Popular Post AnneO'Leary Posted June 25, 2013 Popular Post Share Posted June 25, 2013 I tend to have three to four projects on the painting table at the same time, so I thought I'd keep all my ongoing Reaper projects in one place. Some may be large projects and some may just be single figures. Prior to this figure, I've painted only four non-human figures and those were the Little Dudes from Dark Sword Miniatures. So this Cave Troll is an important piece for me. It is also my first Bones figure. This is Cave Troll #77004 and I realize loads of people are painting him right now. I was working on him outside today and took a quick pic of him in my garden just to see how far from being done I really am. I know I'm only supposed to photograph against a neutral grey background, but this is just a WIP and it's fun. I based him in Reaper Pale Green then applied a green wash from Secret Weapon. I then layered up the highlights by adding successively larger amounts of Reaper Saffron Yellow to the Pale green. I applying the green wash to blend and to provide depth of colour. The pustules were done with Reaper Phoenix Red and lined with Secret Weapon Amethyst Wash. Highlighting was done by adding Reaper White to the Phoenix Red. I then added some Vallejo Black Ink to the green wash to go back and deepen the shadows in the musculature. The loin cloth has only had a base coat of Reaper Dessert Tan and a Face Wash from Secret Weapon. I have not begun to highlight it yet. I used Citadel Mechrite Red for the boils on his back and washed with a Secret Weapon's Blood Red mixed with a small amount of black ink. Highlights were achieved by adding successively large amounts of Saffron Yellow. i don't drybrush my figures, I just work up using a damp brush. He's going to put on a larger base with Fulumbar, Dwarf Warrior #77011 as a small battle vignette and I'll give it as a gift to one of my Historical Wargaming buddies in the UK. Because I have no one to game with I always make up stories to go with my figures and post them on my blog. I have no Fantasy friends so it's fun to expose the Wargamers to my side of the hobby and try to subvert them. 28 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talae Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 I really like what I see here. The pic being in the garden is a nice touch. Thanks for sharing! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laoke Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 That's a wonderfully vibrant figure! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetic_joe Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Awesome colors, this mini is really well done. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator OneBoot Posted June 25, 2013 Moderator Share Posted June 25, 2013 Wow, he's looking awesome! Lovely work on the highlights and the lining. His teeth and claws are also very well done. The washes and wet blending (you mentioned using a damp brush, so I assumed that's what you were doing here) did an amazing job of blending everything together nicely. The yellow contrasts nicely with the green. Good luck on brainwashing through incredible minis subverting your Wargaming friends! :) Huzzah! --OneBoot :D 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naponatom Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 He´s so cute! Menacing cute, I mean. :P 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CashWiley Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Excellent job, Anne! I also realized recently that I've been painting mostly humanoids (bathalian and goblin are the exceptions, my ogre was painted in human tones). I need to branch out into fantasy stuff and your work is inspiring me to get on with it. :) Many nice details, great color palette. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aku-chan Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 That is a great take on the usual green colour scheme Troll's have, He looks almost radioactive! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneO'Leary Posted June 25, 2013 Author Share Posted June 25, 2013 I really like what I see here. The pic being in the garden is a nice touch. Thanks for sharing! Until last Winter, I'd never photographed a figure anywhere else. I'm still trying to work out how to take good pics inside. That's a wonderfully vibrant figure! Thank you. My stuff usually ends up being over the top with colour and I think it's due to my love of flowers and mimicking what I see in them. Awesome colors, this mini is really well done. Thank you! Wow, he's looking awesome! Lovely work on the highlights and the lining. His teeth and claws are also very well done. The washes and wet blending (you mentioned using a damp brush, so I assumed that's what you were doing here) did an amazing job of blending everything together nicely. The yellow contrasts nicely with the green. Good luck on brainwashing through incredible minis subverting your Wargaming friends! :) Huzzah! --OneBoot :D I really love Reaper Pale Green as there is so much you can do with it. It blends up so nicely with yellows that it's easy to transition to pure yellow smoothly. Last year I got a very serious Wargamer to compete with me in a fun Challenge. Before he knew what was happening to him, he wound up painting a Dark Sword Mouse Mage. And he beat me in the Challenge as he's a much better painter than I am. I want to make it an annual event and it's time for me to find my next victim. