A New One

[Architect of Old]

Hey all.

 

So, here is the latest mini I finished. I'm decently pleased with it. I know its not anything wonderful, but I'm still trying to hone my skills - one mini at a time! As always, feedback is openly welcome. Thanks!

 

[morganm]

Great composition; it's a wonder piece to look at. I like how the piece breaks outside the boundaries of the base.

 

Did you sculpt the tree trunk yourself?

 

Got another shot of the front with more light?

 

Thx

[Architect of Old]

Thanks for the comment morganm. Actually, the "tree" is a piece of dried, bleached grape vine. This is the stuff you can find at pet shops and most reptile stores. I had an old branch that my boa outgrew, so I cut it up, and viola! Instant, easy "trees" for my minis. I have a couple other pieces that I'm using on other minis... I'll post those when I finish 'em.

 

Here are a couple other shots with more light. I didn't use these originally because they show the flaws much better!

 

[morganm]

I disagree and think it shows more of the great lenghts you went for detail. :)

 

Thx for the tip on the grape vine; that looks sweet.

[demonelf3]

Wow, I'm digging that base. It looks great! The mini itself is good. Your brush control is nice, and your colors are relatively cohesive. I might advise matt sealing it, because your paint is looking a bit on the shiny side. Try thinning your paint more. You'll find highlighting and shading is very easy and smooth with paint thinned even a little! But otherwise - keep up the great work!

[antnol]

Just like everyone else said, the tree stump looks really nice. It gives the miniature more character I think. Your paints on the mini itself do look like they could be watered down a bit but other than that it looks great. Color choice is really good. Keep them coming.

[morganm]

Did you add the bow string? If so what is it made of?

 

Thx

[tanker22]

Nice work with alot of detail. As already said, the base is very cool and well doen, like the vine as well. Didnt even notice the bowstring until Morganm mentioned it, nice job on that.

 

The one thing that stands out that could use some work on future minis is the eyes. I think a narrower, more squinted look would have gone better. Maybe try not using such a bright white as well, more of a cream color or a pinkish base with a thinned down white over it. Personnal preference on my part I suppose

 

Thanks for sharing it

[Architect of Old]

Thanks for all the positive feedback thus far! morganm, I did add the bowstring. It is a piece of .024 wire (not sure what kind). I've also used sewing thread, which I like much better. Again, I'll post more pics later that have the thread. tanker, I agree with you about the eyes. I still have a good deal to practice on my eyes, and I'm actually pretty happy with how these came out - but I can see them looking better being more narrow. Also, demonelf, I did use Dullcoat for the finish. Not sure why it came out looking glossy.

 

Thanks again guys!

[Nial ap Morai]

Great Mini, do you use your minis for competition, collections, or table top gaming?

[Jabberwocky]

Wonderful basing, AoO. The stringing of the bow is always a big thumbs up in my book as well. Very nice job picking out all the details on this fellow.

[Architect of Old]

Nial, I just paint minis for the fun of it. I doubt I'm anywhere near competition standards, but maybe someday that would be fun. I don't really know anything about the gaming aspect of these guys. For now I'm just painting them to paint them!

 

Thanks for the nice words Jabber. I try to add bowstrings to any mini that has a bow. It just looks so funny to me to see a bow with no string!

 

I'm glad you all are enjoying the base. Hopefully it'll spark some ideas for your own pieces. I've found basing to be immensely fun for me - sometimes, more fun than painting the mini itself!