Caedrus

September is here, and with it, Autumn / Fall for the northerners, and Spring for we Southerners!

This is the thread for the September 2019 Monthly Painting Challenge. I’m Caedrus, and I’ll be your host for 2019. September's birthstone is the sapphire. Time to paint something with a gorgeous blue tinge!

The link to the painter spreadsheet is here, and I'll continue updating soon!

The 2019 Wyrd Monthly Painting Challenge is all about:

1. Having fun painting!
2. Motivating yourself, and encouraging others.
3. Being part of a great, friendly community.
4. Giving and receiving constructive advice. And, finally:
5. Getting some pigment onto plastic!

This is not a competition in any way.

The pledge categories are the following:

• Minion: you paint at least 1 soulstone worth of Malifaux miniatures each month
• Enforcer: you paint at least 6 soulstones worth of Malifaux miniatures each month
• Henchman: you paint at least 11 soulstones worth of Malifaux miniatures each month
• Master: you paint at least 16 soulstones worth of Malifaux miniatures each month
• Tyrant: you paint at least 31 soulstones worth of Malifaux miniatures each month

The rules:

• The challenge started on January 1st, 2019. 
• Models count for the month in which you finish them. You can finish painting a model that you started before the beginning of the month.
• Everyone may fail to make their monthly goal twice and stay in the challenge. This is using a mulligan.
• You can choose to go down a pledge level during the year, but you cannot move up.
• A model is considered painted if it is (1) based (even glued onto a black base counts); (2) tournament legal. That means that if it's a translucent, based model, it counts automatically. If it is any opaque material, then the standard is: Every part of the miniature painted, and three colours minimum.

Miniature Values:

Malifaux

• Almost all models count as their Soulstone value; but
• Masters count for 15 soulstones.
• Zero cost models count for 5 soulstones.
• Proxies (constructed from Wyrd models) count for their proxy value.

The Other Side

• Titans count for 25 soulstones.
• Commanders count for 15 soulstones.
• Adjunct models count for 5 soulstones.

Otherwise:

• A 30mm base model is worth 5 soulstones.
• A 40mm base model is worth 7 soulstones.
• A 50mm base model is worth 10 soulstones.

Terrain

• Terrain is worth 5SS per 50mm base in area.
• Custom tokens are worth 5SS per 50mm base in area.
• A terrain board is worth 100 Soulstones.

We're now using the Malifaux 3rd Edition values!

How to upload images?

1. Go to imgur.com, and create an account.
2. Click on your account, click on 'images', and then 'add images'.
3. Click on your uploaded image. You'll see a whole bunch of link options.
4. Click on the 'copy' button next to 'direct link'.
5. Go to your Wyrd Forum thread.
6. Paste (CTRL-V) at the appropriate spot.
7. The image should appear, resized appropriately to the page.

My very best for September!

Caedrus.

Greetings everyone!

It’s coming towards the end of the month, so I thought I’d pop back in. If you haven’t yet sent me your totals for the month, please do so, and remember to put an @Caedrus in there so I see it!

I’ll be updating the spreadsheet very soon.

There are so many miniatures to talk about, but first I thought I’d respond to @Wintergloom on the topic of painting burnout. At this time, I’m on a painting-high (anything to avoid working on my doctoral thesis!), and I’m genuinely enjoying my painting. Like @Chou, it’s a great relaxant for me. However, having said that, I’ve suffered from burnout quite a few times. As @Nikodemus says, easy victories are a great rejuvenator.

One thing I’d add to that, is that you are a genuinely excellent painter. With that in mind, not every miniature has to be excellent.

I have so, so, so many unpainted miniatures that they fill a wardrobe. I’ll never paint them all, and I’ll certainly never paint them all well. So, some of them can be painted for fun. For me, that’s the big word. Fun. If it isn’t fun, then I’d say to any painter to do something that is fun. Change painting genres. Splash paint around for fun, or play with something else for a while (exactly as Nikodemus said). Or, if you’re like me, do something completely idiotic and just buy more miniatures.

Now, onto the miniatures!

@Purple Mist: Nice fountains. That bronze on the second one is absolutely gorgeous. Is that a 3D print? I have that Pasputina, and I’m too terrified to take it out of the packaging!

