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...

Special Delivery

My backer rewards from Otherworld Miniatures' Dungeon Adventurers crowdfunding campaign arrived yesterday. Two boxes of adventurers/henchman plus numerous other goodies. Should keep me occupied for a while.

It's a Major Award!

Must be Italian.

I have been nominated for a Liebster Award by Ana at the outstanding Gardens of Hecate. At the risk of sounding like I'm back in Junior High... How cool is that?!

Thank you Ana.

You Do NOT talk about the Liebster Award.

It now falls to me to reveal 11 truths about myself, answer the 11 questions posed by Ana, nominate another 11 blogs/bloggers to further this benign pyramid-scheme, and ask them 11 questions of my own. Not my normal schtick but I think I'm up to the task. Game on.

Be sure to take notes. There will be a quiz at the end.

Eleven Truths

• My name is Jim.
• My surname means finch in Old English.
• I'm from New Jersey. Our state bird is the goldfinch.
• I love rhubarb and green olives (separately).
  
• I loath hard boiled eggs. Just the smell turns my stomach.
• I may be a tad over-reliant on movie/TV references in both my blogging and everyday communication. If you doubt me, please refer to the two images above. Sadly, not all of life's mysteries can be explained with a well chosen Simpson's quote. (D'oh!)
• I miss her.
• At one time I worked as a bookbinder.
• I've been to New Zealand.
• My upbringing had a touch of the hillbilly to it. I know what it is to use an outhouse regularly (pun intended). Ours was a two-seater... never quite understood that part. Not like we were doubling up or anything. Even hillbillies have certain lines they won't cross.
• Like Capt. Miller in Saving Private Ryan, I keep the last truth for myself. (See. I did it again.)

Eleven Answers

• What was the last book you've read?  On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Lt.Col. Dave Grossman. My normal reading fare is considerably lighter. You caught me on a good day.
• If you could spend a day with any person out of all of human history, who would it be and why? Gandhi? Churchill? Bono? Nuts to that. I'm going with Errol Flynn; one of history's premier party animals. Think Charlie Sheen with class. It's been brought to my attention that I need to loosen up a little. With Flynn running the show I'd likely succeed (or die trying).
• Would you rather burn everything you own, or keep everything you own but never gain anything for the rest of your life? Two lousy choices. Destroy everything, trash and treasure alike, or endure a sad, static existence. I suppose I'd go for the burning option... but I wouldn't like it.
• Does the idea of humans technologically augmenting themselves worry you? Not really. I wore glasses for much of my life. Without that technological augmentation I would have spent most of my waking hours bumping into things.
• Would you rather be able to read minds, or be able to become invisible at will? I'm leaning towards the mind-reading option.
• Would you rather be able to turn into an insect at will, or into a vicious beast uncontrollably? Insect. What are we without free will (or the delusion thereof)?
• Would you rather have a flesh-eating virus, or have no skin? I think this was actually a question from The Dating Game back in the 70's. Forty years on and there's still no good answer.
• What would you do if you came home one day to find everything and everyone in your house/flat was replaced by an exact copy? Seek out my local mental health professional. (Unless they've also been replaced by a copy. Then I'm pretty well screwed.)
• Would you rather be roasted alive, or live forever inside a coffer? I've never been a fan of being roasted alive. I'll take the coffer.
• Would you rather eat fifty pounds of pig fat, or jump into a pool of acid? I'm assuming an acid resistant suit is not allowed so pass the pig fat.
• What's in the box?! Schrodinger's cat.

Eleven Blogs

For the blogs, I'm holding (with one exception) to the provision that they must have fewer than 200 followers and passing on blogs that appear on Ana's list (as well as Gardens of Hecate itself). The whole point of this exercise is to spread the love as widely as possible.

• Belched from the Depths
• Brummie's Wargaming Blog
• Clamshells and Seahorses
• Dr. Strangebrush
• Duke of the Blood Keep
• Metalchaos Blog
• Of Tin, Lead and Pewter
• Paint Splats
• Stone Cold Lead
• Twisted Brushes
• The Wily Brush

Eleven Questions

For the questions, I mashed together my favorites from Ana's list, the lists from two of the three blogs that nominated Gardens of Hecate ( Fimm Mc Cool's Games Orkshop and Meandering Shade), and a couple of my own.  

• What was the last book you've read?
• How did you first get into the hobby?
• Would you say you are more a painter or gamer and why?
• Who is your favorite miniature sculptor? 
• Who is your favorite painter and would you like to emulate their style?
• Do you have a comfort zone in painting technique or colors that you tend to fall back on? 
• Do you like to have the right atmosphere when painting; music, movies, quiet?
• Buyer's remorse. What recent hobby purchase do you most regret (if any)?
• Would you rather burn everything you own, or keep everything you own but never gain anything for the rest of your life?
• When you finally shuffle off this mortal coil, what would you like to happen to your hobby collection?
• Peanut butter. Smooth or Crunchy?

PTS III: Owl the News That's Fit to Print

Here follows a very brief post showing the state of my paint-table and its current occupant, an Otherworld Miniatures Owlbear.

This guy's been sidetracked for quite a while. The fur is to my liking and basically done. A few other details (i.e. whether to paint some sort of pattern on the feathers) still need to be sorted out.

What's Eating You?

Is it Zombtober already?

When last we met, the timely completion of the final two zombies from Heresy's UNDEAD009 seemed well within reach. Well, things took a bit longer than expected but they and Studio 2's Revenant are now done. The class pictures:

The minis are meant to represent the Revenant and Coffer Corpse from the Fiend Folio. The Revenant is presented there as a buffed-up zombie with a penchant for strangulation and the Coffer Corpse as a buffed-up zombie with a penchant for strangulation. What can I say? They're zombies.

In their respective entries, it's mentioned that the Coffer Corpse will sometimes use weapons while the Revenant is shown wearing a hooded cloak. Minor distinctions they may be, but hopefully they provide a little distance between each other and from garden-variety zombies.

As in the past, generous quantities of grey were mixed into most colors for a sombre undead look. Even normally bright, cheerful colors like the yellow on the Revenant's cloak respond well to this treatment.

The paints used on the cloak

Studio 2 actually calls the Revenant a Doombringer and produced it as part of last year's Hell on Earth Kickstarter. I wasn't a backer but came across a retailer that was.

 

 

 

When prepping the Revenant, something seemed amiss with the right side of the face. Once primed it was apparent that its cheek was missing and its teeth were exposed. A nice touch.

The lunging zombie perhaps seems a little out of character when compared to the other three shuffling zombies from the blister. The rat making a snack of the other is a hoot (a real rib-tickler... literally and figuratively).

 

 

 

This should conclude the Revenant/Coffer Corpse portion of the program but a final chapter may be in store. Hasslefree just obtained some minis from the now defunct Oddity Miniatures. Among them is a bloated zombie that would make a fine (if corpulent) Coffer Corpse IMO. It isn't available yet but I'm keeping my eyes peeled for its eventual release.