Feathers, Fur, and the Force

Happy Star Wars Day to one and all.  May the fourth be with you.

While today's subject might feel at home on the forest-moon of Endor hunting ewoks (annoying little creatures), it boasts a different pedigree altogether. Classic D&D monsters don't get more classic than the owlbear; a Gary Gygax creation that goes back to the game's begining. Many miniature representations of the beast have been produced over the decades. Otherworld Miniatures' version, sculpted by Paul Muller, stands head and shoulders above the rest.

There's never an owlbear around when you need one.

MM illustration & Muller interpretation

In the past, painting fur has given me more trouble than it probably should. Here I first treated the furry bits as though they were smooth by glazing on some pronounced shadows and highlights. Only then did I highlight the individual hairs. I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Glazing and pin washes laid the foundation for the feathers. Lots (and lots) of very small unblended highlights provided the rest.

The classic owlbear mullet

Reaper's olive skin triad was used on the beak and claws. The tongue and eyes (which I must confess are rather beady and unowlish) wound up as the only splashes of bright color.

Zoological mix-and-match... the reason wizards should never be left unsupervised

Back when this guy was being sculpted, I advocated on the Otherworld forums that he be tailless. Monster Manual illustration notwithstanding, why should a cross between a bear and an owl have a kangaroo's tail? I was wrong. It fits perfectly. Only goes to show the perils of logic when applied to monster design. To atone for my error, I drew attention to the tail by painting its tip white.

And now... more pictures:

At this point you should be convinced that the owlbear is quintessentially awesome. Just in case my powers of persuasion have fallen short, I now present the inestimable Dungeon Bastard. Take it away, Bastard...

Fiend Folio Update

The Fiend Folio Project rolls on with the completion of two Fenris gorilla bears.

Painting their faces was thoroughly enjoyable but concerns over whether their fur looked too bland caused some agita for me. Ultimately I convinced myself that the fur looked fine and moved on.

 A verdant forest/jungle look was the goal so everything but the kitchen sink (including some scavenged aquarium plant bits) went onto the bases. The purple flower is from a model railroad store. 

Elsewhere, Center Stage miniatures revealed the first of two Dire Corby greens as part of their Tome of Horrors Kickstarter. Sculptor Drew Williams did an outstanding job. As a project backer I'm in line for this and other forgotten FF classics. (Sadly, the flumph is still under wraps.)

Because my lead-pile isn't nearly vast enough (yeah, right), I picked up a couple items with Fiend Folio potential. Chief among these is a Wyrd jackalope with "al'miraj" written all over it. I ask you, what miniature collection could be called complete without at least one  killer-unicorn-bunny?

A Successful Failure

"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."
Winston Churchill 

I have crashed and burned in my efforts to finish the three minis intended for Otherworld's September painting challenge on time. Not the first time something like this has happened, nor will it be the last.

I'm not going to hang my head over it though. The minis are looking good and I'm enjoying myself. I call that success.

The two gorilla-bears are just about done while the owl-bear needs a fair amount of work:

Painting fur gives me trouble and I spent way too much time on it in this case. Painting faces seems to be something I'm pretty good at and I spent way too much time on it as I was having way too much fun. (Not to mention the hope that well executed faces might divert attention from large expanses of unremarkable fur.)

Without really meaning to, I drifted into jack-o-bear territory as the flesh-tones used come across as a bit orange. I steadfastly refused to complete the effect with glowing eyes and instead used actual gorilla eyes as my inspiration.

Gorilla My Dreams

 

The Fiend Folio Project stands to gain two new members; a pair of gorilla bears to be precise. The manufacturer (Fenris Games) calls them pumpkin-head-bears . In other words, they're meant as Rune Quest jack-o-bear analogs. The miniatures blend ape and bear features and if I avoid painting their heads like jack-o-lanterns they should meet my needs quite nicely.

I'm trying to finish these two and an Otherworld owlbear before month's end so I'll keep this brief and to the point.

Some pictures:

Parts breakdown

Assembled minis

Grey plumber's putty used to elevate part of base

Base after a good deal of sanding

Basing grit added

Some putty-work on the owlbear

Primed and ready

Possible reference

No Respect

In the early eighties the subject of today's post was described as a "frog-like humanoid with huge eyes that shine like searchlights". I refer not to Rodney Dangerfield following a tragic industrial accident, but rather to the blindheim; a creature found in 1981's Fiend Folio. Like the late, great, Mr. Dangerfield, the blindheim (and for that matter, the entire Fiend Folio) is notable for receiving no respect.

As evidence of the blindheim's standing, I present exhibits A and B.

Maybe I'm just dense, but I fail to see why the little yellow guy deserves such scorn. Seems like a perfectly workable concept to me. When I came across Valiant Enterprises' oni demon I saw the opportunity for a straightforward conversion project.

Right from the blister the mini has some issues: 1) static pose: It looks like he's trying to surrender. 2)eye line: Why is he staring at the ceiling? 3)ears: I kinda like these but they're anything but frog-like. 4)teeth: These are a bit slab-shaped in spots and lack definition between themselves and the gums.

Nothing too serious. The pose and eye-line were addressed through some considerable bending. The ears were removed and the teeth reshaped with files and a hobby-knife. The addition of a tongue from Otherworld's giant frogs helped to accentuate further his inner amphibian.

What I wound up with has not two eyes but four and is slightly larger than described but hits all the important notes nonetheless (frog-like, large eyes, vicious bite).

His other vital features (yellow coloration, glowing eyes) were handled with paint. The yellow was achieved with P3 sulfuric yellow and heartfire, GW dark flesh and casandora yellow shade, Vallejo umber shade, and Reaper linen white.

I went with a vivid purple tongue because purple sits opposite yellow on the old color wheel.

The eyes are my first attempt at OSL.