@Nikodemus: Nice Komainu and mecharachnid, but that Sun Quiang is brilliant. The underpainted texture is pretty-damn-close to perfect.

@Chou: That Guild Stewart is utterly Jack Nicholson. The smooth highlighting on the Guild Skull is spot-on, I reckon.

@misterfinn: That super-colourful, super-contrasty gremlin is very, very impressive. I have to get better at highlighting purple. Yours is brilliant (both meanings of ‘brilliant’, in fact!).

@Boomstick: The ‘All Grown Up’ Dreamer is supposed to be a bratty, belligerent adolescent. Yours portrays that beautifully. Kudos.

@PetitDalek: I’ve never painted a gremlin. However, your orange Merris is making me think that I might have to move away from the traditional green. Loving the subtle wing reflections.

@wobbly_goggy: I’ve never seen that Pistolero painted before. Good job – that kerchief really makes it.

@Viruk: All three mercenaries are beautiful. My fave has to be Hans, however. Is the subtle texture on his cloak painted, or a serendipitous undercoat effect? Either way, I like it. The eyes on Hans are nice. They remind me of Archer’s night-vision goggles.

@Stranglelove: I’ve never used a dirt-style base for Malifaux miniatures, but yours really enhance the style of the miniatures. Very, very clean paintwork. I reckon Ligeia is my favourite. That simple grey is beautifully elegant.

@Franchute: I’m waiting to see the results on that Crooligan. Nice contrast between the dress and bear.

@Wintergloom: Those Seishin are probably my personal minis-of-the-month. The purple and yellow contrast is gorgeous. I’m envious of your purple highlighting, and if you had a moment to write up your yellow recipe, I’d love to know it. The ‘coming from the floor’ effect with that pale turquoise is gorgeous. The far left and far right examples are rapturous.

@Sol_Sorrowsong: The effect on your TOS minis is quite shiny. Are they an aquatic figure? I don’t know anything about TOS!

@muraki: I didn’t think much of the new Lucius sculpts, before seeing these. They way you’ve painted them really does them justice, and emphasises the not-quite-human aspect. Kudos.

@Diddick: I’m caught between your ‘gypsy Wretch’ and your sickening-green rat catcher that’s eye-to-eye with the rat as a favourite. The gypsy has smooth blues, and brilliantly done contrast. On the other hand, your rat catcher is creepy as hell. Love them all.

I’m proud to be in such auspicious company.

Well, that’s me for the month. I’ll see you in September.

Caedrus.

@Vanilla_Dice: I'm a bit too far south to visit (don't get me wrong, I'd love to!), but my absolute best for the tournament!

@english_boar: Just my opinion!

I think permanent boards have the advantage of (often) being absolutely gorgeous. If designed well, balanced on all four sides (and corners!), and have access for 50mm models, they can be absolutely excellent.

Modular boards, on the other hand, give greater variation, and allow players to be certain that they have had a hand in the board layout (and will have a fresh 'feel' each new game.

But, as a person that is mid-design of a graveyard board, there are lots of cool things you can do: gravestones as walls, fallen gravestones or sinkholes as difficult ground (in my opinion, people don't use enough difficult ground). A disused (or active) crematorium incinerator. Open graves to fall in. Restless spirits as a form of dangerous scenery. Stacks of coffins.

Make your mausoleums flat-roofed for height advantage.

My very best on your build!

Caedrus.
 

Caedrus, reporting in!

Hello All! I had all sorts of plans for this month's painting, but instead, there was a Pale Rider sitting in front of me, that I had recently removed from its paint-stripping adventures.

Even though I knew the straps on its flanks were supposed to be leather, I decided to see if I could make them brassy. Sneak peek!

So, that was kinda fun!

Keep on putting pigment to plastic!

Caedrus.

So, jumping immediately into August, I've completed my August pledge in record time!

I decided to try my hand at a highly-contrasting OSL style, inspired by one of our own painters, the prolific @SpiralngCadavr; A Google search of spiraling cadaver will take you to his blog.

