monkeyboy30672

Thanks, everyone!

Don't tease me, Wings... I have a spare bedroom in my house where you and your bf can crash, if you really want a holiday across the pond...

And I am GLAD you point out something to be improved! Yeah, I had originally thought about doing something funky with the carpets on all of the models, rather than just purple... The first thought was to do a spirally pattern, to emphasize the theme of insanity and overall weirditude and creepiness. But then I thought it would compete for the eye's attention with the actual model itself. I didn't want to take away from them; they are the focus! Especially after also adding childs' blocks and other accoutrements, I didn't want any of the models to get too busy overall. So instead, I kept it as a basic flat purple (not even highlighting it at all), just to extend the purple/green theme of the crew. Maybe that was a subconscious cop-out... I dunno.

The first model I painted with the carpet was my Sorrow, and there's just not enough of it showing to get a good recognizable design into it. Besides... with that much green on him, I really needed to get more purple going. Conversely, after finishing Candy, I thought I might need more green on the model, other than just the ribbons on her basket. I almost painted her eyes a glowy green. I still might.

I was always a huge fan of the original metal Teddy. Sure, he's a bit flat at the side view, and the new plastic one is nice and round. But I agree with the earlier sentiments that the furriness is REALLY being lost in the plastic casting, and that saddens me a bit.

The Nightmare Teddy, to me, seemed FAR too malnourished and ragged to me. And the new one is stiched together at odd places, like the family dog got a holdof him and ripped him apart one Sunday morning? I want a nice, pristinely fluffy and well-kept Teddy who, when the mask comes off, is truly an unsuspecting terror to behold! I might have to buy a few more metal Teddies...

Maybe I'll eventually buy a plastic one, for variety, but I agree that I will probably want to Green Stuff some proper fur texture onto him. And also hide the ragged stitching.

Yeah, I was REALLY surprised at how fast they can be.  If they are your first model to activate your turn... sure.... wk 3 is slow......

 

but if you move a model up to 8" away...... and then can chain to another...... those guys COOK!  Was nicely surprised.

 

Also, I will need to add the depression upgrade to him next time.  That looks pretty sweet!

But I thought "Misery Loves Company" is specifically to move the Sorrow into an ENEMY model  up to 8" away... I don't particulary want to get them into Ml combat range, do I? Even with Incorporeal, they will go down like a sack of potatoes pretty quickly.

I don't have the RB handy, so I don't know the exact wording of "Misery Loves Company".

Been slacking on photographing Pandora, because I'm not so happy with her. On the table, when I play, she looks fine, so she is a good gaming standard. But her face is so damn hard to paint, and I can't get that sultry, manipulative look in her eyes that the art for her has... 

The OSL on her hands, jawline, and cloak gets to be a bit too much, as well... the light in the camera washes those areas out really easily. Not sure how to combat that in the camera. Overall, though, I'm pretty pleased with her. She's meant to be a playing piece, after all. 

And Candy was a LOT of fun to paint!! Luckily, her eyes weren't as much of a pain in the ass as I had thought they'd be. Painting the blocks that close to her legs, actually, was the hardest part. This is the first of my crew that I have painted differently from the art (purple in her ribbons and dress instead of dark slate blue). I wanted to still keep to the purple/green theme that my crew has. Peeking out from behind her legs is a single building block, painted yellow, that is instrumental to keeping her attached to that base... Her feet have the only contact points to the base, and they are almost impossible to hold her without snapping off. The block helps. I am still VERY delicate with her, though.

Criticisms and critiques are ALWAYS welcome! It's the only way we get better! Thanks!

ALWAYS a pleasure to see your work, Viruk!! Samael is absolutely stunning...! I wish I had your talent!

Congratulations!! A well-deserved award, certainly! I had a great game of Malifaux, too, on Saturday, even though I lost horribly... Ten Thunders is tough against Pandora's crew when they get into combat quickly...!

That is DAMN GOOD for a first mini!!! It shows talent right at the outset...

Wow!! ALL those things together make a huge difference, in my humble opinion...! Stunning work taken to an even higher level, Jen. VERY well done!

Dark brown instead of black! That had never crossed my mind, actually... I would love to see how that works for you! As far as putting makeup on a model, I have tried a few times to add a hint of blush or eyeshadow color to a female model, though it never really works out well for me.

(Yeah, I don't wear much makeup, either...   Actually, my girlfriend rarely EVER wears makeup, and she is beautiful, regardless.)

Wow... waaaaaaayyyy back at the beginnings of the 80s (maybe late 70s!!) I was into painting Grenadier and Ral Partha models... I LOVED them, and had some bottles of Testors that I used to desecrate them wholeheartedly. Though, being 8, I thought they looked stunningly beautiful... 

I had a "Monsters" boxed set of about 20 different models, and the first one I painted was the Young Dragon. All I had, to start with, was white, red, and dark blue Testors paint. You could only imagine the horror that was born. Sadly, I don't still own those models, though I wish I still did have that little dragon. 