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneO'Leary Posted June 25, 2013 Author Share Posted June 25, 2013 I'm still trying to get the hang of using quotes, so be patient with me. He´s so cute! Menacing cute, I mean. :P He is cute in a funny way. With those colours, he's almost like a Christmas Troll. I should hang lights on him and put pressies at his feet. Excellent job, Anne! I also realized recently that I've been painting mostly humanoids (bathalian and goblin are the exceptions, my ogre was painted in human tones). I need to branch out into fantasy stuff and your work is inspiring me to get on with it. :) Many nice details, great color palette. I favour the human figure for it's grace and the importance in the history of art. That said, it was way past time that I began branching out and this figure is such a fun one to begin with. I've got a cool Ogre I want to do and I love those Black Orcs by Tre. But I think humans will always be my favourite thing to paint. That is a great take on the usual green colour scheme Troll's have, He looks almost radioactive! Radioactive-I like that. I can use that when I write my story about the figures. I could have him be a human who ate some radioactive mushrooms, turned into a Troll, then hid himself away from humanity until one day he encountered a Dwarf. There's a story in there somewhere. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneO'Leary Posted July 5, 2013 Author Share Posted July 5, 2013 I have completed my Cave Troll and I'm fairly pleased with how he turned out. I wanted him really bright and I think I achieved that. I posted him on my blog today with a link back to the Reaper Online Store. I always write stories to go with my mini's and I managed to work this guy into the Irish economy by using him in a Fable http://fortwitter.blogspot.com/2013/07/trolgar-toxic-troll.html I finished putting base colours on my Dwarf as well. Normally I don't base coat the entire miniature at one time, but most of the folks here do so and I thought I would give IT a try. Hopefully it will force me to paint in a more tidy manner from the outset and save me time in the long run. I won't do my lining until the end as I usually lose the line if I paint it on first. Comments and critiques are most welcome. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CashWiley Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 I'm not sure if base coating everything saves time. I'm a neat freak, so I have to base coat the whole thing and go back and touch up obsessively...I'm pretty sure it costs me a lot of time :) But I also base coat slowly and deliberately...I'm just a relatively slow painter overall! I do like the way it helps me visualize things and keeps everything more cohesive. I dub your troll...Purple Pits! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator OneBoot Posted July 5, 2013 Moderator Share Posted July 5, 2013 (edited) Wow, I love how vibrant your colors are!! The lining on the troll is very clean. Well done! EDIT: Also, I just read the story for your troll, and it's a lot of fun! It adds another level of personality to your figure. :) Huzzah! --OneBoot :D Edited July 5, 2013 by OneBoot 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneO'Leary Posted July 6, 2013 Author Share Posted July 6, 2013 I'm not sure if base coating everything saves time. I'm a neat freak, so I have to base coat the whole thing and go back and touch up obsessively...I'm pretty sure it costs me a lot of time :) But I also base coat slowly and deliberately...I'm just a relatively slow painter overall! I do like the way it helps me visualize things and keeps everything more cohesive. I dub your troll...Purple Pits! It can take me a week to two weeks to complete a figure and that's got to change somehow. I really like your painting style as it's so smooth and perfect. Truly I think that if you keep developing at the rate you are, in about a year you're going to be a painter to contend with. I've got a friend that goes by the name The Laughing Ferret and he's a pro painter. He paints for Hydra, Impact, Eureka and many others. He makes his entire living by painting. And he makes LOADS of money. He's not a starving painter. The best part is that he's super cool and will talk to you and answer questions. You should get to know him. This is the link to his blog http://laughingferret.blogspot.com/ Wow, I love how vibrant your colors are!! The lining on the troll is very clean. Well done! EDIT: Also, I just read the story for your troll, and it's a lot of fun! It adds another level of personality to your figure. :) Huzzah! --OneBoot :D Because I paint in isolation, I've found myself having to give the sculpts a story and a personality to give myself something to "connect" to. If I was gaming RPG, that's built in. Also my stories are almost always funny. To me life is hard and when I play make-believe it should be as fun as I can make it. Also giving other people a laugh makes my life easier to bear. How are you coming on your BONES? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CashWiley Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 He makes his entire living by painting. And he makes LOADS of money. He's not a starving painter.At 43, being vested in the state retirement system and having decent health care is more important than the thought of painting for a living :) I lack one of the important skills of a successful pro painter: I'm slow (2 weeks per mini avg). At that rate you're talking $3k per mini :p It is an interesting idea if the local and county governments decide to defund libraries entirely, and it's definitely on my radar for retirement (my house is paid off in 2025 or so). Besides, I get to help people every day and some of them even appreciate it. How many people have that kind of job satisfaction? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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