Cerridwyn1st

Adrienne: If you could bring the arm a little closer to the body, that would be good, too. The shield doesn't look like it would be effective protection held so far out from the body. I've found that the silicon padded pliers used in jewlery making are excellent for moving parts without damaging them. I love that shield, by the way. Where is it from? The filigree is going to look awesome when you get this painted up. As far as the Goddess thing is concerned, I'm right there with you. I have a dragon for a friend, 54mm Monique, two exchange minis (one about two years overdue), a table fig for a friend, and more unfinished Warlord models to update my armies than I care to think about. This is after finishing up about ten models last weekend. Sigh. It just never seems to end. Mel

I'd like to see an update. I liked her face in the last pix, but the belly looked a bit off, as if the highlighting was a bit abrupt. I'd like to see what she looks like now.

The model in question is a Warlord Vale Archer. They have been releasing these individually, but I don't know if this one has been or not. The skin and hair look very nice. Don't be afraid of brownlining between the skin and hair for more "pop". I concur with Ayin on the need for more highlighting on the armor. I would be inclined to make the filigree stand out more by highlighting that as well. In RMS colors, one of my favorites for this kind of thing would work out as Intense Brown, Palomino Gold, then Clear Yellow. I would be careful bringing up the burgundy with additional red. Not too bright, or he'll look like the Christmas Archer. What are you using for the green? I'd highligh that a bit, too. Try adding first Field Green and then Moth Green. I know it sounds a bit odd adding a florescent color, but with the darker green base it works out nicely. IMO, there's too much of the green flock on the base. I'd take a little of that off. The cork part of the base looks very nice. Well done.

Thanks for the compliment, Helltown. I really appreciate it. I've been painting about five years. I've had the chance to be taught and critiqued by some of the best painters in the world. I get discouraged sometimes that I'm not further along than I am with my skills and execution. For yourself, just keep painting and working on your art. You'll get better as time goes along. Meg: LOL! I was going to say the brand of paint isn't as big a deal as how you use them. Anne was using VMC before she started developing the RMS line. She "turned me on" to a lot of the colors I use. There are quite a few colors in RMS that have close analogs in VMC. She doesn't have one for Oxford Blue 807. You should get that one, Helltown. Every painter should have Oxford Blue.

Thank-you, Meg. I look forward to getting him done.

Ayin: It's fine with me is you jump in. Meg: You mentioned getting the model and painting it. Want to jump in? I'll post some updates as soon as I get painting. Speaking of painting, I need to work out my color theme. I think I'll go with fair skin, but not sure about the hair color or armor. I might try one of the recipies I have from Thierry Husser that I haven't really tried. Mel

Yeah, but with enrage it does pay to have a decent cleric nearby, unless your opponents a dwarf player then it doesn't matter. Of course, thats why you get MORE ORCS with a reven army .

Latest update. It's not easy being green, but I went there. I just couldn't see an alternative. I needed another color to break things up a bit. This model is very complicated, with lots of beautiful detail. If I stuck to russet and cream for everything, some of the details might get lost. So I went ahead and added some green where it would break up the other colors a bit and add some contrast. I like the way the metallic stands out against both russet and cream. It will stand out equally well against the green.

The Monique you mention VV is by Amy Brehm. I like the way Amy has her busting down a door and got rid of the helmet. The piece is "Monique's Dramatic Entrance." It was part of the Masters competition at Reaper Con and was allowed in Gen Con because it did not place there. It didn't place at Gen Con either, but won a Reaper award. Pretty tough competition when something that lovely doesn't even place in a category. My Monique is primed, but I'm not happy. How did I miss that mold line in her hair? How did she get all that fuzz under her armpit? AARGH! Probably let the primer sit until tomorrow before I paint. Might strip and start over. Depends on how discusted I am the next time I look at the model.

What the Slithe Queen has in her hand? Which one, she has four. If you mean the bit floating from her lower left hand (which is also holding the spear), then I'd say a necklace of some sort.

Well, I did get some bench queens cleared but I didn't get Monique primed. Forcast says there's 55% humididty at max today, so maybe I can get `er done... In response to Meg's treadjack, do you want the same with our exchange? I'm keeping my recipies in my Little Cat Book.

I haven't had the beading problem lately with Tamiya. When I apply the primer, I "stroke" the can across the mini, which leaves a thin, even coat. Maybe you are over priming the mini.

Make sure you are getting full-strength Simple Green. There is a dilute product on the market made by the same company and sold in budget stores. It smells nice and is good for cleaning your bathroom, but it's useless for stripping minis.

If you look at Michael's you can find a lamp that's intended for books and a magnifying glass that attaches. The magnifier is usually on an endcap near needlework supplies, since that's what it is designed for. This can be used for painting and I saw a person use one for sculpting. I don't really use mine anymore, as just about anyplace I would go that I would use it has outlets and I can use a portable magnifying lens. You may find it too small to be practical, but it's inexpensive enough that if you don't like it, at least you are not out a lot of cash. It can be run off battery power or a transformer.

Looks like she's pregnant to me. It is nice to see a sculpt with more realistic proportions.

Posting an image with "privacy swatches" is not allowed under Reaper forum rules. But hey, I've gotten away with it before... of course I didn't know better at the time so I haven't done it again. Thanks for the photos, Derek. There are parts of this model that weren't visible from the angle in the case, so it's great to see the whole thing. There are so many subtle things that make this piece beautiful. For one, the way you portray the light affects from sunlight coming down through the water on the sand and rocks. Wow. The way you converted Pearl's face and added a crown so she fit in with the "story" better. There's a little conversion work on the Slithe Queen as well; the addition of seaweed around the hand holding the lance. The way you repositioned the Sea Elves is wonderful to. Not to mention that the painting on this piece is eye-poppingly beautiful. Thanks again for posting the pix, especially angles we couldn't see in the case.

I use Dull Cote like a maniac on my figs. I also use Simple Green to strip minis. Yes, it will removed Dull Cote.

I don't know much about this topic, so I searched the web for advice. I found this article:Repainting pre-paints The author suggests applying a cover paint (he suggests black) and painting on top of that. I'd suggest taking some commons you don't care about and trying this with them. Might be a good use for those old Mage Knight figs you've got laying around. Customizing and repainting pre-paints is fairly popular. I've heard of people who make side income doing this, just as some mini painters take commissions. Check the web and you should find more information on this.

I was currious. The pattern you have isn't typical for camo. Usually camo is blocks of color on top of a ligher color. What I've done to paint camo in the past is paint a solid background color and then the darker "splotches" go on top of that. The lightest splotches go first, with the darker ones later. If you were really picky about your camo, what you could do would be paint and highlight the background color, then paint your splotches. Highlight any that need it to match your background. Then shadow your recesses as previously discussed.

OK, here we go! I'm dedicating this long weekend to clearing some Bench Queens, working on my exchange mini, and finally gettig going on Monique. So, roll call time. Who's in to get cracking on Monique?

The gold NMM looks a lot crisper in the newer version. Very cool, VL.

On the subject of saying "no", sometimes the request is so silly you don't have any trouble at all. When I was just getting started, but other people had noticed me, another gamer suggested I paint his 40K army as "advertisement." That wasn't too hard to turn down. Paint and army for FREE? For someone few people even LIKE? Who rarely shows up at the game store anyway? Give me a break... Another guy told me I'd been paid too much in credit by Reaper for a Warlord squad I painted. He then asked if I'd paint a bunch of plastic minis "like the box" for $3 a figure. I don't think I've ever said "no" so fast in my life. Oh, another way to discourage silly requests is to mention what you charge. That will stop a lot of people in their tracks.

Just out of curriosity, do you have a picture of what the cammo pattern looks like IRL?

I'll take "pretty pictures" later and put them in Show Off. For the time being, here's the completed mini: The base was created using a brass plate with a flower and leaf pattern. I cast the pattern using ApoxySculpt onto a round 40K base, primed it and then painted the pattern. I used RMS Brown Liner on the bottom of the base. The cat was added to give a bit more drama to the piece. Hope you like her.

More pixie goodness: I've done a bit more highlighting and started on the gold demi-metalics.