Spectre's Road to 100% Painted - Log, Notes, Etc

[spectrehorseman]

Edit:  I am making a Bookmark Menu with links to all my Miniatures within this thread for ease of Navigation.  This list is of the current models I own. Some are painted, some have not been photographed yet.

 

what I own so far; links to be updated as I post the photos

 

GUILD

 

• Lady Justice
• The Judge
• Death Marshals
• Scales of Justice

 

• Perdita Ortega
• Nino
• Franscico
• Santiago
• Papa Loco
• Enslaved Nephilim

 

• Sonnia Criid
• Samael Hopkins
• Witchling Stalkers
• Purifying Flame

 

• Guild Riflemen

 

RESURRECTIONISTS

 

• Seamus
• Rotten Belles
• Madame Sybelle
• Copycat Killer

 

• Nicodem
• Mortimer
• Punk Zombies
• Vulture

 

• McMourning
• Sebastion
• Nurses
• Canine Remains
• Flesh Construct
• Zombie Chihuahua

 

• Toshiro
• Yan Lo
• Chiaki
• Iron Zombies
• Ashigaru

 

NEVERBORN

 

• Pandora
• Candy
• Baby Kade
• Poltergeist
• Sorrows

 

• Lilith
• Barbaros
• Terror Tots
• Cherub

 

TEN THUNDERS

 

 

 

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Ok, so I'm planning on painting 100% of the M2E new plastic models. I think they are just so awesome.  Currently, I'm working on building an 8' x 4' model town from various parts. (N Scale).  The model will be a representation of the board game Arkham Horror.  It just so happens that the models for Arkham Horror are the very same scale that Malifaux uses. This is a bonus because Arkham Horror is highly customizable and you have the ability to make your own Investigators and Monsters (which I will be using the Malifaux models for down the road). 

 

First up, here are a couple pictures of some mini's I have painted. I'm working towards finishing up the Lady Justice, Ortega and Sonnia Boxed sets currently. Then I'll probably move on to some Resurrectionists. The plan is to use the Wryd colored bases to match the faction colors. So in this example, Guild gets the red base. I'll be working those faction colors into the paint schemes as well.  This mini attaches to the wood plinth (dowel rod from Hobby Lobby) via a magnet.  Will this effect LOS rules or gameplay by elevating the miniatures this high?  Hopefully I can find a 40 and 50mm size dowel rod as well.

 

I used a simple stain from Lowe's and might paint all the factions using different stains. I'm not sure yet.

 

---

 

I consider hair and metal parts some of my weaknesses at the moment. Any advice?

[Michaud]

I like the mini a lot! The overall color choices really work, and the base is awesome.  I would try and make his eyes a bit smaller though.

 

The base's height won't affect gameplay, since Malifaux uses an abstract height system.  No matter how tall the actual mini is, each model has a defined height in the rules.  However, since Santiago is only magnetized to the plinth, you can take him off to play.

 

 

One way to make your transitions smoother is to make sure that you leave the previous layer visible.  IE, for your highlight layers, don't cover the entire last area highlighted with the brighter color.  Other than that, its all just down to how many layers used.  I aim for about 10 for an area like the coat.

 

For hair, I treat each individual strand separately.  This means each strand might have 3-4 layers on it.  You can also add detail to any flat areas of the hair by streaking in the same highlight colors used.  So for someone like Lady Justice where her hair is represented by like 7-8 individual strands, you can paint really thin, long lines to make it look like each strand is further made up of 2-3 more strands.  This will add some more detail and make it look more like hair, IMO. 

 

Here's my LJ, if you look closely at the hair you can see what I mean:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jnpEMUcPTOA/U5KMMeEOK2I/AAAAAAAACN8/0Oe8dweodXo/s1600/DSCN0310.JPG

 

I'm still working on metallics, right now I've preferred a gunmetal to silver scheme, with an oil wash over it. 

 

Hope that helps!

 

 

PS.  Post pictures of your table, too!

[spectrehorseman]

Thanks for the tips and comment. I really need to tweek my camera set up some more too. I swear these miniatures look 10x better in person. I tried to take a picture of my Judge but just couldn't get it to turn out right. I'm taking a pic in full sunlight too but I'm using grey backing. Maybe I should use white instead.

