Geeky Hobbies: Lots of Mini Painting

I posted earlier today about model making and kit bashing. I was supposed to be working on MHN today, but we’re finishing my basement so there is a work crew in my house and I’ve discovered that makes working from home and getting into the writing zone a little weird. So what the heck, let’s post some more minis on the blog instead.

First up, I need to remember that most of my regular readers don’t realize how damned tiny these things are. So here is a scale shot of some familiar items to give you an idea. Those are .45 ACP. (my desk gun is a S&W 625).

scale

And yes, believe it or not, I actually do find this a relaxing hobby. 🙂  Sundays after church, I paint minis with my kids. Monday morning it is back to the word mines.

Up first, a monster.

Raek 1

This is for an upcoming IKRPG.

Raek 2

As many of my regular readers know, I write books for Warmachine, but I also play the game. These next few are from an army that I’m running right now in a local league.

Ret light

These were camo painted with a sponge technique using bits of blister foam.

Ret H other side

It is actually a pretty easy method. To make sure they were shaded I highlighted them black first, then spray primed white directly down on top. Since the under coat was lighter, even though it is all the same camo color, they do look properly shaded with sunlight coming down.

Ret H side

The leaf clutter on the base is made of birch seed pods, but to scale they look like leaves.

Ret Heavy back

Then you’ve seen this guy, but I finally got him finished.

Ivan 1

Yes. He does look a lot like me when I was rocking the murder hobo beard. I named him Ivan.

Ivan 2

Stripes are a challenge. Tats are actually pretty nifty to figure out, because you can’t just paint them on without them looking stupid. You actually mix the paint with whatever the base tone flesh color is, and then slowly layer it up. Cool stuff. (if you’re a geek, but I digress)

Ivan 3

I painted the next three in one sitting. These were done rather quickly, but they were experiments in different color schemes for different Warmachine factions.

Khador, which is sort of pseudo-Tsarist Russia

MoW

I went for a dirty white. I like the scheme, but the next one will need to be more dilluted layers, as white is difficult to paint without looking streaky.

MoW back

Then Menoth, which is a sort of Old Testement jihadi religious fanatics. With lots of fire. (the bad guys in Into the Storm)

Menoth

I went with black, purple, and gold.

 

Menoth 2

And Trolls. Because who doesn’t like trolls?

Troll light

He’s no Melvin though.

Troll light side

Troll light back

And here is a group shot of a bunch of the characters I’ve done up for IKRPG.

Group

Some Halloween reading
Speaking of Kickstarters, erasable gaming mats

10 thoughts on “Geeky Hobbies: Lots of Mini Painting”

  1. Oh no, the Protectorate of Menoth and their cleansing fire are *not* the bad guys. The heretical swans are the bad guys, they were shipping poor innocent Menites down the river for cryin’ out loud! I guess I shoudn’t take sides though since I recently started up a Cygnar army for my second faction.

    1. Actually, little painting of miniatures trick I’ve picked up over the years: press your wrists together when painting. It feels awkward, but it keeps your hands very steady. Also helps to rest your elbows on a solid, flat object (table or desk) while doing this technique.

  2. The 625, is it a no-dash or a -X? 4″ or 5″?

    As a longtime Khador player (pre-Escalation), what are the chances we’ll see Madigan’s Malcontents going up against the Motherland? I’d love to see how those sissy-Mary lightning boys do up against a few Man-O-Wars (Men-O-War?) or Orgoth blade-wielding Doomreavers. I’d also enjoy seeing how a certain Ordic dual-wielder fares against Manhunters.

    1. See now that’s a great question. And now I won’t rest until it’s answered. It would be like being attacked by fingernail clippers so I would guess…10,000. What’s your estimate?

  3. Larry…those are great! Man if you ever get yup to our neck of the woods (Portland, OR/Vancouver, WA you need to wander over to my friends Game shop (www.diceagegames.com) we would love to see ya there and compare notes on painting. 🙂

  4. Wow Larry those look awesome. I paint mini’s too haven’t played a game in forever though. I totally understand the zen like state it puts you in. My especial complements on your bases I think painting mini’s is as good an productive as loading ammo. You just feel this awesome sense of pride. The whole “I made that!” senses.

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