In the Sepulchre there by the Sea

And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.
Edgar Allan Poe 

Zomtober rolls on with the second of Wyrd's aquatic zombies painted in similar colors to last week's contestant. Putting a greenish-blue dress on a blueish-green zombie initially seemed dicey but in the end things pulled together nicely I think. 

Paints/washes used on the skin

 
The sea-creatures-on-the-base theme continues with my tribute to two of the more terrifying figures in today's popular culture.
 

Gary looks on, transfixed in horror.

 
I was trying to set a mood when I started this thing. Guess that's shot to hell. 

Some more pictures and I'll be on my way:

 

 

 

When the Sea Shall Give up her Dead

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.
Revelation 20:13

The first Sunday of Zomtober has arrived and it's time to roll out my first mini. I've gone with a maritime theme this year... three Wyrd aquatic zombies and a "boss" character are queued up. The first to receive paint is the bloated fellow shown here.

There's lots of rusted metal to be painted on the Wyrd minis. Hopefully the sea-green fleshtone (aside from being apropos) contrasts well with it. 

 
The front of the mini is sculpted with repeated ridges and furrows over the entirety of the face, torso, and pants. This didn't leave much room for transitions between highlights, midtones, and shadows in some cases. The back of the mini was considerably less busy and yielded better results with less work.

I sculpted some sea-life on the bases of all the minis. This should provide the chance to add some splashes of color (albeit in washed-out, undead appropriate shades).

Meh

The linkboy is finished more or less (on time and under budget, as they say). Didn't love the miniature at first but it has grown on me considerably. Having started late on September's Helping Hand Challenge entry, speed became an issue. The result isn't terrible but I'm not entirely happy with it either. With luck, I'll double back and fix a few things in the future.

That's right, the paint on the base is still wet.

Like the basket... hate the flames

PTS V: Multitasking Mayhem

Facts are facts... I'm a dreadfully slow painter. Taking on a single hobby project with a hard deadline can stretch my meager time management skills past their breaking point and I'm currently up to my armpits in three of the darned things. What was I thinking ;) ?

On the table:

Four Zombies and a Linkboy: The lost sequel to Three Men and a Baby

Project 1: The Helping Hand Challenge. This month's entry: the linkboy. Status: 50%. Due: Tuesday.

Project 2: Zomtober 2014. Status: four minis based and primed. Due: one mini each Sunday in October.

Project 3: Ahklut. Status: No progress since my last post. Due: hope to get it assembled and based ASAP to lend support to Paymaster Game's ongoing Kickstarter. Only eleven more days.

There's something you don't see every day. LINK

Ahklut: Early WIP

The Ahklut: concept art

Disclaimer: I'm backing another Kickstarter (Warrior and Spirit beast Models by Paymaster Games). I want it to succeed. Hopefully a look at a miniature from Paymaster's first Kickstarter will further the current campaign.

With that out of the way, it's time to look at some shiny metal bits.

Reaper mini shown for scale

The subject is refreshingly original: the Ahklut, a shape-changing whale/wolf hybrid from Inuit myth. The mini comes in four pieces: right body, left body, head, and lower jaw. While the components fit together quite nicely, some putty work will be required to deal with the joints. No big deal.

That slender ankle supports the whole shebang

Two small concerns: 1) The entire mini is attached to the base only by the right, rear leg. Some extra care is needed when handling this guy. 2) The mouth is open but there's no tongue to be seen. The tongue seems pretty prominent in photos of open mouthed orcas; some remedial sculpting may be required.

The trailing edges of the flukes are a bit thick. One side has been filed down. the other to follow.

Nit-picking aside, the miniature's strong points are many: subject, pose, fit, casting quality. A very nice piece overall. It should be a fun build.

A green from the current campaign