 

Here is a rough layout of the board in its current state. I'm just getting everything into position and trying to devise where I want the roads to go.  The board is split into 4 pieces so that I can take it with me when I move next year. Although this did create problems where I couldn't have a hill transition through two pieces. So I think I'm gonna turn the middle 2 pieces into one piece.

 

The flat area in front is where we will put our Investigators and the gaming pieces to play with.

 

Open Spoiler

 

The tracks won't have a working train set up because that's just too much headache. But I'll be putting a model train on it.  The section to the far left is unfinished. The plan is to run the train tracks off the board to the left through a mountain tunnel.  The Warhammer Skull mound is going to be where the Cultists are trying to Summon the Great Old One (which is the point of the game to stop them).  It will also have a road tunnel running underneath it.

 

I want to build an Indiana Jones (temple of doom) style wood bridge leading up the mountain to that cult site.  The house in the middle hill will have a long curving drive up and around the hill.  There will also be a meandering river that flows from the right down to the left into a lake  where I've got the river docks and islands.  In the far back corner left will be a huge hill overlooking everything and that's where I'll put the Arkham Asylum. Like a big spooky house on the hill.

 

Along the backside will be a meandering cliffside road. I'm not sure how I'm gonna work that in yet.

 

There will also be a Cave and Graveyard.

 

Close view through covered bridge

 

Open Spoiler

 

 

 

River and Haunted Woods

 

Open Spoiler

 

 

I also got in on the Cthulu Wars Kickstarter which is awesome because all of the Monsters are the same monsters that are used in Arkham Horror (based on HP Lovecraft stories)

 

Which will be even more Miniatures I'll need to get painting. Here are some examples. These are not by me, I've not received the game yet but it should be arriving soon.

 

Open Spoiler

 

This is a Great Old One (Cthulu). The miniatures are massive. This one is 150mm tall.

 

another example

 

I cant wait to paint these things!

 

 

Lastly, here is the Board Game I'm trying to convert to a Model Town

 

 

Each circle is a location that you can visit; which will be represented by the model train buildings. The squares are street areas and the lines are the roads. I was thinking about using Malifaux Street Lamps on cobblestone bases to represent the street areas. Maybe even put a street sign on them somehow.

[spectrehorseman]

Guild is coming together. I'm using this same theme on all my Guild Models.

 

 

 

Any advice on taking pictures. I can't get them to look right.

[Michaud]

Can't wait to see what you do with that table.  That looks awesome.

[ataraxianj]

Gorgeous looking models!  Keep up the great work!

[Clawz]

Out of curiosity, what do you feel isn't quite right about the photos? I quite like the sheer vibrancy of Justice's red hair!

 

Generally speaking, I like photographing models on either a black or grey background: It doesn't bounce light as much, so you have to be careful lighting it, but it allows the model itself to be the center of focus rather than the display pulling attention away.

[spectrehorseman]

They seem blurry on the edges. I was thinking maybe it was because of the white background. I shot in full sunlight but I do have the ability to shoot under fluourescent lights at work which might flood the model better with less shadows.  I'll try the darker background as well.  I did add curves, brightness/contrast and sharpen in Adobe After Effects to little effect on increasing the image quality.

[Clawz]

Hmm..

 

 I tend to find direct sunlight desaturates the images, but that wouldn't necessarily affect the blurriness. It may just be an issue with depth of field. I often take two or three images from the same spot but focused on different parts of a model, and then edit them together.

 

Another thing I highly recommend (I don't know how robust After Effects is for this) but see if you can find a "Levels" tab/layer. It'll let you set the white point and black point in the photo, which will help zero in the colours.

 

I'd also say go for solo pics and edit them together! That way you can get a lot closer, and it'll show off the painting detail all the more. I may do a photo (and editing) tutorial myself at some point.

[NIGHTHATER]

Spectrehorseman,

 

I really like your work overall. Anyone would be proud to put those models on the table. Your colors are fantastic and I wish I had used the red bases on my guild models.

 

I do not like your fire painting truthfully, it just doesn't appear that natural to me.