It's an interesting style. It's not quite as intuitive as it might look. I think a  lot of the efficacy comes from the background and base. Now, in truth, the image above has had a black background inexpertly photoshopped onto it. It looks like this on a white background:

I enjoyed trying out this style. It's not something I would do frequently, but I learned a lot, and it could make for an incredibly atmospheric effect.

So, what's up for September? Anyone have any suggestions?

Enjoy your painting, and keep putting pigment to plastic!

Caedrus.

Hello All!

Well, a quick update to let you all know that not only did I complete the Beastman from July, I've already finished August's!

This is the July effort. This guy was swiftly painted, with the blade being the most time-intensive. This miniature was painted entirely with GW contrast paints, with the majority being one coat. The pale blue is very weak pigment, and I think the white has to be the most-needing-to-be-shaken paint I've ever used. Ever.

I stand by my earlier comments. They do what it says on the box, and they'll be a tool, for when I need to paint something fast.

Onto August!

@Da Git:
This is where I'm up to with Candy!

Caedrus.

...and this is where I'm up to with the conversion!

@tmod:

@lusciousmccabe: My vote would be claws done like the teeth, but lots of dried blood and filth at their base. Horrifying.

Second to know! Second!

@Stark: That's a legitimately impressive collection! I'd love to get my hands on some of those goodies. I doubt I could afford them, so I shall instead wish you the very best with your sale. Please put an eBay link up, if and when there are things left over!

This month, I'm pledging 15SS of Sonnia (in metal).

Stretch goals? There are plenty. Samael, a Canine Remains, a Death Marshall are all staring at me, mocking their incomplete nature.

Have a great one!

August is here, and with it, Malifaux 3rd Edition's arrival at GenCon!

This is the thread for the August 2019 Monthly Painting Challenge. I’m Caedrus, and I’ll be your host for 2019. It's August! If you're in the Northern hemisphere, then it's time to take it easy, and stay out of the heat! If you're in the Southern Hemisphere, it's time for hot chocolate and Uggies!

July's birthstone is the Peridot. Time to paint something green, maybe with a touch of yellow!

The link to the painter spreadsheet is here, and I'll continue updating soon!

The 2019 Wyrd Monthly Painting Challenge is all about:

1. Having fun painting!
2. Motivating yourself, and encouraging others.
3. Being part of a great, friendly community.
4. Giving and receiving constructive advice. And, finally:
5. Getting some pigment onto plastic!

This is not a competition in any way.

The pledge categories are the following:

• Minion: you paint at least 1 soulstone worth of Malifaux miniatures each month
• Enforcer: you paint at least 6 soulstones worth of Malifaux miniatures each month
• Henchman: you paint at least 11 soulstones worth of Malifaux miniatures each month
• Master: you paint at least 16 soulstones worth of Malifaux miniatures each month
• Tyrant: you paint at least 31 soulstones worth of Malifaux miniatures each month

The rules:

• The challenge started on January 1st, 2019. 
• Models count for the month in which you finish them. You can finish painting a model that you started before the beginning of the month.
• Everyone may fail to make their monthly goal twice and stay in the challenge. This is using a mulligan.
• You can choose to go down a pledge level during the year, but you cannot move up.
• A model is considered painted if it is (1) based (even glued onto a black base counts); (2) tournament legal. That means that if it's a translucent, based model, it counts automatically. If it is any opaque material, then the standard is: Every part of the miniature painted, and three colours minimum.

Miniature Values:

Malifaux

• Almost all models count as their Soulstone value; but
• Masters count for 15 soulstones.
• Zero cost models count for 5 soulstones.
• Proxies (constructed from Wyrd models) count for their proxy value.

The Other Side

• Titans count for 25 soulstones.
• Commanders count for 15 soulstones.
• Adjunct models count for 5 soulstones.

Otherwise:

• A 30mm base model is worth 5 soulstones.
• A 40mm base model is worth 7 soulstones.
• A 50mm base model is worth 10 soulstones.

Terrain

• Terrain is worth 5SS per 50mm base in area.
• Custom tokens are worth 5SS per 50mm base in area.
• A terrain board is worth 100 Soulstones.

We're now using the Malifaux 3rd Edition values!

How to upload images?