Even looking at things I painted a couple years ago, I can see constant improvement over the years. Even from my first Malifaux mini from v.1.0:

I can still see lots of ways to improve her, but it's good to see i've come a ways even since then.

At this point, after showing mastery like yours, Jen, all the advice we could give is just nit-picking, really!! Ha! 

One thing I noticed is the eyes on the model. You paint the white and then dot the middle with black, right? Think of it differently... think of it like you would about putting on makeup. What does a woman use to make her eyes "pop" and stand out, even from 50 feet away...? Eyeliner. 

Try this... Paint the entire eye black first, then dot white on either side of center. Not only will that technique give you whites and pupils, but will also line the eyes to make them stand out more, even when the model is held at arm's length. 

Like I said, this is just nit-picky stuff... your models are stunning!!

Watching the step-by-step of Shang is like watching someone improve on perfection.... BRILLIANT!!! I can't wait to see him finished, but I'm also really enjoying the journey!

Sigh... if I only had your talent and speed of painting!!  If I didn't live across the pond, I'd absolutely request a sit-down painting session with you! I would learn tonnes...

For focusing, try setting the camera to Macro, zooming in about 2/3 the total way, then physically moving the camera forward or backward, to find the closest place where you can autofocus on the desired spot. That should help. Everything will probably be soft and out of focus, but your desired spot should come out crisp. Use lots of light, too. Hope that helps!

Sigh... I NEVER get naked girls for Valentine's day... 

I have to admit, Teddy has a special place in my heart (pun intended... groan), and I LOVE what you did with yours!! VERY clever!! I've had abdominal surgery before, so I imagine i looked similar to him at one point... heheheh!

And I love the consistent OSL with the blue flames and light sources throughout your models. It's so soft and subtle, but it still pops out noticeably. Genius work!

These are VERY well done, Prox!!! I love the Mr. Graves model!!!! The subtle shading of the white (what colors are you using, by the way??)... the stunningly muted pastel of the yellow... the lightly highlighted black...  and even the soft bluish tones in the flesh... I love that!

And thanks for the compliment on my Teddy... He was truly a joy to paint. 

All this and a sculptor, too? You are incredibly talented! 

I think your sculpting is brilliant!!! One thought, though... when sculpting on top of a fully sculpted model already, will it become to "clunky", adding so many layers of putty to an already proportionate figure...? I am thinking of a child whose mother dresses him in so many layers for the winter weather that the child cannot even put his arms down... Hehe! An exaggeration, but you get the jist. Have you tried using "dollies"? They are wire frameworks for miniatures that sculptors to add flesh to. I know Reaper makes some, but I am sure you could find others or make your own. Might be fun to experiment with, and could be a great learning experience for you. Most of the professional mini sculptors I know use dollies for their work, which is the only reason I know about them. I am a terrible sculptor! 

A brilliant start, Praetorian!! I love the out-of-the-box thinking you have to it all, even from the first step! And the "pine box" markers are especially a touch of genius! It is so simple, yet so clever... I never would have thought of that.

Well done, truly! I can't wait to see them painted and all pulled together!

(P.S. And a great Sublime reference...! Now I can't get that song out of my head...)

My dear Wings... I'm not sure what you're asking help with... This model is painted incredibly well!! And's only a WIP?? What else do you think she needs? Clothes, maybe...? 

I love the subtly layered highlighting, very soft, like skin should be. I can't see the face well enough in the photo to really give good comment, but I think the model as a whole is brilliant. I will love seeing her as a completed work of art, like all your other models.

The blurring you're having in spots is due to "depth of field". By setting the camera to shoot at a higher aperture setting (f/11, f/16, f/22 or higher), you will have more depth on your model of what is exactly in focus.

Set your camera on Macro mode, too, and zoom the lens in about 2/3 of the total distance it can zoom. Then just move the camera forward as much as it can and still be able to auto-focus on the point of the model you'd like to shoot. There may be some blurring on some areas, though, but the area you're focusing on should be clear and crisp.

And, always remember... the closer you put the camera to the subject, the more light you need. That's why these close-ups are darker than the others, even though they're shot under the same lights.

Stunning work, Ivan! I can't wait to see the rest of the crew painted!!!

When I first looked at the photos, I didn't realize it was NMM... which is the true mark of great NMM work!!!

I have to third that sentiment. If this is your "speed painting", then I don't think I'm allowed to look at your "high standard" stuff anymore, for fear of my hands spontaneously combusting.

Brilliantly done, Sybarite!!

I know it arrived to some US distributors yesterday, so it should be on the shelves in the US today or early next week. (I happen to work in the industry) Call your local game store and demand it!! 

Great job! I like the subtle highlights on his thighs and wings! He really looks as menacing as he performs in the game, so I think you've done him a great justice!