Sandmanns painted stuff

[Sandmann]

Newish player here! Coming from Warhammer via Infinity and for some time now, playing Malifaux with a few friends - for whom I also paint stuff.
Feel free to comment and criticise - I'm always happy to find ways to become a better painter

First off: Ressers - the McMourning starter, painted for a friend.

[ringsnake]

You've managed better contrast on your McMourning than on mine, though maybe the whites could have used a little more shading you at least went with warm tones, which makes them stand out a lot better.

The basework is the only place that stands out as being a place where some improvement could be done, and I can provide decent advice. Repaint the grass, or at least drybrush it or soak it in ink. The rock or gravel or whatever you used on the bases is too rounded, big, and textured strangely. A finer grade of sand or dirt wouldn't look so strange. I get mine by scooping up the sand and dirt that accumulates near the curb after a rainstorm. Spread it out on a flat surface (I use old baking sheets) to dry out, and then run it through a colander, and then what you get from the colander through a screen or something like that. You end up with a bunch of stones, heavy gravel, and fine sand. 

[goth]

Your nurses are so bold, beautiful paint jobs on everything!

[Sandmann]

@ringsnake: After spending half an hour sieving my basing material , I think the result is something better suited and more in scale. Most stuff ist still based with the old material, so don't excpect it to show up too soon, but someday it definitely will. The grass I'm not sure about. Maybe I'll try drybrushing it on a test piece - but atm, my bases fit my terrrain pretty well, including the grass (which I've used on basically everything).

@goth: Thanks !

And next up, Neverborn that I painted for my brother, part 1:

[Butch]

I like the bright colours and the smooth blending. But I think you could go a lot darker in the shades on most on your models.

[Sandmann]

Maybe... I could give it a try at least

Meanwhile, Neverborn part 2 (I still have more of them waiting for paint, my brother really bought into the game ):

[Littlewicked]

Really love the skin tones on Pandora

[Sandmann]

Thanks Littlewicked

Finally, some minis that are actually my own: The Guild, starting with Lady J's crewbox.

The Scales and the Judge were the first two Malifaux minis I ever painted...

 

The third Death Marshal (the giant one) I built and painted way later (you can see that I changed the way I paint the leather coats slightly), after I had already taken his Peacebringer away to use on Francisco - so he got a sword that he seems to have picked up somewhere...

[Butch]

I think the flames could have more wihite in the deeper parts to make them look more translucent.

I like all the paintings an the crew. But the improved leather shows your progress. I like that the most!

[Sandmann]

I still have Sue on the painting table, so I can give flames another go

[Sandmann]

Speak of the devil ...

Not happy with his face - it's very poorly defined on the model (and quite small) and I think I didn't do the best job of working around that...

[Sandmann]

And back to our regularly scheduled programming

The second box I got for Malifaux and the one I'm most happy with (also, they kick ass on the playing field for me )

Francisco got the gun from a Death Marshal, as his profile says it's supposed to be a Peacebringer too, and a blade from a Reaper set instead of his... machete?

[Butch]

Great choice of haircolor on Perdita!

[Sandmann]

Thanks Butch! I painted her hair twice, and the second try you see here I really like

Now, some random mooks and minions for my Guild:

[sockwithaticket]

That's a really cool Guild scheme, looks unusual, but good, on the Witchlings. The vibrant red face masks are a nice touch. First time I've seen that Guild Guard done as a blonde bombshell. Really like how battered both the Guards' overcoats look.

[Sandmann]

Thanks sock! As said earlier, I revised the way I paint the leather coats, and the new method looks much better - and more beaten up.
The red is kind of my theme colour for the Guild - I try to incorporate it on most models nowadays.

Continuing with the Guild minions, an Austringer. My second try to paint denim, and I like the outcome more than on the male Guild Guard.
(Also, if you're wondering why one of the birds legs looks weird, it's because I lost the original one while cutting it from the sprue and had to resculpt it)

[Sandmann]

Steampunk robot time!

(Uploaded as attachments, because photobucket isn't working. Again.)

[prof_bycid]

The eye on that watcher is perfect!

[Sandmann]

Sometimes buying a new colour really pays of - I was missing a light blue for quite some time and only recently aquired some (Vallejo Model Color Deep Sky Blue) - the Watcher was the first test using the new paint.

The Effigy is a very nice mini, but it ended up a bit drab. Of course the lantern would've been a spot of colour, but it snapped of shortly after glueing the coffin together

[jotun]

Really like your work, particularly the McMourning Crew - great details there such as the fur on the remains, the skin tones on the flesh construct and the gore on the doctor himself.

If I may, I'd like to suggest an easy technique to improve the look of flames: If you take a glaze of the corresponding color and lightly touch the areas that would be hit by the light emitted by the flames (or whatever lightsource you have), the flames seem much more real and it kind of ties the model more together. Here's a good example (not mine) of what I mean: http://crystalbrush.coolminiornot.com/cbartwork/index/id/639

The good part is that it is quite easy to do by intuition and layer in the light step by step wherever you feel you need more. The hardest part for me was to get myself to take a neatly painted mini and just start applying glazes all over the place

On a side note: you just reminded me that I should start painting my brutal effigy 

[Sandmann]

Thanks jotun! I haven't dared to try OSL on my Malifaux minis yet. I actually used this technique (with glazes like you describe) on some Infinity miniatures, but I wasn't 100% satisfied with the result.
Maybe I should have another go . As you say, it's kinda hard to take a fully finished mini and potentially ruin it
Btw, I think the example you linked is actually done with an airbrush.

Sadly the last model with sculpted flames on is already painted and varnished: Iggy, for my brothers Neverborn.
He's accompanied by Rafkin, which I painted up so my friend could participate in the Enforcer Brawl at a (somewhat) local tournament.

 

[Sandmann]

After some time, I managed to branch out my guild into a third master - Sonnia Criid, using the old metal miniatures that I got in a trade.

First of is her Henchman, slightly modified: Samael got a new Gun (and hand holding it). Only front picture, because photobucket is still not working and I seem to have no more place in the gallery (?)...

 

[Sandmann]

I managed to find a workaround for my issue with photobucket, so here is the glorious backside of Samael

And also the third Witchling Stalker and someone to push them around:

[RStrickland]

Wow, what a collection. Could look at any one of them for ten minutes. Spattered and weathered just right.

[Sandmann]

And (finally) the bosslady. I have played a few games (six or seven I think) with her - and while fluff and mini are cool, I just can't get to grips with her playwise. Haven't won or drew a single game with her, and some of the defeats were quite brutal. I'm switching back to Justice and Perdita (and, in the not to far-off future to Nelly) for now.
Any tips would be appreciated