 

***As for Arkham Horror***

 

I see that board, Dunwich, Kingsport, and the Innsmouth boards about once a week for I love the game. Good luck on your Arkham-M2E project. 

 

.....YOU SAID...This is a bonus because Arkham Horror is highly customizable and you have the ability to make your own Investigators and Monsters (which I will be using the Malifaux models for down the road).

 

With 48 investigators and 200+ monsters I don't see why this is even necessary, but enjoy.

 

Nighthater

[spectrehorseman]

I agree with you on the fire, but I wasn't going for it to look like fire.  I painted the yellow and orange in as is traditional but I just didn't like it.  I also tried a green flame with 3 colors of green but that didnt' work for the overall color selection I was going for.  When I finally painted it just 2 shades of red, it fit right for my taste.

 

The plan is to use all the colored bases for each faction and work that color into the themes. so that's why there is a lot of red on the models (and also why the fire ended up being red in the end).

 

I'll be painting Sonnia's flame skeleton in the tradition so hopefully it turns out right.

 

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Arkham Horror is amazing!  As for wanting to design my own stuff, the first thing I am wanting to do is make a Night of the Living Dead Scenario. 

 

• No Monster Limit (to illustrate the zombie horde)
• Mindless zombies start on all street locations at the beginning of the game.
• All Zombies will have Stalker movement characteristics (even moving into locations)
• Zombies only die by headshot (a roll of a six, a five success only delays them. They become activated again during the mythos phase).
• I'll also add some special zombies based off the Malifaux Zombies (and use their mini's for arkham)
• Somehow, I'll add in an Infection spreading zombie so if you get bit, you gotta get the cure or become a zombie yourself. I am thinking that the "Mission" card will be good for getting the cure.

That's just an overview so far anyway. I gotta get the board built and the mini's painted first. lol. Lots of work to do.

 

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@Clawz - good tips on taking solo pics and cropping them together. Also, good idea on the white balance. Im gonna mess with some photography tonight. I'll post up some new pics tomorrow.  Thanks for the comments and tips guys. Much Appreciated.

[spectrehorseman]

Another thing I thought about doing was, once the board is complete, maybe play Malifaux on that. I know it's supposed to be 3x3 ft. But wouldnt it be cool set off from each end and make up some rules for capture the flag or something. Maybe pull down a view block in the middle so each side won't know how the other is moving (to simulate fog of war) until a model reaches the midpoint.  And then you'd have to quickly adjust strategy based on how your opponents positions were.  To capture the flag, take (1) interact action with it. When a model is killed, the flag is dropped.

[spectrehorseman]

Ok, photos are looking a little better.  These bases are not the final bases, I just use these to paint the mini's with.

 

Sorrows

 

 

 

Witchling Stalkers

 

 

[Clawz]

Okay, now I see what you mean about blurry edges, how strange...

 

What camera are you using?

 

Also, it looks like you have the flash on, which if it's just direct strobe will also wash out colours. Use of a diffuser (I can be more specific when I know the camera type) will help with that as well.

 

That is an.. unnerving mix of colours on the sorrows/gheist... Very creepy (which is of course very appropriate).

 

Also, I'm curious what made you decide to go for bright blue on the Witchling's blades?

[spectrehorseman]

The camera I'm using is a Canon Power Shot A4000 IS.

 

I originally primed the witchings in white, then taped off the blades so they stayed white, then primed the rest in black. I wanted the colors to pop on those blades, which white is supposed to help with that.  I then painted it with a fade from yellow, orange to red on the edges but I didn't like it.  The colors for my Guild army are Red, Blue, White, Purplish Coats and that Grey/Brown Khaki so I went with the pale blue fading up to white at the top (which you can't see very well in the pic)

 

I'm trying to work the overall theme together so all the Guild models are cohesive, not just the individual crews with each other.

[NoHero]

Great job on the sorrows and I think the robes of the stalkers look especially good

[dgraz]

Hm.....not really much to say. You're doing great. The usual stuff that will come with practice....thinner paints, brush control, smoother blends....all pretty good already, but always get better with time. A wet palette really helps get smoother blends because you're only working from one color base.

 

I think your red could use a little work. Consider adding a little green to it for a shade color....the darkest spots don't look too dark. Then a little yellow for your highlight....a little, you don't want to turn orange...just enough to be different.

 

I think you could punch up all the highlights at least one more level.....would be very small spots at that point and only the highest/hardest edges.

 

Good use of color. Cools and darks....the focal point is obvious....changing up the browns and such......all good.

[spectrehorseman]

Hey thanks for the critiques. I have actually been contemplating whether I should go for a 2nd highlight. Right now I'm just doing one. I'll try that out on the next model I work on.

 

Good idea on the red shading as well. I have been using a purple wash, but you're right, that shade isn't deep enough.

 

I actually just started using a wet pallet recently and it has been way better. Saves on paint too. (currently using papertowel + parchment paper).

 

I've been contemplating picking up an Optivisor. Ever use one?

[dgraz]

Nope. Never. I do most of my painting at work, and I could get interrupted at any time to go do something....so some things I do are influenced by that (like I don't do wet on wet blending)......I think wearing head-gear would be a problem. 

 

I use the same type of wet palette.....I have a Tupperware bowl.

 

If you go too far away from red with either your shadow or highlight, you can go back with a very light red wash to bring it back.

[spectrehorseman]

haha I do a lot of painting at work as well. I'm an x-ray tech and I work the weekends, so I'm the only one there. Whenever I get interrupted, its usually only for ten minutes at most.

 

what do you do, may I ask?

[Mako]

Aw, you guys are making me feel like a right ponce for having the little p3 wet palette! Lol

Dgraz speaks great wisdom.

The only other thing I might suggest is to maybe glaze a bit of the green from the sorrows onto the purple highlights, and a bit of the purple onto the green shadows. Just around the join area. That might ramp up the swirl effect by feeding the two colours into each other.

Oh, and the photos are better already. It's like a whole second art to photograph minis, so that's another one that will come with time and practice.

Great stuff.

[dgraz]

haha I do a lot of painting at work as well. I'm an x-ray tech and I work the weekends, so I'm the only one there. Whenever I get interrupted, its usually only for ten minutes at most.

 

what do you do, may I ask?

I'm a branch manager for a horse racing place. The place virtually runs itself......I only deal with emergencies. So I never know when the interruption is coming and I never know how long it will take.

 

Aw, you guys are making me feel like a right ponce for having the little p3 wet palette! Lol

 

Yeah, get with the program.

[spectrehorseman]

The only other thing I might suggest is to maybe glaze a bit of the green from the sorrows onto the purple highlights, and a bit of the purple onto the green shadows. Just around the join area. That might ramp up the swirl effect by feeding the two colours into each other.

 

 

I'll try that, thanks.  Do you mix medium into making your glazes or just water them down?

[Mako]

I use some matte medium as well as water in mine, it keeps them thicker but takes the colour intensity out. You can do it with only water though, you just need very very little of it on your brush, so you only put the thinnest barely visible coat on the model. Build it up really gently and slowly, until you get something you like.

[Clawz]

I too wield the tupperware container, with little click tabs; it's about the size of standard blister-foam, which is really convenient as a way to maintain the dampness.

 

It's odd that it'd be blurring towards the edges with a camera like that. I thought at first it was a cell-phone cam (which are getting really good) and the smudge at the edge was just fingerprint stuff. Now I do suspect it's just focal-related issues, which takes a lot of fine-tuning.

 

A big thing from photography classes I have learned, which applies especially with progress shots: Take lots of photos. It's much easier to sift between good-ish ones to find the truly good one, than hope you got a good one after you've moved on!

 

Hmm, may have to break out my matte medium for glazing as well. typically it just gets used for sealing trees for terrain...

 

As for highlighting, I'd say to be careful: How you highlight will actually define what kind of material it is. When painting clothes, for example, silks will have an extreme light-to-dark transition, whereas say, cotton will be far less. If your Witchling stalkers are supposed to be wearing rough cloth (which I think they are) the highlights will stay relatively within the same colour band except for the most extreme of shadows or highlights.

 

If you'd like, I can provide some more photography-related stuff, though I am by no means an expert yet.