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.
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 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.
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.
The dog days of Summer have passed and it's been quiet in the paint-cave. Too quiet. There's not a lot to show except this month's Helping Hand Challenge subject: The Mule. (To see the work of the other HHC participants, check out Duke of the Blood Keep and Deviant Design Deeds.)
The mini is from Otherworld; a fine piece with two peculiarities that bear mentioning. The first is the shield which on my example was badly concave (an issue with the casting as opposed to the sculpt, no doubt). I feared that this would stick out like the proverbial sore thumb but once painted it's barely noticeable.
Green & white checks are all the rage this season.
Also, his left legs are a bit shorter than his right. Without addressing this, he'd either wind up listing to one side or standing up straight with a couple hooves off the ground. Two poor options IMHO. I built the base from cork and after much shimming and test-fitting all was put right.
The base on the left required special attention for the mule to stand properly.
After a little web-searching I was pleased to learn that mules come in a variety of colors. I passed on the typical Bay or Sorrel and went with the Palomino option.
The base-color for the coat was Vallejo Brown Sand with some grey added. This was highlighted with Reaper Stained Ivory and a mix of Stained Ivory and Vallejo Ivory. The white markings are Reaper Polished Bone. Shading was achieved through repeated glazing with AP Strong Tone, GW Seraphim Sepia, and a touch of black.
The shading technique (not to mention the NMM) reflects the fact that I recently received (and viewed... mostly) my DVDs from James Wappel's Discover the Painting Pyramid Kickstarter. Only five disks for yours truly but a lot of very useful stuff nonetheless.
The last day of the month means it's time for the latest episode of the Helping Hand Challenge. July's subject is the mule handler. The mule seems to have wandered off but with a little luck he'll turn up in time for next month's installment.
The conical (comical?) hat featured on this mini seemed a good place to play around with some freehand painting. I first removed the prominent stitching detail to provide a clear area to work on. It took two attempts but I wound up with a pattern that mirrors the shield borne by the camera-shy mule.
Having settled on a gaudy hat that reflects his employer's coat of arms, it seemed appropriate to keep everything else subdued and grubby.
Coasters put to good use.
Tall base = long pin.
The bases mark my first attempt at using cork. A very useful material it seems. Also my first use of gesso (black in this case) which did an admirable job of preparing the cork to receive acrylic paint.
It's late, I'm tired, and I'm quickly running out of July. So, without further ado... some pictures:
