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Sometimes you summon something from the abyss. Sometimes it's not happy about being interrupted. I'd actually been wanting to tackle this naughty, naughty boy (yes, I'm sure it's a boy--and there were a couple of discarded shots that would offer evidence). I started several weeks ago, then hit a wall. I didn't want to make him green. I really didn't. I considered red, I considered purple (like my Rauthuros), I considered golden brown...and ended up back at green. I really wanted to do red. It must have been a holdover from the Thing in the Well when the red didn't pan out. I also seem to be on a drybrushing kick. It just seems to work on such big models. So, what did I do? The base scales are Forest Green, Grass Green, and Jade Green. The armor plates are Pure Black, Black Green, and Forest Green. I do that fairly often when I can spot other colors that seem to lead into other triads. I'm assuming Reaper does it purposefully. Where the 'Lasher gets hairy it is Muddy Brown, Earth Brown, Leather Brown, and Tanned Leather. I knew I wanted somewhat creepy flesh, so it flesh started off as Tanned Highlight and (through drybrushing) was worked up through Fair Shadow and Fair Skin. It's not that pale flesh is creepy (looks in mirror), but so much of it and being bare? I think it's a little unsettling. I wish I'd been a little braver and tried to do a little blue on the snout for a mandrill-esque look. The scales on the underside of the tail are the Olive Skin Shadow, Olive Skin, and Olive Skin Highlight. I was hoping that the olive tones would bridge between the scales and flesh. The spines and thagomizer are Stained Ivory, Yellowed Bone, and Creamy Ivory. The horns are Dirty Bone, Graveyard Bone, and Splintered Bone. The teeth are the last "bone" triad Bone Shadow, Aged Bone, and Polished Bone. The mouth and tongue started at Pure Black and were hit with Dark Elf Shadow, Dark Elf Skin, and Dark Elf Highlight. Which brings us to the eyes. One head started at Fire Red, Phoenix Red, and Fire Orange. I wanted some continuity (like with the armor plates), so for the other head went with Fire Orange, Marigold Yellow, and Sun Yellow. I'm actually a little proud of the eyes. The base was the easiest portion of this guy. I've continued my tradition of Chocolate Cherry, Burnt Sienna, and Terra Cotta for the rocks. The ground was Dark Brown, Golden Brown, and Khaki. The result was less striking than I would have liked, but live and learn: Start darker or finish lighter. I felt like doing several things with the bubbling muck. I thought about red (BLOOD), mud (BORING), and decided on...silver! Well, it's meant to be evocative of bubbling mercury. It seemed like a nice way of saying "this place is toxic." Well, it's done now. And any mini you can walk away from is a good one. Or maybe that's something else... Unlike the Thing in the Well, I don't think I'd paint another one under normal circumstances. The seams are everywhere and obvious. I also had a great deal of difficulty gluing everything. It just wouldn't stick. I tried to pin the hooves to the base, and the arms to the torso, and didn't have an easy go of those steps, either. I'm wondering if that had something to do with the motivational wall I hit. I mean, he was glued and cured and fell off the table...and broke apart. Time to reglue the regluing of the reglued bits. He was also so heavy (and the bottom of the base is hollowed) that I couldn't get good contact points to keep him from sliding around on my tea bottle cap (about 2" wide). Instead, he would slide slowly around when held at an angle--which means I was constantly grabbing the base and rubbing some of the paint off the base when I repositioned him. I guess I need something to clamp the base down. There were hurdles, true, and those hurdles took a little effort to get over. But just a little. Those with more experience pinning and green stuffing probably wouldn't have even noticed. It just happened to hit me at the wrong time. I'd rate the overall experience a "C-" (not great, but not unbearable). And he is still a kick-butt figure! Thanks for stopping by!

Not my absolute best work, but at this stage I'm just trying to get things painted and table-worthy rather than shooting for showpieces. Since I sort of half-assed (maybe 2/3-assed) this one, I've broken up the mental constipation that was keeping me from painting and now I'm happily back at the desk and perfectly glad to announce that good enough is good enough. I'm hardly the first person to view this "demonic lasher" / demogorgon as a sort of Barlgura-plus, so I used the same colors (reaper highlight orange, twilight blue) on the face as I do for my orange monster monkeys. Torso is the cool greens triad, chest is the undead flesh triad. Base is craft paint along with scattered broken bits from the foolish heroes who tried to stand in this fiend's way.

Here it is: the dreaded Demogorgon... This was the first larger scale mini I painted. It was a lot of fun, especially watching it come alive with a wash on the furry and scaley bits. Enjoy! As always, tips and suggestions are welcome. :) -E.E.