1. Go to imgur.com, and create an account.
2. Click on your account, click on 'images', and then 'add images'.
3. Click on your uploaded image. You'll see a whole bunch of link options.
4. Click on the 'copy' button next to 'direct link'.
5. Go to your Wyrd Forum thread.
6. Paste (CTRL-V) at the appropriate spot.
7. The image should appear, resized appropriately to the page.

My very best for August!

Caedrus.

Evening All,

As July winds down, I've done a little updating on the spreadsheet, and I believe that it is correct. Please make sure everything looks good to you. I have moved a few painters into the did-not-finish category, and I think it is correct as well; if I've made any errors, let me know!

I'm looking forward to what @bedjy, @Boomstick, @Chou, @Franchute, @lusciousmccabe, @muraki, @PetitDalek, @Rathnard, @Sol_Sorrowsong, @Stranglelove, @Viruk, and @wobbly_goggy come up with for July!

Keep putting pigment to plastic!

Caedrus.

@Purple Mist: That a very simple, but super-functional piece. I've put it down for 30SS, as a guess!

@Viruk: Superb. Gorgeous work. 

@misterfinn: My current super-saturated red-regime is:

Base: ScaleColor Antares Red, up to three coats, via airbrush. The last coat is 50-50 Antares Red and Scalecolor Inktense Red

Shadow: Reaper Red Shadow into black, sometimes with a purple glaze (Vallejo Royal Purple)

Highlight: I don't use yellow. I read an article, oh, years ago, discussing the use of flesh tones (which, of course, do have some yellow in them) for highlighting red. Unless I specifically want a yellow highlight (or even pink!), flesh is my go to. I use Reaper's Rosy Flesh triad of paints.

Saturation: Multiple coats of thinned Inktense Red. I very much agree that inks are the way to go for saturation. Personally, I love the Scalecolor Inktense series, and I'd encourage everyone to give inks a try.

Then touch ups of glazes for smoothness.

Looks like we're on the same page!

Greetings, All!

Well, this month has been crazy (again), so once again, the airbrush idea has taken a back seat.

Instead, I thought I'd try out the flavour-of-the-month, new-hotness, which is the GW Contrast Paints. 

I started out with this:

...and I gave myself thirty minutes, using the GW "Splash it on" method. I used no other paints (except primer on the edge of the base), and only used a single coat. Here's what happened:

So, my thoughts on the model are that it's certainly more than acceptable tabletop quality. Obviously, you can't readily do metallics with one coat of contrast paint. However, I could slap this miniature down on a gaming table, and be far from ashamed.

What do I think of the paints?

PRO

• Very friendly to a newer painter. Possibly the friendliest beginner paint I could imagine.
• It can teach painters the value of contrast, for future skills.
• The colours are quite vibrant (obviously over a very light basecoat).
• Pretty decent pigment saturation, considering everything.

CONS

• Even recognising that they are a 'two-for-one' paint, they're expensive.
• They require a fairly decent amount of brush control, lest you splash some in the wrong place (see the right side of the Mohawk, above).
• Their density, across the range, is wildly inconsistent.
• I found that water wasn't a good mixer for them. They really wanted Lahmian or the Contrast Medium to get a decent consistency when diluting.
• You really need texture to get the best out of them. Flat, smooth surfaces are not the place for these paints.
• You get a rotator cuff injury from the amount of shaking these paints need before use.

MY CONCLUSION?

I really try to avoid the idea that "advanced painters never do (X)", or "product (Y) is a crutch". There are paints, tools, and media for every effect, and every painting style. They are a tool, to achieve a result. They do what they say remarkably well. That being said, it's a tool that I don't think I'll use very often. If I need twenty skeletons by tomorrow, they'll be the first thing I grab. If I am painting to have fun painting, they'll stay in the rack.

So, now that I have painted my July Beastman, my next step on this mini is to see how far I can push the Contrast Paints. I'm going to see just how much I can improve this same miniature. I'll try some NMM, some second coats, and maybe (maybe) some inks.

I'll check back in again soon!

As always, I'd love to hear your experiences and thoughts!

Caedrus.

@Skillmatic: Will you post overseas? I'm in Australia and happy to cover postage.