very hard shadows, a skintone like rotting meat, a subdued palette except for the baby (I want the viewer's attention immediately drawn there). 

Base Colors

Highlights

Shading

Touch-ups & Details

The base still needs attention. I'm saving it for the end when I'll do all five minis currently in the works together.

The Ghoul-Hag in all her repulsiveness:

Is it normal to feel like one should take a shower upon completing a miniature? Am I going straight to Hell because it occurs to me that what this mini really needs is a bubbling cauldron? After Zomtober should I paint nothing but unicorns and pixies as a form of penance?

The answers to these and other burning questions in our next episode. (or not.)

Zomtober 2015/2: The Green Experiment

The second week of Zomtober sees another red ghoul join the pack. As to the post-title, I added a little green to the washes to take the edge off the purple being used. The end result is darker and less saturated than last week's submission. They look good side by side though. The third member of the trio will hopefully wind up somewhere in between.

Some touch-ups around the hairline and brow are needed.

Zomtober 2015/1: Red Ghouls Revisited

My first Zomtober submission is done. (Well, nearly done... the base needs some work.)

My efforts this year center on 1) painting some of the numerous Paul Muller sculpted ghouls that have been languishing on the lead pile, and 2) revisiting the clown-inspired color scheme recently used on Fractured Dimensions' Peribos.

Muller has many ghouls to his credit, falling roughly into two categories: with hair and without. Red hair being a key component of the plan, some less follically challenged individuals were selected.

First up is an Otherworld ghoul. His two blister-mates will follow. 

Clearing the Decks

Before Zomtober gets into full swing, a few pics of the completed Dispater miniature from Fractured Dimensions are in order. It would be poor form not to give the devil his due, after all.