Myrianna-Red Box Games, Complete

I completed this figure several months ago, but life got busy.  One week of not posting turned into two, turned into three and so on.  It's so much quicker to just post to Facebook, but I do need a place to organise my images in such a way that people can easily locate the work.

Again, this is Myrianna from Red Box Games sculpted by Tre Manor.  The detail is exquisite on this tiny figure and the casting is flawless.  Quite a joy to paint.

I have three other figures from Red Box Games that are painted and photographed.  They should be posted tomorrow.

Myrianna-Red Box Games, WIP3

After completing the final layer of highlights on Myrianna,  I took what will be the last test shot photo prior to basing the figure.

The decision on what colour to paint her dragon was a difficult one.  Normally I would choose to paint the dragon a subdued red.  With this figure being so small I did something a bit unusual and decided to make that dragon really pop by using a bright blue and coral palette. Whilst this may not be the most harmonious choice, it does make the dragon visible.

After looking at the pictures I can see that there are a few areas that need a little more work.  When I get to this point with a figure I set it aside for a few days and work on basecoating another figure in order to give my eyes a rest.

The next step is to sculpt the base.  Due to her diminutive size in comparison to the rest of the war band, I will have to build a base that elevates her.  Myrianna should be complete and ready to post next week.

Myrianna-Red Box Games, WIP 2

Progress on this piece was hindered due to my being out of town for several days.  Upon returning, I promptly came down with a dreadful sinus infection.  On Saturday we had a sudden storm with 60mph sheer winds which took out our power for nearly 24 hours. In the midst of all this craziness the only thing I could think was "I just want to paint my mini!"

So today for you I have only the beginnings of highlights on the figure.

Taking photo's at this stage is quite useful as it helps me to see where things need to be tweaked before I go any farther.  For instance, the shading on her face needs to be deepened, the highlights on her dress are too low and lack depth of colour.  These I will glaze down with the base colour then reclaim the highlights and bring them up several notches.  The highlights on her cape are sloppy and will be glazed down with the base colour and the highlights will then then being reclaimed and tightened up.  Also the grey trim needs quite a bit of work as I have merely sketched in the roughest of highlights. And of course the staff, the gemstone and the dragon need to be completed.

In the following photo you can see where she was at last week and where she is now.

I plan to have her completed and ready for a final test shot before weeks end.  At this time I have not made a decision on how to base her as she is to be part of a ten figure war band.  This being the case whatever base I design is one I will have to repeat nine more times, so I need to make something I can tolerate doing repeatedly.

Myrianna-Red Box Games, WIP 1

Although I rarely post WIP's, I always take test photo's as I work through the process of painting a miniature.  However, with this figure, I am making an exception.  I would like to show my dearest of friends Dez, from The Hollywood Spy the myriad of steps we go through in bringing a figure to life.

Thus far I have only begun working into the shadows using thin glazes. The only exception is her hair, which I am making red, something I have not tried before.  My next step will be to complete the face and then begin highlighting the rest of the figure.

This is Myrianna from Red Box Games, sculpted by Tre Manor.  She is beautifully sculpted, a delicate figure with crisp detail and the casting is superb.  A gorgeous figure and a real joy to paint.

There is a tiny dragon sitting on her shoulder and I have simply inked it so I can see the detail when I go to add paint.

Myrianna will be part of my first Frostgrave Warband.  It seems that I have been bitten by the Frostgrave bug and as there is no known cure, I am giving myself over to the disease.

Defenders of the Empire-Lead Adventures Miniatures

These figures were painted as part of a Themed Bonus Round in this years Analogue Hobbies Winter Paint Challenge.  I was quite surprised to learn that I had been awarded first place for the entry.

The sculpts are from Lead Adventures Miniatures.  They are beautifully sculpted, with crisp detail and no discernible mold lines.  Further they are loaded with character and a real joy to paint.

Along with these, I purchased two other Steampunk Ladies and three rather large Steam Robots.  They are on the painting table now along with my first Frostgrave Warband and some WWII figures. 

Generally speaking I have around 10 figures that I work on simultaneously and I post things in the order in which they come off the table.  I find this method keeps me excited about picking up the brush every day.

Deadlands Noir-Reaper Miniatures

Bob Ridolfi has long been one of my favourite sculptors as his display good knowledge of anatomy, have clean lines and great character.

This is a 28mm figure from Reaper Miniatures, was sculpted by Bob and is part of their limited Deadland Noir Pulp Collection.

This figure was a real pleasure to paint.

Over the next week I will be posting more frequently than normal so I apologize in advance for that.

Warlord British Paratroopers-Test Figures

One might expect that my continued interest in painting figures for Operation Market Garden is due to the work of Cornelius Ryan in A Bridge Too Far.  Admittedly, it is his work that introduced me to the historical events that took place in an operation that cost so many lives.  However, it is the work of Geoffrey Powell in his book Men At Arnhem, that has moved me the most and has convinced me that I must see this project through.

Because I have no experience in painting cammo, I chose to first complete three test figures  Although I am not entirely pleased with the results, it is a start and I know I can improve with practice.

Figures are 28mm and are from Warlord Games.

I shall paint a few more advancing figures to work out the bugs in my technique before tackling my PIAT and light mortar teams, the only defense these troops had against the might of German tanks.  

Just prior to the onset of the Analogue Winter Painting Challenge, I purchased It Never Snows In September by Robert J. Kershaw.   Please feel free to recommend any books that you feel might be of help to me.